Over 670 #LightItInRed Illuminations Across the UK

09/07/2020

Over 670 #LightItInRed Illuminations Across the UK posted: 09/07/2020

Trending in Twitter's top 3 on the night, the #LightItInRed campaign saw over 670 buildings, monuments, landmarks and structures all over the UK illuminated in Emergency Red on Monday 6th July to highlight the vast challenges facing the live events, music and performing arts sectors. The action was organised - in under a week - by Steven Haynes from Clearsound Productions and Phillip Berryman from The Backstage Theatre Jobs Forum and was a massive success.

It energized theatres, arts centres, live music venues, technical production and rental companies and associated individuals and freelancers everywhere, who were able to enjoy the camaraderie of working together once again on a massive national event with real purpose after many months of the industry being closed and shuttered. On the eve of the event (Sunday) the government announced a 1.57 billion financial assistance package for arts and culture including live music venues, independent cinemas and heritage sites which has been widely welcomed by everyone.

Blackpool Tower

However it's still far from clear exactly who will benefit from this, and there has still been no mention of help for live events and the vast infrastructure of companies, services and people involved in serving this and the music industry that is so vital to the sector becoming the unique and successful powerhouse of the national economy that it has.

Shows and events stopped abruptly in March and we have yet to receive any kind of roadmap or timeline for restarting, explained Steven, making it near impossible for businesses to plan their survival with no expectation of when they can expect cashflow.

Steven has organised several other lighting actions since the Covid-19 lockdown began, with #LightItInRed being the biggest, most comprehensive, and most successful so far.

For this one - inspired by a similar lighting action in Germany at the end of June - he and Phillip gave themselves a week to organise, and momentum built rapidly and organically via social media and through word of mouth, reaching a massive crescendo on the night.

Iconic structures illuminated in red included The Eden Project in Cornwall - where GLX lit all eight of the inter-linked geodesic transparent domes; Blackpool Tower which turned its permanent LED lighting scheme red for the night and the elegant metal skeleton of Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage in Somerset, which shimmered red thanks to the great work of locally based rental company, Fineline.

Antrobus House

The furthest North red installation on the UK mainland was Aberdeen Art Centre Aberdeen in Scotland and the furthest South the Apollo Theatre in Newport, Isle of Wight. To the West, it was the amazing cliff-side location of the Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Penzance, and the eastward map point was The Seagull Theatre and the Players Theatre, both in Lowestoft.

Scotland was further represented by red radiance in Edinburgh where several companies, including Blacklight - their warehouse & the International Fringe festival Hub - theatres and the EICC (Edinburgh International Conference Centre) went red. The mysterious McCaig's Tower in Oban was lit by OaE and there were installations in Glasgow, Ayr, Dalry and Kilmarnock and others including three venues on The Shetland Islands which were the overall farthest north participants.

In Northern Ireland, theatres and Arts centres got onboard including the Riverside Theatre in Coleraine which joined the Great Oak in Bangor Town , The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) and the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast with the Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armagh also helping paint the province red for the night!

Brighton Old Market

In Wales, Aberystwyth Arts Centre on the west coast rocked it in red, while in Swansea Total Sound Solutions lit their HQ and Swansea Grand Theatre went red. In capital city Cardiff several technical and event companies turned their bases red including Stage Lighting Services, SWG Events, Production 78, and T&M Technical Services. Just over the Severn Bridge in Cwmbran, UK lighting control manufacturer Zero 88 turned their HQ and factory ruby red in support.

As you might expect, in and around London hundreds of #LightItInRed supporters highlighted buildings including the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House, The Lyceum in the Strand, home to the Lion King and over the road, the renowned south terrace of Somerset House turned its architectural scheme to red. Many other popular theatres and concert halls went red for the night including the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall, together with numerous AV and technical production companies plus another lighting control manufacturer, Avolites, based in north-west London.

In Wigan, Leisuretec UK lit the full 131-metre width of the front elevation of the DW Stadium in arguably one of the physically largest light works of the night!

Academy Music Group activated the building lighting schemes on two of their venues - The O2 Guildhall Southampton and the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.

Delapr Abbey, Northampton

Brighton excelled with the illumination of 13 sites - from hotels and churches to theatres, clubs and live music venues - a mammoth undertaking coordinated by Brighton EPIC with technical project management by Ian Baird of Whisky Bravo Productions. Companies involved included Select Security and Stewarding, SMART Power, E3 Events, C3 Productions, H2 Productions, Same Sky, Melting Vinyl and Reveries Events.

DW Stadium, Wigan

And while we can't mention everyone in this press release, a quick shout out to the many, many rental companies firing up their warehouses and offices in red including 4Wall UK, CPL, Colour Sound Experiment, GLS, Halo, Liteup, LCR, Neg Earth, Niclen UK, Peachy Product

LINK:	https://www.live-production.tv/news/cultural-events/over-670-lightitin...
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