Free to all theatre technicians and lighting designers, around 30 industry professionals attended each of the workshops. In total, six workshops were held in venues across the UK, from RADA in London to the Gateway Theatre in Edinburgh, taking in the Northcott Theatre, Exeter, the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, the Contact Theatre, Manchester and the Gilmore Centre at Glasgow University. "Selecon were well prepared and all the people who attended thought the demonstrations and the opportunities for hands-on experience were very good," commented Maurice Marshall, chief electrician at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. His colleague, electrician James Hewlett was equally enthusiastic about the workshops: "I found the lights to be very impressive and compared favourably to other manufacturers' equipment I've used. I particularly liked the hands-on element during the day," he said.
Staff from the Central School of Speech and Drama also praised the workshops: "I learned loads," said Phil Rowe, production technician at the school. "I was particularly impressed with the Pacifics, as well as the little tips and tricks which came out during the day. These will be especially valuable."
The workshops featured many of Selecon's leading products including their 1200 high performance Fresnels, the Pacific Range, the Arena Range and the Aurora Range. Selecon intends to hold further workshops later in the year.
(Lee Baldock)
