Astera is Live in Denmark

	Royal Swedish Opera Tristan and Isolde Folkoperan Stockholm with lighting design was by Clement Irbil and set / costume designer by Maja Ravn. Photo: Sören Vilkas

Live Company is a full technical production and rental specialist based in Skovlunde, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, owned by Peter Clausen, Mikkel Bedsted, and two other business partners, all of whom are dedicated to providing excellent service and high production values to clients across multiple performance genres.

Since 2018, the company has invested steadily in Astera products, the first ones being AX1 PixelTubes which were purchased to illuminate the domed roof of Cirkusrevyen's big top venue in Dyrehavsbakken (the north of Copenhagen).

Started in 1935, Cirkusrevyen is the biggest revue show in Denmark and has been performed every year except 2020, when the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The AX1s were modified with special magnetic fastenings for this specific project. They were utilized during a spectacular dance number, where the dancers plucked them from the stage floor and mounted them vertically and horizontally on the set thanks to the magnets. They also charged off power from the set, and ran flawlessly for over 150 performances, for which the lighting was designed by Malthe Haugaard who has been working in this role since 2015.

Since then, Live Company has increased its stock of the RGBW AX1s, and now has over 70 fixtures in the house, as well as investing in 24 x Astera AX3 LightDrops.

"These Astera products are great for so many things," comments Clausen, adding that they have been used on multiple types of project from music videos to set dressing and illumination.

Recently, 54 x AX1s were dry hired to the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen for two different shows, La Voix Humaine and Simon Boccanegra, the latter of which was lit by Fabrice Kebour.

In Stockholm, Sweden, Folkoperan utilized 40 of Live Company's AX1s for their recent production of Tristan & Isolde with lighting designed by Clement Irbil. The AX1s made up part of a large pixel mapped installation.

"We're delighted all-round with the Astera fixtures -- they just work in whatever scenario," starts Clausen. "The light output to power and weight ratio is excellent, and the AX1 is a totally unique product, we could not find anything else like it." They have also upgraded their control systems to work with the AX1's inbuilt Lumen Radio wireless DMX receiver.

They believe that Astera has spent its time wisely during the pandemic in coming up with many new ideas and producing numerous helpful videos and tutorials.

Clausen thinks the Astera build quality is robust and is impressed with the color continuity between consignments as they have built their stock up in batches of 8 or 16 AX1s at a time, so this is another important consideration.

In fact, the AX1s and AX3s have been their busiest products on average so far during the pandemic period, when there has been -- particularly towards the end of 2020 -- a flurry of projects mostly at very short notice and having the Asteras sitting prepped and ready on the selves has been an ideal solution.