Theatres Welcome New ETC Lighting Consoles
Leading Lighting Company JANDS has recently helped upgrade facilities in WA and SA.
Recently the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre in Mount Gambier (South Australia) became home to a new ETC Ion 1000 lighting console which will enable them to provide fully integrated control of conventional and moving lights.
“We’ve always had a relationship with Jands equipment and systems so when the existing lighting console at Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre expired, the choice was simple,” said Ray Ellison, Country Arts SA Infrastructure Manager. “In selecting the ETC Ion 1000 we considered what consoles were being toured by professional artists and the case for software application based solutions.”
"With capacity to control both moving lights and smart LED luminaries using device-based profiles, the Ion1000 is pretty future proof. We will be looking at updating our other four regional theatres with the ETC ION 1000 in the near future.”
Fay Cakebread, Technical Manager at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre, said that the ETC Ion 1000 is a particularly easy console to navigate and she has enjoyed getting to know it.
"It's really quite self-explanatory however Jands supplied us with some great training," she said.
Board operator Karen Kennedy had quite a steep learning curve migrating from the old Jands ESP console to the ETC Ion 1000 but now she has adjusted to the new console, she describes it as a lovely console to run.
"It's so comprehensive, each time I use it I learn something new," she commented. "We only have conventional lights in our own rig so I am limited in the features that I use however I’m trying to make the most of my submasters. If I ever have a query I find that the online forum always gives me the answer."
(Pictured above: Karen Kennedy, Board Operator)
The iconic His Majesty’s Theatre, or the Maj as it is affectionately known, is the only remaining working Edwardian theatre in Australia. This stunning example of Edwardian era architecture is one of WA's most-loved heritage icons.
However celebrating history and all things antique should not stretch to the lighting department who were struggling with their old Strand consoles.
"We had a Strand 550 and a 520i console for years and they were really at the end of their use-by date," said Matthew Nankivell, Head of Lighting at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth.
"More and more touring shows were coming through that couldn't use their show files with the Strand consoles. Many of our shows have originated in a venue with an EOS so it made logical sense to also go down the EOS pathway."
His Majesty’s Theatre has become home to an ETC Eos console in the bio box, an ETC EOS remote processor unit, and an ETC Gio console which is used on stage and in the stalls as a production console.
"The ETC consoles have performed really well," said Matthew. “It was relatively easy to pick up thanks to similar syntax to the Strand and Obsession series of desks. As to which features I favour .... well really all of them, especially not needing to save shows on to floppy disk. The effects engine is great, and I find it to be extremely powerful. I like the customizable layouts and having features such as pallets, preset and group direct selects all at your fingertips on the touch screen.”
The Gio is designed for those looking for sophisticated control in a manageable, road-ready package.
"The Gio has been great for programming, especially as it has the backlit keys," added Matthew. "They really make it usable when you're programming in the dark as you can actually see what you're doing.
Eos and Gio are also backed up by Jands' service.
"Whenever we have had an issue with the EOS, be it either programming or hardware issues, a quick phone call to Eddie Welsh has had the problem solved in a matter of minutes," said Matthew.
(Pictured: Tony Gordon, Lighting Board Operator, with ETC Gio and Matthew Nankivell, Head of Lighting, with ETC Eos.)
