The Stadsteater in Borås – about 60 kilometres west of Goteborg in Sweden – is one of a number of high profile city theatre and cultural centres in the country which has invested in Robe moving lights.
The purchase of 19 LEDWash 800s currently sees 10 installed in the 500 capacity main house, with nine in the smaller 100 capacity studio space. The Stadsteater is located in a large facility – together with the culture centre and library – built in 1976 and featuring some classic – and very cool – 1970s retro architecture and décor.
They wanted to replace some of their colour scrollers explains Lighting Technician and house LD Michael Dimle – and are absolutely delighted with the results of the LEDWashes!
The compact size of the fixtures is ideal for being rigged above the stage, they are very easy to focus from the lighting desk, and you can get considerably more light out of them than the scrollers – making darker colour washes very easy to produce, so they were an extremely practical choice.
The Stadsteater had some previous experience with Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs bought in 2008, and the reliability of these was one of the reasons they looked to Robe again .
Michael also works for a selection of rental companies on other projects, and so has plenty of wider experience using Robe’s latest fixtures including LEDWash 600s, Pointes, etc., “All the Robe fixtures I have worked with have been incredibly robust and well-engineered,” he confirmed, adding that it’s not unusual to see Robe products that are 10 or 12 years old still going strong!
He really likes the 8 – 63 zoom on the LEDWash and the additional power for the same sized fixture as the best-selling LEDWash 600s.
A lively range of productions are staged by the Stadsteater – a lot of dramas, some concerts and guest artists as well as hosting corporate events, and the venue is extremely well attended by the culture and entertainment loving population in and around Borås. Approximately 35 different shows a month is an average production schedule, so it’s busy!
The LEDWash 800s have made a “Massive” difference to the levels of lighting production that the venue can offer. They are considerably more flexible than the scrollers they replaced and are very easy and quick to work with and programme – ideal for the shows which are pushed for rehearsal and tech time.
The new fixtures are also considerably more cost-effective to run – there’s no scroll string or bulb replacement, and of course the low power consumption.
Some visiting productions will bring in their complete technical set-up, while others will use 100% of the house rig – and variations in between. Some works will play in repertoire for 3 months and other performances will be one offs. Usually three of their own major works per season appears on each stage.
“The external LDs all love them,” says Michael, “And we have even impressed some directors when they have realised what can be achieved with them … and how quiet they are”. Silent running is essential for theatre, concert and operatic environments, and it is something that Robe has prioritised specifically in its LEDWash and DL series fixtures.
The lights were delivered via the Goteborg office of Robe’s Swedish distributor, Bellalite and they work every day and in every show that is staged at the Stadsteater.
Michael and his colleagues in the Lighting department are also very interested in Robe’s DL series, particularly the new DL4S profile, just launched at the Prolight 2015 expo in Frankfurt.
On the subject of the DL series, Michael likes the fixture so much … that he bought 8 DLX LED Spots of his own … of which he is very proud.
These are used in his own freelance design work, which takes up most of his spare time and is a practice actively encouraged by the theatre so their staff gain additional experience and knowledge which they can share.
Over the years, the Stadsteater has steadily purchased lighting equipment from Bellalite, a company which always offers “Excellent and very quick service” concludes Michael.
Photos by Louise Stickland
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