UK - EXE Technology has confirmed further investment from The National Theatre, London. The venue has increased its in-house hoist stock by investing in additional 250Kg, 350Kg, and 500Kg EXE Rise D8+ chain hoists.
The National continues to expand its EXE inventory, updating its old hoist fleet and upgrading to a full range of EXE units. Having introduced the chain hoist systems in 2023, the National Theatre was keen to align with the brand.
The National Theatre has three separate theatre spaces – The Olivier which seats 1150 people, a fan-shaped auditorium and the largest of the theatres at the venue; The Lyttelton, a traditional-style proscenium arch theatre with excellent sightlines from every seat, which can accommodate an audience of 890, and The Dorfman which has an auditorium capacity of 450 and is completely kitted out with EXE in the rig consisting of 250Kg and 350Kg units.
All the additional EXE inventory is used as flying fleet for different shows in the respective venues as required. The National Theatre also boasts spacious foyers, two learning spaces and an events hire venue on the South Bank of the Thames, close to Covent Garden and the West End.
The EXE investment has been part of an ongoing upgrade and refurbishment programme which the venue has been undertaking over the last few years. The recent inventory of EXE 500Kg units are fitted with special hook attachments for ease and compatibility with the grids across the venue.
Jim Harlow, rigging resources supervisor at The National Theatre said: “The hoists' greatest asset are the user-friendly flip handles making for easy handling, especially in the tight confines of our studio grid. Having the 350Kg and 250Kg units use the same compact body make for powerful and versatile units.
“The flexibility in EXE designing a slimline hook with full technical documentation to suit our grid slots as a product option demonstrates excellent customer service, responding directly to customer needs. The compact lightweight design, quiet operation, simple limit setting and ergonomic handles make the EXE Rise ideal for theatre.”
Matt Millward, head of automation, Area Four Direct UK concludes: “The rigging department at the National Theatre are fantastic to work with, their technical astuteness and out of the box thinking created a great collaboration that resulted in different chain hook attachments for some of their EXE Rise fleet.
“The modification was required to enable the hoists' chain to be passed through the grid in a venue and a solution was found utilising alternative chain attachments of appropriate size. The EXE Medium frame 350Kg units were selected due to their size-to-weight ratio, which perfectly suited the confined spaces in the grid loft, allowing for ease of installation and manoeuvrability once inside the grid space.”
