Lighting the Olympics
"So it’s the middle of a heat wave, we’ve been in
this metal box for an hour at least. We drive through the players’
tunnel and into the stadium. All of a sudden there is an 88,000
strong audience and the world's finest athletes cheering and waving
at us."
Tim Routledge (Stage Management, 1996) splits his time between
live events, music, broadcast, TV and theatre. In May 2009 he was
awarded the BAFTA Wales Award for Best Lighting Director for his
work on Grand Slam, a concert in the Millennium Stadium
celebrating Wales’ recent Six Nations grand slam win.
Why did you choose to study at
RWCMD?
I felt at home at the College and there was
such a large range of experiences on offer that I knew I would be
able to find a career that suited me.
What is the most memorable piece of
work that you did for your studies?
I worked on a number of great projects, from
opera to musicals. The most memorable for me was the production of
Brezhnev’s Children. I lit parts of the show using a
swinging lighting rig suspended from the roof. There was a real
freedom to experiment throughout my time at the College.
After graduating was it hard to break
into the profession?
RWCMD had given me a huge range of skills and
I graduated with confidence and a professional attitude. I spent
the first year freelancing and made a lot of contacts this way. The
following year I became Events Project Manager of the local branch
of Stage Electrics.
What is the most memorable project
that you have worked on since graduating?
It has to be the Beijing Olympics! I was
Lighting Programmer and Assistant Lighting Designer to Durham
Marenghi. Our task was to put on a show to preview the next
Olympics in London. It was a piece based around a
London bus that unfolded and changed to reveal a number of high
profile celebrities such as Leona Lewis, Jimmy Page and David
Beckham. The show also featured dancers from the Royal Opera
Ballet, ZooNation and Candoco Dance Company.
It was a mind-boggling concept. I will never forget
going into the Birds Nest Stadium for the first time. The hairs
stood up on the back of my neck, it was amazing. We even sneaked
down past very heavy security onto the track and ran the 100m! The
first show was the most intense experience of my career so far.
Normally I am situated a long way from the stage but for this show
we had the lighting console built inside the bus and I was to
operate it.
So it’s the middle of a heat wave, we’ve been
in this metal box for an hour at least. We drive thro
ugh the players’ tunnel
and into the stadium. All of a sudden there is an 88,000 strong
audience and the world's finest athletes cheering and waving at
us.
Later we were whisked away to a party with the
Prime Minister, Seb Coe and all the stars to dance the night
away!
What’s next?
I’ve just finished programming for the Madonna
Sticky and Sweet tour and filming Take That’s
Circus tour at Wembley. I would love to be involved in
London 2012 but who knows if I will be lucky enough to live the
Olympic dream again!
What advice would you give current
Stage Management students?
Try to forget any experience you have had
before arriving at the College - just soak in all the new
information that they give you. Meet as many people as you can and
remember that the RWCMD Alumni network is a strong force - we look
after each other in the real world!
Tim recently donated his time to work
as Set and Lighting Designer on the London part of George Clooney’s
Hope for Haiti telethon, aired on 23rd January across
the globe. He had just four days to realise the show which featured
five of the world’s top acts – Coldplay, U2, Beyoncé, Rhianna and
Jay-Z. And he still found the time to come in and teach at RWCMD!
That’s dedication.