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Show if l "What we've tried to do is blend, in the most economical way possible, the most theatrically advantageous ad-vantageous lighting control system to, on the one hand, serve a campus auditorium; and, on the other hand serve, an Elizabethean stage." Such is how Utah Shakespearean Festival Production Director Cameron G. Harvey described the recently-installed recently-installed lighting system in the Adams Memorial Shakespeare Theater and the Southern Utah " State College Auditorium. Fourteen years back when Harvey first came to the festival, he reported that the lighting system being used was extremely inadequate and was composed of only 30 dimmers and a two-scene preset board. Harvey remembers, "although woefully inadequate, we made a valiant effort to do the best job possible." However, all that has changed with the completion of the third phase, out of four, lighting package system. The first phase consisted of running extension ex-tension cords to the Shakespearean theater and the installation of environmental en-vironmental lighting for the theater. Environmental lighting includes house lights,- commercial lights, rehearsal lights and convenience con-venience lights which are I the lights closest to the audience according to Harvey. The second phase included a computer memory board and equipment for the basic shell of lighting production consisting of 48 dimmers. It included, said Harvey, improvements of production lighting facilities and was completed about two summers ago. Phase 1 three is now completed, and all production lighting in both the Shakespearean theater and the aduitorium is installed. in-stalled. According to Harvey, phase four will be completed some time in the future and will consist of complete environmental lighting in the future Elizabethean village to be constructed. "The environmental lighting in the courtyard is still being done in a makeshift make-shift sort of way; not by choice, but by necessity," he said. "We would like the fixtures to complement the architecture surrounding the idea of the Festival." Harvey explained that as the Festival grew the technical facilities needed to grow as well and must become more sufisticated each-year. To support the suf istication of the facilities, they sought to to increase the level of satisfaction. Then in 1973, the administrative ad-ministrative staff of the festival contacted the college administration and the Utah State Legislature to seek corrections to the inadequacy of the facility and to articulate its needs. The phasing for the festival then got underway. Harvey explained that the way the system is designed is very unique. To avoid duplication and waste, both theaters, "in fact, share what is the heart of any lighting system, a common dimmer bank which is switchable between facilities. The entire system was designed and constructed con-structed from an economy point of view. Although economy in no way compromises com-promises the quality of such an extensive system. The system is extensive, certainly, cer-tainly, to maintain our professional standards. There we made no compromise," com-promise," commented Harvey. The whole system includes 300 circuits in each theater with 96 dimmers, and each will have a capacity of between 4.5 to 7 kilowatts. It will eventually cost approximately ap-proximately $500,000 which really isn't a lot of money for a lighting system of this kind and quality, according to Harvey. The system is extremely unique also in that it is part manual and part memory. 1 Lighting Technician Sean Patrick,, Callahan adjusts a spotlight in , preparation for the opening of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. The actors and f tsMwsm mew m actresses are the ones seen on the stage, but hundreds of support people such as Callahan help them to look and sound their bests. |