For years, the Hong Kong government has emphasised the need to support local
arts and cultural heritage. As part of that effort, the West Kowloon Cultural District
Authority (WKCD) is building a new performing arts complex, the Xiqu Centre,
which is expected to be completed in 2017. The complex will house the Tea House
Theatre, a 200-seat venue for Chinese opera – with an emphasis on Cantonese
opera – that will help increase public interest in the art form. To prepare for the
opening of the Xiqu Centre, the WKCD and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing
Arts are working together on a number of experimental shows being staged at the
Academy, where they can test the staging, seating and equipment. ETC LED
luminaires feature prominently in the programme, which is being used to shed a
new light on the classic operas.

Lighting designer Billy Chan integrates western stage lighting philosophies and
techniques into the Cantonese opera performances, successfully melding the
modern and the traditional to engage audiences. His secret to success is selecting
the right tool.

Chan has used ETC’s Selador® Desire® LED series many times, and found that
thanks to its strong output and superior colour capabilities, the 60-emitter D60
luminaire is perfect for this production. “The x7 colour mixing is very good indeed,’
he says. “The colour quality really helps reflect what I want to achieve in the
performance, and it fades smoothly. It is powerful enough to make the colour stand
out, even at the highest intensity.’

Chan also pays close attention to the light illuminating the faces on stage, because
Chinese opera performers’ makeup is so heavy. “We want to make these
experimental productions look more dramatic and modern, but I still need to
provide bright face lighting to maintain the emotions and colour of the story,’
explains Chan. To achieve that, he uses the D60 luminaires.

Chan also uses six Source Four® LED luminaires outfitted with gobo to light panels
at the back of the stage. “The result is excellent,’ he says. “The fixtures help to
easily change the colour of the background.’

The entire lighting system is controlled by a Gio® console.