grandMA full-size continues to be the lighting console of choice for most current major UK ice skating productions, including Lunchbox Productions' popular "Cinderella On Ice" tour, starring the Imperial Ice Stars. The console was specified by Sydney-based Lighting Designer Gavan Swift when the tour kicked off in New Zealand and Australia in June 2008 and is being operated day-to-day by Paul Mansfield.

Swift chose the desk because the rig features two High End DL2 moving projectors and a number of Martin Professional moving lights. Each DL2 has 170 parameters, so they needed a console with the power and flexibility to programme these and all moving lights easily. The grandMA's Smart View screens makes DL2 control extremely straightforward, offering quick, intuitive access via touch screen for the console's many different groups of functions and attributes including - in the case of the DL2 - 25 folders of media content.

Mansfield had never programmed a full show from scratch on a grandMA before this tour. He sat down with the console during the production week in Auckland and learned. It didn't take long before he got into it. "The configurability is great," he says, "You can set it up exactly as you want."

He likes many things about the desk and thinks the Update function is cool - specially as they are doing weekly shows in different venues. With one keystroke, the Update function loads all the original source presets with any new info whatever different presents are involved in making up the cue, e.g. colour, gobo, position, etc. This becomes a really speedy process when, as in this case, they have over 200 cues in the show and 70 different moving light groups.

Another grandMA function they've used extensively is Fixture Swap, whenever they have changed local productions and used different moving lights when moving to another territory. The grandMA is also controlling six DMX scenic clocks which keep real time and were specially built for the production. Again, the console's versatility has enabled them to create a custom screen which treats the timepieces like a group of fixtures, enabling control over their time and speed.

"Cinderella On Ice" is produced by James Cundall, Tony Mercer, David Atkins and Vladislav Olenin, the artistic director and choreographer is Tony Mercer, scenic design is by Eamon D'Arcy and costume design by Albina Gabueve. Gavan Swift has also specified a grandMA full-size for a new production of "Buddy The Musical" in Sydney, and he's looking forward to seeing the grandMA2 in action.

For the UK tour, which runs till June 2009, White Light are supplying all the lighting kit, with the DL2s from XL Video UK.

Other current grandMA controlled skating shows include Wildrose Productions' Cirque du Glace starring the Russian Ice Stars, Dancing on Ice Live (LD Durham Marenghi) and five Holiday on Ice troupes, currently all touring different parts of Europe.