The theatre, which is the second largest performing arts complex in Cape Town (after the Artscape Theatre Centre), purchased four Philips Strand Wallrack Dimmer 24 x 2.5kW, two Philips Strand Wallrack Dimmer 6 x 5kW - 25 Amp, and four Philips Strand Wallrack Dimmer 6 x 2.5kW units from Philips Strand Lighting's South African dealer DWR Distribution.
"We chose Strand because it is a trusted name in theatre lighting," commented Patrick Curtis from The Baxter. "The linkage to Philips is a positive development, and added to that with Strand Lighting products we are assured of 100% backup from DWR."
The Philips Strand Lighting Wallrack is designed for small to medium entertainment and architectural venues, and is convection cooled (no fans) yet extremely compact.
"DWR Distribution has a long association with the Baxter Theatre - I've known Patrick for many years and was delighted when he approached us for suggestions to upgrade his dimmers," says Dave Whitehouse from DWR. "The original Strand dimming installation had provided many years of reliable service so replacement with a more up to date Strand solution immediately put the client at ease.
"Most of the installation was conducted by the in-house electrical department at the University of Cape Town as the Baxter Theatre being part of this establishment. However the house lighting dimmers proved more of a challenge as the original installation did not split the load evenly. Our installation team, headed by Bruce Riley, went in, traced everything and redistributed the load more efficiently to work with the new dimmers. DWR is proud to have contributed to the continuing success of this vital part of South African theatre."
(Jim Evans)
