Beauty and the Beast – Playhouse Whitley Bay
SA Events was delighted to return to the Playhouse Whitley Bay for our 12th year providing complete production services for Blue Genie Entertainment, this time for their spectacular production of Beauty and the Beast.
The production was managed by our in-house Production Manager, Daniel Stratford, who has worked alongside Blue Genie’s Gary Telfer on productions and events for almost 20 years. Daniel also created the lighting design for the show.
Lighting design and production
SA Events supplied a comprehensive lighting package to complement the theatre’s in-house rig. The additional equipment included:
* 12 × Martin MAC Viper XIP
* 16 × DTS NRG 1201
* 4 × Chauvet Professional Maverick Storm 1 Beam
* 8 × Showtec Pixel Bar 16 Q6
* A range of additional LED fixtures
The production was programmed on an Avolites Diamond 7-215 lighting console, with timecode and MIDI show control used throughout. This allowed the lighting, audio, video and special effects to remain precisely synchronised during every performance.
From large musical numbers and dramatic transformations to the quieter moments of the story, the lighting design helped establish the atmosphere of each scene while delivering the scale and excitement audiences expect from a Blue Genie pantomime.
Audio design and engineering
The complete audio system was designed in-house by SA Events and engineered throughout the run by our in-house Audio Engineer, Max Colbran.
The system was designed around Martin Audio XD15 and DD6 loudspeakers, carefully positioned and configured to provide consistent sound pressure levels, tonal balance and intelligibility across the entire auditorium.
Considerable time was invested in refining the system design and tuning to ensure that dialogue, vocals, music and effects remained clear, powerful and consistent in every seat.
Creating an unforgettable special effect
It was fantastic to work with Burnt Toast once again, with the production featuring one of their incredible special effects: the Red Arrow Hawk.
Carefully integrated with the lighting, audio and show-control systems, the effect created a spectacular reveal and one of the production’s biggest “Wow” moments.
After another brilliant season at the Playhouse Whitley Bay, we are already looking forward to returning next year for Blue Genie’s production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
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