Hamburg's monsun.theater Undergoes Major Lighting Upgrade with ETC

Founded in 1980, the monsun.theater in Hamburg has recently undergone a major lighting upgrade. Following an extensive investment in modern LED lighting from ETC, the award-winning theatre is now equipped for a wide range of productions.

The shopping list at ETC partner Trendco was extensive, including ETC Source Four and ColorSource fixtures, Desire Fresnel and High End Systems Lonestar luminaires, and various ArcSystem Pro series fixtures to illuminate the theatre hall.

The lighting control system also utilizes ETC equipment, specifically an Ion Xe console. “About nine years ago, we attended an ETC presentation, and we’ve been loyal ever since,” says Martin Hüsges from monsun.theater. This loyalty is well-founded: “ETC fixtures offer perfect theatre lighting, and increasingly important in recent years, they also provide excellent camera lighting for video streams.”

Switching to LED technology was an easy decision for the venue. Given the limited ceiling height, the reduced heat emission of LEDs is particularly welcome. Furthermore, no longer needing to purchase color filters for halogen lights is a significant advantage. “But the main benefit is the energy savings we achieve with LED fixtures,” Hüsges emphasizes. For white light alone, he estimates a 70% reduction in energy costs, while for colored lighting, the savings could be even higher. “To generate deep blue with conventional fixtures, you’d need several kilowatts, but now it only takes one or two LEDs from an eight-array system – a fraction of the energy.”

The X8 technology of the Source Four LED Series 3 Lustr X8 has particularly impressed Hüsges. “Many fixtures can produce vivid light,” he says, “but reproducing natural skin tones and subtle intermediate hues is something else entirely. I’ve never seen anything like it from any other fixture.”

Hüsges also praises the dimming behavior of the ArcSystem Pro lights, now illuminating the monsun.theater hall. “The quality really shows when dimming from ten percent to zero. It looks like halogen light – the transitions are so subtle, with no noticeable jumps. I’ve always wanted to achieve this effect with LEDs, and now ArcSystem makes it possible.”

ETC Equipment Installed at monsun.theater (selection):

• 20 x Desire Fresnel 7”
• 42 x Source Four LED Series 3 Lustr X8
• 10 x Source Four Zoom Lens Tube 25-50°
• 8 x ColorSource Spot jr
• 4 x ArcSystem Pro Four-Cell