Lancelyn Theatre Supplies, responsible for designing and installing the auditorium lighting system, had specific criteria to adhere to. Project manager Jim Butler explains: "The auditorium needs to be used as a professional theatrical venue, an amateur theatrical venue, a school theatrical venue, a professional conference facility, a school assembly hall and a school exam venue. With this mix taken into consideration, the multi-purpose facility requires various levels of lighting, which has to be fully functional and easily controlled."
Working closely with theatrical consultant Alex Ralls, Lancelyn specified Zero 88's Chilli and Chilli pro dimmers for the project. "The primary reason for using the Chilli range here," explains Butler, "was because of the integration demands of entertainment and architectural lighting control. The networking ability Chilli offer is second to none." Butler added that there were other reasons for choosing Zero products for the project, including ease of installation, high quality performance (including the provision of a built in programmable backup memory and a choice of responses to a DMX failure) and the durability of the Chilli range. They also "offered great value for money within the budget we had to work with", adds Butler.
The 250-seat auditorium required 104 channels of lighting, of which 96 were performance requirements, with the remainder for house lights and fluorescent lighting. Three 10-button panels were strategically installed throughout the venue, one at the prompt corner, another at the lectern site and the final one in the control room.
A distinct advantage on this project, according to Butler, is the fact that all the Chilli Pro dimmers have been installed in a separate room, which simplifies access and management. The system has also been interlinked into the fire safety system. Four Chilli Pro 24x10s, one 4x10i and one 4x10 HF were installed into the auditorium, and are controlled by the three 10-button panels.
The 240sq.m facility is due for completion at the end of March with the first show being scheduled for the first week in May. Building contractors Beards hope to hand over the building in mid-March, and Lancelyn Theatre Supplies is expecting to commission the auditorium shortly after.
The project, which will have taken 56 weeks to complete at a cost of £3million, will become part of the Mary Hare School and will be used for various school events, as well as being a source of income via conferences, concerts, shows and the likes. The electrical contractor for the project is Renelec.
