For the large-scale theatrical production Het Geluk van Limburg, lighting designer Uri Rapaport created a lighting design that is both technically sophisticated and emotionally resonant. Staged in and around the former coal mines, the production tells the story of generations of Limburgers who earned their living underground, sharing hardship, hope, and community.
From Book to Immersive Experience
The performance is based on the book of the same name by Marcia Luyten and combines theatre, music, film projection, and dance. The venue, Rodahal in Kerkrade, presented a significant challenge: a very wide stage (32 metres) with limited technical height.
“That forces you to think in layers and solutions,” Rapaport explains. “The mines play a literal role in the set design. We are working with multiple height levels, many performers, a large visual stage picture, and constant movement. That requires a lighting design that is dynamic yet precisely controlled.”
As the production is largely rooted in a historical narrative, live camera images are seamlessly blended with edited archival footage from the 1950s. “The transitions must be invisible,” says Rapaport. “The audience should not notice where archival footage ends and the present begins.”
Creative Vision
“I see light as paint — my brush tells the story,” Rapaport says. “The lighting design had to make the audience feel that this is a piece of history that still resonates deeply with the people of Limburg.”
The colour palette is built on contrasts: warm sepia tones represent the warmth and familiarity of Limburg’s past, while cool steel blues convey the harshness of labour and the descent into the mines. “I wanted the lighting to make time layers and emotions tangible,” Rapaport explains. “It needed to shift between emotion and reality, between the underground world and the human story.”
This approach required both precision and flexibility. “With up to 30 performers on stage, you want to guide focus without losing the overall picture. That is where Follow-Me came into play.”
Follow-Me as a Creative Partner
From the initial design phase, it was clear that Het Geluk van Limburg would be executed using the Follow-Me TRACK-iT system. “We worked with a small technical team — three people covering lighting, video, and audio,” says Rapaport. “A traditional setup with multiple follow spot operators simply wasn’t feasible. More importantly, I wanted creative freedom: not just tracking three performers, but sometimes 10 or more, from multiple angles.”
Rapaport selected Follow-Me in combination with Ayrton Ghibli and Diablo fixtures, with approximately 60 fixtures in total assigned to Follow-Me. “I use the Ghiblis for front lighting, where finesse and colour accuracy are essential,” he adds. “Some older fixtures were used in the back due to budget constraints, but that actually pushed the design to be more inventive.”
Story-Driven Technology
Rapaport is known for using technology in a highly expressive way. “Follow-Me is outstanding for precise performer tracking, but I also use it to let the lighting breathe,” he explains. “If an actor turns, the beam doesn’t always follow instantly — it may respond more subtly, depending on the dramatic rhythm. That makes the light feel more organic. The story and its emotional impact always come first, and Follow-Me allows me to translate that into light.”
He compares the system to painting: “A painter might scratch into wet paint with the back of a brush. Follow-Me is my brush, and I can use it in many ways. That’s how technology becomes part of the art.”
Lighting that Moves with the Narrative
The combination of projection and live camera feeds creates moments where fiction and reality merge. “There is a scene where a mine collapses,” Rapaport says. “You see it in silhouette, combined with a live counter-shot from within the set. The image transitions seamlessly from archival footage, and the audience initially doesn’t notice the shift. That’s exactly the kind of magic I strive for.”
According to Rapaport, the true strength of Follow-Me lies in its invisibility. “If the audience becomes aware of a tracking system, something has gone wrong. The technology should disappear into the experience — unless, of course, you deliberately choose a visible follow spot effect.”
Technical Collaboration
The lighting design was realised in close collaboration with Pascal Schutijser (Lighting Programmer and Show Control), Sander van der Meij (Lighting and Follow-Me System Technician), and Damien Dassen (Lighting Operator). The Follow-Me system was supplied by Demo Productions, which has previously supported similar productions by Toneelgroep Maastricht.
“The Follow-Me system, operated via the lighting console, enhances human intuition,” Rapaport concludes. “As an operator, you anticipate movement, text, and emotion. The combination of human interpretation and performer tracking elevates the entire production to a higher level.”
Production: Het Geluk van Limburg - Toneelgroep Maastricht
Location: Rodahal, Kerkrade
Technical Producer: Co-Lumen b.v. Michiel der Zijde en Yared van der Zijde
Lighting Design: Uri Rapaport
Lighting Programmer: Pascal Schuttijser
Lighting Operator: Damien Dassen
Lighting & Follow-Me System Tech: Sander van der Meij
Rental partner & integration: Demo Productions
Follow-Me-system: Follow-Me TRACK-iT
Photo credits: Annemieke van der Togt, Roy Beusker, Bjorn Frins