When Northern Stage were looking for a fast moving, variable speed system to fly scenery during the show, they approached A.C. Rigging to find a cost-effective solution as A.C. had previously supplied and installed the theatre's complete lighting technical facilities for all three performance stages as part of a multi-million pound refurbishment programme in 2007.
The venue required a complete package with the ability to expand on the system in the future and more importantly, full product knowledge and support should any problems arise. A.C. Rigging's UK sales manager, Adam Beaumont, recommended the Kinesys Elevation 1+ motion control system, which transforms an electric chain hoist into a fully functional variable speed device offering precise positioning and speed control at the touch of a button.
A.C. supplied an end-to-end solution featuring two half tonne Model JJ CM Lodestar chain hoists, converted in-house by A.C.'s Rigging department for operation with two Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari-speed controllers. The system also included various pulleys, track and rigging accessories to allow the flying systems to be traverse and divert to specific positions on stage. The resulting system enables the theatre to programme accurate positional scenery cues at speeds from zero to 16m per minute.
The venue complimented the purchased system with extra units hired from Kinesys Projects.
Chris Slater, production manager at Northern Stage, comments: "We opted for the Kinesys system as we felt this offered the most flexibility and by far seemed the best value for money. The Kinesys system allows us to have full control of speed, direction, ramp up / down speeds and height to an accuracy of +/- 1mm. The system is very user friendly, easy to rig, set up, programme and operate, making it easier to swap operators in the event of absence etc. The software was impressively simple to learn, taking just one day to work out."
(Jim Evans)
