"The old theatre had no fly loft," said Kathy Burleson, department chair and technical director at American River, a two-year community college with 30,000 students. "We're a teaching institution, and for most of our students, this is their first experience with lighting or rigging. We wanted a system that would enable our training process so the students could learn lighting, and experience both manual and automated rigging in a very safe manner."
The new 360-seat proscenium theatre has a 20 x 40ft proscenium and a rigging system with 42 line sets, Burleson said. "We have music events and lectures as well as full productions, so we have lots of fast changeovers. Our old system was designed 50 years ago, and was not designed for the weight requirements of modern shows. This system enables us to change lighting quickly and safely."
Theatre consultant Adam Shalleck selected a counterweight rigging system as the best fit within the department's budget. He also chose a system that provides an added advantage on the line sets that would hold the theatre's electrics: the PowerAssist Automation System. The innovative system was developed by J. R. Clancy.
J. R. Clancy provided four PowerAssist units as well as the counterweight rigging system to the new theatre. "The system is so easy, and the students love it," said Burleson. "The PowerAssist units are just invisibly helpful - we don't even think about them. They make changeovers and load-ins twice as fast and safe because someone doesn't have to go to the grid to change weight every time you add a light."
(Jim Evans)
