MELBOURNE – A cast of Vari-Lite-VLX Wash luminaires have been installed as part of a AUD$136 million ($143 million USD) revamp of Melbourne’s Hamer Hall theatre. The technical team chose the VLX Wash luminaires following a shoot-out between the Vari-Lite fixtures and other brands.The fixture’s ability to color match with conventional luminaires was a key factor in the decision.
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MELBOURNE – A cast of Vari-Lite-VLX Wash luminaires have been installed as part of a AUD$136 million ($143 million USD) revamp of Melbourne’s Hamer Hall theatre.
Adrian Sterritt, head of lighting at the Melbourne venue, says his team chose the VLX Wash luminaires following a shoot-out between the Vari-Lite fixtures and other brands.
“We were looking for a number of aspects from the lighting fixtures; speed, quality of light, operation modes,” says Sterritt. “‘The VLX Wash zoom was better, its quality of light was similar to what we were used to, and in terms of colours we wanted to produce, it was more suited to our desired color palette. There was also an environmental aspect to the project so ‘green’ products were favorable.”
Harmer Hall is used for a wide variety of events, and the VLX Wash luminaires are now incorporated into the standard rig configuration.
The VLX Wash’s ability to color match with conventional luminaires was a key decision driver. As Sterritt says, “Incoming LDs love them. They have a lot of punch, especially with the saturated LED colors, however ,they also produce the more subtle pastel hues that we require in a theatre environment.”
The VLX Wash has an output of about 14,000 lumens, with 70 percent intensity maintenance over the 10,000-hour life of the chip.
“What make them ideal for Hamer Hall are their output, speed of pan/tilt, and their ability to match conventional fixtures,” adds Sterritt. “It’s great to have a light that can do a ballet pastel blue wash in the daytime and then work at night to produce a heavily saturated wash for concerts.”
Harner Hall, part of the Melbourne Arts Centre, has a long history as an entertainment space but was badly in need of an update when it closed its doors two years. Theatre-goers were thrilled when it re-opened in July 2012 to reveal its glorious new image. The project was overseen by theatre consultants Schuler Shook, and designed by architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall.
