Todd Haimes Theatre Upgrades Outdoor Displays with i5LED

New i5LED displays are providing a fresher look for the Todd Haimes Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. (Image credit: i5LED)

i5LED is helping the recently rebranded Todd Haimes Theatre stand out a little more in New York City's crowded Theater District with new signage. The display upgrade, which was completed on Feb. 21, swapped out aging LED and LCD screens with new dvLED displays for higher resolution and a fresher look for the Broadway theater.

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On 42nd Street, the main entrance now features a 6.6mm pixel pitch marquee, along with new displays (in 1.8mm and 4mm pixel pitches) over the doors and to the side of the main entrance. The rear of the theatre, on 43rd Street, has a large 6.6mm pixel pitch billboard display with a custom LED border, plus its own 6.6mm pixel pitch marquee—complete with a border featuring real chasing light bulbs—above the doors.

According to Alan Kauffman, director of technology services at the Todd Haimes Theatre, the existing signage, installed in 2014, was at its end of life, with significant degradation of the quality of the displays. Replacing the displays coincided with renaming the theater after Todd Haimes, who served as CEO and artistic director of Roundabout Theatre Company until his death in April 2023. The not-for-profit institution spotlights classics from the past, cultivates new works of the present, and educates minds for the future.

Todd Haimes Theatre Rear — The rear of the building also features billboard and marquee displays. (Image credit: i5LED)

The installation was spread out across seven weeks and included upgrading the front-end control system. i5LED, which manufactured the dvLEDs displays and control system, managed the front-end upgrade, while American/Interstate SignCrafters handled the display installation.

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The upgrade did not involve implementing a new design, which avoided the time and expense of fabricating new structures. "i5LED was able to supply LED modules that fit our existing cabinetry," Kauffman explained. "This allowed us to avoid a lot of structural work and resulted in much lower cost for the project than other organizations were proposing. The new displays are higher resolution with greatly improved control software. The staff, donors and audience members were all enthusiastic about how the displays look and highlight the new branding of the theater."

Mark J. Pescatore, Ph.D., is the content director of Systems Contractor News. He has been writing about Pro AV industry for more than 25 years. Previously, he spent more than eight years as the editor of Government Video magazine. During his career, he's produced and hosted two podcasts focused on the professional video marketplace, taught more than a dozen college communication courses, co-authored the book Working with HDV, and co-edited two editions of The Guide to Digital Television.