With regular power cuts in South Africa a fact of life, The Guild Theatre in East
London had to come up with a solution to an enable the show to go on even during
load shedding and thus preventing a loss of precious income. They purchased 30
Philips Showline SL PAR 155 Zoom Homogenized LED Par luminaries which can run
off a generator when needed.

“The team at The Guild wanted new technology, something that would add a bit of
punch, that was flexible, and above all would enable them to run professional
looking stage lighting from their generator.’ said Dave Whitehouse from DWR
Distribution, the Philips Entertainment supplier in South Africa. “Originally they
considered LED parcans but instead chose 30 Philips Showline SL Par 155 Zoom
Homogenized LED PAR Luminaires to meet their needs. These can be manually
zoomed from 8° to 40° degrees making them extremely flexible.’

Michael Broderick is a lighting designer who does regular freelance work at The
Guild and was one of the first to use the new fixtures. “Having recently lit the
Queen tribute show, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Philips Showline
RGBW LEDs worked in a theatrical environment,’ commented Michael. “The
Showline range performed exceptionally, providing more than enough light as well
as giving me ample range across the colour spectrum to make subtle but significant
colour changes throughout the show.’

He says all the onstage lighting including the cyclorama – save for a gobo wash and
a few specials – were comfortably handled by the Showline RGBWs. “They are solid,
reliable and very handy fixtures.’

The Guild is Michael’s favourite theatre in South Africa to work in. “The theatre may
lack the technology that other government subsidised theatres have, but the staff
easily make up for this with their passion, dedication and commitment,’ said
Michael. “I am always treated with great respect and I am made to feel like one of
the family every time I work there. It is a home away from home.’

Dave Whitehouse has a history with The Guild going back to the 1980s, where he
worked as a lighting designer in the theatre for CAPAB. “Indeed, they are a great
bunch of people to work with and we are very grateful for their support,’ said Dave.