"It has been a long struggle to obtain money for the purchase, and thanks to the City of Johannesburg, the upgrade was able to make progressive improvement to the theatre," said Loran Robertson, theatre manager. Robertson joined The Roodepoort Theatre 18 years ago when she was appointed stage manager, partly because she could read music at a time when the theatre mostly hosted operas. The theatre's lighting equipment existing fixtures were well pass their sell by date and it was becoming more and more difficult to find parts for the necessary repairs.
"Johannes Mojapelo is our lighting designer and he is ecstatic," said Robertson. "It's wonderful to see where our technicians came from and where they are now. Johannes started his career as a stage worker and has wriggled his way up into lighting. To be lighting designer you need to be on top of technology. The move from our ARRI Mirage to a grandMA2 ultra-light is a major step."
DWR Distribution were very pleased to be awarded the bulk of the tender. Prosound supplied two Robin 600E Color Spots.The installation was carried out by DWR's Bruce Riley and Gareth Chambers, while Nick Britz provided training on the console.
(Jim Evans)
