High praise for MDG Haze and Hamilton
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PRG XL Video supplied three of its ATMe haze machines to this much-anticipated London production when it opened in December 2017.
Hamilton, which had already taken Broadway by storm with 11 Tony Awards, made its UK debut at the newly refurbished Victoria Palace Theatre in London’s West End, and received a standing ovation on the very first preview.
Howell Binkley says: “We use the ATMe units constantly throughout the show. There is no real scenery for this show, so the lighting has to create the different spaces required. We just wanted a very fine haze in the air - we don’t like to see clouds of ‘smoke’ appearing from the wings - and with the ATMes we were able to achieve this very well.
“We use two of the ATMe generators in upstage and downstage positions on the stage right fly floor, and keep the third as a back-up,” continues Binkley. “They are the only haze machines in the whole show and were brought in by our production electrician who changed the spec without telling us! It was a wise move, however, as they give us much greater control.”
PRG XL Video account director Peter Marshall adds: “It’s well known that theatre lighting designers prefer to specify MDG units because they are silent and have a large operating range. The ATMe hazers were specifically purchased for Hamilton, and to be honest, we are seeing these units specified on almost each new production, as they allow the programmer to adjust the haze level from the console. From a rental company point of view they make complete sense because they are both versatile and reliable.”
(Jim Evans)
