The Springfield Conservatory of the Arts Magnet School is aiding students’ creative quests in the form of an advanced stage lighting system featuring Ovation LED fixtures by CHAUVET Professional.
Spencer Lavoie and his team at 4Life Entertainment designed and installed the new system using 28 Ovation B-565FC static washes, 15 Ovation E-930VW six-color ellipsoidals, and 15 Ovation H-605HC pendant house lights. The system is run with the help of the Net-X node.
The Ovation H-695FC pendants serve as the main source of illumination for the entire theatre. Evenly spaced throughout the room, the RGBA-Lime house lights are often used to immerse the audience in the show taking place on the stage. “They are very versatile,” said Spencer. “Aside from serving as energy efficient house lights, they can also become a focal element of the show.”
Providing key light and adding more color to the stage are the rig’s Ovation E-930VW ellipsoidal units. Drawing on the unit’s six-color engine, which includes red, orange-red, green, blue, royal blue and lime LEDs, designers working on productions at the school can create an array of hues to accent different moods and scenes.
“We hung the E-930VW about 80 feet from the stage above the balcony seat front,” said Spencer. “Utilizing a custom-made bracket, we placed supports through the ceiling off of the I-beam structure. This gives us flexibility when positioning these fixtures.”
Hanging fixtures and running conduits was especially challenging in this project, given the nature of the building, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places. “There were quite a few regulations we had to deal with,” said Spencer. “Plus, since the building is so old, there was cement under the plaster, which presented challenges, especially since the theatre starts on the fifth floor.”
