Opera Ball at Staatstheater Hannover with grandMA3

“Let the Sunshine In” – that was the fun-loving motto under which the 2024 Opera Ball took place at Staatstheater Hannover. On two evenings in February, some 3,300 guests were able to enjoy the special mix of elegant formal ball tradition and playful summer-of-love festival vibe at the opera house venue. In order to reflect the musical-aesthetic diversity – from debutante waltz to rock’n’roll to club beat – in a flexible as well as authentic manner, the lighting department of Staatstheater Hannover employed a variety of lights from Portman and Prolights, controlled via a grandMA3 system running Mode 3.

“After the Covid interval, the lighting of the Opera Ball underwent fundamental change,” explains lighting designer Fabian Grohmann. “In the past, the lighting was rather classical in terms of design and limited to the main stage. Now, we have a great deal more show lighting and attractions throughout the venue.” 

Converting the opera house into a ball venue took around one week. The focus was on the large hall, which was equipped with seating, a dance floor and two stages. Opposite the main stage, where both the Lower Saxony State Orchestra and a live band played, there was another stage on which the Thilo Wolf Big Band performed. For the realisation of the lighting for the two Opera Ball days, the permanent lighting team was expanded to some 35 members by bringing in several external assistants.

Although Staatstheater Hannover had not gained any experience with the grandMA3 system in day-to-day operation, Fabian Grohmann decided to control the show lighting for the Opera Ball on a grandMA3 full-size with grandMA3 software (with a grandMA3 compact XT as backup). “I work a lot with Vectorworks and have to say: The workflow between Vectorworks and the grandMA3 is great fun thanks to MVR and saves a great deal of time and effort in both directions.” For the lighting designer, further highlights of working with the grandMA3 include the handling of multi-instance fixtures and the selection grid for fast creation of effects without the use of any plugins.

Further details:

staatsoper-hannover.de

Photos: ©Rosenfuchs / Moritz Frankenberg