Panasonic Connect Europe donated two 1-Chip DLP laser projectors to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) to help stage its summer production of the satirical comedy musical “Urinetown“and train the next generation of theatre professionals.
The musical, by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis, took place in RADA’s largest venue, London’s Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, featuring a crew composed entirely of students from the technical theatre and stage management FdA and BA courses, alongside a cast of final-year BA Acting students.
Panasonic projectors were used to bring director Nona Shepphard’s vision to life, evoking an atmosphere of a hot, industrial, sweaty, dirty and polluted dystopia in a world where water supplies have run dry.
The video backdrop utilised two Panasonic 1-Chip DLP laser projectors to create a larger image across the cyclorama, bringing the fantastical world to life in front of the audiences’ eyes.
Additionally, a central flown window utilised a Panasonic 1-Chip DLP laser projector with an ultra-short throw lens. The lens enables the projector to be positioned very close to the screen, without casting shadows or distracting the actors with bright light.
Matt Leventhall, head of lighting at RADA, said: “It’s wonderful when we’re able to meaningfully integrate video and digital design into our work at RADA. It’s relationships like the one with Panasonic that mean we are able to keep our training up-to-date by exposing our students to the methodologies and technologies that they will find at the highest echelons of the entertainment business.”
Lucy Meredith, field marketing manager, at Panasonic Connect Europe, added: “The possibilities for new and imaginative set and scenery design are advancing incredibly quickly thanks to the latest Panasonic projectors. This donation allows the next generation of theatre professionals to become familiar with the latest technology and its capabilities. The only limits are the imagination.”
