Netherlands’ Schouwburg Lochem Theatre upgrades with ETC

The Schouwburg theatre in Lochem, eastern Netherlands, has selected 40 Source Four LED Series 3 luminaires, 12 High End Systems Halcyon Gold and 18 SolaPix 7 automated fixtures to upgrade its space.

ETC dealer Ampco Flashlight Sales delivered the fixtures to the theatre which houses 400 seats for a variety of performances including cabaret and cover bands.

The venue originally housed tungsten lighting and following European legislations – which ban the use of halogen lights in the long run – decided to make the move to LED. Schouwburg’s team found that in comparison to their original tungsten lights, the addition of the Halcyon, SolaPix and Source Four LED Series 3 fixtures made a huge difference in saving power. The selected fixtures have been placed above the main stage, on the sides of the stage as well as above the audience.

Stage Technician at the Schouwburg Lochem, Jelmer Smink comments on choosing ETC to upgrade the venue: “We really wanted to get ahead of the game – both in terms of efficiency and sustainability for the future. Automated lighting is the future for every theatre. It is much easier and faster to get those fixtures into position and saves a lot of time for productions where you usually have to do this manually.”

The venue conducted several tests and demos with different fixtures to decide what was the best fit for the theatre. “We had a demonstration of the Halcyon Gold Hi-Fidelity fixtures and really liked its features, colors and the pricing. The frost filters and nice wash it creates was also a plus point for both Halcyon and SolaPix,” says Smink.

The Halcyon fixtures were particularly suitable for the theatre, with the addition of its DMX channel where fan speed can be infinitely adjusted or turned off where necessary. In addition, the three frost filters can also be continuously operated using their own DMX channel to achieve the desired wash effect.

Another key consideration for choosing ETC for this venue is the company’s industry leading reputation for color. “The quality of color is what we love most about ETC products. ETC is known for its expertise in the quality of color and how to control it. We wanted the front light quality to be especially good and the X8 array in the Source Four LED Series 3 made it by far the best option. We also use a Gio @5 console in the theatre so have access to the powerful Eos software when controlling the fixtures.”

“Ultimately we wanted to take the lighting at Schouwburg to the next level and in order to do this ETC was the best option for us across the board,” adds Smink.

Bas van Schelven, sales manager at Ampco Flashlight comments: “We spent quite a few visits to test and try various options to meet the requirements of Jelmer and Patrick. It was interesting to hear their vision and ideas and learn what experienced end-users find important when using LED fixtures. We are of course very happy that they eventually choose ETC products to start the new season in September!”

ETC Field Project Coodinator Robbi Nassi adds: “It has been a pleasure working with Ampco Flashlight Sales, Patrick and Jelmer at the Schouwburg on the project’s transition to LED. We’re pleased to be able to offer a full ETC spectrum replacement for their tungsten luminaires with Source Four LED Series 3 X8 array, Halcyon Gold and SolaPix 7 fixtures. It’s also great to see their transition to Eos for complete colour control and gel matching. We hope they enjoy the upgrade and look forward to seeing the products in action for many years to come.”