The theatre which reopened in February 2013 had been dark for four years and having discovered their own console had been badly damaged in storage , the theatre was loaned a Strand Console by the Royal Shakespeare Company. When it came to replacing the console , Stephen Hocking from the Albany had already experienced the Orb XF supplied to the Palace Theatre Redditch (where he used to crew) and realised that this was the desk for them.
An onsite demo by Richard Lambert of Zero88 saw the Orb XF connected and patched easily to the theatres own DMX network and tasks which the crew had struggled to do effectively on the Strand console, were achieved quickly and easily.
During a separate site inspection by Keith Rogers , service manager from Zero88, The Albany's new crew were impressed to find the original Zero88 Contour dimmers in full working order and almost showroom condition. The Contours were specified and installed in 1996 by the then chief electrician Ian Knight - (now hire/service manager at Central Theatre Supplies).
At the Albany , Stephen Hocking and his colleagues are looking forward to a busy season ahead including several one night stands, dance shows and a pantomime with their workload lightened using a Zero88 Orb XF. Hocking said of the new desk "We don't have to worry about the desk now and with the support from CTS, we're sure the Orb will serve us well."
(Jim Evans)
