Nexera Gives Small Theatre Big Effects for "Tommy"

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

Lighting Designers Ken and Patti Crowley knew color would need to play a significant part of the production. Skimping on color would compromise the final product.

"My wife Patti and I had a vision – we wanted to use color to tell the story," Ken explained. "We divided the show into three 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 two Nexera wash lights to try out. We knew that only the Nexera could provide the range of color, intensity, and smooth transitions we envisioned," Ken continued. "We ordered three 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 five Nexera wash lights."

Just goes to show that even small theatres can overcome big obstacles with the right products and the right creative vision.

Photos courtesy of Ken Crowley