Case Study: Breaking Boundaries with That Bloody Woman & Taieri Musical
At a time in New Zealand’s history where womens rights hung in the balance, an unlikely heroine emerged. Kate Sheppard is a total rockstar when it comes to the history of women’s suffrage and women’s rights. Therefore it is only appropriate that when the time came to create a musical following New Zealand’s favourite daughter, a standard musical theatre show was not going to cut it.
Not to be mistaken for a standard theatre show, That Bloody Woman brings a fresh perspective on conventional musical theatre, being framed as a rock concert with a musical theatre storyline. The show takes you on an exciting journey through New Zealand’s history, as Kate fights to get women the vote, carrying themes of equality and empowerment (#girlpower! #sistersbeforemisters!).
In July 2021, Taieri Musical promised Dunedin the rocking historical education we didn’t know we needed by incorporating rock music, powerful characters, and a visual combination of staging, lights, projection, and props, forcing us to see Kate’s story through a modern lens. Running for two weeks in Dunedin’s Mayfair Theatre with a talented crew and cast, Gravity Events was honoured to supply full production for the show, incorporating multiple technical elements.
Just like Kate herself, That Bloody Woman pushed the boundaries and broke a few rules of traditional theatre production, including the use of handheld microphones, low hanging lighting bars, floor lights, a range of gear that isn’t usually utilised for theatre, and unique application of projection mapping, all setting the scene for Kate’s big night.
Breaking Boundaries with Lighting
Here at Gravity, we know that lighting can make or break an event, and the same rule applies in theatre. Designed virtually before pack-in, the Gravity crew took extra care to make sure that the physical lighting rig was perfect. Lighting designer Benoit Wyn-Williams utilised lighting programmes Capture and Hog 4, and with director Kim Morgan they were able to pre-program every lighting change, position, and colour before anyone set foot in the Mayfair Theatre. Oh, and did we mention that he had his work cut out for him with only 3 days in the Mayfair Theatre to perfect everything before opening night (theatre shows normalyz have up to a week cue Queen’s “Under Pressure”).
Breaking Boundaries with Visuals
From the very first meeting, we were presented with some very cool concepts for the projection. Multimedia designer Ben Thomas had been imagining the concept of having multiple layers of projection for a while, Gravity couldn’t wait to help put these concepts into action. It was decided that most of this action would be projected onto the proscenium arch (the fancy theatre name for the frame surrounding the front of the stage).
Don’t tell anyone, but not all the drama of a theatre show happens on stage! This innovative projection mapping onto multiple surfaces of the Mayfair Theatre definitely generated its own excitement, with challenges including the length of the projector throw, as well as rigging options and the need to project across such a large canvas. However we channeled our inner Kate Sheppard and after some creative thinking came up with a solid solution; the main workhorse of the proscenium arch projection was a Panasonic PT-RQ22K Laser Projector - an ultra power 20,000 lumen laser projector (probably the most powerful of its type in the South Island). Two Epson 2265u were also used to cover the extreme edges of the wall surrounding the proscenium arch, and finally, three Epsom 1985U were used to project onto the exposed brick wall at the back of the stage.
Despite the venue’s challenges the Mayfair Theatre made up for it in character, including the exposed brick which was the perfect backdrop for this rock musical, especially once content was projected onto it. The projection mapping and visual content added that next level X-Factor to That Bloody Woman and Gravity will never forget during the moment during the show’s climactic number “F*ck F*ck F*ckity F*ck” when the statues on the proscenium arch came to life and sang along with the final chorus, thanks to the magic of projection. This was a crowd favourite moment, and the crowning jewel of the visual content!
Breaking Boundaries with Sound
The sound for the show went from two extremes, including rock numbers such as the title number “That Bloody Woman”, and “Enough” to a number of classic musical theatre style songs such as “Quarter Acre Dream” where the sound design needed to be more natural. Gravity’s sound and theatre guru Tom Acklin was on the case!
Adding to the director Kim Morgan’s desired “rock n roll” feel, leads also rocked with handheld mics, which not only looked the part but helped to create a better sound experience with better gain before feedback. On several occasions where Kate would monologue with underscoring from the four piece band (also on stage). Due to the size of the venue and band noise carrying through the theatre, getting clarity during those monologues was another challenge to solve.
To counter this we utilized a DPA 4288 directional headset to provide a higher level of gain before feedback. Most musicals wouldn’t allow for the larger capsule and windsock required for a directional microphone, but for this show, it fitted right in (and yes that’s right, we are total theatre rebels). Finally the Dante expansion card was used for the ability to multitrack record and virtually sound check the show which was useful given the limited number of rehearsals.
It is fair to say that with such an impactful show we were screaming for an encore as Taieri Musical closed out their finale performance of “That Bloody Woman”. Following the story of one of the most important figures in New Zealand history, Gravity was honoured to help bring this musical to life by providing projection, sound and lighting. Congratulations to Taieri Musical for taking a risk and putting on this fabulous show, and that bloody woman herself, Kate Sheppard, can finally take a bow.