The Sundial Theatre in Cirencester, England has upgraded its Robe moving light stock with the addition of 4 Robe ColorWash 750 AT Tungsten fixtures.
The theatre is a busy producing and receiving house, and the fixtures—supplied through Bath-based Enlightened Lighting—immediately went into action for the opening date of comedian Michael McIntyre’s UK tour.
The new lights were specified by Sundial Theatre’s technical manager Andy Webb, who wanted a warm color temperature fixture to blend in with the generic rig and to contrast with their discharge sources. “It was a logical step. In the past, to deal with the need for tungsten washes, we have had to hire ColorWash 575E ATs and use the CTO correction,” Webb states.
He’s extremely pleased with the purchase, commenting that the ColorWash 750 AT Tungstens are so quiet that you’d “hardly think they are switched on,” which is imperative for a theatre environment, and particularly important at the Sundial with its relatively low ceiling height.
The ability to dim the lamp instead of using electronic shutters also allows much smoother and easier programming when they are used alongside conventional luminaires. It also produces a true blackout.
For the McIntyre show, the ColorWash 750 AT Tungstens were used to uplight four sections of gauze dressing the stage space. Webb will be using these, plus eight more, on Disney’s High School Musical, a large upcoming production that he is both designing and producing. His plan is to use them for the main FOH cover and also for back lighting, and they will be part of a much larger Robe rig that will be installed for the show.
Apart from the quietness, Webb likes the large handles on the sides of the base, which are really practical for rigging, along with the fact that the pan/tilt can be locked. Multiple connection options in the base is another bonus (3 or 5 pin XLR or Ethernet.)
“The zoom is very smooth and the unit is extremely bright,” he observes, comparing them side-to-side with the discharge 575 Washes. “The color range is equally good and perhaps slightly better.”