The Stadsteater in Borås is one of a number of high profile city theatre and cultural centres in the country that has invested in Robe moving lights. The purchase of 19 LEDWash 800s currently sees 10 installed in the 500 capacity main house, with nine in the smaller 100 capacity studio space.
The compact size of the fixtures is ideal for being rigged above the stage, they are very easy to focus from the lighting desk, and you can get considerably more light out of them than the scrollers – making darker colour washes very easy to produce, so they were an extremely practical choice.
The Stadsteater had previous experience with Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs, and the reliability of these was one of the reasons they chose Robe again.
Michael Dimle, Lighting Technician and house LD has plenty of wider experience using Robe’s latest fixtures. “All the Robe fixtures I have worked with have been incredibly robust and well-engineered,” he confirmed.
The LEDWash 800s have made a large difference to the levels of lighting production that the venue can offer. They are considerably more flexible than the scrollers they replaced and are very easy and quick to work with and programme – ideal for the shows that are pushed for rehearsal and tech time.
The new fixtures are also considerably more cost-effective to run – there’s no scroll string or bulb replacement, and of course the low power consumption.
Some visiting productions will bring in their complete technical set-up, while others will use 100% of the house rig – and variations in between. Some works will play in repertoire for three months and other performances will be one-offs. Usually three of their own major works per season appears on each stage.
“The external LDs all love them,” said Michael, “And we have even impressed some directors when they have realised what can be achieved with them…and how quiet they are.” Silent running is essential for theatre, concert and operatic environments, and it is something that Robe has prioritised specifically in its LEDWash and DL series fixtures.
