24/01/2024
Highlights 2023.
Victoria Falls Theatre.
When husband and wife team, Allen and Toni-Anne Roberts from Shearwater Victoria Falls, had the vision of mounting a daily theatre production to entertain tourists, they faced 2 challenges: Firstly, they needed a space where the performance can happen and secondly, they needed a show. After The Victoria Falls Theatre Company was established, Cue Lighting & Sound was approached to be part of the team tasked with making their vision a reality.
The first phase of the project saw a vegetable patch turn into an outdoor theatre that can seat 200. During this phase, Cue Lighting & Sound consulted on the physical layout of the stage and audience, electrical requirements, load requirements for the lighting installation, as well as lighting, sound and AV equipment. After this was finalised and the construction reached roof height, Barry Strydom travelled to Victoria Falls to train the locally sourced crew. The majority of the crew had little to no experience of theatre but on Barry’s recommendation, Tariro Mushonga, an experienced theatre technical practitioner from Harare that Barry had worked with before, was appointed as production/ stage manager to head up the team. After a week of equipment, systems and software training, the team started installing the lighting system as far as the ongoing construction process allowed. A couple of weeks later Barry returned to complete the set up.
Phase 2 started with an intensive audition process and soon the cast of local talent was working hard rehearsing the newly developed piece of theatre under the guidance of Mongi Wekhaya (Director, playwright and artistic designer) and Tholakele Nkala (Choreographer). During the production phase Cue Lighting & Sound was responsible for the sound design, lighting design and technical management of the show. In just 10 months, from the first site visit in December 2022 till the first previews in early September 2023, this project not only saw the opening of the brand-new Victoria Falls Theatre, but also the birth of the highly entertaining, award-winning show: Simunye: The Spirit of Africa.
We are sure the show will continue to enthral international audiences for many years to come and we look forward to further growing and developing, not just The Victoria Falls Theatre, but performing artists and technicians in Victoria Falls and Zimbabawe.
The following gear was supplied and installed:
Lighting
12 x Beamz BTS250C
12 x Beamz BTS300Z
28 x Vulcan Kratos
9 x Vulcan Atreus
2 x Longman Phoenix Bar
1 x Chauvet Datastream 4 splitter
1 x DMX King dongle running MA dot2 OnPC software
2 x Le Maitre MVS Hazer
1 x Robe Fog 1600FT
Sound
2x Wharfedale Delta AX15
2 x Wharfedale Delta AX18 B
2 x Wharfedale EVP X12M
6 x Samson CM12C
4 x Samson CM11B
1 x Allen and Heath Zed 16
1 x Samson Concert 88c
1 x Shure PG58 cordless set
AV
NEC P627UL 3LCD
