This was accompanied by a complete technical upgrade, at which point Habima head lighting designer, Meir Alon, and technical manager for lighting, Eitan Meima, decided the time was right for a new moving light system. They chose Robe.
The first purchase was Robe's Robin MMX Spots. "These were gaining a great reputation at the time and we had several good references," explains Meir. They visited PLASA, saw the fixtures in action and decided that "they fitted the theatre's needs exactly".
At the same time they also purchased four ColorSpot 1200E AT profiles, which were delivered by Robe's Israeli distributor, Danor Theatre and Studio Systems.
Once they started using the Robe's in their largest space - the 930 capacity Rovina auditorium - more fixtures were purchased, and the count is currently at 14 x MMX Spots and 18 x Robe Robin LEDWash 600s as well as the ColorSpot 1200E ATs. They also have a Robe DigitalSpot 3000DT.
Habima is a busy and buzzing environment. Across all its spaces, up to six shows a day can be staged, and they work 365 days a year - so any lights, which are used extensively, need to be robust and have some serious longevity!
They were attracted to the brightness, small size and light weight of the Robe fixtures. "It was a careful and very much considered choice" says Meir, "These fixtures are powerful and offer all the parameters we need for our shows".
Meir will typically design lighting for 90% of Habima's shows. Having the MMX Spots and LEDWash 600s among his creative toolbox gives, "fabulous gobos for texturing sets, surfaces and actors and fixtures that allow me to use a full range of authentic colour temperature 'halogen whites' ... plus the huge colour range, all combined with an excellent quality of light".
(Jim Evans)
