Ayrton Rivale Profiles give no anxiety to Dear Evan Hansen in Sweden

Dear Evan Hansen, the award-winning musical about a high school senior with social anxiety, received its Swedish premiere in Stockholm on 23^rd January at the Intiman Theatre. The show has been beautifully and creatively lit by renowned Swedish lighting designer, Palle Palmé, using only Ayrton Rivale Profiles. Ayrton is distributed exclusively in Sweden by Topstage.

Palmé explains his decision to use only Rivale Profiles in his design. “My first design intention was to create different sized ‘rooms’ using light, so I looked for a mid-size moving light with great shutter blades and an extraordinary colour mix.

“I was very happy with Rivale’s shutters which are extremely accurate compared to those of other brands. They allowed me to sharply shutter the ‘rooms’ and focus the audience on where the action takes place.

“I also found Rivale’s colour mix to be a game changer. I don’t see any flags coming in on low percentages in the CMY, and the CTP channels help me to get the absolute best skin tones that I have ever been able to achieve. I also find the two different frost filters very usable in producing very delicate edges.

“I hardly use gobos in the show at all – only at the end when they create a lovely dapple as we enter the apple orchard – but I must mention Rivale’s dimmer system which is close to perfection. When you have a very slow fade, it dims more or less like a tungsten unit, even on the low levels.”

Palmé rigged a total of 30 Rivale Profiles at distances from 5m to 6m: 4 on the front truss, 2 as side front light, 2 as low side front light, 5 per side on on-stage ladders and 5,4 and 3 in the roof on LX1, 2 and 3 respectively. In such an intimate venue with just 600 seats, a quiet, discreet lighting system was paramount.

Given the small size of the venue, and the close proximity of the audience it was good to hear from Palmé how well the Rivale’s noise levels performed. “We used the Rivales on normal fan mode,” he says. “They are so quiet anyway that even when the different parameters were running you could not hear them. Even the sound designer was surprised how silent they were! It’s certainly not the case with some other fixtures.”

Palmé confirms the Rivale Profiles have behaved perfectly throughout the run and rehearsals and fill the show with stand out moments. “We had approximately 2.5 weeks from coming into the theatre to the opening night and I did not have one single problem with them. They really fulfilled all my ideas exactly as I would have hoped.

“Ayrton is known for its high quality units, but Rivale is something special. I think the mixture of all the new features is unique, especially for a show like this with extreme use of the shutters, and the subtle colour mixing where you can go down deep into the pastels but still get a great punch of colour out of the unit. Aesthetically, it’s also great to have the big square lens to work with.”

The Ayrton fixtures were supplied for Dear Evan Hansen by Soundforce of Linköping, Sweden, whose Michael Karlsson was pleased to explain their reason for investing in Rivale: “We conducted extensive comparisons and tests of various fixtures in this class before selecting Rivale. We were highly impressed with its performance relative to its size and weight. Additionally, the IP rating is essential for us as we frequently conduct outdoor shows.

“From a personal standpoint, I appreciate Rivale’s large front lens and exterior design. It is important that a lighting fixture remains aesthetically pleasing even when not illuminated! The wide zoom range is also impressive, making it versatile for various applications.

“We’ve noticed an increased demand within the Swedish market and have therefore invested in several batches of these luminaires. We also place high value on the prompt service provided by Topstage, including training and updates. Ultimately, the quality of service and support is as crucial as the equipment itself.”

Palmé was also complimentary about the service he received from both Soundforce and Topstage: “Soundforce have carried out a great delivery, and Topstage is also a very service-minded company. They are always very easy to contact and keen to help, and quick to ensure you see and play with all the new Ayrton products!”

Dear Evan Hansen runs at the Intiman Theatre until 12^th April 2025.