The Pillars of the Earth, the musical adaptation of Ken Follett’s bestselling novel, has wrapped up an epic season at Madrid’s Teatro EDP Gran Vía. This large-scale production by Beon Entertainment brought together set design, music, and lighting to immerse audiences in a deeply emotional and architecturally rich Middle Ages, full of theatrical magic.
Lighting was one of the show’s major stars, with a powerful lighting design entirely built around Ayrton luminaires.
The lighting design, crafted by Felipe Ramos and Juanjo Beloqui with incredible expressiveness and technical precision, created a wide range of atmospheres: from dark interiors and gothic cathedrals to sunlit medieval markets, dungeons, and majestic halls.
The common denominator was the Ayrton luminaires, selected for their power, versatility, and reliability, and supplied by its exclusive distributor for Spain, Stonex.
“We were looking for a tenebrist lighting style – high contrast yet painterly. Caravaggio was a major reference for us,” said Felipe Ramos. “We needed to support the narrative and help the audience stay grounded through time and location shifts.”
The lighting rig featured a full arsenal of Ayrton tools: Eurus, Diablo, Rivale Profile, Rivale Wash, Zonda 3, Karif, Argo 6 Wash, Bora, and Levante, plus decorative fixtures to enrich the scenic environments. All were integrated with a tracking system that demanded precision, agility, and maximum reliability.
“From the start, we knew we needed a powerful and versatile setup, with high CRI and a compact size, because the set is massive and fills the entire stage,” explained Ramos. “Ayrton gave us all that and more, within the production’s budget.”
On which luminaires stole the technical spotlight, the designers mentioned:
- Diablo: small but powerful – perfect for simulating sunlight through windows.
- Rivale Profile: “a fantastic surprise” – compact, with excellent output and high colour fidelity.
- Zonda 3: seamlessly integrated into scenic recesses.
- Bora and Karif: used in specific scenes where intensity and precise gobo projections were key.
Juanjo Beloqui agreed: “Each type of fixture brought its own personality to the table. It was a very versatile, efficient, and well-optimised design. I believe the lighting helped bring to life what the audience imagined when reading the book. And that’s the magic of it.”
This project proves that when design, technology, and creativity speak the same language, the results speak for themselves. Stonex’s Patricia López confirmed: “At Stonex, we’re proud to have played a role in this story – shedding light on a production that made a lasting impact both on and off the stage.”
