ALIZÉ, the first European residency of Cirque du Soleil features 43 artists from 21 countries in a highly visual production that makes the audience part of the experience. At the heart of the aesthetic is a sophisticated LED system integrated by Solotech and powered by five Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 processors, controlling almost 250 m² (952 panels) of Theatrixx xVision Nomad 2.6mm TPEP (Titanium Polymer Edge Protection) LED screens.
It’s a modern reinterpretation of the classic Pepper’s Ghost illusion, requiring exceptional color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and flawless performance with reflective and semi-transparent scenic materials. These demands placed important emphasis on choosing the right LED set-up.
Theatrixx’s direct involvement on ALIZÉ began when John Thurston, Lead Systems Manager at Cirque du Soleil, contacted Theatrixx’s Montreal headquarters regarding LED solutions for the Berlin residency. Given the European location and Thurston’s UK background, the enquiry was routed to Hill in EMEA. Following initial discussions, Hill was introduced to Anthony Bezençon, Director at VYV, Cirque’s long-standing media systems partner.
Three LED walls work in combination to create the magic: a 14m by 7m upstage wall visible to audiences, supported by two additional walls that move and rotate within custom automation frames to generate the illusion effect. Running a custom resolution of 2688 by 2688 pixels at 50 Hz, RGB444, 10-bit HDR, the system uses intricate custom mapping across all LED walls using only five processors. The complexity of ALIZÉ extends beyond color science into the physical mechanics of the production, with one wall moving vertically along rails and another capable of rotating to a horizontal position with pixels facing downward. An energy-carrying chain system was designed to manage cable movement through these complex motions, while the Tessera processors themselves are housed in a room offstage on the fifth floor, connected via multi-strand LC single-mode fiber to custom conversion boxes near the LED walls.
Custom LUT workflows became a crucial element of the production’s success. Brompton’s Thomas Peters worked directly with Angel Banchs, Lead Color Engineer from Red Rock Ops, to generate show-specific LUTs, collaborating closely with film-industry colorists and the Cirque team to create 3D LUT files and OSCA profiles specifically for ALIZÉ.
One of the most essential tools in the workflow was Pomfort LiveGrade Studio, which works seamlessly with the Brompton 3D LUT capability. “We were able to select individual colors and adjust them precisely,” Banchs explains. “Together, these tools allowed us to build the demanding, yet necessary color workflow needed to meet the creative expectations of Cirque du Soleil.”
The collaboration required sophisticated measurement and verification. “We used CalMan Ultimate, the Klein K10A, and the Colorimetry Research CR250 to confirm that the system matched the specifications defined in the white paper supplied by Cirque,” Banchs notes. “These tools allowed us to demonstrate that Theatrixx Nomad, combined with Tessera SX40, not only met the required specification but also exceeded it.”
