TAMPA, FL – After a somewhat checkered past, the 17,000 square foot Ritz Ybor in Tampa's historic cigar-making district was restored as a multi-use facility for the performing arts and other functions in 2008. The venue's lighting designer, Brett Lorins, updated the original plan for a PAR can dominated rig to one including LEDs from Chauvet. "That's how it was presented to me when I was hired, but I wanted to change it," Lorins said, of the lighting gear specified for the building's four rooms, including a 1,300-capacity main theatre area with a 44-foot-wide stage.
Lorins had previously worked on another Ybor City restoration project, The Castle, and was impressed by the Chauvet gear installed there. So he convinced the Ritz Ybor's new owners, the Capitano family, to go with an all-Chauvet rig including Chauvet COLORdash Par fixtures, COLORado 3 LED wash lights, Scorpion Storm FX lasers and Intimidator Spot 250 moving heads.
"We don't just do concerts," Lorins said, of the four-room facility, which has hosted weddings, private parties, corporate events and art shows since its $2 million restoration. "The family decided to put money into the structure because of its historic value and because they wanted to restore the arts in Ybor City," he added.
Built in 1917 as the Rivoli Theatre in the silent movie era, the venue was renamed the Ritz in the 1930s, then fell on hard times, becoming an adult movie venue in the 1960s, closing in the 1970s, and converted to a heavy-metal dance club in the 1980s until the owners of the place closed it after a man was stabbed to death in a mosh pit melee in 2005.
The building, which had been one of the first movie theatres in Tampa, has been listed on the Register of Historic Places, and the Ybor City area of Tampa has beem designated a National Historic Landmark District. It has been restored to exude "that old world Cuban ritzy feel of the original Ybor City," with a Mediterranean-style brick exterior and a grand foyer with Art Deco style mirrors and black-and-white tile floors.
The decision to use LED lighting fixtures helped alleviate the concern about the power draw from an air conditioning system burdened with heat from conventional lighting fixtures. "This was all considered and was part of the reason for using LEDs," Lorins said.
Along with those practical considerations, however, Lorins also credits Chauvet's COLORdash Par LED wash lights for the colors they produce. "As far as I'm concerned, they are incredible – when you want a saturated color there's nothing like LED lights."
Gear List:
10 Chauvet COLORdash Par fixtures
6 Chauvet Intimidator Spot 250 fixtures
8 Chauvet PAR 38 fixtures
12 Chauvet COLORado 3 fixtures
3 Chauvet Scorpion Storm FX lasers
5 Chauvet DMX-4 dimmer packs
1 Chauvet DMX-2X splitter
1 High End Systems Hog 1000 lighting console
For more information, please visit www.chauvetlighting.com.
