ETNow.com: It’s not every day that the chance comes up to light a large-scale musical spectacular starring over 100 majestic Friesland horses, geese, a dog, a falcon, together a few famous actors and singers as well, so Marc Heinz relished the opportunity of working on “De Stormruiter” (The Stormrider) with a cast that truly ticked the 'diverse box' in every aspect!
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I love horses, I love folklore from Europe, and most of all I love spectacle theater. Horses on stage is truly a challenge, lighting jet black silky shining horses is an even bigger challenge. I know nothing about this theater company, or this show, but I am already endlessly fascinated by it. It reminds me very much of a company here in the US called Sight and Sound theater, they put on spectacular retellings of bible stories with 4 story sets, a 100 foot stage, and live animals. It is something awe inspiring to see, where you are blown away by the entire experience. The use of the horses in the Netherland show reminds me also of the turn of the century production of Ben Hur where they used actual chariots with teams of horses that ran on massive treadmills to replicate the enormous Circus Maximus race in the climax of the story, while I am sure this is not legal anymore this is the level of grand theater I want to create. There is a special place for close intimate theater, but there is also something for massive large scale shows, with hundreds of lights, costumes, and oversized scenic elements.
I love how excited this lighting designer was to work with so many complexities. It’s inspiring and energizing to see someone so willing to work on something so hard. It makes you want to tackle challenges as well. And I get where he’s coming from, it’s super satisfying to finally hit that solution and see it play out all right in the end, as well as stimulating for the mind to work through the problems. He was really hit with so many unique considerations, having to work with the horses and the projection screen, while considering how the lighting will com across not only for the theater audience but also screen viewers who see the recorded version. There’s also the size of it all; though it must also be fascinating to just be a part of something so large. The sheer scale of it all seems daunting enough, but the impact of a finished product that large has got to be an incredible experience, especially given the thought and detail put into this show.
I was initially drawn to this article because of a conversation that my local had in our props stagecraft class. Todd prompted us with the question of what goes into having a live animal onstage. Almost immediately, we had come up with a very long list of concerns including animal rights organizations, daily care of the animals, the risk of an animal spooking due to tech, and the safety precautions that scenic designers and props masters would have to take into consideration. Todd said that if it’s living, it’s considered talent, not a prop. The sheer number and diversity of animals in “De Stormruiter” must require an immense team dedicated to all those logistics and more. We also talked about how animals can sometimes be a distraction that can take you out of the world of the show. I can recall many shows in which this was true, and I think it was a very bold creative decision to make “De Stormruiter” so dependent on the cooperation and success of their animals. Practical concerns aside, based on the photos in the article, the animals look stunning in the world that surrounds them.
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