The show featured dance and music - from rap to classical Indian - plus various fusions and theatrical performance. Lighting designer Andrew Keighley, an Entec regular, lit the event for the second year running, and with no stage set apart from some basic props, the visual impact was all down to the application of lights.
He chose a series of simplistic, bold and colourful looks that were ideal for mixing and matching for quick and effective improvisational techniques. There was no time for a full rehearsal or run though, and for lighting in particular, this meant a heavy reliance on Keighley's intuition and busking skills.
The rig comprised two trusses - front and back - with eight Vari*Lite 2202 moving spot lights spread across both of them, and another unit upstage centre on the floor for specials. The dynamics of the V*Ls gave Keighley plenty of scope for ensuring sufficient general coverage as well as more specific cues needed by the performance pieces. Generic lighting comprised PARs and ACLs. Accessories included four Martin Atomic strobes and four James Thomas MR16 battens across the front of the stage. Lighting was completed with two Pani FOH spots and Keighley operated the show from an Avolites Pearl. Entec also supplied a white filled backcloth, upstage of which was a starcloth. Lighting crew were James Hughes and Nick Burnace, together with crew chief Simon Howarth (Boff).
FOH engineer Barry Bartlett, assisted by Imperial College student Gary Ewer, headed up Entec's audio crew. Bartlett designed a d&b C4 and C7 FOH system that was both flown and ground stacked, with B2 subs and E3 front fills. He mixed the show using a Midas XL200 console, with KT DN360s graphics for EQ and a couple of Sabine ADF 4000 PowerQs across the Lavalier mics and anything else likely to feedback. He also used his favourite digital reverb, a TC M2000. Dealing with the number and variety of acts in a single performance was the major challenge for FOH and monitors, with the latter taken care of by Liam Halpin.
Halpin used an XL3 console, and took the opportunity to try out six of Italian brand Outline's new low profile 2 x 12 wedges. As well as being unobtrusive, these are also lightweight. Side fills were two d&b C690 cabinets a side. Mics - all Shure - were five Lavaliers, three hand-helds and a headset. Halpin inserted Sabine PowerQ's across the Lavaliers and headsets, primarily for feedback elimination and some extra headroom, and mirroring Bartlett at FOH, also inserted KT graphics across all mixes for EQ. The event was a great success and helped raise money for Water Aid, Sargent Cancer Care for Children and Imperial College Union.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
