A CHAUVET Professional lighting rig designed to withstand the New York summer and 60 performances

For SummerStage's 60-show season in Central Park, which concluded in October, Spencer Lavoie of 4 Life Entertainment designed a lighting rig featuring CHAUVET Professional fixtures, built for versatility, outdoor conditions and a demanding performance schedule.

4 Life Entertainment was responsible for the overall lighting design and equipment selection, with every fixture drawn from its own inventory. However, Lavoie was keen to highlight the work of the team: "At the end of the day, gear was only part of the story", he said.

Installation and day-to-day technical operations were handled by IATSE Local One crews, together with Aaron Diamond of 4 Life Entertainment and Jeff Carroll, SummerStage's long-standing in-house lighting designer.

The venue attracts more than 150,000 attendees to one of Central Park's best-known open-air dance floors.

A lighting rig for every musical genre

Versatility was one of our primary objectives from the very beginning. SummerStage welcomes an extraordinary range of musical genres, performance styles and touring productions, so we needed to develop a lighting system that was equally effective for any performance. And, of course, we had to put that gear in the hands of a talented and dedicated team, explains Lavoie.

The outdoor setting also presented its own challenges. "When you're operating an outdoor venue through an entire New York summer, your equipment needs to withstand changing weather conditions, frequent programming changes and a demanding performance schedule. Having powerful, IP-rated moving fixtures that can deliver exceptional output is a major advantage".

Lighting equipment layout

The lighting rig designed for SummerStage was arranged across different trusses and stage positions:

• Front stage truss: eight Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash, six Maverick Storm 2 Profile, six STRIKE Array 4 and four COLORado Q40 Panel.
• Mid-stage truss: six Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid, six Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash and six COLORado Q40 Panel.
• Downstage truss: six Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid, six Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash and six COLORado Q40 Panel.
• Ground package: eight Maverick Storm 1 Beam.
• Key lighting: Ovation 910FC colour-rendering ellipsoidal fixtures.
• Data distribution: eight RDMX Splitters.

The role of each fixture

According to Lavoie, the Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash proved valuable because it allowed visiting lighting designers to move between broad stage washes and more concentrated, dynamic beam effects.

Meanwhile, the Maverick Storm 2 Profile offered excellent precision and creative control, while the Maverick Storm 1 Hybrid provided additional versatility for productions requiring dramatically different visual looks within the same performance.