The lighting design team for A Christmas Carol on Broadway was looking for a way to create a unique and at times supernatural look for their design of this iconic holiday-inspired musical. They decided to use lanterns above the stage and throughout the theatre to create this unique look, and sought a low voltage dimming solution that was robust enough to control up to 24 lanterns per unit and create light patterns that would enhance the supernatural moments of the show. They also required beam control solutions that could work with a multitude of lighting fixtures.

The lighting team for A Christmas Carol selected QolorFLEX 24x3A Dimmers to control almost 700 individually circuited 12V, 5w, Halogen Lanterns, which they hung all over the theatre. The 37 total dimmers were pixel mapped through the ETC EOS Ti to allow for complete control of the patterns in which the lanterns would pulse and flicker to reflect the unique timing of the show.

As a production about light, the creative team sought to communicate light in different ways - as infinite and expansive, harsh when created by Doctor Faustus, and tangible and welcoming when “Marguerite Ida and Helena Annabel” finds herself in control in Act II.

Yale senior undergraduate student and lighting designer for the production Ryan Seffinger drafted wall-sized LED lightboxes to represent the more abstract design concept, in a style reminiscent of light installations by American artists James Turrell and Dan Flavin. To make these LED lightboxes come to life with amber coloured light and mobility, he needed an LED tape solution that was bright, dimmable, and flexible. To create tangible-looking light, he sought a bright white LED linear lighting solution that could be folded easy into shapes.

City Theatrical’s QolorFLEX RGBA LED Tape controlled by QolorFLEX 5x8A Dimmers was selected for the lightboxes, setting the abstract space for each scene by changing orientation and colour. QolorFLEX NuNeon, controlled by QolorFLEX 24x3A Dimmers to create a pulsing effect, was folded into rounded rectangles and suspended midair to create a bold, linear look.

With only eight PAR Can Lights illuminating the stage of the historic Dingeldine Music Hall at Bradley University, designers Kevin Mikolajczak and Alanis Nash set out to devise a plan that could enhance the lighting experience of patrons and performers alike, while maintaining the beauty of the original architecture of the space.

The hall’s design featured structural overhangs that created large shadowed areas, making it difficult for musicians to read their music. The team decided that adding LED tape under the overhang that rests above the stage would not only brighten up the stage for enhanced performances, but could also help the performers put on a better show.

Along with the help of a team of USITT members, they decided RGBWWCW tape would provide the beauty and functionality they were looking for, all in one strip.

Six reels of QolorFLEX 5-in-1 LED Tape controlled by QolorFLEX 24x3A Dimmers were installed above the stage to illuminate and modernize the performance space with colourful RGB and Adjustable White (WWCW) options, easily modified to meet the needs of each performance.

“Adding QolorFLEX to the space made the venue feel like new - providing us with versatile, simple lighting that allows us to add mood to the space easily and quickly.” - Kevin Mikolajczak, Lighting Design + Production Consultant