Yesterday marked the #WeMakeEvents Global Day of Action in which countries from across the globe came together in solidarity to highlight the plight that is currently facing the worldwide live events industry. The evening featured a range of creative responses, such as lighting iconic buildings in red to highlight how the industry is in red alert as well as beaming shafts of white light into the...
Founded in 1989, Garsington Opera is one of the UK’s largest summer opera festivals, annually held in Wormsley Park, Buckinghamshire. Like so many other productions and festivals this year, the outbreak of Covid-19 saw its entire season cancelled, with the Festival being postponed until 2021. However, as some restrictions slowly lifted, this meant Garsington was able to present semi-staged...
The #WeMakeEvents campaign aims to raise awareness around the current plight of the live entertainments sector and its urgent need for financial support if it is to support the Covid-19 crisis. Last month, it was announced that it would be steered by a collective of industry trade bodies, businesses and freelancers; all working in collaboration with each other. Over the past few weeks, the team...
Johanna Town is one of the most recognisable figures in theatre lighting. Having served as Head of Lighting at the Royal Court for almost twenty years, she has gone on to become one of the industry’s most prolific designers, lighting shows in the West End, across the UK and throughout the globe. Three years ago, she became Chair of The ALD – The People in Performance Lighting – which aims to give...
Taking place on a purpose-built site on the beach next to Brighton Pier, The Warren Outdoor Season opened earlier this month, offering a range of live comedy, theatre, cabaret and family shows. Having supported the Brighton Fringe at The Warren for over five years, White Light was called upon to supply the lighting, rigging and power equipment for this brand-new season, which is one of the first...
Described as an immersive, socially-distanced sound installation, Blindness is a brand-new adaptation of Jose Saramago’s novel which recently re-opened London’s Donmar Warehouse. The production is one of the first to be staged post lockdown and White Light was called upon to supply the lighting equipment. Adapted by Olivier Award-winning Simon Stephens, Blindness tells the story of when a...
Live events professionals representing the sector’s entire supply chain came together on 11th August for the #WeMakeEvents ‘Red Alert Day of Action’. Spearheaded by PLASA, the campaign called for organisations of all sizes, and individuals alike, to stand as one and elevate awareness of the critical threat our industry faces due to COVID-19. In an astonishing display of solidarity, hundreds...
Last week, PLASA launched the #WeMakeEvents campaign in order to raise awareness around the fact that the events sector urgently needs more support to survive the Covid-19 crisis. Like many organisations working in the live entertainment industry, WL is encouraging as many people as possible to get behind the campaign. The world of live events changed on March 16th when the UK government...
As most of those working in the theatre industry will know, freelancers are its lifeblood, with 70% of the entire workforce being self-employed. Therefore, when the government advised that all theatres/live performance venues should close on March 17th, the impact of this was felt immediately. Whether it’s designers, electricians, stage managers or choreographers, many saw their current work stop...
A group of theatre production electricians have come together to launch A Covid Theatre Practice – a platform for anyone who works backstage in UK theatre to share ideas on how we may have to work differently when theatre re-opens post pandemic. The group consists of Gerry Amies, Martin Chisnall, Fraser Hall and Pete Lambert; all of whom are well known on the West End theatre circuit and between...