14 April 2011
Story courtesy Louise Stickland, photos by Duncan Riley
Robe’s South African distributor, Johannesburg based DWR, supplied the first batch of Robe ROBIN LEDWash 600 fixtures in the country to the South African State Theatre in Pretoria.
The 16 initial LEDWash 600 fixtures were specified by the venue’s Head of Lighting Simon King, following an in-depth demo from DWR’s Duncan Riley.
King was looking for a more flexible and cost-effective replacement for the theatre’s old 2K PC stock, and was immediately struck by the small size, light weight and completely silent running of the LEDWash 600. Noiseless fixtures are a prerequisite for performance genres like drama.
Apart from these considerations, the ongoing reduction in maintenance costs offered by an investment in LEDWashes was very appealing – theatres traditionally all have to juggle continuously with expedient cap-ex budgets, so any chance for these to be maximised is a huge asset.
With a rig of LEDWashes, no bulb replacements are needed, gels are a thing of the past and the units draw substantially less power – and can even all be run off one power circuit in the venue if required.
King remarks, “Apart from all the practical advantages, in creative terms, the new fixtures open up numerous possibilities. The brightness and the (15 – 60 degree) zoom are amazing”. In short, the LEDWashes offer all the scope needed for the Theatre to light a myriad of different shows.
The Theatre already owns some Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs purchased a couple of years ago, so he didn’t need convincing about the reliability and build quality of the brand.
The South African State Theatre works all year round as a busy producing and receiving house staging a wide range of shows, from comedy and live music to drama, opera and dance productions.
The LEDWashes are in the main auditorium lighting rig. The fact that it is the first LED wash fixture on the market able to produce a perfect and proper white in a range of different colour temperatures from 2700 – 8000°K is another great plus point for any theatrical environment.
Simon King concludes. “We’re really happy with the purchase – and I am sure we will be adding to it soon. To top it all, the service and support from DWR has been outstanding as always”.
A recent major production on which they were used was Opera Africa’s “Carmen” directed by James Marvel, with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by American conductor Timothy Myers. Set was designed by Steven Capone and lighting by Simon King.
