(29 October 2012) -- Serbian lighting director Viktor Trifu – aka ‘Kiki’ – recently completed the lighting for Emir Kusturica’s visually imaginative theater production
Time of the Gypsies at Belgrade’s Sava Center – with lighting controlled entirely by an
ETC Ion console.
The ambitious show is described as ‘punk opera’ – morphing hard rock and gypsy folk music. The colorful stage holds a riot of actors at any one time, and the scenery changes frequently. Kusturica himself once described the stage production as “how Monty Python would have imagined opera.” The stage show is based on Kusturica’s acclaimed 1988 film of the same name and tells the story of a young Romany man with magical powers who is tricked into engaging in petty crime.
Says LD Trifu: “Kusturica is known for flying both actors and scenery, creating a significant challenge in lighting. This was far from a typical theater show. The moving lights I specified were easy to control from the Ion. It is a small but very powerful desk. I have used Ions before and am always impressed by how much fine control I have of intelligent fixtures.”
Marketing Manager Lazar Jošanov at ETC’s Serbian dealer, Studio Berar Projekt, adds: “The ETC Ion is designed for demanding venues and productions. It allows numerous presets and scenes with fast and smooth corrections of complete stage light, allowing the lighting operator to perfectly follow movements on stage. Viktor was impressed with the cue-list functionality; he’d previously worked on live-style desks, so the cue lists were a helpful addition.”
Even though the show has been performed on stage before, this is the first time that the Ion console has controlled the lighting. Says Trifu, “It performed perfectly. I received commendations from colleagues for the excellent light show and precise lighting.”
For more information on ETC and its products, please visit www.etcconnect.com
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