Aside from being one of the premier public university research centers in the United States, North Carolina State University, home of the famed Wolfpack sports teams, has also led the way in another important area as a major supporter of the Special Olympics. Every year, the school holds a 5K marathon and other events supporting this worthy cause. The 2015 festivities culminated with a jam-packed “Run Dance Glow” after party at the school’s sprawling 1314-acre Centennial Campus.

Putting together a versatile light show for this popular event, which had a relatively small stage despite the large crowd, required versatile rig that could perform multiple functions. Lighting designer Daniel “Tebo” Thibault of Life Is Art Studios was able to create just such a rig using a collection of CHAUVET Professional Rogue and COLORado fixtures provided by Alpha Production Group.

“We wanted to create a concert and club atmosphere for the kids on campus while still staying within the physical limits of our stage and the realities of our budget,” said Thibault. “This meant that we needed fixtures that were not only punchy and powerful, but also versatile enough to do a lot of different things.”

Thibault got this versatile performance from COLORado 2-Quad Zoom Tour fixtures, which he positioned downstage on his rig and on his FOH truss. “I used the COLORados in a bunch of ways, which greatly expanded my creative options when matching the lights to the music,” he said. “I used them as my front wash and in my scenic wash. They also worked very well for me as audience blinders when I flipped them out from my front of house truss. The zoom features, as well as the great whites the fixtures produced, made it easy for me to call on the COLORados to do a variety of jobs.”

The Rogue R2 Wash fixtures in Thibault’s rig were used to fill out movements and create extra dimensional looks, which served to lend a concert tour feeling to his fund-raising event rig. “I like to start a look with my beam fixtures and then use the Rogues to really fill out the stage,” he said “This brings a level of texture that people don’t expect from an outdoor event rig. The zoom feature of the Rogues influences how I design with them. They give me the ability to fill out my stage as a wide wash and then cut down into a tight beam, That makes every stage look bigger — and it makes fixtures like the Rogue an indispensable part of the rigs we build.”

Controlling his rig with a grandMA2console, Thibault created a variety of scenes for the wide mix of DJs who performed on the Run Dance Glow stage. “I was very pleased with the scope of the show that we were able to create,” he said. “The kids at NC State are not used to seeing anything on their campus quite like what we did for this event. We brought what they see in club shows and at concerts and gave it to them right there in their own backyard. “

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For more information on Alpha Production Group visit www.alphaproductiongroup.com