by Brent Prit
chett, 4Wall Systems Team
“HA, Breath of Life†Premiered this last August in the Pacific Theater at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii, and has received rave reviews from its guests and local community. Here are a few facts about the show, including gear provided by us here at 4Wall:
The people:
Brent Pritchett- Lighting Designer/ 4 Wall Entertainment Project Manager
Sak Yalimaiwai- Technical Director
George Pasi- Master Electrician
Craig Freebairn- Owner of Nalu Electric who installed the Color Kinetics fixtures
6- Color Kinetics C-Splash
6- Color Kinetics Color Bursts
90- Color Kinetics Color Blast Power Core
3- High End System DL.3
16- Used 36 degree Source 4
25- Used 14 degree Source 4
22- Used 10 degree Source 4
40- Used source 4 PAR
The Reason for used gear:
The theater, which is only a few hundred yards of the ocean and is an open air venue has some of the harshest conditions for equipment I have ever seen. As lights heat up and cool, the humid salt air condenses on the top of the fixtures causing them to begin rusting within a couple of months after being hung. Even with routine cleaning, the top of a light fixture will become coated with a layer of salt because of the climate. Because of this, the Center wanted to have lightly used equipment supplied when possible to get the reduced cost as a used fixture lasts the same amount of time as a new one.
The reason for the LED’s:
The Pacific theater has a 55 foot man made mountain as its backdrop to the stage which has many walkways and passages for performers to appear from at different parts of the show. There are many different effects housed in the mountain including fire volcano’s, water cannons, water fountains, and water falls all which needed reliable lighting that would handle the conditions. The Color Kinetics Color Blast Power Core became the fixture of choice to fit the conditions and give the accents that were needed to make the mountain a dynamic part of the production. The color options is really what made this fixture the perfect fit as there are times the mountain needs to be very colorful and the focus of the show, and others when it is a soft accent to the action on the stage below.
The Reason for DL.3’s
During the creation of “HA, Breath of Life†the Center wanted to stay true to the cultural roots they represent but be able to portray the cultures utilizing current technology and keep the spectacle the show has been known for. During the opening scene, a 60 foot tall by 30 foot wide kabuki silk screen falls from the sky and is projected onto using custom animations to help unfold the story line. Through out the show the projectors are used for rain, water, and fire effects. These three lights are constantly in use. Ether helping tell the story on side sells during transitions, or as an effects projector on different parts of the mountain or stage, they have been one of the best technical updates to the show.
Different facts:
- The show runs 6 nights a week and has never taken a break. Even when mounting the new show, the old show had to be maintained and all work on the new show could not interrupt the closing show.
- There are approximately 600 lights used in the production.
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