Treasure Island at UCCS

An action packed classic gets a new look with Wybron's NEXERA

In a refreshingly spirited production of Capt. Murray Ross' adaptation of Treasure Island, the theater department of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs (UCCS) is delighting ticket holders with an exciting evening filled with swashbuckling pirates, tales of treasure and an engaging cast.

The classic story features a band of pirates fighting to gain control of a map leading to a much sought after hidden treasure. For the UCCS performance, searching for treasure went beyond the stage as Lighting Designer James "Japhy" Weideman began to shape the lighting plot. Traditional fixtures were an option, but he was interested in the new kid on the block and chose to incorporate six of Wybron's NEXERA Wash lights. His instincts paid off as he discovered that the lightweight, versatile units were the missing dynamic needed to complete the show.

According to Japhy, "In the beginning of my design process, I needed to make a few positioning adjustments in order to accommodate some changes in scenery height. At first, I was reluctant to move them not knowing how long the labor would take. However, the NEXERAs were easy to re-position due to their compact and lightweight structure. A lighting designer should think of them simply as conventional lights with wonderful CMY color mixing capabilities built inside. They truly require less fuss than conventional units...it's all in one unit: the way it should be."

Excellent color from sunrise to sunset

The NEXERA fixtures were hung to create a diagonal backlight system to achieve clean color washes across the deck while simultaneously sculpting the actors. Japhy found the units to be well suited for shifting time of day atmospheres. "For example, in one sequence the color is set in a saturated blue-green night at sea that slowly, over the course of a series of cues, shifts into a cool daylight blue, eventually ending in a bastard amber." Especially beautiful and convincing were the sunrise effects that he achieved by slowly adding no color sidelight, while shifting the NEXERAS from daylight blue into light bastard amber.

"Overall," writes Japhy, "the NEXERA units add a new layer of flexibility to theatrical lighting design. Thanks to John Fuller and Wybron for letting me test them. I'll definitely request them for another production in the near future!"