It's time for the Elm Shakespeare Company's annual free summer Shakespeare production in New Haven, Connecticut's Edgerton Park, and once again Robert Juliat followspots will play a key role, this time for The Bard's “Measure For Measure.” Some 30,000 people are expected to attend performances through August and over the Labor Day weekend.
“It will be our fifth season using Robert Juliat spots,” says Jamie Burnett, who serves as lighting designer, production manager, resident set designer and master electrician for the Company. “We are using the Super Korrigan [1200-watt HMI] and Topaze [1200-watt MSD] fixtures for the play, and their light output is great.”
Robert Juliat followspots have made “a vast improvement” to the Company's productions, he reports. “I get a lot of punch and control in an outdoor environment for a small footprint. The operators like them, and learn them quickly – they enjoy the very smooth and precise control they get with the spots. The spots are very intuitive to operate and it is easy to control the beam.”
Previously, Burnett tapped Robert Juliat followspots for “The Three Musketeers” where the fixtures were placed in towers in a downstage side light position. He says the production was “one of our most elaborate to date with a turntable holding the central two-level set. The spots allowed me to pick the action out of the background while, at the same time, keeping the use of followspots subtle and appropriate for a dramatic piece. I could pick out characters from the darker background in the more somber scenes, such as when the audience feels the treachery of Milady de Winter's plans.”
According to Burnett, the followspots “played an indispensable role in the production allowing me to supplement the stage lighting with pinpoint accuracy as sword fighters leapt around, climbed stairs and traversed bridges while the set was in motion. “Because of the fixtures' accurate dousing mechanism, the spot operators were able to fine tune their performance to keep the light subtle or dramatic as needed to help convey the mood of the scene,” he reports.
About Robert Juliat
Robert Juliat is a three-generation, independent family-run company dedicated to the manufacturing of professional stage lighting products. Robert Juliat lights are used by customers who include Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, New York's Lincoln Center, LA's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Bruce Springsteen, Disney Theme Parks, Carnegie Hall, The San Francisco Opera and Ballet, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Comedie Francaise, The Sydney Opera House, plus theatres, schools and public venues around the world.
R&D, production and the company headquarters are based in the village of Fresnoy-en-Thelle, 50 km north of Paris. Robert Juliat USA is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. For more information visit www.robertjuliatamerica.com.