From Roman Bacchanalia to an Electronic Rave with GLP TWYN Lighting

Lighting designer Nicolás Fischtel used the dual-face GLP TWYN moving heads on the production Bacanal to illuminate both the drama and contemporary dance scenes and the architecture of Mérida's Roman Theatre, making the most of the limited fixture positions permitted at this protected historic venue.

The production, presented at the 72nd edition of the Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico de Mérida in Extremadura, posed a significant technical challenge: ensuring that a limited number of lighting fixtures could meet the various stage and architectural lighting requirements of the production.

I needed a compact, lightweight and versatile fixture that could perform several functions from a single position, explains Fischtel, who was responsible for the lighting design and technical coordination of the production.

A protected venue with designated lighting positions

The festival reached its 72nd edition in 2026. Mérida's Roman Theatre, whose origins date back to 15 BC, is subject to special protection by the Consortium of the Monumental City of Mérida.

The use of lighting equipment is strictly regulated, and fixtures may only be installed in predefined positions. These restrictions were particularly relevant to Bacanal. Directed and choreographed by Chevi Muraday, with a script by Juan Carlos Rubio, the production combines drama and contemporary dance, two disciplines with very different lighting requirements.

"The lighting had to alternate between a more conventional approach for the spoken passages and a bolder, less classical treatment for the dance", says Fischtel.

Two faces performing two functions simultaneously

Fischtel used the wash side of the TWYN fixtures for backlighting. Equipped with a 3 × 3 RGBL array and a zoom range of 4° to 53°, it allowed him to alternate between broad washes and more focused accents according to the requirements of each scene.

The nine individually controllable zones and the available macros provided additional possibilities for creating pixel-based effects during the more dynamic dance sequences.

On the reverse side, whose design draws inspiration from the JDC Burst 1, he used the RGBL LED plates to illuminate the Roman architecture behind the performance area in colour.

This application is particularly significant in Mérida, where the monumental scaenae frons, the historic stage façade, forms an essential part of the production's overall visual composition.

Because both sides can be operated simultaneously, the wash section could provide stage backlighting while the LED plates illuminated the historic architecture, all from the same authorised fixture positions.

From Roman bacchanalia to an electronic rave

The staging, inspired by the bacchanalia of ancient Rome, culminates in a contemporary electronic rave. According to Fischtel, this was when the fixtures were able to demonstrate their full potential.

The strobe creates a powerful effect and delivers plenty of output. At the same time, there are numerous macros with different effects available, and they are very easy to select, he explains.

Throughout the production, the wash section, LED plates and strobe could be used independently or in combination. This enabled the same fixtures to handle everything from conventional backlighting and architectural illumination to pixel-based looks and strobe effects.

The mechanical characteristics of the TWYN fixtures also impressed the designer. "It is a very robust and compact fixture, delivering high performance across its functions, with extremely fast, continuous pan and tilt movements", he says.

Beyond concerts and clubs

With Bacanal, the TWYN fixtures were deployed in a setting very different from the concert and club applications for which they were originally designed. The Mérida production demonstrated how this concept can be applied to drama and contemporary dance, combining stage and architectural lighting from a single position.

Image credits: © Jero Morales / Festival de Mérida