The ETC Element console for lighting control is playing a key role in a theatre production that has been touring various cities and regional theatres for several months.
Nancye Hayes and Reg Livermore are two iconic Australian theatre personalities who have combined their talents in Turns, a ‘pantomime with a twist’. Produced by Christine Dunstan with lighting design by Trudy Dalgleish, the show features a vital tour member, the ETC Element console.
Designed expressly for modest rigs and maximum hands-on fader control, ETC’s Element lighting consoles are affordable and user-friendly, packing in all the fundamentals of lighting control.
The ETC Element console used as the lighting rig for Turns consists of purely analogue light fixtures, which can vary in model from venue to venue. Lighting operator and technical manager, Jo Elliot is relieved to have one constant with her in the form of the Element console.
She explains that she only has to update cues and sometimes change fade times at each theatre to suit the dimmers in the venue. The Element adjusts quite easily to accommodate the different dimmers.
Jo particularly likes having 40 submasters at her fingertips so she could easily grab different subs if there was an emergency. The submasters are also very good for plotting, allowing her to plot the show without anyone standing in the light and enabling her to adjust levels very quickly.
The spreadsheet view in blind plotting allows quick scrolling while the Element console is easy to patch with either a channel number or dimmer address. Adding or changing cue times is also very straightforward.
A highlight of the Element lighting console is its compact size, which makes it ideal for touring. Jo says it can be set up next to the sound console, allowing her to hear and see the show from the position. Often, when the venue does not have a riggers remote, she simply sets up the console in front of the stage.
The Element lighting console is available from Jands , a leading Australian distributor of professional lighting systems as well as sound and staging equipment.
