Designed by Frank Matcham in 1904, the 2358-seat Coliseum is the largest proscenium arch theatre in England and, with the revolving globe on its roof - restored to its original condition as part of the refurbishment - a familiar landmark in London's West End. The £41million Lottery-funded refurbishment has seen considerable improvements to the auditorium as well as the creation of dramatic new public spaces high in the building.
Founded in 1931, English National Opera have been based at the Coliseum since 1968, but this refurbishment is the first major upgrade to the theatre that the company has made in that time. The ENO's lighting team, led by Kevin Sleep, have taken the opportunity to upgrade the company's lighting stock to take advantage of the latest lighting technology. At their request, White Light Sales has supplied equipment from Robert Juliat, Arri, ETC, Thomas, Rainbow and Enliten, including 42 ETC Source Four profiles, 4 Juliat 714 2kW profiles, 10 Arri 5kW fresnels, 10 Arri 2.5kW HMI fresnels and 2 Arri 4kW HMI fresnels all with Arri ballasts and Juliat dimmer shutters, 2 Juliat D'Artagnan 2.5kW HMI profiles, 2 Enliten Exhibition Pars and one discharge Source Four all with Wybron Eclipse dimmer shutters, plus 8 four-cell cyc floods and 19 twenty-lamp Ministrips from Thomas. ENO have also expanded their ability to use fluorescent light sources with the purchase of a further Robert Juliat Digitour fluorescent dimming system.
The ENO team have also started adding automated lighting to the rig, to help deal with the demands of playing a complex repertoire with a daily change of show. They specified 'theatrical' style moving lights: nine Robert Juliat 2.5kW PCs fitted to Licht Technik automated yokes and fitted with custom 12" Rainbow scrollers and automated Licht Technik Stargate barndoors. These units are a variation on the units created by White Light Sales for the Royal Opera House in 1999, which have proved popular with lighting designers working there ever since. "These units are ideal for us because they are absolutely silent and very accurate. We added the barndoor facility because we felt the ability to shape the beam was invaluable," explains Kevin Sleep.
White Light Sales were selected as the supplier because of the White Light Group's close working relationship with ENO over many years, including the supply and commissioning of the Coliseum's custom Strand Lighting control system in 1999 and the company's first use of automated lighting on The Handmaid's Tale last year. "They offered a very competitive price," notes Kevin Sleep, "but more importantly they were very flexible, very helpful in helping us research equipment and very helpful in preparing and testing the equipment - and then looking after it for us as building work at the Coliseum was delayed!"
The building is now nearing completion, and the new equipment will see its first use on the refurbished theatres opening performances of The Rhinegold, the first part of ENO's new Ring Cycle.
Further information about the ENO and the Coliseum refurbishment can be found at www.eno.org with additional information about the refurbishment at www.rhwl.com.