White Light was recently challenged with bringing the spectacular style of some of the biggest theatre shows to Clapton Girls’ Technology College in Hackney, England for their production of We Will Rock You - The Schools Edition.
“The challenge was creating a design that looked bigger than it was—the school wanted the lighting to replicate the West End Show, with that rock-and-roll feel and wow factor—but all within their budget,” explains Joss Gamble, White Light’s hire and schools coordinator, who liaised with the school and then worked with them to realize the design. “Plus they kept getting new ideas and asking for increasingly complex things, including pyro!”
To achieve all of this, White Light supplied a versatile rig including eight Martin Mac 500 moving spotlights, eight LED ChromaQ ColorBlocks, 24 PAR cans, ten CCT Minuette Fs and 26m of trussing spread across four truss stands. “We only had three days to set up, plot, tech, and dress the whole thing, so I used a grandMA Light console, which enabled me to plot very quickly and to alter and add a lot of information on the fly,” Gamble explains. “The truss and stands were also invaluable as they let me create a rock-and-roll feel without the hassle of creating a ground support structure—we couldn’t use any of the school’s existing rigging as it had been condemned. The ColorBlocks acted as truss toners and looked stunning, and the Macs were fantastic.” A Unique 2 haze machine and two Viper NT smoke machines completed the rig, ensuring the beams of light were clearly visible in the air, while, ever versatile, White Light also assisted the school with the set up and operation of the sound rig!
"The Expressive Arts Department here at Clapton likes to think big and believe that nothing is impossible,” explains Ray Pinch, head of Expressive Arts. “This ethos was whole heartedly taken on board by Joss and the folks from White Light who provided a design which went beyond even my big ideas to give us a real West End feeling—can’t wait for next time!"