THATCHER, AZ – The Lee Theater, part of the Gherald L. Hoopes Jr. Activities Center, recently upgraded its lighting system with more ETC LED lighting and controls. Rick Woods, EAC’s activities center manager and technician, says ETC has come to its rescue since the 1990s with new products providing power savings, lower temperatures, flexible features and affordability.
More details from ETC (http://www.etcconnect.com):
THATCHER, AZ – Established in 1888, Eastern Arizona College is the oldest community college in Arizona, serving the needs of the Gila Valley.
Twenty years ago, the Lee Theater was constructed as part of the Gherald L. Hoopes Jr. Activities Center. This intimate 300-seat venue recently upgraded its lighting system with ETC LED lighting and controls.
The popular building’s technical needs have steadily evolved and advanced over the years. By the mid ‘90s, the original lighting system was already overwhelmed. Says Rick Woods, EAC’s activities center manager and technician, “ETC came to the rescue in 1996 with new dimming technology and a programmable Express 48/96 lighting board. Since then, ETC has become the main source for the lighting needs of the Lee Theater.”
Challenges continued to arise with changing times. The available power for the theater reached its maximum. Lighting positions filled up. Rising temperature had been an issue from the beginning. It became imperative that each lighting fixture be able to accomplish more – but with less power and heat. Versatile LED stage-lighting could help with these challenges but remained elusive. LED instruments were incredibly expensive and lacking in color and brightness. Then, ETC introduced their Selador lighting series, which was both bright and affordable.
Says Woods, “We acquired ETC’s Selador Vivid-R Fire and Ice LED fixtures to be used as cyclorama wash. Bold and bright backdrop colors could be changed instantly. That success led to our deploying more LEDs –a large group of accent lights from the Selador Desire line. Then ETC created the Source Four LED Lustr+ spotlight, which was the missing piece of the puzzle.”
The latest incarnation of the lighting rig in the Lee Theater is an ETC Ion-desk-driven hybrid system of incandescent Source Four and LED instruments working together. The cyc wash consists of 22 ETC Vivid-R Fire and Ice fixtures. A group of 11 ETC Desire D40 Vivids is used to paint the house/audience in vibrant hues and bring them into the performance. Twenty-four new ETC Source Four LED Lustr+ spotlights have become the main forward lighting.
Various other ETC Desire D40 models of Fire, Ice, and Lustr+ have become area specials, accent lights and curtain warmers.
“Using these advances in LED technology, the remaining challenges of the performance space are being overcome,” says Woods. “Our power requirements are much lower, allowing more instruments on existing circuits. Each Source Four Lustr+ can take the place of several gelled lights in an area. The color-changing can be subtle or bold. The front-lighting areas can become a wash of any hue chosen, or remain white and bright.
“Each look can be achieved with fewer lights installed, saving space in hanging positions. Using the Source Four LEDs for the forward lighting has resulted in a serious drop in the heat generated. After a long day, these instruments remain only slightly warm and can be physically hugged (and you want to hug them).”
The Lee Theatre recently used its updated rig on Michael McLean’s The Ark and the EAC Children Theater’s production of Aladdin.
Photo: Jessica Whetten
