“Angels in America,” Tony Kushner’s epic drama, continues its sold-out run at Finland’s National Theatre, featuring a projection-heavy design powered by a Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Server and Epson projectors.

Staged in the Small Stage venue, the 292-seat theater presents a visually immersive experience, with the 15-meter-wide back wall transformed into a dynamic projection surface. The set design incorporates 13 pillars, ancient marble elements, and window frames, creating significant projection challenges.

Overcoming Projection Challenges

“The set consists primarily of a single stage image—a back wall that was wider than usual—so we wanted to turn it into a full projection surface,” said Ville Virtanen, head of the lighting and video department at the Finnish National Theatre.

To achieve this, the team selected an Epson EB-PU2216B projector with an ELPLM15 lens as the main projection source. However, due to obstructions from the proscenium arch and stage pillars, additional Epson L735U projectors were installed on both sides of the stage.

“This setup allowed us to avoid shadows and ensured that when the angel character flies on stage, the video projection does not reflect onto her,” Virtanen said.

Integrating Video With Lighting and Effects

Directed and adapted by Linda Wallgren, the four-hour production uses video projections to complement lighting effects, hallucinatory cityscapes, and shifting timelines. The Hippotizer SHAPE tool was central to achieving seamless integration across multiple projection surfaces.

“There are moving set pieces that overlap, and SHAPE allowed us to precisely map projections onto different surfaces,” Virtanen said. “Since we used multiple projectors across different surfaces, aligning pixels manually would have been nearly impossible.”

The production includes approximately 420 lighting and video cues, with 80 cues controlled via MIDI. MIDI commands from the soundboard synchronize video, lighting, and sound effects, including lightning strikes and musical cues.

Virtanen also incorporated neon-inspired lighting, reminiscent of 1980s New York advertisements. The production features 57 meters of pixel-mapped Neonflex RGB+W LED strips, embedded in the set’s window frames.

“The back wall breaks apart into three sections during the play,” Virtanen said. “We controlled the LED strips with three drivers and three power supplies, using Hippotizer’s PixelMapper component to drive Art-Net data to Advatek controllers.”

Hippotizer’s Role in Seamless Content Management

To streamline programming, Virtanen used a ZooKeeper connection to the Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 at the grandMA3 lighting console, allowing for pre-testing before actual programming. A network device interface (NDI) connection enabled real-time previews of Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro content on projection surfaces.

The production uses 28 core video clips, mixed and processed with effects to create 103 video cues. The team modeled low-poly versions of key set pieces in Blender, UV unwrapped them to correct resolutions, and imported them into Hippotizer’s SHAPE tool for 3D projection mapping.

“We used three Mixes for different projection surfaces and one SHAPE Viewport per projector,” Virtanen said. “Hippotizer’s MultiController was also used to control Epson projectors via PJLink, allowing us to manage power settings and AV mute functions remotely.”

A Smooth and Powerful Performance

The team praised Hippotizer’s lighting desk integration, which allowed video operators—many of whom had experience in lighting programming—to work efficiently.

“Hippotizer works like a massive moving light,” Virtanen said. “Its power is exceptional, and throughout Angels in America, we’ve had zero performance issues, even while using complex SHAPE files during rehearsals.”

By leveraging Green Hippo and Epson technologies, the production delivers stunning visuals, enhancing the storytelling in one of Finland’s most ambitious theatrical productions.