Case Study

Kinky Boots Cygnet Players

STLS supplied the lighting equipment for the show Kinky Boots and were delighted to work with Neil Austin:

Cygnet Players

Cygnet Players was established in 1997 as an amateur musical theatre group and has since developed into a full amateur dramatic society (NODA affiliated) based in South West London putting on at least two musicals and one play each year.

The society is a mix of people from every walk of life, aged from 16 to 60+, who share a common interest in theatre. They are proud of there high quality shows but don’t forget that this is a hobby and that they should be having fun first and foremost. They are a sociable bunch with rehearsals often spilling over into a session at the local pub and a busy social calendar!

The Show

Charlie is a factory owner struggling to save his family business. Lola is a fabulous entertainer with a wildly exciting idea. With a little compassion and a lot of understanding, this unexpected pair learns to embrace their differences and create a line of sturdy stilettos unlike any the world has ever seen. Based on an unlikely but true story, with its origins in a 1999 BBC2 documentary, “Kinky Boots” the musical became a Tony and Olivier award winning sensation! Price & Son is a struggling Northampton shoe factory, where the ‘son’, Charlie Price is about to abandon the family firm to its fate until the arrival of Lola, a fabulous drag queen in need of some sturdy stilettos. As they work to turn the factory, and some attitudes, around, this mismatched pair find that they have more in common than they ever dreamed possible. A show full of heart, hope, 16 original songs and huge celebration of performance, togetherness, high-heels and glitter!

Suppling The Equipment

In terms of the fixtures that were utilised, the rig mainly consists of Aura XBs and Mistrals. LDs comments: “The area that needs to be lit is pretty vast so I needed aura xb lights to provide crisp, fresh daylight and good blues. A handful of StudioCobs for dance crosslight and the iconic pixy linebats for set dressing were added, as well as some Source 4s to supplement the profiles which the venue provided front of house. There are also, of course, the customary bucketload of cables, effects and power distro provided by STLS.

Working with the team

The show also saw LD use a fixture he hasn’t previously used. He explains: “As with every show you work on, you are balancing your creative vision with the budget that is available to you. For this show, I worked closely with the Customer Service Team at STLS to make the most out of the sum I had available and capitalise on the fixtures selection. This led to some happy discoveries, such as the Aytron fixtures. These were recommended by Sam and I was so impressed they have already found their way into some of my other shows!”.