CINCINNATI – The School for Creative & Performing Arts (SCPA) installed four Robert Juliat Topaze followspots in Corbett Hall, its 750-seat auditorium. SCPA offers a comprehensive arts education with a college-prep curriculum for students K-12 in the Cincinnati Public School District. Its graduates have performed on PBS with the Cincinnati Pops, and the school served as the setting for a MTV reality series. Corbett Hall typically hosts the school's major musicals, such as last fall's Wizard of Oz, as well as performances by students in the vocal department, orchestra and band. SCPA also offers a career technical program that trains students for jobs in the field or prepares them to go on to an arts college. Lighting design instructor Jeffrey New supervises the students who operate lighting fixtures and lighting consoles for SCPA performances.
"When I first saw Topaze I thought it would be a fantastic light to have," he recalled. "I had been talking to Bill Conner of BCA Associates in Chicago about acquiring lights with specific size, voltage and ease of use requirements because of the student operators, and Bill recommended Topaze."
The compact Robert Juliat's Topaze 1200W MSD followspot features a double condenser optical system and has a 100 percent closing iris with backplate follower in a removable cassette; a 100 percent closing mechanical dimmer; an A-size removable gobo holder; and a six-way color changer system filled with removable filter frames.
New credited the fixture for its douser mechanism. "One of the things I haven't liked about followspots from other brands is that you need to use a separate hand for the douser mechanism. But with Topaze, with one or two fingers you can roll a fade in and out while still holding onto the handle and moving it," he said. "I also like the fact that you can insert a gobo into it – that's a plus for a followspot. And having the frost separate from the color frames is nice, too."
Although two Topaze fixtures were originally chosen for Corbett Hall and another two for the school's 400-seat concert recital hall, all four have been earmarked for productions in Corbett Hall. "They are really user-friendly, and the compact size is great," New added. "They're very manageable for students. Even students 13 years of age, male and female, find them lightweight and easy to handle."
For more information, please visit www.robertjuliatamerica.com.
