Back

Green thinking

grandMA2 meets “Wicked” at the Gershwin Theatre

There’s a grandMA2 in the house for “Wicked”, the  Broadway musical about the untold story of the Witches of Oz. The long-running show at the Gershwin Theatre recently switched to a grandMA2 full-size console for lighting and special effects control. 

“It was time to replace our previous system due to its age, and it made sense to update to a grandMA2,” says Brendan Quigley, show electrician. “All of the ‘Wicked’ shows worldwide are on the grandMA platform, so it was our turn to move up. The grandMA2 is proving to be both agile and rock solid.”

Quigley notes that reliability is critical for a production that does eight shows a week and more than 400 performances a year, not counting rehearsals. “The previous control platforms were approaching 20 years old, so it was time to ensure that we had a stable system moving forward. We need a desk we can call on day after day to deliver the show our audience expects and wants to see.”

In an understatement, Quigley notes that the grandMA2 controls “a lot of gear” for the show.  The lighting inventory boasts approximately 650 conventional fixtures; 78 Philips Vari*Lite, including 3000 Spots, 2000 Spots and 2000 Washes; and more than 250 scrollers of varying sizes. The console also controls a pair of Barco R6+ projectors using Catalyst software and Catalyst moving mirror heads, three SS6K dry ice machines, two Aquafog 3000 dry ice machines “and a smattering of other ancillary equipment,” says Quigley.

Even with all that gear, “we really aren’t pushing the limits of the grandMA2,” he reports.  “We’ve only replicated the original show that was programmed on other systems. The grandMA2 has far more power than we will ever need or want. We’re very happy with it and know it will be state-of-the-art for the remainder of the run of ‘Wicked.’ It’s a stable desk that will serve our needs for years to come.”

A.C.T Lighting is the exclusive distributor of MA Lighting in North America.

Further news

Magic & Mischief in the Park for grandMA3

Magic & Mischief in the Park for grandMA3

Singapore-based lighting designer Gabriel Chan chose to run lighting for an innovative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) for the 2023 season of…

Read more

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay invests in grandMA3

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s national performing arts centre and one of the world’s busiest arts centres, has invested in 12 x new MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles.

This is part of a…

Read more

grandMA3 for Special Beijing Production

"Excellent and invaluable technical support and training"

The Beijing People’s Art Theatre used their new grandMA3 lighting control system for a special revival of acclaimed historical drama Cai Wenji directed by Tang Ye, which was part of the venue’s 70th

Read more

“A complete no-brainer”

grandMA3 for New AFAS Theatre

A grandMA3 lighting control system - hardware and software - is at the heart of the new AFAS Experience Center’s 800 capacity theatre in Leusden, the Netherlands. The theatre is an integral part of…

Read more

Dream On with grandMA3

Shakespeare becomes virtual

“Dream” is an ingenious and engaging multi-layered mix of movement, music, visuals, cool technology and narrative magic, an immersive digital performance fusing the drama of Shakespeare with the…

Read more