Crouse Performance Hall in Lima, Ohio, now has Chauvet Professional RGBA-Lime batten fixtures installed. Erin Isaacson, Technical Director, and John Garner, Assistant technical director, have chosen these as a new addition to the venue.
“We purchased 13 Ovation B-2805FCs from BMI Supply,” said John. “They replaced the cyc lights that had been in use since the hall was built in 1984. The old fixtures were not great performers. Additionally, the cabling control systems required for these fixtures limited their flexibility, especially in light of the more tech-heavy shows that were appearing at our facility with greater frequency.
The Crouse Performance Hall design team positioned six of the Chauvet Professional Ovation B-2805FC Batten fixtures on its 4th electric, almost 28 feet from the proscenium edge with a trim between 25 and 30 feet. These fixtures are used exclusively for cyc lighting.
“With a 25 to 30-foot trim, ensuring a smooth colour wash over the cyc was of paramount importance,” said Garner. “The Ovations provide this smooth colour with very minimal hotspots or falloff. The ability to modify profiles, subdivide each unit, and create pixel map options are all contained the easy to adjust settings. This is a very big help given the diverse mix of shows here. Additionally, the light weight of each fixture makes hanging and striking much easier on the stage crews.”
John notes that the compact size of the Ovation B-2805FC Batten fixtures was also important to his theatre, given some of its narrow battens, many of which have a clearance of six inches on-centre. “The compact size of the fixtures means that they can be placed on any of our pipes as needed,” he said. “Their size, plus their power and data pass-through capabilities make cable runs much simpler. This is especially valuable due to our venue’s extremely limited Edison power resources.”
The seven remaining Chauvet Professional Ovation B-2805FC Batten fixtures in the theatre’s rig are used for various supplementing lighting functions depending on the show. “Due to their low power consumption, cool operation, and long service life, we have not hesitated to put these robust fixtures to use in unusual applications such as ground row or stage washing,” said John.
“When flipping from local dance, orchestra, or conferences to a national music touring act or Broadway show, we must be able to change our stage quickly. The broad appeal of the look provided by the Ovation 2805 satisfies nearly all of our client’s demands, which simplifies stage work and programming.”
The fixtures are “easily the first thing that people notice and mention when they enter the theatre,” he says, noting that they create a positive impression on everyone. This is certainly true, whether they’re an audience member or a visiting lighting designer.
