"English National Ballet had already decided they liked ETC, so they just needed a demonstration of the desk, to confirm it did all they needed it to do," says London Light's managing director, David Buffham. "Their previous system was 25 years old and well overdue for an upgrade, given the number of moving lights they had added to their stock. We provided hands on experience with the system, as well as both pre and post sales support and training."
David Richardson, chief electrician at the English National Ballet, says, "We had been looking around for a new desk for some time, and this was the first we've seen which fitted our needs. We wanted the accessibility of a moving light desk combined with the finesse of a theatre desk. When we tried it at PLASA a couple of years ago, it was clear that this desk would be the right one for us.
"We got both an Eos and an Ion control desk so that we would be able to make modifications to one part of the rig while continuing to work on another. We usually only have a very short time to make final changes to the lighting, so we need to be able to work quickly and efficiently.
"We also tour abroad a lot, so it's useful to have a backup desk when we don't have the immediate support of ETC's dealer network. In an ideal world, we'd have been able to buy two Eos desks, but, of course, arranging finance can be a challenge. They're both excellent desks, though, which I'd highly recommend."
Before the company's first show, London Light took the technical operators to ETC's facility in west London, where they could experience the desks connected to a fully operational lighting rig. "We had a very tight deadline to meet," explains Richardson, "with only a day in which to train. But the information we learned there was invaluable. When we've needed extra assistance, David has always been able to help on the phone, or quickly found out the answer for us."
(Jim Evans)
