A Color Changer by Any Other Name is not a Wybron

Six Wybron CXI Mariners will spend the summer in the great outdoors at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Designed for outdoor use, the Mariner offers the widest array of colors available from a single water-resistant color changer. Lighting designer Rick Martin chose the CXI Mariner for the repertory light plot because of the live color fades and the array of colors available to the various lighting designers that will use the equipment this summer. Martin has used CXIs on other shows such as Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant at the Henry Miller’s Theatre and To Kill a Mockingbird at Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC. “The reason I bought the CXIs in the first place, and especially for the Festival, is because of the live color fades,” says Martin. “If I want it a little pinker, I just adjust the scrolls. Designers don’t have to have an exact match to Rosco or Lee, but they do need to have exactly the color they want and being able to adjust the color instantly is a huge benefit.”


Photo: Troy Maben of Capitol Photography.

The outdoor amphitheatre in Boise is exposed to an environment where the weather is pretty extreme, from “wet driving rainstorms to hot, aching suns.” LD Martin knew the Wybron CXI worked well in an indoor environment, so he decided to go with the weather resistant Mariner, expecting the same durability and versatility from the outdoor version.


Photo: Troy Maben of Capitol Photography.

Musson Theatrical provided the six Mariners that are hung in a low balcony rail position and are being used for a low front wash. The Mariners will flood the stage of the outdoor amphitheatre with vibrantly colored light bringing to life works by William Shakespeare and other classical playwrights. “Shakespeare Under the Stars” runs from June through September and provides families with the opportunity to enjoy works like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Comedy of Errors, and Henry V in a casual, outdoor venue.


Photo: Troy Maben of Capitol Photography.

The funds for purchasing the lighting equipment came from a Murdock Grant. The Grant was established in 1975 to provide funding to organizations that seek to strengthen the Pacific Northwest region’s educational and cultural base. Idaho Shakespeare Festival is not only an entertainment venue, but also a community service group that has reached over 52,000 students since 1993.

Wybron – the one the professionals use and use and use. For more information, check out the Wybron website at: www.wybron.com.