The occasion was in aid of the memorial fund established in memory of Henry van Straubenzee tragically lost his life in a car accident - and which donates to school building projects in Uganda. Seven new schools have been completed with five more planned.
Guy Pelly, of Mayfair celebrity haunt, Mahiki, had got in touch with Sound Division's David Graham, whose long-standing relationship with fellow directors, Nick House and Piers Adams, led to the recommendation. David Graham was delighted to have been asked to participate. "The occasion was in aid of a most worthy cause and yet promised to be a fun event at the same time."
The Tech Events Dept were given a brief to specify a sound and lighting system - together with a DJ booth - for the main stage, a sound feed to the bar area and uplighting throughout the 1850's Victorian interior of the recently revived, Grade II listed, Wilton's Music Hall.
A full evening of risqué variety entertainment, provided by Mat Whitley's Medium Rare variety show company, comprised a contortionist, an opera singer, comedy mime, a female striptease magician and a pair of trapeze artists somersaulting high above the Dress Circle - plus a giant air balloon, from which, 'Elvis Presley' miraculously appeared in a 70's rhinestone encrusted satin jumpsuit.
Having plotted the space carefully in advance, Sound Division felt that the fine interior features of the carved wooden pillars, balcony plaster architraving and high alcove reliefs required an appropriate response; inviting a sympathetic lighting scheme together with an inconspicuous yet strategically-placed PA system.
Illumination of the main stage, project-managed by Sound Division's lighting designer, James Glanville, was provided by LED Palco 3s and Source 4 profiles, Martin MAC 250+ and MAC 600 colour wash moving heads. A number of Par 64 LED uplighters, positioned around the hall, assisted by a hidden hazer, gently infused a subtle hint of gas-light blue into the 19th century interior.
High above the stage, a large screen was flown, upon which a Panasonic projector was focused to show saucy Edwardian 'What The Butler Saw'- type black & white silent movies, provided by Medium Rare, to set the mood for the early part of the evening.
A Foxie followspot was trained onto the evening's acts whilst rows of white pinspots, laid out across the lower auditorium, illuminated the guest tables. Two large mirror balls, suspended aloft, streamed cascading white beams into the transformed space.
For the sound requirement, a 4 KW JBL SRX sound system was ground-stacked, left and right of the mainstage - whilst stand-mounted EV sx300 loudspeakers fed sound to the upper and lower auditorium, and further on into the Bar area - fully controlled by an Allen & Heath Wizard 16 channel mixing desk and dbx sound processing.
On-stage - which Sound Division dressed in a large black star cloth - Roland back-line band amplification and monitoring, a Pearl drum-kit and Shure ULX mic systems, supplied by Sound Division, was set up for the evening's live music spot from pupils of the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts.
Sound Division also provided a DJ system - Pioneer DJM 800 mixer and Technics Mk 5 decks. DJs for the evening included the Itchy Feet crew with Tom Crane, using a Serato track-management software system.
(Jim Evans)
