Colorado State University's Theater Department is awash with color from Wybron's new NEXERA dichroic CMY fixtures. The Wash version made its debut during the February production of Chess at CSU's Johnson Hall Mainstage. Chess is a metaphoric skit about how the Cold War affected the lives of those it touched, with the entire production revolving around a chessboard.
Two weeks before the show, LD Barry Cleveland decided they needed extra color to shape the scenes. "I knew I wanted a color mixing system as opposed to a scrolling unit," he says. Chess is a presentational production, so it required a number of rich rock and roll colors in quick, but subtle, lighting changes.
NEXERAs added the intense color needed for back and side lighting, yet were versatile enough to use as toning light for less intense scenes. "The softer pastels were just as good as the strong R&R colors," says Cleveland. "You usually don't get both in one set up. And one of the best things about NEXERA is that you can do a color change live or hot because it's a blend as opposed to scrolling to hunt for a color."
NEXERA is now in production and is available in Profile and Wash versions. For more information, visit our website at www.wybron.com.