Gearhouse Splitbeam was the theatre lighting supplier of choice for the South African production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express at The Mandela, Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg.
According to Splitbeam’s Managing Director, Alistair Kilbee, Starlight has always been a larger-than-life kind of production and the scale on the South African version lives up to expectations.
The Splitbeam team has been working closely with UK-based Declan Randall, a professional Lighting Designer who, Kilbee says, “loves to push the limits of theatre design.’
“For me, the key motif in the show is movement,’ explains Randall, “…I tried to recreate the sense of constant movement and speed through lighting, using the physical movement of light beams and changes in colour and light intensity. We also designed some custom “train track’ gobos for the VL3500’s which were used in the races and at other key moments to reinforce this idea.’
“Declan’s style is very distinctive. His rigs are large and complex and he uses more programmed cues than most,’ says Kilbee “At the same time, his planning is at the highest level and his paperwork is flawless – every detail is outlined on the plan.’
“The guys at Splitbeam really understand the nature of theatrical design and the role of the designer. They were extremely helpful and supportive and did everything possible to help me to achieve the vision for the show’ said Randall.
It seems the choice of Splitbeam as supplier worked out well for Randall. “The gear arrived all well-prepped and ready to be rigged. Fittings and fixtures were all in a great condition which made for an easy fit-up. The team was very supportive and willing to assist and nothing was ever too much trouble. I simply cannot imagine doing a large-scale musical, or any other production for that matter, without the support and help of the Splitbeam team – Thank you guys.’
