Vivid LIVE marks the annual centrepiece of the Sydney Opera House’s year. In keeping with the festival’s history of creative programming, Swedish singer-songwriter Snoh Aalegra lit up a 360° stage with her talent and magnetic presence, backed by a dynamic and eye-catching production design.
“Snoh Aalegra’s music is emotional, and she has impeccable taste, so I knew the design for this show had to reflect those qualities,” Production and Lighting Designer, Ricardo Rojas commented. “A design which felt grand yet intimate, vulnerable yet powerful, intentional, graceful, emotionally charged, atmospheric and dreamy. A living, breathing design that could evolve, unfold and blossom during the performance.”
The design also had to cater for an ‘in the round’ audience. “I have this design philosophy that all limitations are opportunities, so I leaned into it. I soon realised that it was an opportunity for every single person in the venue to have their own unique experience of the show. No two people would have the same perspective and view of the stage,” Rojas said, explaining his creative workflow.
First, he starts with a pencil, paper and his notebook. “I focus on the overall shape and form of the stage during this step, I develop the overall stage composition, where the performers will go, where lighting will be. I don’t think about specific fixtures yet, just general ideas of where everything should be placed,” he explained.
The second step involves drawing everything in Vectorworks. “This is where I dive deeper into the details of the production design. I take the pencil drawings and try to think in more practical terms,” Rojas noted. “I make sure the scale of all the elements fit on the stages we are going to. I make sure that any rigging elements are possible and doable. Trim heights, fixture types and spacing is all developed and decided on here.”
The final step involves importing from Vectorworks into Syncronorm Depence R3. “All of our previsualisation and render work is done in Depence. It allows us to delve into the detail of the lighting programming and bridge the gap from the abstract and technical drawings, transforming them into photo-realistic renders,” he reported.
Kinetic Spheres – RGB spherical lighting fixtures that can move up and down up to 30ft – were the most striking element of the design, situated on a 28ft overhead circular truss. “The range of looks we were able to achieve was impressive. They added an incredible amount of depth and versatility to the show,” he noted.
In fact, Rojas treated the Kinetic Spheres as a scenic element to make the show feel “intimate” yet “grand” amid the performance. “Playing with scale was an essential element,” he stated. “It allowed for us to achieve the goal of a stage that would transform throughout the set and look and feel different throughout.”
Perhaps just as important was the key light with four remote PRG GroundControl units chosen as follow spots. “The biggest challenge of a 360° show is being able to light the performers wherever they may be on stage. I knew we needed one of these units in each corner so that we could follow Snoh’s movement and allow her the freedom to be herself and move and flow freely,” he added.
The side key light was also crucial, to this end, 12 GLP X4 XL Washes were situated on each side of the stage. “This allowed us to have a fill light for Snoh and ensure we could light her anywhere she went,” Rojas enthused. “I also wanted to match the circular element of the spheres overhead with something on the floor.”
This is where the 20 further GLP X4 Washes came in, arranged in a circle, framing Snoh in the middle of the stage. The atmosphere was another critical element of the show: “I wanted it to be hazy throughout the show, to make everything feel dreamy and ethereal. We had to find the right balance of haze and maintain it throughout the show,” he continued.
“I also needed some more energy overhead with two overhead lighting trusses that hung above the circle truss housing 16 Martin Professional MAC Quantum Washes, 12 Ayrton Perseo S Profile Spots, 12 CHAUVET Professional Color Strike Ms and 12, 2-Lite Blinders – all controlled by MA Lighting grandMA3 full and lite consoles.”
Some of Rojas favourite looks included the introduction of the Kinetic Spheres during the track, Be My Summer, including the dynamism and shapeshifting nature of Nothing Burns Like the Cold, and Nothing to Me.
“My intention was always to reveal different layers of the design throughout the set, and we did a great job of sticking to that,” he remarked. The ambitious design had to be loaded in on the morning of the show and was made possible thanks to the collaboration of PRG Australia, the Sydney Opera House and Rojas in the lead-up to the event.
“It required an international team effort to pull this show off, I’m grateful for everyone who helped along the way,” Rojas said, praising the support of PRG Account Manager, Jason Glass; Lighting Crew Chief, Charlie Hall; Lighting Programmer, Danni Cabaruvias; Touring Lighting Director, Paul Phou and Creative Director, Izabelle Wilson.
“When you look at the history of the Sydney Opera House, you realise what an honour it is to bring a show to that venue,” Rojas concluded ecstatically. “This was a bucket list venue for me and a privilege bringing one of my designs across the world to such a special venue.”
Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: Jordan Munns
