WELCOME TO DAVE'S WORLD OF

LIGHT AND SOUND

An illuminating tale by Dave Collins

It was quite simple really - “Now that we have a stage can you light it”. This was asked of me quite casually, after I had spent some time working on the theatre electrics.

I have always been interested in the mechanics of the Theatre since working as an apprentice electrician at the Civic Hall Theatre at Guildford in 1956. The challenge was too good to miss.

There were a few problems, such as lack of funds to buy new equipment, and a very small area to work in (large stages are easier to light). We did have some lanterns donated by a member, plus other assorted, and old lanterns acquired by various means, but not much else.

So where do we start?

First of all the design had to be easy to use, and adaptable to make the best use of the equipment available. The word Lantern is used to cover all types of theatre lights; these are divided into six main groups, plus lots of special effects lanterns now available with digital technology.

The Flood Light.

A non-focusing lantern giving a wide covering of light. The only adjustment is angle and masking with a shutter called a barn door.

Fresnel Lantern.

Named after its French inventor, this has a thin convex lens giving a diffused light that can be focused onto a specific area by moving the bulb and reflector inside the casing, and shaped by the Barn Door.

Spot Lights.

A lantern that gives a beam of light that can be focused, and shaped by internal shutters,

Profile Spot.

Similar to the above but with the ability to project a pattern or words through a metal

insert called a GOBO.

Follow Spot.

Larger version of the profile spot with an iris to alter the size of the beam, from wide to blackout, and can be moved to follow the performers on stage.

Cans.

Now a widely used lantern on Concert Stages etc. because of its ease of setting up, and consists of a metal tube housing a sealed “headlight” type bulb called a P.A.R. that gives a bright non-adjustable beam.

We started with 10 assorted lanterns and now have a stock of, 2 triple, 2 single, and 2 mobile, flood lights, 10 Fresnel lanterns, 12 spotlights inc profiles, 1 follow spot, and 4 cans; thereby giving us a total of 37 lanterns with a loading of 201kw or 87 amps,

How do we position, or “rig”, and control all this?

Each lantern is plugged into a 15 amp socket which is wired back to the main board, on stage right. I have so far installed 38 outlets: 19 above the stage, 5 on the side walls of the stage, 4 on the floor, and 10 front of stage. 10 of these are paired, so we have 28 plugs to fit into the dimmers. We have 2 dimmer packs each giving us 12 pairs of sockets; each pair is called a channel and all you have to decide is which lanterns you want to come on together and plug them into the same channel.

Easy isn't it?

Each channel is fused separately and each dimmer is fed by its own mains circuit breaker, plus an extra breaker for additional outlets on the technicians gallery situated at the back of the auditorium. The dimmers are controlled from this gallery by a 12-way control deck; each channel has 2 sliders so that when one is in use the other one can be preset for the next scene. Each bank of 12 sliders has a master switch, a flash button, and a fader. We also have a separate 3-way dimmer to control the follow-spot and any effects' lanterns.

Each lantern is hung on a special bracket and secured with a safety chain. Lanterns can also accommodate a colour-frame into which colour-gels can be fitted. These are made of a special (and expensive) material to withstand the very high temperatures, bit still need to be replaced frequently.

We now have a reasonable working system that should cover a variety of productions.

Lighting technology is advancing at a rapid rate and the designer/technician could achieve wonders if the finance is available,

Our future development is to replace some of our older (not quite up-to-current standards) stock, as well as buying replacement bulbs (approx. £15 each). and also another dimmer! No harm in dreaming.

Sound System.

Sound as well as lighting is a very important part of a production. I have installed a system fed by a Yamaha amplifier into a Yamaha bass and four Goodman speakers, We have a 12-way Folio mixer board, a Sony five-way CD player also a single CD player to allow rapid change or fade in/out, and a cassette deck for play and record. There are 2 microphone sockets on stage right and the use of a `Radio Mic' when required,

Above the stage is a microphone which is fed into a separate Eagle amplifier feeding speakers in the dressing room and club room; also a microphone for announcements etc. Communication between the technicians gallery and backstage is by Maxon radio headsets, or hand-held walkie-talkies

Additional sockets on stage are available for extras, and all the lighting and sound is controlled from the technicians gallery.

The systems described are adequate for our needs at the moment but improvements can always be made when funds become available.

The operating of the above, and the setting up of the lights etc. can be very interesting, with every production different. In fact situations can, and often do, change during rehearsals so the operator has to be flexible and patient, which is all part of being a member of an amateur dramatic society.

A casual request 18 years ago has become an interesting and, I hope, worthwhile hobby, so anybody out there who is interested in theatre - get involved. You won't regret it.