(11/05/2015) Bob Carlton's cult high speed, hi-energy intergalactic musical romp - very loosely based on Fred M. Wilcox's classic 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet - echoing Shakespeare's The Tempest with extra hallucinogenic qualities, pumping 1950s and 60s jukebox soundtrack and a cast of highly talented actor / musicians celebrates 25 years with this special UK theatre touring production.
Quicker than Lighting Designer Mark Dymock could say telegenesis', he specified Robe moving lights to help create the vast array of special X Factor moments in the show, with 10 x Pointes, 12 x LEDWash 600s and 4 x LEDBeam 100s on the rig.
Mark originally lit the show two years ago at the Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch, Essex, and was asked back to keep the action moving on tour, with a chance to upgrade the rig he'd originally used.
The brief included retaining a classic retro rock n' roll feel when the show was first launched it would have been lit with a selection of theatre lanterns and PARs which would have been considered radical at the time in that environment. In keeping with the glorious narrative genre of 1950's fantasy, there was also a desire not to make it too flashy or distracting from the highly stylised story.
The lighting action all takes place within the framework of the spaceship stage set designed by Rodney Ford - so Mark positioned the Pointes right at the centre of the rig, rigged on the venue house bars and an advanced truss.
Their Flexibility and dynamics are ideal comments Mark. He's been using them constantly in his work over the last 18 months, and they also appealed to him in this context because they were perfect for replicating that classic ray gun' style of lighting that characterises sci fi B movies of the Ed Wood era.
The acting area itself is relatively compact, so he didn't need a huge quantity of lights, and having such a full range of effects with the Pointes in addition to their sharp beams gave him plenty of options to light the 27 pop and rock numbers.
With the Pointes on-board, he could give each number its own treatment and still have plenty of special effects in hand for seminal moments like the monster attack and the meteorite storm, etc.
The four little LEDBeams are placed discreetly on top of the set where they act as practicals. I wanted something small to do the job and upgrade what was there before and they tick all the boxes, he explains. They're used for plenty of eye-candy and low backlight looks, with their pokey beams working perfectly through the haze as secondary beams to the Pointes.
He likes the speed and the sharpness of the LEDBeam 100's beam, bringing light down onto the lower sections of the set, and they are also excellent for specials during solos and for highlighting the upstage area.
The LEDWash 600s are also positioned on the overhead LX bars and on the advanced truss washing the stage and set. They are a great update to the pars / scrollers on the rep show that Mark lit and a Great punchy base-wash source .
Some of the characters in the cast also have their own colours e.g. Captain Tempest is frequently lit in reds and the mad genius Prospero is often accompanied by purples and greens. Mark makes full use of the LEDWashes being able to go from a generalised colour source to a very specific one that is focussed on particular characters or elements of the action.
The Robe fixtures for this tour are all being supplied by Point Source Productions, a rental company based in Sutton, south London, and were purchased specially for the show. Lighting is being looked after on the road by Gary The Clamp' Cooper and the company Manager is Mark Shayle.
Talking about the Robe brand generally, Mark comments, More companies are investing in Robe so it's easier to spec it and know you will definitely get the fixtures you want, and they are definitely breaking into the theatre market .
Just before this show hit the road, Mark used Pointes and LEDWash 600s on Walking The Chains in Bristol, a site-specific production celebrating 150 years of the Clifton Suspension Bridge with lighting supplied by Fineline.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
(11/05/2015) Bob Carlton's cult high speed, hi-energy intergalactic musical romp - very loosely based on Fred M. Wilcox's classic 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet - echoing Shakespeare's The Tempest with extra hallucinogenic qualities, pumping 1950s and 60s jukebox soundtrack and a cast of highly talented actor / musicians celebrates 25 years with this special UK theatre touring production.
