White Light has

overseen a brand-new lighting upgrade at the Highbury Theatre Centre in Sutton

Coldfield.

Having opened in

1942, Highbury Theatre Centre is one of the oldest, most established amateur

theatres in the country. Through its resident company The Highbury Players, the

venue annually presents a ten month season, which includes seven main stage

productions and three studio plays. It is also home to a number of visiting

companies including Trinity Players, From The Top Theatre Company and Class Act

Drama Centre.  The Centre also hosts the annual Birmingham Festival of

Acting and Musical Entertainment.

To ensure its

productions maintain the highest technical standards possible, the venue

decided to upgrade its existing lighting rig. As a result, the team visited

PLASA Focus Leeds earlier this year where they met WL’s Business Development

Manager Jonathan Haynes. Jonathan explains: “The Theatre had built up capital

and wanted to use this to upgrade their existing lighting rig; replacing their

very old tungsten units and console. They were very keen to draw on the most

advance equipment possible yet also use the funds wisely and ensuring there was

a long-lasting system in place, especially given then concerns surrounding the

availability of tungsten lamps”.

Following this

initial chat, Jonathan went to visit the Theatre Centre and walk through the

space. He comments: “It was important for us to see the venue, listen to the

client’s requirements and then offer a solution. We demonstrated a lot of equipment

which we thought would offer enough lighting coverage yet also fall within

budget. I was keen to ensure that what we offered was affordable, but also

could offer the long term reliability and manufacturer support”.

WL put forward a lighting package from the ETC ColorSource family, including ColorSource Cycs, ColorSource Pars and ColorSource Spots. This was enhanced with High End SolaFrame 750 moving head fixtures, and an ETC Gio to control the new rig. WL also supplied a power distribution solution to replace the existing six way tungsten dimmer packs, and ColorSource Relays to provide switchable power via the console. With the ColorSource fixtures having a 5 year warranty on the fixture and 10 year warranty on the LED array, as well as a great light output, it proved a perfect option that could provide the long term reassurance that the venue was looking for.

Highbury Theatre Centre’s Head of Lighting Andrew Noakes comments: White Light and Jonathan in particular were most helpful and offered us a package that exceeded what we thought we could afford and now have a rig which is flexible to our needs and brings us into the 21st century.  We are now into our third production using the new kit and are very happy with it.

Jonathan adds: “It was fantastic to work closely with the team at Highbury Theatre Centre and supply a package that was bespoke to their technical and budgetary needs. It is even more rewarding to see the new kit working well in its new home with a very happy technical team. Whilst we have a reputation of working with some of the biggest regional theatres in the UK, we work with venues of all shapes and sizes, and would encourage anyone looking for a lighting upgrade or just with a general enquiry to contact our expert team.”