Where Theatre Meets Technology: zactrack SMART in What Is Love?

On September 20, the Danish musical What Is Love? celebrated its premiere. zactrack had the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes—not only to explore the story of Peter, Amir, and Lisa, but also to take a closer look at the lighting and set design, and how zactrack SMART was used to bring the production to life.

The musical What Is Love? is an autobiographical production following Chief1’s career in the music industry. Fredericia Musicalteater in Denmark brought his story to life with hits from the 90s, and cutting-edge technology, featuring zactrack SMART — creating an impactful and immersive experience. Photo © Sebastian Løndal

With What Is Love? Fredericia Musicalteater set out to push the boundaries of musical storytelling. “This brand-new production explores an untapped decade, brought to life with groundbreaking stage design and technology never before seen in Denmark,” explains Thomas Bay, Artistic Director at Fredericia Musicalteater.

The lighting and video design were led by Jeppe Lawaetz, who served as both lighting and video designer. He collaborated closely with director Anna Schulin-Zeuthen and scenographer Eilev Skinnarmo to create a visually compelling experience that enhanced the storytelling.

What Is Love: What is the price of success?

What Is Love? is a bold new Danish musical that fuses iconic '90s pop hits with a contemporary narrative. Loosely inspired by Chief1’s experiences in the music industry, the storyline explores complex themes such as the balance between ambition and authenticity, and the strain relationships face under the pressure of climbing the career ladder.

What Is Love? featuring zactrack SMART, rented by VIGSØ. The production used 11 anchors and 16 trackers across 10 actors to enhance lighting precision. Photo © Sebastian Løndal

Redefining the stage and bringing zactrack SMART on the production

The Danish production came with several challenges — including building a set design in the middle of the auditorium of a traditionally structured theatre, featuring extensive aluminium rigging and three separate elevators. That required highly complex lighting, video integration, and live camera work. To bring this vision to life, lighting and video designer Jeppe Lawaetz turned to zactrack SMART. “Without zactrack, it wouldn’t have been possible — that’s why I insisted it be included in the budget from the very beginning,” he explains.

“This production has required new technical solutions, and zactrack has been an essential partner in making it possible. The result is a bold step towards the future of musicals - innovative, visionary, and rooted in powerful storytelling and music”, Thomas Bay adds.

Fast Beats and 360° Stage Design: Lighting Everywhere You Look

On theme with the 90ies, the musical features 30 dance numbers, including big 90s hits such as What is Love, Sing Hallelujah, and Pump up the Jam. When Jeppe spoke with Thomas, he told him right away: this was going to be a real challenge. The dance numbers would be highly demanding, — especially in terms of lighting and video design. “Before we even started working on the lighting, I had already programmed around 700 cues into the lighting desk. The dance numbers are packed with cues,” remembers Jeppe.

As shown in this photo, the stage design by David Smeets (TCF) featured three levitators and six video screens, enabling live transmission. Photo © Sebastian Løndal

With the stage positioned in the middle and three 1.5 x 1.5-meter elevators moving up and down. Since the audience was seated all around, the lighting had to mirror the classical front and backlighting setup on at least one additional side—meaning the workload effectively doubled. Fixtures were needed everywhere, not just to illuminate the performers but also to enhance the set design.

The production involved five weeks of preparation. During that time, Jeppe received valuable support from zactrack technician Mikkel Dalhof Hartwich and zactrack programmer Elvira Brøsted as well as Gobo A/S, who supplied the zactrack system. By the end of the five-week period,the setup included 250 pieces of Martin Sceptron, along with P3 servers, Astera tubes, smoke machines, and six video screens that include live camera feeds.

To reflect different developments and events, the stage is divided into separate storylines, which are distinguished from one another through lighting and atmosphere. Photo © Sebastian Løndal

“We went totally bananas” — The Art of Building Multiple Realities on Stage

The musical opens with Chief1, in the musical called “Peter”, stepping onto the stage, taking on the role of storyteller. This sets the baseline reality of the show. “In order to make the story understandable for the audience, we had to break the manuscript apart and build it into ‘boxes’—different kinds of realities,” recalls Jeppe. Some of the realities include: the world of fame, a glamorous concert reality, and a stylized musical realm for the dance numbers.

Each of these realities are distinguished visually through different lighting and colour schemes, helping the audience navigate the shifts in perspective. “We asked ourselves: how do we create these transitions and remain consistent in what we’re doing? When the characters move into the ‘real world,’ what should that look and feel like? When we started developing the different realities, we went totally bananas,” Jeppe adds with a smile. “We really pushed ourselves to achieve the best possible result.”

With elevators in the center of the stage, the lighting setup was complex. Using zactrack, performers’ movements automatically triggered lights to turn on and off, creating seamless transitions and consistent illumination throughout the show. Photo © Sebastian Løndal

How a Technical Workaround Transformed the Show

Because the elevator was out of sight for the back rows when it moved upward, the team introduced cameras with a live feed to ensure the action remained visible. Using cameras introduced plenty of potential blind spots, but these were solved by lighting the performers from all sides with support from zactrack SMART. Six main characters each wore two Trackers, allowing them to be perfectly lit—even as they moved between different realities and across various parts of the stage. This movement automatically triggered lighting fixtures to activate or deactivate, ensuring smooth transitions and consistent illumination.

Originally, the camera live feed was intended only for the “fame box” scenes. However, as the different realities began to interact, the cameras quickly became a vital part of the storytelling. “We just went along with it,” Jeppe explains. “It’s not just a musical; it’s also a concert, so we felt it was okay to start bending the rules.”

A Bold New Era in Musical Theatre

“Audiences can now look forward to an experience beyond the ordinary and - like us - get at glimpse of the bright future of musical theatre: one that embraces innovation and evolution, while staying true to the powerful untold stories and strong musical moments that form the heart of any great musical,” summarises Thomas Bay.

What Is Love? at Fredericia Musical Theatre has been extended until November 15.