Our Technology & Services for West End Theatre
Theatre is very close to the heart of PRG, being the first market we operated in in the UK and USA. The West End is the home of the most successful and ground breaking theatrical productions in Europe, which we are proud to have a long and distinguished connection with. Our services to West End theatre productions include lighting hire, product support and service by highly trained, graduate level service technicians, and technical training for theatre lighting and video equipment.
From a handful of generic lighting fixtures for a studio theatre to the razzmatazz and ostentatious glamour of a full-size West End musical using multiple automated, moving lights; low-energy, high-output LED lighting fixtures, special effects lighting, followspots, control systems and making use of our prep facilities including the WYSIWYG pre-visualisation software. PRG has an unparalleled reach when it comes to the provision of lighting technology for theatre.
When it comes to video equipment hire, we have a wide range of customisable solutions such as many types of LED video tiles, which can be used either as a solid wall or built into parts of the set as additional scenic elements. We have the latest high-definition digital projectors and can project moving or static images onto virtually any surface, as well as the media servers and control equipment to make it all work.
We’re proud of our established association with so many iconic West End productions and have supported a long list of shows, including: Mamma Mia, Wicked, Lion King, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots, Book of Mormon, My Fair Lady, Cats, Thriller, Beautiful, Motown and so many more. Our long history of supplying lighting and video to the West End means we have a well-founded knowledge of most London Theatres, including: The Lyceum, London Palladium, The Piccadilly Theatre, Prince of Wales Theatre, The Noel Coward, Harold Pinter Theatre, Royal Albert Hall,The Palace and the list could go on a lot further. We’re not sure there’s a West End theatre we haven’t worked in at some point.
Our commitment to theatre is not limited to lighting and video technology hire, we have a proactive approach to training and education for both students and those already employed as theatre technicians, PRG are proud to be a gold member of the ABTT, as well as sponsoring several charitable events throughout the year, including the annual West End Bares fundraising show.
Please view the options below to see what PRG has to offer and visit our news blog to see examples of the shows we’ve recently been working on.
Lighting Products
Event lighting hire is one of the core services PRG offers. Our inventory of moving lights, LED lighting, conventional and tungsten luminaires, followspots and intelligent lighting products has a global reach. In addition to our own cutting-edge range of proprietary lights and control consoles, PRG stock lighting products by leading event technology brands including Clay Paky, Vari*Lite, Martin Professional, SGM, GLP, High End, Robe, ETC, Aytron, Lycian, Robert Juliat and Philips.
Projection Solutions
Video projection is a multifaceted effect that can be used in many ways, most of which can be defined as either image magnification (IMAG), ultra-widescreen effects projection or projection mapping over a 3D surface. The creative possibilities of video projection are immense, so why not talk to one of our team of video and projection product specialists and discuss a package that suits your needs? We have a well stocked inventory of projectors from Barco and Panasonic in a variety of different sizes, which enables us to manage intimate projects such as a small screen projection at an AGM, through to projecting on the exterior of a national landmark.
Pre-Visualisation
Lighting and video will be some of the most important elements of your show and have the power to make or break the event. To aid the design process, PRG’s team of visualisation specialists use state-of-the-art What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) software to create a 3D render of your event, which can be used for planning purposes or pre-programming of fixtures. Video mapping can also be visualised using media servers such as Pandora’s Box. Allocating a little extra time and money at the start of a production period will save a lot of expense on site. Being better prepared enables you to spend less time in the venue and less money on crew and rental costs. Pre-visualisation can also be used as a pitch support tool, illustrating how the venue will look and demonstrating the different lighting moods and themes you will use.
Media Servers
A media server is the central point of a video system which has the ability to deliver multiple streams of video to multiple playback surfaces. PRG stock a variety of media servers including the PRG MBox, d3, Catalyst, Resolume and Pandora’s Box. Common features of most industry standard media servers include projection mapping, live feed (IMAG), standard playback and live image manipulation as well as the ability to display live social media interactions on your playback surfaces.
Video Camera Systems
To work alongside our cutting-edge LED video screens and digital projectors, we use high specification portable production units (PPUs) which include the latest broadcast quality camera systems on the market. Our video camera hire stock includes models by leading manufacturers such as Sony, Bradley, Grass Valley and our own proprietary cameras developed for specific customer requirements.
Rigging
Rigging is the area of event production used whenever lighting, video or scenic elements need to be hung or supported.
Rigging is the little seen infrastructure that holds the show together and should be part of event planning and design from the original inception. Often bearing the weight of many tonnes of equipment, rigging is subject to many regulations and technical requirements, with which our rigging engineers are highly experienced. PRG have decades of experience providing rigging solutions for music festivals, trade shows, light-entertainment television, music concerts and more. Our rigging inventory includes products by respected industry manufacturers such as Thomas Engineering, Tomcat, Columbus McKinnon (CM) hoists, Petzl, Lift All, The Crosby Group, Doughty and Kinesys.
Stage Automation
The movement of people, set and scenery during a live show is covered by the technical discipline of stage automation.
PRG have a rich history of making things move on stage, having introduced the world to the Stage Command motion control system when it made its entrance on Broadway over 25 years ago. Theatre technology has moved on significantly since then but PRG are still at the forefront of stage automation innovation with our proprietary motion control system: the Commander Automation Console which has been used on shows such as Beautiful in the West End, Queen & Adam Lambert’s 2015 European tour, Wicked UK theatre tour and Drake’s headline performance at the 2015 Wireless music festival.
LED Video Screens
The significant improvements in LED technology over the past few years mean that LED video screens are more popular than ever.
PRG have a comprehensive stock of LED tiles from manufacturers such as Barco, Unilumin, Lighthouse and ROE Visual, with pitches ranging from 2.5 to 40mm. Our LED solutions are easily customisable and offer almost limitless creative opportunities. Gone are the days of a single flat video screen at the back of a stage, as designers are increasingly using multiple layers of varied pitch sizes to create a multi-dimensional look to their stage set. LED video tiles have also been used to create backgrounds for major feature film productions, as high-brightness IMAG screens at outdoor music festivals, as well as making a car ‘disappear’ into it’s surroundings for a TV advert.
Prep Facilities
Whatever your event, you’re bound to want the load in to be as quick and efficient as possible.
Many crews take advantage of our prep facilities in Longbridge. Being our main UK warehouse, Longbridge has over 1600 square metres of space dedicated to show prep and is perfect for looming cable, marking up truss, addressing fixtures and packing and marking up road cases. We also have 2 ground support structures for hanging lighting and video trusses which help to eliminate snagging issues in the design and are often used by lighting designers and programmers to pre-program the show on the lighting console.
CAD Services
A detailed CAD drawing is essential for the planning and production of a live event.
Clients mostly approach us with their idea and a rough sketch of what they want. Our experienced CAD draughtsmen use the latest Autocad and Vectorworks software to create 2D and 3D scale drawings of your lighting, video and rigging requirements. As well as having a thorough knowledge of the technical requirements and rigging capacity for most UK event venues, we also have a comprehensive library of fixture blocks to ensure our drawings are as detailed and accurate as possible.
