In response to Richard Pilbrow’s well put letter (EU rule could leave theatres dark, 30 April), it’s pertinent to point out that this directive on theatrical lighting will not only leave theatres in the dark but also every music venue, arena, music festival and touring concert production across Europe. As a very well established lighting designer designing tours for acts such as Beyoncé, Sam Smith, Take That, ELO and many more, the news of this regulation is terrifying.
Pretty much every single tool that we use as lighting designers will be rendered obsolete by these rules – incredible, as over the recent past as an industry we have adopted the latest in energy-saving LED technology and a lot of tours are totally LED.
However, as we use bright sources compared with domestic, this equipment is not efficient enough for the European Union. Brexit will not save us from this edict, as it will be well adopted before we leave and even if we were to avoid it, all of Britain’s amazing cultural exports would be very dark once they tour to the continent.
Lighting in shows helps to convey emotion, drama and energy and while the artist is always at the centre of what we do, performing in the O2 in the stark light of the cleaners’ work lights will not quite offer audiences the same exciting experience.
If you multiply the ban out to how enormous the effects of it could be, pretty much every lighting source for television and broadcast will also be dead in the water, leading to a need for new genres of television such as shows like Strictly Come Dancing In The Dark.
I encourage your readers to please help #savestagelighting and contact their MEPs, sign the petition at change.org and promote our cause against this ridiculous directive.
Tim Routledge
Lighting designer, London
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