To keep up with this intense production rate, the Puppet Box must be able to depend on its technical systems, and Klaus Marschall, grandchild of the founder and now the owner of the theatre, is playing it safe with his lighting, choosing to install an ETC SmartFade 2496 as a DMX backup control console. The Augsburger puppeteers have long relied on their older Transtechnik T20 desk as their main console, without using a spare system as backup. As their production demands have become increasingly intense, a backup system has become more critical.
Marschall says: "The risk of losing a single production would justify the purchase of the console. And the price-to-performance ratio with SmartFade is optimal."
Show lighting data for the 18 productions in the current Augsburger repertoire were simply transferred from the T20 to SmartFade. The T20's DMX output was captured on SmartFade, and timing for the lighting effects was programmed in manually. Shows on SmartFade can also be subsequently stored and kept safe on SD-cards. Running a wide variety of productions is then possible - an important feature for the Puppet Box, which can regularly call up its timeless story classics - unchanged - along with its brand-new performance repertoire.
Should there be any need for a backup to the main console, SmartFade can take over and handle the cues. Marschall is very pleased: "As a small private organisation, we have always been stretched thin on personnel and technical support. It's a great feeling then to know that the show will continue to go on reliably. With SmartFade we have a very economical desk with a lot of functionality. And we can even take it with us on our other appearances as well."
(Lee Baldock)
