Architectural & Themed Lighting: Fountain of Angels-
Case Study

Carthage, Missouri

The small mid-western town of Carthage, Missouri is home to a unique amphitheater that draws tens of thousands of visitors annually. The 'Fountain of Angels' is an open-air music and water production featuring a plaza of large programmable fountains centered around a bronze sculptural display. Jim Tetlow of Nautilus Entertainment Design created the original lighting design, which consisted of underwater fixtures, exterior fixtures and automated fixtures in protective enclosures. NED was contacted a second time to design a new show, The Everlasting Promise. The lighting plot and fountain remained essentially the same, except the site was now enclosed, allowing the event to run year round. A new 20-minute musical score was created by Bob Krogstad and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The production began with a chorus of gospel singers and after their departure, the music, water and lighting tell the story.

Project Specifications:

• 175 feet in diameter plaza with 252 bronze sculptures
• Center display has a water jet that shoots 75 feet into the air, surrounded by a cathedral arch and two foam jets that are smaller versions of the main water jet
• On the perimeter are two water castles and two dancing water fountains, which are animated with moving water jets and four additional foam jets
• At the rear of the plaze are an eighty-foot wide fan-shaped mist screen and a candelabrum comprised of sixty individual jets creating another wall of water

Lighting System:

• Two telescoping 40 foot high lighting towers and two front of house positions
• 14 High End Cyberlight CX fixtures, enclosed in waterproof, temperature-controlled bunkers
• 72 1Kw Par 64 and 80 500W Par 56 exterior waterproof fixtures, customized with dichroic filters
• 120 75w submersible MR16s around and within the fountains
• ETC Expression 2X with MIDI option

Projection System:

• 70-mm film projector in waterproof booth, for rear projecting onto the mist screen

Nautilus Entertainment Design's Services:

• Developed a preliminary budget specification and a revised specification which met the technical requirements of the client
• Created detailed conceptual drawings and paperwork
• Supervised onsite installation of original lighting equipment
• Created original lighting design with cues synchronized to music and motion of fountains
• Created lighting design for a second show with new musical score
• Visited site to update programming and focus of moving lights