However celebrating history and all things antique should not stretch to the lighting department who were struggling with their old consoles.
"We had a Strand 550 and a 520i console for years and they were really at the end of their use-by date," commented Matthew Nankivell, head of lighting at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth. "More and more touring shows were coming through that couldn't use their show files with the Strand consoles. One of the main deciding factors on which console to choose was driven by the need to keep up with industry trends. Many of our shows have originated in a venue with an EOS so it made logical sense to also go down the EOS pathway."
Consequently His Majesty's Theatre has become home to an ETC Eos console which resides in the bio box, an ETC EOS remote processor unit, and an ETC Gio console which is used on stage and in the stalls as a production console.
"The ETC consoles have performed really well," continued Nankivell. "The learning curve was small and it was relatively easy to pick up thanks to similar syntax to the Strand and Obsession series of desks. As to which features I favour .... well really all of them, especially not needing to save shows on to floppy disk! The effects engine is great, and I find it to be extremely powerful. I like the customizable layouts and having features such as pallets, preset and group direct selects all at your fingertips on the touch screen; you don't have to remember your group numbers like you did on the Strand console.
"The Eos is very logical and intuitive and I really like the feel of it - a moving light console as well as a conventional console. Our ETC consoles have certainly made programming a lot quicker and easier."
The Gio is designed for those looking for sophisticated control in a manageable, road-ready package.
"The Gio has been great for programming especially as it has the backlit keys," added Nankivell.. "They really make it usable when you're programming in the dark as you can actually see what you're doing. The adjustable screens are fantastic especially allowing the operator the freedom they have been requiring to adapt to a manner of different operating positions. As the Gio has a similar button layout and learning curve to the Eos, you can program on it and simply transfer to the Eos with no problem."
(Jim Evans)
