24 THEATRE A s the ways in which people prefer to consume entertainment have drastically evolved – the world of stage has also reimagined the theatre experience. More than ever before, interactive, holographic and virtual storytelling techniques are being deployed by some of the world’s best-selling shows. These futuristic and digitised versions of live performances have been seen to rake in some impressive figures – often, notably, piquing the interest of audiences who wouldn’t necessarily classify themselves as ‘theatre nerds’. This new approach has also received its fair share of controversy, with some criticising it for being damaging to what theatre stands for. “You often hear silly blanket statements from people saying that certain tech doesn’t work in theatre,” comments Tony Award-nominated director Jamie Armitage. “The truth is anything can work; it’s the storyteller’s responsibility to make sure it lands.” LIVE sits down with Armitage, along with other directors and technical integrators, to understand exactly what it takes to make AV in theatre ‘land’ and explore the award-winning shows that are spearheading this movement. MY NAME IS REGINA GEORGE If you’re a fellow TikToker, you’ll instantly recognise the above as a viral line from the sultrily sung Meet the Plastics number from hit musical Mean Girls . If not, you’ll still likely recognise the name from the wildly popular original 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. The international success of the film meant fans all over the world were delighted by the announcement of a musical adaption being in the works – revealed on 3 October 2016, an iconic date because of its mention in the film. A rock musical with lyrics by Nell Benjamin and music by Jeff Richmond, and accompanied with a book by Tina Fey, the story focuses on Cady Heron, a
teenage girl who transfers to a public high school after being homeschooled in Africa for her whole life. At her new school, she befriends outsiders Janis Sarkisian and Damian Hubbard who persuade her to infiltrate the ‘Plastics’. When it premiered at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway, FRAY Studio worked closely with both director Casey Nicholaw and set designer Scott Pask to create the sophisticated, fast-paced and at times surreal world of North Shore High’s famous students. “We first worked on the show when it launched, then on Broadway, then the US tour version,” says Adam Young, co-founder and creative director at FRAY Studio, “and now it has landed in the West End. What’s unique about this show is that the entire set is built from LED screen – a creative decision that was made right at the start of the process. “With the script written by Tina Fey, her style of comedy and writing involves lots of short scenes – there were even some songs that jumped between 25 locations in the one song.” The video content backing the show’s set throughout the performance offers the audience a unique insight into the characters’ inner worlds. “Nicholaw had never incorporated video before, but he knew it was the right way to go with this show. When FRAY got involved, we pushed it towards LED screens rather than projection, as Broadway musicals can be very brightly lit, so projection wouldn’t be able to cut it alongside stage lighting,” says Young. The video content for Janis, the ‘art freak’ of the show, was drawn up with markers and has a rough, unpolished feel. Whereas the video initially revealed Queen Plastic Regina’s inner world to be pink and polished, before transforming it to become James Bond-inspired when she begins to seek her revenge. “Due to the large volume of LED involved, we essentially had to develop the entire show before rehearsals even started,” Young continues. “That involved previsualising everything in Disguise. Nicholaw emphasised that the video content was as much a character as the people on stage were.” In all the musical numbers, the video worked in sync with the choreography, lighting design and live band, taking the production beyond the constraints of the
stage and reflecting the vibrant attitude and wry humour of Tina Fey’s writing. Universal Pixels was selected as the most suitable candidate to meet the show’s challenging technical demands. “The complexity of this project stemmed from the fact that LEDs are not traditionally used in theatre,” adds Hamanshu Patel, project manager for live events at Universal Pixels. “It became clear to us that the best option was to implement the Roe Black Onyx 3 panel – and we ended up with close to 450 LED tiles.” Bringing LED to the stage brought with it a host of new challenges. “There’s a lot of automation and moving parts,” Patel continues, “traditionally on a music tour, we’d just leave the cables dangling at the back of the screen, but in theatre these have to be tucked away, making
WATCH ME See a trailer for the Broadway edition of Mean Girls here!
The hundreds of LED panels serve to enhance the plot and characters
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