UVLD’s Paul Sharwell lit his 23rd Scoop for women’s clothing company cabi, featuring the unveiling of their 2018 Spring line. The event was produced by Mark Ledogar and Stephanie Selig from event and communication agency One Smooth Stone. The event took place at the San Diego Convention Center, with Chris Nye as ME and Michelle Morin as his assistant. Barry Keesey was the TD.

Sharwell was relieved to be back in a big convention center: “After Opryland, It was nice to be in a regular venue again, with a reasonable trim height and decent rigging. It’s so much easier to fill the space up with beams and color.”

The theme of the Spring 2018 Scoop was ‘Passion,’ represented by Spanish cultural themes threaded into various moments of the week, beginning with a vibrant opening number featuring Spanish musicians and Flamenco dancers bathed in red light.

The show culminated in a dramatic presentation by President and Chief Culture Officer Kimberly Innskeep, who spoke between large oil paintings of Spanish dancers. Toward the end of her piece, the dancers (who were in view the whole time) ‘stepped out’ from the paintings to take over the stage in another spirited dance piece.

“The challenge was to flatly light the ‘frozen’ dancers within the paintings without giving away their dimensionality,” said Sharwell. “If it was a normal stage, it would have been easy, but with the audience in the round, there’s always an angle where one can see a shadow.”

The highlight of the week was the fashion show, where the Spring clothing line was unveiled. “I keep pushing the envelope a little further in the fashion show,” said Sharwell. “I’m always trying to bring more anticipation and excitement, without taking attention away from the clothing.”