ABU DHABI, UAE – For the 2010/11 Prince of Poets festival, competition and TV series staged at the 2,100-capacity Al Raha Theatre, Robe ROBIN LEDWash 600s were among the Robe moving lights in a rig specified by Talib Alsouri from end clients, the Abu Dhabi Association for Culture & Heritage (ADACH). Sono AB from V Design provided the lighting design. Prince of Poets – which completed its fourth series – was produced by Pyramedia with the goal of promoting and enhancing classical Arabic poetry. For last year's Prince of Poets event, Sonu worked as the programmer and operator with German LD Harvey Scherer, and this year Pyramedia brought him in to design the lighting rig.
ADACH also owns the lighting equipment that was used for the show, and have been investing steadily in Robe over the last 18 months. "I first saw the CitySkape 48s that we used on this show at the PALME Dubai show last year and was impressed with the quality and brightness of the light output," said Alsouri, who also specified ColorBeam 2500E ATs.
As soon as the ROBIN LEDWash 600 was available, Robe's Middle Eastern Regional Sales Manager Elie Battah demonstrated them to Alsouri, who called them "amazing." Knowing the reliability of the brand from his previous purchases, Alsouri placed his order for 24 units.
These were all supplied via Robe's Middle East sales office, and Alsouri intends to purchase more Robe fixtures each time another large show comes up which is serviced by ADACH, as it is more cost-effective than renting.
Sonu's starting point for the Prince of Poets lighting design was Christopher George's set, which was heavily architectural, featuring multiple arches, columns and staircases, and to ensure that director Mohamed Atef had all his camera shots well lit.
The lighting rig consisted of 48 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs, 24 ROBIN LEDWash 600s, six ROBIN 600 Beams, 12 ColorWash 750 Tungstens and 32 CitySkape 48 LED fixtures. They were positioned above the stage using the theatre's flying system, and on the deck, where they were used to illuminate some of the decorative elements and served as wall washers and back lights.
Lighting the pillars of the set, which accentuated the different heights and multiple layers of the space, was one of the most important aspects of the design. They varied between two and seven meters in height, and the CitySkapes proved well-suited for this task.
The LEDWash 600s were used on the floor to wash the walls and other set pieces and also to provide eye-candy for the cameras.
The main rig contained all the ColorSpot 700E ATs and ColorWash 750 Tungstens, and these were used to provide mood change, movement and for stage specials. The ROBIN 600 Beams were located behind the set, used for blasting shafts of light through for specific cues and specials.
Sonu has used Robe ColorSpot and ColorWash 700s before, but it was the first time he'd used CitySkapes, ROBIN 600 Beams and the new LEDWash 600s, all of which impressed him greatly.
He used the LEDWash 600s for different effects including the creation of "funky" color ripples, and appreciated their quick response time. He also credited the CitySkapes for their brightness, compact dimensions, color range, and the ColorBeams for the effects created by their rotating gobos.
ADACH made a large investment in Robe gear last year for ongoing needs including several televised events. The ROBIN LEDWash 600s were recently added to the inventory, delivered via Robe Middle East and arriving just in time to go onto the Prince Of Poets series.
Yemeni poet Abdul Aziz Al Zaraei was crowned the 2011 Prince of Poets by Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, following a five-contestant finale.
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