Industry leading brands light up The Adventures of Pinocchio

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Industry leading brands light up The Adventures of Pinocchio

Posted on: 31st January 2018

Following the success of their last show A Christmas Carol, Voice of the Show were back in 2017 with the production: The Adventures of Pinocchio. Based on the original book by Carlo Collodi, David Mansell directed and adapted the tale into a magical family performance which follows the naughty puppet on his many adventures and begins on Christmas Eve in toy maker, Geppetto’s workshop (played by Guy Siner).

The Little Theatre by the Park in Chesham played home to the dark family fable for 19 shows throughout December, boasting West End worthy lighting designs and a small but extremely talented cast. At the heart of the lighting rig were 4 CHAUVET DJ Intimidator hybrids, 6 CHAUVET Professional Q-Wash 436Zs, 4 Rogue R2 Spots and 8 ETC Source 4 Junior fixtures that were evenly positioned around the circular stage.

Both CHAUVET Professional Rogue R2 Spots and CHAUVET DJ Intimidator hybrids were chosen for their versatility and together created an impressive variety of looks on stage. “As the R2 Spots have 2 colour wheels, the possible combinations are almost endless” said Andy Friedli, Lighting Designer. “By choosing to deploy the Rogue’s we were able to convey the moods of each scene easily and effectively”. In addition to the main lighting rig, an ETC Source 4 Mini was positioned downstage centre to act as a spotlight for the star of the show, Pinocchio. Created by Sam Parker (Puppeteer for War Horse), Pinocchio was bought to life by two of his very own puppeteer’s who controlled the puppet in such a captivating way that you almost forgot they were there.

Not only was the stage constantly endowed with vibrant colours, the performance had its fair share of dramatic lighting effects to help tell the tale too. ETC Source 4 Juniors partnered with a Rosco 86675 Comedia gobo, covered the stage in a mesmerising stained glass window effect for Cathedral scenes and a touch of magic was added with Laserworld’s CS1000-MKII to symbolise the Lady with Indigo Hair and her mystical powers. ADJ Dotz and a Le Maitre MVS Hazer were also used to create a roaring fire effect.

Harmonising playful and at times rather sinister looks, the design created by Friedli reinforced the message of the performance and complimented both the music and cast. The Adventures of Pinocchio was the epitome of all theatre aspects coming together to create something truly special, and in doing so the audience were able to fully immerse themselves in this fantastic story.