Details of the speaker programme for Showlight 2013 have been released. Showlight 2013 takes place in Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic on May 18-21 2013. With Showlight 2013 set in the Czech Republic, it is only right that among the first subjects to be announced for this event is Josef Svoboda, creator of the Svoboda light and the most influential scenographer of the 20th century. Christopher Baugh, Professor of Theatre at Hull University, met Svoboda at London’s National Theatre and is an expert on the man who was the first to use a light curtain and one of the first to combine lighting and projection. On the subject of projection, we come bang up to date with one of the most-watched events in 2012, the Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. Durham Marenghi and his colleagues will be letting the Showlight audience into some of the technical secrets behind that stunning projection onto the front of the Palace, as well as the spectacular lighting rig round the Victoria Memorial. Between the creation of the Svoboda light in the 1960s and the events of 2012 a lighting revolution took place. Francis Reid focused his first Patt 23 in 1954 and his last in 2001, so knows first-hand about the key technological advances in between – and reviews which of the more recent ones have made him jealous! This brings us neatly to the Formation of a Lighting Archive, presented by Tony Award winning lighting designers Beverly Emmons and Ken Billington. What does the younger generation know about the lighting plots of 30 or 40 years ago? If we looked at say the Broadway production of Guys and Dolls, would we be astounded by the lack of equipment? Concerned that the history of lighting is being lost, Beverly is working on the formation of a lighting archive. At some time during the three-day event, Martin Lupton, founder of Guerilla Lighting and now a partner in Light Collective, will be speaking about Guerrilla Lighting and the Social Light Movement. But we’re not sure exactly when . . . What we do know is that when The X Factor went to Iceland, a country of just 350,000 inhabitants, the heads of Icelandic TV expected their version to look just like the spectacular UK production. But did set and lighting designer Alfred Bodvarsson live up to the challenge or not? Find out at Showlight 2013.Showlight 2013 also gives Bill Klages the chance to entertain with part two of Lighting Art and Technology, his hilarious stories about lighting TV spectaculars in the USA. For those who didn’t make Showlight 2009, where Bill was so rudely interrupted by the chairman for overrunning, you can watch highlights here: www.youtube.com/user/ShowlightVideos/ Showlight 2013 takes place in Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic on May 18-21 2013. www.showlight.org
