First to arrive in the UK was Sleeping Beauty On Ice, with lighting designed by Gavan Swift; this is Swift's second show in the UK following his design for Saturday Night Fever's return to the West End. His design includes ETC Source Fours, L&E striplights, Selecon Pacifics including five of the 90° unit, UV fresnels, Vari-Lite VL2000 Washlights, Martin MAC 500 and MAC 2000 Performance spotlights and Atomic strobes, as well as Wybron CXI colour changers, and atmospherics from Jem Glaciator low smoke machines and Unique haze machines. Control is from a Strand 500 series console, and White Light is also providing the show with touring dimming and power distribution systems. The show opened at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff and will tour the UK for 18 weeks; the UK tour is being production managed by David Gregory.
Following that show around the world is a tour by children's pop group Hi-5, from the popular Channel 9 television show. The show's lighting director is Rob Cotterill, who is using Martin Mac 2000 Spotlights, Par cans, ETC Source Fours, L&E striplights, Orion groundrows, two Robert Juliat Korrigan followspots and six Chromabank LED striplights, with atmospherics from Unique haze and Viper smoke machines. Control will be from a Wholehog 2 console, with White Light once again supplying touring dimming and mains distribution as well as trussing and rigging equipment. The tour began in Scarborough, with the lighting being overseen for the tour by White Light's Matt Holliday.
Both productions continue the long-standing international co-operation between White Light and leading Australian lighting supplier Chameleon Touring Systems, which supplied the shows in Australia - as Bryan Raven, White Light's managing director, notes: "Our industry is now fascinatingly international, and it's always good to be able to help out friends when their shows come to visit!"
White Light and Chameleon have collaborated on a number of other projects both in the UK and Australia and Chameleon is the Australian distributor for White Light's VSFX Optical Effects range. As well as supplying incoming tours, White Light also regularly supplies productions travelling outside the UK, including the new production of the smash-hit musical Chicago in South Africa.
(Lee Baldock)
