Theatre production manager Seamus Shea said: "We aimed to get a lantern from each decade of the twentieth century. While there are lots of manufacturers of modern theatre lighting, there's sadly been very little in the way of evolutionary changes. We asked ETC to donate the Source Four because it's the one device that's revolutionized the way theatres work."
The Gaiety has recently undergone an historic 10-year restoration to return it to its former architectural glory. The lighting exhibits are housed in the Victorian theatre's old projection rooms, which have been artfully converted for that purpose. The Source Four will play a lead role in the display. ETC's UK manager Mark White said: "It's an honour for us to have a state-of-the-art Source Four standing alongside historic lanterns like the Pattern 23 and Pattern 123, both industry standards in their day. We are thrilled that ETC will go down in history as a firm which played an important part in the evolution of the theatre."
The exhibition will run for its first full season from April to September. Opened for a brief stint last summer, the exhibition proved very popular. Seamus believes those interested in attending one of this year's tours should book well in advance. "Last year we were turning people away at the doors. The demand to see the lanterns on display was enormous, but for safety reasons and to protect the exhibits we're limited to letting no more than 50 people through the doors each session," he explained.
(Lee Baldock)
