Lighting designer David Pedemonti specified a Jands Vista S3 console, his desk of choice, to provide lighting control for a regional production of the hit US Off Broadway show, Altar Boyz. Full of sharp parody, spectacular dancing and irreverent humour, the musical comedy tells the story of a religious boy band trying to save the world one soul at a time.
Some of the original Off Broadway show’s creators help bring to life this version produced by and at the Bristol Riverside Theatre, Bristol PA, with stage direction and choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and musical direction by Gary Adler. Lighting design was by David Pedemonti of APA Music & Pictures Inc., with programming by Nick Wyant.
David was particularly impressed with the Vista’s ability to combine big bold looks with the show’s precise comic timing, and how quick and easy the show was to programme using the console’s unique visually based lighting plot. He commented:
“When I designed Altar Boyz we made a visual representation of my light plot on the Vista screen. By being able to simply highlight the fixture or group of fixtures you want to manipulate in a visual way, it cuts your programming time in half. As you think of lighting as directional, you can easily find the fixture you want to manipulate by visualizing where the light is coming from in the theatre.
The Vista made controlling the moving light plot effortless. Director Christopher Gattelli, who is intimately acquainted with the piece, was able to explore lighting effects he had always wanted, but was never able to achieve in other productions.”
The Vista S3 console was used to control a lighting rig which included Martin Mac 250, Mac 300 and Matrix 300 moving heads, Chroma-Q™ Colour Block™ and L&E MR-16 light strips LED effects, and various Source Four PARs, lekos and fresnels.
Summarising his experience of the Vista, David commented: “As a theatrical lighting designer, I am always searching for a console that handles well the conventional fixtures along with the moving heads and LEDs. The Jands Vista, for me, has addressed the entire process of cuing a show for all types of
fixtures. The Vista’s interface and timeline make the concept of lighting much more user friendly, particularly when working with video and audio in a multimedia production.”
APA Music & Pictures Inc.’s Jands Vista consoles were supplied by Jands exclusive North American Distributor, A.C. Lighting Inc.
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