Every August, the world’s largest arts festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, takes over
Scotland’s capital. Thousands of performers take to hundreds of stages to present
shows for every taste. C venues is back for its 25th year, creating and curating
more than 20 theatre, performance and exhibition spaces at pop-up venues in and
around the city centre. This year, C venues’ visiting designers and technicians are
using some of the latest products from ETC for a vibrant and packed programme of
theatre, circus, cabaret, musicals, dance, comedy and children’s shows.
“ETC has been supporting C venues for a number of years, allowing us to improve
the capability of our venues and exposing ETC products to young, up-and-coming
theatre companies and technicians,’ says Richard Williamson, head of production, C
venues. “ETC has a long reputation for producing well-built, reliable equipment and
providing an exceptional level of technical support; and we are thrilled to be using
the new ETC ColorSource consoles and lanterns.
“The consoles are a great addition to the market and are perfect for our smaller
spaces. We have long been looking for a lighting desk which people new to the
industry can quickly and easily pick up and use. We’re excited about the possibilities
that the ColorSource consoles give us. They fill an underserved niche in the market
for a truly intelligent console for smaller venues.’
To equip the festival’s larger spaces, C has added to its existing stock of ETC Eos®
family consoles, supplementing its Ion® desks with Ti and Element consoles.
Notably, a Ti is situated in the largest theatre, C scala, controlling a number of
high-profile shows including Tipping Point by Ockham’s Razor; Fringe favourites The
Rat Pack Live; and the all-male a cappella group All The Kings Men. “The Eos range
is the de facto industry standard console so we couldn’t imagine using anything else
for our bigger venues,’ says Williamson.
Additionally, the issue of heat generated by conventional tungsten fixtures has long
been a challenge for C venues. For several years, the company has been looking to
move its lighting rigs towards LED to help combat this. This year, several venues
are benefitting from the installation of ETC ColorSource fixtures that – as well as
their low heat output – are recognised for producing a richer, more natural light
output than other LED fixtures at such an accessible price point.
“While LED units have been on the market, we have struggled to find any that
properly give the level of control and colour rendering that tungsten offers. The new
ColorSource LED fixtures are perfect for our needs and, used alongside ColorSource
consoles, we are now able to look to significantly expand our use of LED,’ says
Williamson.
Hartley T A Kemp, C venues’ artistic director, concludes: “ETC’s support to C venues
is invaluable as it enables young designers and technicians the chance to work with
the latest kit, developing their skills and experience.’
To learn more about ETC products and services, visit www.etcconnect.com.
