"When I came into the design meetings, the first question I asked was whether or not we would be staying true to the script in regards to all of the lightning and thunder effects," began Kline. "Since these elements are essential to the story, I started coordinating with the sound designer, and to really accentuate the effects, I needed a fixture that was capable of both quick, powerful flashes of light, but then also longer more sustained flashes as well. The Showline SL NITRO 510 luminaire was the perfect solution and it truly brought the lightning effects to life."
Kline continued, "When we were showing the performers the world in which they would be performing, Jeanette Farmer and I began talking about the ideas I had for the lightning effects and she mentioned the SL NITRO 510 luminaire as a great option to handle what I needed it to do. As I learned more about the fixture, I felt it would be much more exciting over a traditional strobe fixture because it can do so much more than just a traditional flash."
For the run of the production, Venus in Fur would have showings in both the UNLV Black Box Theatre and the Arts Square Theatre. As the home of the Cockroach Theatre Company, the Arts Square Theatre is a converted performance space that is not necessarily equipped with a traditional dimming system so some decisions had to be made about which luminaires could be used in both designs.
Kline explained further, "As we moved between the two performances spaces, the only lighting effect that was consistent between the two was the SL NITRO 510. At the UNLV Black Box Theatre, we have full dimming capabilities, but at the Arts Square Theatre power requirements are always a factor. You really have to figure out how to transition the lighting design from one space to the other without completely changing the look of the show. Since the SL NITRO 510 can operate on standard 120V power I was able to cable it into a wall outlet and it kept the essence of the show intact."
(Jim Evans)
