CABRAMATTA, Australia – The Australian government's Building the Education Revolution (BER) plan is paving the way for hundreds of multipurpose halls to be built in support of the arts. Sacred Heart School, a Catholic primary school, was the first to open in New South Wales. Principal Brian Aulsebrook, who has spent many years overseeing school productions, and the builder both saw Jands as somewhat of an "industry standard" for performing arts projects, "so we just went with it," Aulsebrook said. "Why shop around for anything else?"
Jands supplied and installed the lighting infrastructure for the auditorium, which included two JLX-PRO modular pre-wired lighting bars and two WMX-A wall mount dimmers.
The Jands WMX-A wall mounting dimmer was designed specifically to meet the needs of this style of job, and, paired with JLX lighting bars and Jands patching system, served as an integrated and cost effective solution. With its simple menu, enabling access to the configuration and test options, the Jands WMX dimmer is well-suited for school installations.
The hall's stage is portable, but usually faces west, with one JLX-PRO lighting bar accommodating this position. However, if a large production is staged and more seating is required, the hall's side wall can open, making the venue much larger. Overflow seating is then placed outside, and the stage is moved to the southern wall, where the other JLX-PRO lighting bar is situated. Around the hall, there are multiple points where the DMX dimmer board can be plugged in.
Stage & Studio supplied a lighting package that included four ETC Source Four lights and a Jands Stage 12 control console, chosen in part for ease of use.
"The amount of fixtures chosen was determined by the amount of light that floods into the hall during the daytime," said Aulsebrook. "We went with the ETC Source Four's so that we can attach gobos to them if and when required.
"The lighting system is working beautifully," Aulsebrook added. "We recently held a major event for Anzac day, and when The Last Post was being played, we dimmed the hall to near darkness and then, when the Reveille was being played, we lit up a large Australian flag to great effect."
For more information, please visit www.jands.com.au.
