For the 2026 edition of Dream in High Park, one of Canada's largest and longest-running professional outdoor theatre events, Canadian Stage lit Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with 35 Astera LED fixtures — 27 QuikSpots and 8 QuikPunches — supplied by rental company Apex Lighting.
Dream in High Park attracts more than 30,000 spectators each year to the High Park Amphitheatre in Toronto. For the 2026 production, Canadian Stage technical director Brayden Crawford and lighting designer Logan Cracknell built the lighting rig around Astera fixtures supplied by Apex Lighting. Chris Pegg, from the rental company, had introduced them to the QuikSpot the previous year.
Fewer fixtures and less technical time
Having colour-changing fixtures enabled Canadian Stage to halve the number of lighting units in the Dream in High Park rig and reduce technical preparation time, thanks to less rigging and focusing.
 |
 |
The versatility of the QuikSpot made it possible to light the production appropriately and elegantly with far fewer fixtures and greater flexibility, resulting in time and energy savings. This year, the QuikPunch, launched last year, joined the rig for the two-month season.
Designed for outdoor use
As this was an outdoor production, an appropriate IP rating was essential. The IP65 rating of both QuikSpot and QuikPunch, in wired and wireless operation, meant that no special protective covers were required.
Brayden also highlights the quality of light and smooth colour mixing, the beam-shaping options, the good zoom range and the high colour rendering index (CRI), which ensures accurate reproduction of skin tones — all key features for theatrical lighting.
Summer weather in Toronto can be unpredictable, but the Astera fixtures performed well regardless of the conditions.
Towers, foliage and trees
The fixtures were installed on a series of vertical truss towers positioned throughout the park at different distances from the stage, around its edges — concealed by foliage — and on the set itself.
The stage is approximately 35 metres wide, with a thrust extending towards the audience at the front and two levels at the rear, including a balcony.
The QuikSpots were mainly used in front positions to illuminate the action, the stage and the set. Some fixtures were also placed in rear positions, integrated into the set, to highlight the elevated upstage areas.
Other fixtures were used to uplight the trees, emphasising the role of nature in Twelfth Night, a play in which a violent shipwreck opens the way to the exotic and unpredictable world of Illyria.
The QuikPunches, meanwhile, were positioned at the sides to add colour and create different layers of lighting across certain scenic elements, bringing depth and dimension to the overall design.
Brayden, who had limited experience with Astera products before the 2025 production, notes that the fixtures were very intuitive for the technicians and that accessories such as the barn doors and removable yoke are extremely easy to use.
"The design and engineering are highly functional, and the fixtures can be focused quickly and efficiently", he commented. He also praised the "excellent service and support" provided by Chris Pegg at Apex Lighting.
Energy savings
All 35 fixtures were operated via wired connections, but they arrived with their batteries pre-charged, allowing them to be rigged and their DMX addresses configured using battery power.
 |
 |
With all the production's technical elements sharing a single 200A power supply, the Astera fixtures reduced the power required for lighting, freeing up additional electrical capacity for other departments throughout the season.
Lighting was operated by Riley Donovan-Whitelaw using an ETC Ion console.
Twelfth Night was directed by Gregory Prest, with set and costume design by Sim Suzer, and sound design, musical direction and composition by Olivia Wheeler.
Photo credits: © Dahlia Katz (production), courtesy of Canadian Stage; © Jeremy Chan (technical images), courtesy of Apex Lighting
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
