One of Poland’s most famous buildings, the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, has had its sixth floor theatre renovated with the help of ETC equipment. The building, which was a gift to the people of Poland from Russia 50 years ago, includes a number of theatres, museums and offices, and was for two years the tallest building in Europe.
ETC’s Polish distributor, Prolight, installed a Congo jr control desk and 144 channels of SmartPack dimming in the theatre, which, according to its founder and director, Michal Zebrowski, promises to be a ‘theatre without exclusion’. Unusually for Poland, the theatre is privately owned and run – in this case, its founder is also a famous Polish actor.
Prolight’s sales director Radoslaw Zacheja says: “Congo is the most popular control desk in Poland, not just because it is easy to learn and use, but also because we translated the interface into Polish, making it the only desk that local technicians can program in their native language.
“The staff at the theatre specified Congo jr because it is very similar to their previous desk, so they did not have to spend much time learning how to use the system. We provided a complete package, including lighting, mechanics and truss, and the electrical network – which we based on Net3.”
The theatre had previously been designed exclusively for concerts, but the refurbishment with high-quality acoustic equipment makes it just as suitable for theatre and conference facilities. The SmartPack dimming controls the house lights, with a connection to the Congo desk so that the lighting operator can easily control both house and stage lights. The theatrical première is set for March 6 with Woody Allen’s Play it Again, Sam.
Congo and Congo jr share the same operating system and style, with the major difference being the smaller footprint and reduced number of faders and controls on the jr. Optional fader wings provide additional faders for those who need them. Both offer extremely flexible options for go-button or live event “on-the-fly” playback styles – perfect for both theatre and conference use.
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