SolaFrame Theatre joins the Bolshoi
- Details
The theatre – a cultural landmark and home to the Bolshoi Ballet, Opera and Orchestra – opened a second venue, the New Stage, in 2002 to host performances while the Historic Stage underwent refurbishment. By 2011, both neighbouring performance venues were offering a full schedule of events in the heart of Moscow.
In 2018, it was time to make some changes over at the New Stage. Lighting designer Anatoly Samosadny was seeking an alternative to the older lamp-based fixtures. Preferring to work with a modern, LED-based automated luminaire in his productions, he turned to High End Systems’ Moscow-based distributor SiM, which recommended High End Systems’ SolaFrame Theatre fixture.
Eight SolaFrame Theatre units were supported, tested and delivered by SiM to the Bolshoi in September and made their premiere in productions shortly thereafter. The main tasks of the fixtures are to serve as back truss lighting and front support light.
“The absolute silent operation allowed me to install the SolaFrame Theatre units directly above the orchestra or in the auditorium,” says Samosadny. “These positions are very important when working with certain productions, such as The Orchestra Survey and Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals.”
He adds, “The framing shutters are also extremely beneficial to my designs. The colour mixing, CTO, prism, zoom, gobo wheels, frost and iris add even more effects and solutions to a multitude of live situations. I like that the colours remain consistent with the LED source, so that all my fixture colors match and don’t degrade as older lamp sources do. And the fixture has a bright white beam. I enjoy using the SolaFrame Theatre in my work.”
The LD has deployed the SolaFrame Theatres in other recent shows including the Bolshoi Ballet’s Etud. He’s also used it for the Bolshoi Opera’s Bogema, Barber of Seville and Don Pasquale.
The SolaFrame Theatres join other HES/ETC family products at the venue. In the New Stage, a Hog 3 console controls video while the ETC Titanium and Gio control lighting.
(Jim Evans)
