Robe hits the Highway in Africa

13 January 2009

South Africa - Johannesburg-based Sound Stylists supplied Robe moving lights for LD Andre Rossouw from SABC's Air Time for his design at the Highway Africa Digital Journalism Awards. The 2008 event was staged at the Guy Butler Theatre on the campus of Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, also broadcast live on SABC International.

The 36 Robes - a combination of ColorSpot and ColorWash 700 and 575E ATs - were at the core of the rig. They were all hung off the theatre's over-stage fly bars, with the 700s rigged on the downstage bars and used for stage washes. Eight of the ColorWash 575E ATs were positioned on the floor, with the rest in the overhead rig.

Sound Stylists also supplied AV, rigging and crew for the Awards, run in conjunction with a conference and hosted for the eleventh year by Rhodes University, sponsored by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

The set predominantly made use of projection with a main screen and two additional screens either side. "The production team wanted a totally different look from previous years, and that's why we made projection so prominent," says Rossouw. It was covered in white translucent fabric and backlit with LED PARs with a DJ booth on stage left and other risers scattered around.

(Jim Evans)