Calgary Opera were delighted to design and build a new production of Macbeth the Opera, a highlight of their 50th anniversary celebratory season. Hologauze was utilised on stage to create imagery and atmosphere, creating holographic effects for multiple settings, such as forests, caves, caldrons and ghostly apparitions.
Costumes designed by Heather Moore.
Calgary Opera’s Technical Director Cody Stadel says, ‘Using this state-of-the-art material added a third dimension to the stage for the singers to interact with, and allowed us to achieve the appearance of multiple locations without changing the physical scenery.’
The production incorporated two Hologauze: a central screen 6.55m wide x 8.23 high was used mid-stage as the central projection surface; a smaller piece 2.895m wide x 8.230m high was utilised further upstage. Both Hologauze were rigged on a custom built aluminium frame. The side of the frames were hidden by the stage columns, while the top and bottom of the frame couldn’t be viewed from the audience sightline. A single 20K projector on stage [30′ high at roughly 45°] served both surfaces, with all the programming running through the computer system, ‘Watch Out’. An additional projector beamed images onto the set itself. The production was a triumph for the Set and Projection Designer, Scott Reid: using both projectors alongside additional lighting effects elevated incredible performances with unforgettable imagery.