In a previous Gaslight blog post I talked about the stove that had been found on a skip. This week I was able to see it in its full working glory. Gaslight starts tomorrow (Monday 23rd February 2015) but there was no last minute rehearsal going on when I went down to the theatre on Sunday afternoon. Everything was very calm and the only person there was lighting designer Martin putting the finishing touches to the lighting effects, including the fire.
It was difficult to get a good photo but it did look very realistic (you'll have to go and see the show to judge for yourself).
The smoke is actually water vapour created using a pond fogger. I had never heard of a pond fogger but they are commonly used in garden water features when a misty effect is required and are particularly good for creating witches' cauldrons at Halloween. The glow comes from LEDs underneath the 'coals'
The lighting is designed to replicate a Victorian living room lit by a combination of wall gas lights and free standing oil lamps. On set two Raspberry Pi (small basic computers) are linked into the lighting control desk. Martin has written some code so that one turns on and off the fire glow, gas lights and oil lamp. The other one controls the pond fogger and a small fan making sure the smoke goes in the right direction. All are operated on the night with a click of the mouse from the tech box at the back of the auditorium.
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Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton, 7.45 Monday 23rd February – at Progress Theatre
