Despite playing the two biggest headline shows of his career in his hometown, Dermot Kennedy was keen to keep in theme with his recent project The Weight Of The Woods, which saw the singer-songwriter return to his roots and transform Dublin’s Aviva Stadium into a woodland.
Stripping the show back to basics was “important to Dermot”, said Production Manager, Ben Pomphrett, who recruited suppliers which included: Solotech (audio), Christie Lites (lighting), Quantum Creative (media servers), Ox Event House (set pieces), Popcorn (catering), CSE Crosscom (radios), Musicmann (staging), Beat The Street (buses), and EST (trucking). For the Aviva Stadium shows, local supplier, Just Lite deployed a 360° solution, except for a camera package that was provided by Creative Technology.
“We’ve got a few long-term suppliers that we have worked with for a while,” Pomphrett explained. “They look at the show from a ground-up perspective, which is great. Having this relationship with our suppliers has meant I have been able to focus on interdepartmental relationships and there has been lots of integration and collaboration among everyone.”
This strength was proven when an issue at customs meant that some of The Weight Of The Woods tour kit was held up. “A massive part of it is knowing that we’ve got people who don’t get flustered in situations like that and instead take initiative and make good use of their time. When the kit did arrive, the entire crew immediately jumped on it,” Pomphrett explained, going on to praise Production Coordinator, Grace Cooper-Burrows and Stage Manager, Ryan Jenkinson. “Their support and ability to pivot quickly has been crucial.”
Pomphrett continued: “Some people would say Ryan is my right-hand man, and I think that’s a bit of a disservice to what a good stage manager can be. He is my equal and I trust him to run the stage as he sees fit, and that takes a significant load off.”
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Words: Alicia Pollitt
Photos: Luke Dyson, STUFISH Entertainment Architects, Joel Stagg, James Conway, Aoife Moloney, Ian McDonell and TPi
