In refurbishing Chichester, it was essential to preserve the magic and warmth that had cast a spell over audiences for years, whilst at the same time replacing outdated and unsustainable technology. GDS was to address all aspects of auditorium and backstage lighting. The catenary lighting above the thrust stage at Chichester Festival Theatre lies at its very heart and soul and its upgrading, without any loss of original character, was crucial to the entire project.
GDS's award-winning LED ArcSystem was installed for all aspects of house lighting, including emergency lights (around 200 fixtures in total). In this case fully wired and dimming seamlessly from 100% to zero, this award winning product offers a typical energy saving of 70-90% as well as requiring no maintenance. GDS BluesSystem working lights completed the backstage picture in a fully wired installation.
The challenges presented by the theatre's catenary lighting were the subject of much discussion from the outset. When Stephen White of Skelly and Couch floated the idea of employing gold reflectors, Richard Cuthbert, technical director at GDS, set about adapting the ArcSystem fittings to make the idea a reality. By 'metallizing' the reflectors of 3000K MR16's with a gold finish, the GDS team was able to obtain the desired warmth, whilst allowing for maximum brightness when required. By thus working a little magic and creating a bespoke version of the ArcSystem Decor MR16 unit, GDS helped enable the Chichester Festival Theatre to retain its magic without compromise.
Alex Wardle of Charcoalblue commented, "GDS is the only firm we know of who could have pulled off this challenging task so successfully. Responding positively to feedback from the client, architect and consultants, GDS came up with a bespoke solution which is both beautiful and practical."
Stephen White of Skelly and Couch added, "A number of challenges presented themselves at Chichester. The client essentially wanted things to remain as close to the pre-existing look of the theatre, whilst significantly reducing energy consumption. This meant paying extremely careful attention to getting the colour temperatures right and being able to adjust the catenary lighting to provide a consistent and even spread. GDS's response was proactive. Always helpful and accommodating, GDS demonstrated samples, ran tests on a number of colour temperature options and subsequently customised aspects of what appears to be an excellent product to ensure that the client was satisfied."
(Jim Evans)
