After successfully transitioning from conventional static lighting to dynamically versatile LED fixtures at Rijswijkse Schouwburg Theater in Rijswijk, Netherlands, Ronald de Blecourt, Head of Stage Technique, reflected on the satisfactory outcome. “When you know what you’re looking for and you are lucky enough to have a great team, the full trust of your management board, and of course the means, all you have to do is find the right fixtures,” he reflected. “The new LED lighting from Elation has allowed us to create more visually attractive productions and has enhanced the entire theatrical experience.”
Lighting journey
The path to finding those ‘right fixtures’ had its own story. Following several not-entirely satisfactory fixture demos, de Blecourt was contacted by Bert Schmeits, Key Account Manager Benelux for Elation Europe, who believed that Elation’s offerings could meet the needs of the Rijswijkse Schouwburg.
Bert arranged a demonstration at the theater and took along Elation’s Fuze Profile LED framing fixture. As the demo progressed, Ronald de Blecourt and his crew became increasingly enthusiastic. “After an extensive comparison, they were convinced they were dealing with a serious candidate that could fulfill all their wishes, whereby light quality was the most important factor,” Schmeits recalled. “At Ronald’s request, I left the Fuze Profile with them, allowing them to get to know the product and also ask visiting companies their opinion.”
Lighting foundation
After 14 days of extensive testing, de Blecourt and his team agreed that the FUZE PROFILE was the foundation they wanted to build on. According to Schmeits, the only critique was that in certain instances, from the lighting position on the hall bridge, they wished for a bit more power. “The beauty of the FUZE series is that in addition to the Fuze Profile with an output of 10,000 lumens, we can also offer its bigger brother, the Fuze Max Profile,” Schmeits commented. “This LED spotlight has the same high-quality light and feature set as the Fuze Profile but with an output of 21,000 lumens.”
The fixtures sold themselves, said de Blecourt, and the choice for Elation was made there and then with great confidence. “Their RGBMA LED engines can create a near-exact color match to the Lee standard, the dimming is quite smooth, and there is no distortion in shape when using the framing shutters, all of which impressed us. The extra output we get with the FUZE MAX PROFILE at the FOH position is a great benefit, and the size and weight of both fixtures are manageable.”
Two-phase project
The first phase of the project occurred in September 2023 with the installation of 21 Fuze Max Profile and 6 Fuze Profile fixtures supplied through Elation’s Dutch distributor Rolight. “After 6 months in operation at front of house, we received 100% satisfied feedback from visiting lighting operators, old school pros as well as the new generation of Dutch and foreign professionals,” de Blecourt commented, adding that they were especially impressed with the colors and output.
De Blecourt said the positive response was better than he dared imagine, giving them the confidence to move forward with phase two of the project. Phase two concerned the installation of 47 Fuze Profile on the manteaus of the portal bridge, and 8 Rayzor 760, a powerful RGBW wash fixture with extremely wide zoom, as stage lights, and was executed in July 2024. “The project was a lot more ambitious than just making the transition to ‘green’ LED lighting,” de Blecourt said. “A demo of the Rayzor 760 wash fixture convinced us that an additional order would take the transition project to an even higher level.”
200 performances per year
The Rijswijkse Schouwburg Theater will use its new Elation LED lighting system across a diverse program of 200 performances yearly. “I have seldom seen a chief lighting technician with such a well-thought-out plan that was worked out in such detail and in which it was known exactly what they had in mind,” Schmeits concluded. “It makes me proud that we were able to fully realize his plan with Elation.”
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