Theater de Kampanje in the northern Netherlands city of Den Helder is a vibrant environment running a diverse and interesting programme of dramas, musicals, comedy, music concerts, and touring shows across its three performance venues.
Initially located in the city centre, since 2015 Kampanje has been based in the charismatic former Willemsoord naval shipyard in a vast waterside naval hangar that has been completely repurposed for staging contemporary performance, complete with original features and plenty of industrial edge.
In a quest to transition to more sustainable LED lighting, the venue has recently invested in Robe LED products, starting with the purchase of 12 TX1 PosiProfiles and 12 LEDBeam 350 moving LED wash beams, which were delivered by Benelux distributor, Controllux.
Head of lighting Jeffrey Filmer has worked at the venue for nine years and explained that the gradual transition process had essentially started in 2015 when the theatre moved.
Before then, in 2007, the company had purchased some mobile lighting kit, including Robe 300E Spots and 300E Washes, which were used as and where needed, being rigged and operated in the different venues according to production needs.
At that stage, some theatre lighting professionals were still wary about the impact or appropriateness of LEDs in that environment, however during the decade and a half in between, LED technology has quantum leaped ahead. So, in 2024, “We sensed the time was right and wanted to begin with a set of general over-stage LED lights,” explained Kampanje’s head of technical and stage manager, André Woestenburg.
They decided first to replace these old mobile lights.
The E Spots and Washes were still all working at this point, and Jeffrey and his colleagues looked at a range of options, before swapping them out for 12 x TX1s and 12 x LEDBeam 350s, which immediately offered more flexibility and streamlined the efficiency of their workflow.
These first TX1s and LEDBeam 350s proved to be good, solid lights, so in 2025 when Kampanje received the funding to change up the tungsten fixtures on the bridges of the Koninklijke Marine Stadshal and Rabo Zaal event spaces to LED, they again looked at options, and again chose Robe, adding another 22 TX1s and 24 LEDBeam 350s to the inventory.
The 22 x TX1s replaced the bridge lights.
The front bridge can be driven up and down the main space, and 7 cranes positioned across the building also assist with getting technical elements into place, together with motorised bars above the stage in the main event space and theatre venue.
Twelve of the new LEDBeam 350s were deployed in the grid of the 125-seater Small Hall, which is a fully flexible space.
Jeffrey, André and their team, which includes lighting technician Mark Goedhart say that having these Robe fixtures onboard is making a positive impact related to how productions can be lit.
Robe’s TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) LED engine in the TX1s appealed to the crew because it extends the potential longevity of the product and enhances the adaptability with being able to swap LED engines.
The TX1’s tight calibration – good for rigging in very confined spaces as a moving head profile or a static repositionable profile – impressed the whole crew, and Jeffrey notes that they were also all reassured by Robe’s formidable overall reputation for producing stable and well-engineered products.
The new fixtures can also now be focused from the floor without needing a scissor lift for access and all the manoeuvring needed to get that into the right positions.
On top of that, the Kampanje technical crew already enjoyed an excellent relationship with Controllux, so with leading quality manufacturing and distribution combined, they were confident of excellent service, backup and support.
“We made the choice based on functionality, price, flexibility and suitability for our shows, plus the high standards of the local support we knew we could expect,” Jeffrey emphasised in conclusion.
Some of Kampanje’s incoming shows and visiting companies / artists will bring their own LDs, while others will rely on the creativity and vision of Jeffrey and the in-house team to add those special flourishes of illuminative magic.
