Ram’s Head Theatrical Society is Stanford University’s oldest and largest performing arts group. The organization produced Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” this year in the campus’ largest theater.
With an abstract/”steam punk” design vision, the set designer decided to place a monolithic geometric structure on a 24′ turntable as the focal point of the set. This piece revolved throughout the show to morph into various locations, such as the barber shop, bakehouse, and judge’s house.
It was essential for the lighting designer to have control over instruments located on the turntable, used for uplighting, backlighting, and creating the light for the bakehouse’s oven. However, the turntable was only designed with a receptacle for power, not data signal. RC4‘s wireless dimming system was used to power a 6 circuit ETC SmartModule and a ColorKinetics LED fixture. The wireless dimming system allowed the turntable to rotate unobstructed.
** ** **
As with all Ram’s Head productions, the set design, lighting design, sound design, directing, producing, acting and all other aspects of the show are entirely the work of Stanford students. More at http://ramshead.stanford.edu/.
