THEATRE AND STAGE
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nce upon a time, the magic of theatre was confined to the proscenium. Painted flats, creaking pulleys and a flicker of stage light on a faded set of velvet curtains were the welcome regulars of past theatre productions. Though they still conjure something nostalgic, it’s impossible to deny that today’s stages look, sound and behave very differently. As an art form, theatre is an ever- shifting ecosystem. Before, it was most common in playhouses and, if we were to go even further back, amphitheatres. Now, it lends itself to everything from grand opera halls and expansive dance stages to intimate fringe sets, vivacious cruise liners and immersive venues – to name just a few! At the heart of this change is audio-visual technology. No longer a support act, stage tech is seen as a
central creative member of any given production team, crucial to helping shape how stories are told. BRINGING CINEMA TO STAGE The boundary between stagecraft and screencraft is blurring, with the increased use of LED-based visual design proving to be more than a simple technical flourish. Recent analysis from Stats Market Research showed that venues equipped with LED screens saw 25-40% higher utilisation rates, hosting a broader mix of live and hybrid events than those with conventional set-ups. In the case of Stranger Things: The First Shadow , the theatre adaptation of Netflix’s global phenomenon, the challenge was monumental. How do you translate a story so rooted in cinematic special effects into a live stage environment? The solution came in the form of a custom InfiLED LED wall, based on the company’s lightweight AR Series for rental staging applications. Delivered in partnership with Blue-i Theatre Technology and creative studio 59 Productions, the LED installation integrates seamlessly with physical sets, amplifying the show’s eerie, myth-laden atmosphere.
The tech team used a wall of LED panels to build the world of Stranger Things, usually reliant on TV special effects, live on stage
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