The city government's original 'master plan' in 2006 involved structural restoration, but Mayor Mauricio Macri decided on a total facelift across the board costing US$ 100 million - the most expensive heritage restoration in Argentina's history - in order to improve both the building's structure and to bring it up to date technologically.
Ernesto Diz was in charge of the lighting system's bid specification. Diz, founder of Estudio Diz, was a professor of lighting design at the Buenos Aires University, and is the lighting and stage designer of several buildings in Argentina and around the world, including Teatro Argentino de la Plata, Teatro Municipal de Bahia Blanca, Centro de Convenciones de Mendoza and now the 'new' Teatro Colon.
Diz decided on the grandMA2 system - a grandMA2 full size console and a grandMA2 replay unit - working in full tracking back up over an Ethernet network. These were installed by Maximiliano Moreno, technical manager of Stage Tech, the Argentinean MA Lighting distributor, and have replaced the old control system. The system fully complies with the theatre specification, allowing the technical crew to generate any show.
Jorge Perez, lighting manager of the theatre reports, "The main reasons for our decision for a grandMA2 system were, that it is the most accepted worldwide control platform, with a large quantity of grandMA systems installed and running smoothly in Argentina during the last 11 years. Furthermore the grandMA2 is able to control video and digital lights and offers the perfect back up options.
"Additionally each programmer at the theatre can have their own layout allowing fast programming. And at least, the high level of the technical support offered by MA Lighting Latin America and MA's local distributor, Stage Tech, with whom the theatre has more than 20 years of relationship are the icing on the cake."
The new lighting equipment was mostly delivered by Stage Tech and Philips Entertainment, including more than 860 dimmers, 424 units of Selecon luminaires, 48 Vari*Lites, six Robert Juliat followspots, 142 Wybron colour changers and 20 ADB ALC4 Cyc lights.
(Jim Evans)
