Returning to Fort Canning Green in 2025, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park drew thousands for a critically acclaimed outdoor production of Macbeth. Known for transforming the open-air venue into a fully immersive theatrical experience, the team faced the challenge of illuminating a dramatic narrative in a tropical environment that offered no structural rigging and frequent exposure to rain, humidity and intense sun. Lighting Designers Gabriel Chan and Genevieve Peck needed high-performance fixtures that could withstand the elements without sacrificing output, control or artistic nuance.
To meet the demands of Singapore’s unpredictable climate and deliver striking, cinematic visuals, the production team deployed 46 Martin MAC Viper XIP fixtures, supplied by Mediapix Pte Ltd. Marking the first major Southeast Asian theatrical use of Martin’s next-generation weatherproof moving head fixture, the Viper XIP delivered 28,000 lumens of output, precise framing, and Martin’s proprietary XIP smart weatherproofing technology – engineered for extreme environments.
“The art of theatrical lighting extends far beyond illumination – it must harmonize seamlessly with sound, movement, and the emotional rhythm of the cast,” said Gabriel Chan, the show’s Lighting Designer. “In an open-air venue like Fort Canning Park, where the stage sits at the heart of a natural landscape, we face the added challenge of not having the structural flexibility of a traditional theatre. Without flown trussing, every lighting position must be carefully negotiated, making precision and adaptability absolutely essential.”
Chan’s lighting design, his eighth for Shakespeare in the Park Singapore, blended razor-sharp gobo projections, whisper-quiet operation and a crisp 5800K color temperature to create a visually arresting and emotionally charged stage environment. The MAC Viper XIP’s fast zoom, high-resolution dimming and advanced framing features enabled bold, atmospheric transitions that elevated key moments throughout the production.
“For this production, the Martin MAC Viper XIP stood out as our key fixture due to its weatherproofing capabilities which were crucial for our needs as an outdoor show that had to withstand heavy rain, intense sun, and high humidity,” added Co-lighting Designer Genevieve Peck. “The fixture delivers rich colors, with reviews noting that the lighting design helped ‘conjure an atmosphere of raw, oppressive heat.’ I was also particularly impressed by the speed and precision of the frame shutters, which allowed us to create a very narrow shaft of light that could slide open and shut rapidly, effectively visualizing the act of drawing a sword.”
Spanning more than 20 performances between May 7 and June 1, Macbeth at Fort Canning Green set a new benchmark for outdoor theatrical lighting in Southeast Asia. Intricate stagecraft, including layered split scenes and tightly sculpted monologues, was made possible by the MAC Viper XIP’s exceptional framing accuracy and dynamic gobo effects. The fixture’s rugged construction and optical performance enabled seamless transitions from foggy battlefields to soliloquies under the stars, reinforcing both narrative clarity and visual drama.
“Martin Professional, a HARMAN brand, continues to redefine the boundaries of lighting technology with the MAC Viper XIP, setting a new standard for outdoor theatrical productions worldwide,” affirms Hanslee Lim, Director for Lighting, HARMAN Professional APAC.
From its weatherproof durability to its theatrical finesse, the MAC Viper XIP helped Macbeth resonate as both a technical triumph and a cultural moment, underscoring Martin’s role in shaping the future of open-air performance lighting.
