COLOR KINETICS ILLUMINATES NATIONAL TOUR OF HIT MUSICAL HAIRSPRAY
From Broadway to cities nationwide; Color Kinetics' LED illumination technology
takes center stage
Boston, MA - October 6, 2003 - Color Kinetics Incorporated today announced the featured role of its intelligent LED illumination technology in the national tour of Tony® Award winning musical Hairspray. The multi-city tour opened in Baltimore, Maryland on September 9 and debuts in Boston tomorrow, October 7, at the Colonial Theatre.
The much-acclaimed set of Hairspray features a unique backdrop comprising individually controlled points of color-changing light - an elaborate concept with aesthetic and electrical requirements exceeding the capabilities of conventional light sources. Approximately 530 Color Kinetics® ColorBurst® systems are used to create this animated backdrop, which seamlessly transforms in synch with various musical numbers - from a wall of vivid color, to kinetic stripes and chevrons, to intertwined hearts. The ColorBurst systems generate high, colored output with the intelligent control necessary to achieve the vision of scenic designer David Rockwell and lighting designer Kenneth Posner, who also chose Color Kinetics' systems to illuminate the original Broadway production of Hairspray in New York.
"The original design called for multiple points of light to reflect the bright, 'pop art' style of the '60s and the high-energy nature of the musical itself," said Posner. "We ruled out conventional lighting methods in favor of Color Kinetics' LED-based systems, which allow amazing creative liberties in design without the high maintenance and high power draw. As we realized the full creative potential of LED illumination, the lighting design grew in size and scope to become a truly integral piece of the show."
Color Kinetics' intelligent LED illumination technology is widely used in increasingly diverse applications, from theater and television lighting, to interior and exterior architectural lighting, to residential and home theater projects. LEDs have rapidly advanced as a highly efficient, long lasting, environmentally friendly, and digitally controllable source of light, which, coupled with the intelligence of a microprocessor, generates millions of colors and intricately designed effects - as seen in Hairspray. In addition to the aesthetic benefits, the low power draw, little heat emission, and rugged nature of Color Kinetics' LED-based systems prove critical to the demanding stage production environment.
Hairspray is based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, with a book by Mark
O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
Hairspray is directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell. Both the Broadway and touring sets were
fabricated and engineered by ShowMotion Inc. of Norwalk, CT. For more information visit
www.hairsprayontour.com.
Digital images are available upon request.
About Color Kinetics
Color Kinetics Incorporated is the pioneer of intelligent solid-state illumination technologies. The company designs, manufactures and markets an award-winning line of products that apply the practical and aesthetic benefits of LEDs to transcend the limits of traditional light sources for use in professional, consumer, and OEM and licensing applications. Its flagship line of technologies leverage a patented layer of digital intelligence, called Chromacore®, to generate and control millions of colors and dynamic lighting effects. Color Kinetics leads the industry in solid-state lighting innovation, including the custom engineered Chromasic® microchip, and holds a growing patent portfolio encompassing a number of emerging digital technologies. Founded in 1997, the company is privately held and is headquartered in Boston, MA with offices in the UK, China, and a joint venture in Japan. More information can be found at http://www.colorkinetics.com.
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