Brighton College, located in the United Kingdom, makes its performing arts program a major focus on campus. Students benefit from enhanced facilities, including the new Richard Cairns building which houses the 400-seat Cairns Theatre, as well as other spaces dedicated to drama, music, and dance. A number of lighting fixtures by Martin and Elation help to bring the stage and students to life.
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The College stages a wide range of musical, dramatic, and dance performances, from informal concerts to large-scale productions, and placed a strong emphasis on equipping its new facility with technical provision of the highest level to support a fully professional experience for audiences and participants. The college invested in a significant number of lighting fixtures by Martin and Elation (both distributed in the U.K. by Live Technology) to best serve its ambitious program.
“We wanted to invest in kit which easily caters for the varying demands of the venue, and also enables us to follow a five-year growth plan to invest in equipment and brands that allow us continuity and consistency when purchasing products or topping up from hire houses further down the line,” performing arts technical and facilities manager Joe Wailes explained.
While predominantly based in The Cairns Theatre, the kit is also moved around the site to cater for various events in the school’s other 60, 80, and 120-capacity spaces, covering everything from drama, musical theater, classical music, rock nights, comedy, and corporate functions. In order to achieve optimal results, Wailes looked closely at a number of options, and arranged on-site demonstrations of prospective solutions, including one conducted by Live Technology.
Per Wailes, a majority rig of Martin MAC Viper XIP’s was selected due to the build quality, light output, and feature set, offering good value for money. A plan is in place to add MAC Encore Two to the package to provide, what he called, top-quality, high-fidelity lighting options. “Due to the layout of the space, we then needed to look at a smaller profile option that would work alongside the VIPER XIPs," he added. "Josh (Wakley) of Live Technology suggested that we look at the Elation Paragon S, and it turned out to be a clear winner in our eyes, offering high color rendering and impressive output for its size, while its IP rating offered us the ability to use the units for functions across the site."
Wailes also added Martin MAC One Washes along with the VDO Grid Mount system. The current inventory of 22 is planned to grow to 64 by the end of 2027.
As well as Martin MAC Viper XIP, Martin MAC One Washes and Elation Paragon S, the college also took delivery of two Martin Macula remote follow spot systems, used to make standard moving lights follow performers and/or objects on stage. The college’s investment in its new Martin and Elation stock allows it to be self-sufficient and push beyond the boundaries of ‘school theater’ into a firmly professional realm. With close connections to the community, which sees it in year-round operation in and out of term time, The Cairns Theatre is set for a very bright future.
