New York, NY USA – Lighting Designer Cory Pattak lit up Broadway with production luminaires from Vari-Lite, the originators of the modern moving head light fixture and Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) entertainment lighting brand. Vari-Lite fixtures were featured on the 2024 productions of The Great Gatsby and A Wonderful World, with around sixty Vari-Lite VL2600 Profiles on The Great Gatsby and fifty VL2600 SE Profiles plus twelve VL3600 Profile IP fixtures on A Wonderful World.
“It was a big year for me,” says Pattak. “I made my Broadway design debut in the fall of 2023 with Spamalot, followed by Gatsby and A Wonderful World in 2024. All three shows came out of PRG and I worked with them to find fixtures that would work for my needs and within the budget.”
“My approach to lighting is not one of subtlety,” explains Pattak. “I’m not great at disappearing into the background. All three shows feature big bold looks with lots of color, lots of movement and require the lighting to do a fair amount of heavy lifting. I like to do a lot of shutter and iris gags with fast opens and closes, and I find the VLs to have some of the fastest-moving parts on the market.” Pattak also praised Vari-Lite’s full frame shutters and broad zoom range, claiming they opened a lot of creative possibilities.
Output was also a major requirement for Pattak. “As is becoming more and more the case, all three shows also utilized LED walls, which have a big impact on my work. I needed fixtures that could compete with the brightness of the LED tiles, but I didn’t have the pipe space for the biggest lights out there. So I added Vari-Lite, because I really like their brightness compared to other comparable fixtures, and I don’t feel like I lose that brightness when I put in a color.”
As with any Broadway production, color rendering was vital for the production design as well. Pattak adds, “I really like the CTO color of the VLs. Some manufacturers’ CTO is a little greener, but the VLs are a little pinker, which I prefer for lighting skin tones.”
“The VLs did everything I needed them to do,” concludes Pattak. “On all three shows, they are the workhorse fixture and they do everything from people lighting to scenic washes to flashier eye candy. With great colors, a lot of gobo slots, and a quiet operation, they were a great addition to the production.”
About Signify
Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals, consumers and the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact systems and data-enabled services deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. In 2023, we had sales of EUR 6.7 billion, approximately 32,000 employees and a presence in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for seven consecutive years and have achieved the EcoVadis Platinum rating for four consecutive years, placing Signify in the top one percent of companies assessed. News from Signify can be found in the Newsroom, on X, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors is located on the Investor Relations page.
About Vari-Lite
Leveraging a rich legacy of innovation pioneering the entertainment industry’s most iconic lighting solutions, Vari-Lite offers an end-to-end portfolio of advanced, energy-efficient LED luminaires, data, architectural control, consoles, and power solutions that the world’s top lighting designers and consultants rely on to create unforgettable looks that amaze. This includes spectacular rock and roll shows, sporting events, moving dramatic performances, spiritual worship experiences, and memorable film and TV productions - at venues large and small.
Inventing the first modern moving head fixture for entertainment, Vari-Lite products have earned three Grammy awards, numerous patents and industry awards, and the devotion and respect of designers around the world. Our advanced, reliable, and intuitive solutions enable lighting designers to realize their creative vision.