NEXERA Gives a Small Theatre BIG Effects for The Who's Tommy

Small theatres face common challenges: tight budgets and limited space. So when The Little Theatre of Alexandria chose to tackle The Who's Tommy, they knew they were taking on a monumental task. Their 200-seat proscenium theatre had limited resources to do justice to the 1970's rock opera.

Lighting Designers Ken and Patti Crowley embarked on the production, knowing that color would have to play one of the most significant parts, and skimping on it would compromise the final product. Ken explains, "My wife Patti and I had a vision, we wanted to use color to tell the story. We divided the show into 3 sections: the period before Tommy is traumatized; his deaf, dumb and blind period; and his awakening. We wanted to use sepia tones for the first section, vibrant color for the second, and white light for the section after the mirror is broken. With our dimmer limitations we couldn't afford multiple color washes. Even using scrollers would have exceeded our system's capabilities.

"During the 2004 season the Little Theatre had purchased 2 NEXERA Wash Lights to try out. We knew that only the Nexera could provide the range of color, intensity, and smooth transitions we envisioned. We ordered 3 more and had them up and running in time for Tech week. The show opened to great reviews and we have sold out almost every one of our 22 performances. Everyone has commented on how vibrant the colors were. It should be noted that except for basic fill light, all the color you see is from our 5 Nexera wash lights. "We can't wait for our next two Little Theatre designs, Gin Game and Picasso at the Lapin Agile. The possibilities are endless!"

It goes to prove that even small theatres can overcome obstacles with the right products and a creative vision.

Ken Crowley is the Governor for Technical Support at The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA (703) 367-3535.

* Photos courtesy of Ken Crowley.