Since opening on 22 November 2008, Performance Arts Culture Cessnock (PACC) has not only built a regular audience for concerts and plays, but it has also become a significant player in audience development and community engagement.
The complex itself comprises a 466-seat theatre with stalls and tiered seating. It also houses a spacious foyer, kitchen area, two large rooms suited to a variety of uses including meetings, presentations and workshops, a small meeting room, and two outdoor performance areas.
Recently the theatre acquired nine Claypaky Mini-B small LED moving heads and 18 x Prolights EclProfile CT+ high quality, six colour mixing LED ellipsoidals, supplied by Lifelike Group.
“Since the PACC’s opening, we have been keeping an eye on developments, waiting patiently for them to improve in quality and reliability, which they have,” commented Jarrod Behringer, Technical Officer at PACC. “It is 14 years now since we opened and it was time for us to leap into the current generation of lighting! We have been using Incandescent lights since the opening of this theatre, and while they have so far served us well, the leap in technology that has been taking place had left us slightly behind the times.”
PACC aimed to replace the current array of lanterns at the front of house with moving lights and LED profiles. With today’s fixtures able to deliver a full range of colour from their LED engines, they add more colour flexibility to the venue resulting in cost savings and increased creativity.
“Also, because they are controlled remotely, they eliminate the physicality of moving auditorium seating or climbing ladders resulting in cost savings and reduced safety risks,” added Jarrod. “The fixtures reduce maintenance as the venue no longer has to pay for lamp replacements, which cuts down on costs and waste going into landfills, as well as other environmental benefits. The demands on the air conditioning system have been greatly reduced too.”
Over some time, multiple fixtures from multiple vendors were brought in to inspect and test in shootouts. However, it was the Claypaky Mini-B and Prolights EclProfile CT+ that best matched the venue’s needs beating all of the competition when they accounted for price and versatility.
“With the EclProfile CT+, it was a tough choice for us between it and the ETC Source IV,” said Jarrod. “When it came down to it though, the colour reproduction of the ECL was more than adequate for us and for the price, the CT+ was just a clear winner in our minds.”
Jarrod adds that he was very impressed to see the CT+’s colour gels tungsten emulation and the tint control with the green correction that it offers. The fan settings, while not uncommon for modern LED profiles, were impressive with Jarrod saying that even while at its peak power the fixture could remain virtually silent.
Jarrod is particularly happy with the Claypaky Mini-B’s colour production adding that the size of the fixture was nothing short of impressive.
“The zoom capability was something that we have wanted for a long time,” said Jarrod. “It is quiet while operating, with plenty of brightness for something so small. We have utilised some Mini-Bs on stage as supplementation for on-stage specials/spots, as well as movement and sometimes wash.
“As for the EclProfile CT+, we have replaced our FOH stage wash in a 3:1 ratio. We had Selecon Pacifics in our standard rig and would use five groups of three fixtures all with different gels to give us not only a smooth even wash, but adjustability with our gel selections. With the CT+ we have been able to reduce the job of three lights to one fixture with the flexibility of the LED colours enabling us to enhance our creativity and provide a better service for our customers and clients.”
Jarrod reports that so far both types of units have performed perfectly and have complimented everything they have put them through.
“We have a mixture of traditional theatre, dance schools and also rock shows/tributes and have been blown away by the versatility and performance of them all,” he remarked.
