Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan (SOTS) Festival Inc. continues to provide exciting contemporary and traditional productions of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Each summer, two full-length plays are performed in repertory by professional artists, in large tents on the banks of the beautiful South Saskatchewan River in the heart of Saskatoon. The festival runs annually in July and August.
In late 2018, a strategic vision was put forward to expand the existing SOTS site to be used year-round, instead of only in the summer. The goal was to improve accessibility and to have a more permanent presence on Saskatoon’s riverbank. Part of this redevelopment plan included the installation of permanent specialty site lighting, to provide a visual theatre to enhance the visitors’ experience. Early on, SOTS retained Studio De Schutter from Berlin, Germany to develop a conceptual plan for festival lighting on the site.
In late 2018, as part of the redevelopment design team, Saskatoon-based PWA Engineering produced a full lighting design for the space. In harmony with the SOTS team, new design elements were introduced, and concept elements modified to suit the final project, environment and climate challenges, while keeping the original concept plan in view. Aided by Acclaim Lighting and local technical expertise from The Titan Group and Christie Light sales, a complete and flexible system was designed and installed.