The Alexandrinsky Theatre Hosts Luc Lafortune's Lecture With Special Backing from Clay Paky

Luc Lafortune held a lecture of great cultural interest, called "Art and Poetry in Stage Lighting", on December 5 in St. Petersburg. This exclusive event was held on the beautiful, modern New Stage in the Alexandrinsky Theatre by the theatre's managerial staff itself, with the cooperation of TDM Stage Equipment and the Italian stage lighting equipment company Clay Paky. The event media partners were the Evening Petersburg newspaper, the main Russian media, and state television.

Lafortune is considered one of the most creative lighting designers of the last 30 years. He is the author of several prestigious lighting design projects, including the shows of the Cirque du Soleil, the Turkmenistan Independence Day celebrations, The House of the Dancing Water, a spectacle staged at the City of Dreams in Macau, and Peter Gabriel's Growing up tour. His approach to lighting design features elements that are so artistic it is defined as poetry. It is inspired by a careful philological analysis of the show, which is then combined with a painstaking search for colors and atmospheres.

In St. Petersburg, in front of an audience of professionals and in the country of theatre par excellence, Lafortune spoke about his experiences with the Cirque du Soleil, where he has had countless opportunities to practice his art and experiment continuously with new technical solutions. Grigori Borisovich Popov, director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, says, "We are proud we hosted this prestigious lecture inside one of the theatres that most represents Russian culture. The trade professionals' response was warm and enthusiastic. Lafortune is a true master for all those who work in this field."

The attendees were particularly interested in Lafortune's experiences, so much so that, at the end of the lecture, they asked numerous questions, which the Canadian lighting designer was happy to answer.

Clay Paky has already organized or contributed to the organization of several of Luc Lafortune's lectures in Europe in the last few years. Pio Nahum, Clay Paky marketing manager, says, "We would like to thank the Alexandrinsky Theatre for having made this event possible, the first of such importance in Russia. We have backed Lafortune in many lectures, and this time -- more than ever before -- it was essential to cooperate with an experienced and reliable partner on site."

Alberico D'Amato, Clay Paky area manager, and Slawa Gartung, Clay Paky CIS representative, briefly presented Clay Paky's new products in a demo show. They said they were happy with the excellent success of the lecture. "We hope that this prestigious meeting has enriched the many professionals present and may act as a stimulus for young people who are starting out in the art and culture of light. There were people who had travelled literally thousands of miles to attend this lecture, and we are happy we did not disappoint them."

The event included a buffet lunch offered by the organizers. The entire lecture was translated simultaneously into Russian.

See Clay Paky at PLASA Focus: Nashville, February 18 - 19, 2014.