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Lightware powers immersive video for “The Hunger Games: On Stage” in London

In the heart of London’s financial district, the new purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre invites audiences to experience Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” live on stage. This 1,200-seat venue brings the story to life through stunts, illusions and a visually driven environment to transport audiences to the heart of the Capitol.

With immersive video central to the storytelling, signal management became essential to the show’s success. Lightware Visual Engineering’s standalone MX2 matrix switcher with HDMI 2.0 and the 1G AVoIP Gemini GVN system were selected to ensure uninterrupted performances.

The show’s producer and director envisioned a video system that worked as an extension of the environment. ArtAV, a technical solutions provider for the arts industry, worked closely with video designer Tal Rosner and senior video engineer Arthur Skinner to design the system, supplying over 130 sqm of Unilumin P3.9 dvLED. “It was decided very early on that video would be the primary tool to immerse the audience as much as possible”, recalls Nick Joyce, Managing Director at ArtAV. “It is certainly one of the more complex projects we have worked on.”

Staged in the round, with no two seats offering the same view, the production team developed the “West Tower” and later the “East Tower” as central visual focus points. These structures serve as scenic elements as well as a key video tool, with performers interacting directly with the LED surfaces during choreographed fight scenes. A 38-metre ticker was also installed at floor level to bring dynamic content to audience level, whilst six smaller screens extend across the front of the balcony linking audience members to their assigned districts.

To ensure consistent visuals across this complex display network, Lightware’s MX2-8x8-DH4DPIO-A was deployed as the main matrix switcher. The MX2 matrices deliver 4K60 video signals over HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort with ultra-low latency. “The MX2’s native DisplayPort support and full 4:4:4 colour processing is critical to the production’s success”, notes Joyce. “It enables high-resolution performance, while its dependability ensures consistent video distribution across the multiple LED surfaces and screens.”

Behind the scenes, Lightware’s Gemini GVN KVM system is instrumental in assisting the complex video workflow, particularly in post-production and rehearsal. “The creative team required a high-performance, ultra-low latency 4K KVM solution to allow animators and video designers to work flexibly and collaboratively”, explains Joyce.“The Gemini GVN provides remote access to the media servers and workstations located back of house, with a GVN-MMU-X100 Matrix Management Unit acting as a central control hub, coordinating communication between seventeen GVN-HDMI-TX210AP-DNT transmitters and twelve GVN-HDMI-RX110AP-DNT receivers.”

The setup enables users to instantly connect to different machines or signal sources as required, without physically relocating hardware, while visually lossless 4K60 4:4:4 transmission over 1 Gigabit preserves image clarity. “The Gemini GVN Dante-enabled version significantly enhanced workflow flexibility, allowing animators to route audio from multiple sources directly to their workstations”, says Joyce.

“One of the biggest challenges was that the venue was still effectively a construction site when we began”, he adds. “The scale of the space meant everything took longer than anticipated, so simplifying the production workflow became critical. By designing custom production desks supported by the Lightware Gemini system, we were able to create quickly deployable setups with minimal cabling. Each desk connected via a single backstage link and could be daisy-chained or removed easily, allowing the team to stay flexible throughout a long technical rehearsal period.”

(Photos: Johan Persson/Lions Gate Entertainment Inc.)

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