White Light Creates Visual Spectacle for Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular

	Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular. Photo: Sam Neill Photography

Following its sell-out debut success in Australia, Vision Nine and BBC Worldwide recently brought the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular to the UK for an arena tour. A musical celebration of the iconic BBC series, the Symphonic Spectacular featured Doctor Who's most captivating music, video sequences of the most iconic moments from the past 50 years of the show, along with a host of live monsters including the Cybermen and Daleks. White Light was the choice supplier for providing the lighting, rigging, and crew to deliver the full tour; comprising of 13 performances across London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle, and Glasgow.

Working alongside the show's producers, White Light expertly recreated lighting designer Paul Collison's original vision, while making subtle adjustments to suit the logistical intricacies of each venue. The highly ambitious project incorporated 100 different performers, including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and members of the BBC National Chorus of Wales. It also saw White Light draw on its extensive range of the very latest in lighting equipment. White Light's event technician Ben Tucker states: "The show was largely complemented by a plethora of moving lights, including Martin Professional Mac Vipers and Martin Aura XBs which were ideal for the spectacle we needed to create. We used Martin Stagebar 54s to light the floor seating area and create a range of effects to immerse the audience in an authentic Doctor Who experience." The show also used the Prolyte H30V Truss, a product new to White Light which was being utilized for this first time on this tour. Tucker adds: "We had a very tight schedule, with there being as little as seven hours from arriving at a new arena to commencing the sound check. Having the new truss meant that everything which we had pre-rigged could literally be wheeled out into each new arena -- ensuring that we remained on schedule and used our limited time as efficiently as possible."

Having previously worked with White Light, Nigel Mousley, production manager for the show, considered them the obvious choice to fulfill the complex brief and demanding schedule. He comments: "White Light was extremely well organized and a pleasure to work with, something I have come to expect. They delivered on schedule which was vital to this production and the crew they supplied for the road worked extremely hard to ensure that the show was the best it could possibly be." Due to Doctor Who being such an iconic and well-known show, it was vital that the lighting created the authentic feel which the fans would expect. Tom Sabin, technical director at Vision Nine, adds: "The majority of those coming to see the show were huge Doctor Who fans so already had a well-grounded knowledge of the series. We called on White Light to effectively use unique lighting in a large arena space in order to provide the fans with an unforgettable experience and do justice to such a renowned piece of television." Working with White Light further strengthened the already successful working relationship with Vision Nine. Sabin remarks: "We have worked with White Light on a number of projects now and, knowing of their expertise and wide range of equipment, they were the first choice for a project of this nature."

The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular was a huge success and played to sell-out audiences and rave reviews across the UK. Tucker states: "It was great to be able to work on a show of this nature. Not only did it allow White Light to showcase its fantastic range of stock but also utilize the crew it has available to help make an ambitious tour such as this become a reality."