The Classical Ballet Moscow recently completed an extensive tour of Italy and Sicily
featuring a beautifully emotive lighting design programmed on a Philips Strand
Lighting NEO Lighting Control Console.
The company performed The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty in cities
including Florence, Milan and Palermo over 36 consecutive days.
Lighting designer and technical director Evgeniy Toma utilized the NEO’s intuitive
interface and timesaving features to provide him with quick and easy access to all
of the fixtures in the rig, which ranged from 60 to 110 over the course of the tour.
“I was really impressed by the flexibility of the NEO console,” says Toma. “There
are different ways to achieve what you want with it, which is ideal for both an
experienced lighting designer and a beginner.”
With the tour moving to a different venue each day, the NEO’s ‘Groups’, ‘Shortcuts’
and ‘Cue Lists’ meant Toma could easily transition from one set-up to the next.
“‘Groups’ is a very convenient section where I could easily set submaster and
effects options, whilst ‘Shortcuts’ made accessing different functions much more
efficient,” he explains. “As I had to edit the previous show’s cues for each theatre, I
could do it in a few minutes using the ‘Cue List’ pallets.”
Toma could also be confident the console would be up and running without issue
each night. Shows are secured on its ‘Mission Critical’ grade SQL server, ensuring
no data loss. In addition, boot time is massively reduced with high-speed solid-state
disk drives, making the NEO robust for everyday and touring use.
“I first saw the NEO at PLASA London and was intrigued by its functionality,” says
Toma. “The more I learn about the console the more I am impressed by it.”
The Classical Ballet Moscow tour of Italy and Sicily ran from the 28 November to
the 9 January.
