They say that experience is the best teacher and the most effective way to dispel doubts—something that Marc Brissonnet knows well. As Technical Director of L’Eden Theatre, he led the transformation of the venue toward a fully LED lighting system, a project initiated by the City of Saint-Jean-d’Angély in 2018.
The process began in late 2024, when the theatre installed eight Ovation Rêve E-3 ellipsoidal fixtures with advanced color rendering and ten Ovation Rêve F-3 Fresnels, both from CHAUVET Professional.
As a multidisciplinary space, the theatre hosts a wide variety of productions, and Marc acknowledges that, at first, some touring companies were hesitant to perform under LED lighting. However, experience soon proved otherwise.
Some companies arrived with preconceived ideas—concerns about color rendering, intensity, or beam quality. But once they saw what the Rêve units could do, most of those doubts disappeared. LED technology has advanced tremendously, and today we can achieve excellent results across a wide range of applications. One example is how the Rêve F-3 fixtures offer the same flexibility we had with traditional equipment, but with far superior color control, consistency, and energy efficiency. They allow us to set up more quickly and with greater precision. Honestly, they are an excellent replacement, Marc explains.
The purchase of the Rêve fixtures was one of the steps Marc took to turn the theatre into a fully LED space. This year, L’Eden added six Maverick Storm 2 Profile fixtures and two Rogue Outcast 2X Wash units to its permanent rig.
“The potential is already clear”, Marc says of the new fixtures. “Having motorized LED luminaires in the venue gives us a great deal of creative flexibility. I’m glad that Chauvet offers IP20 fixtures, because IP65 is often unnecessary in venues like ours”.
Before beginning this transition to a fully LED system, Marc had already enhanced the theatre’s capabilities by acquiring a ChamSys MagicQ MQ250M Stadium console.
“We needed more universes to control the fixtures, and this console offered the perfect combination of features and price”, he explains. “I received an excellent introduction to the system thanks to Rémy Rouvoy, and it was Victor Faré who helped us become familiar with the fixtures.
Prisme Éclairage, responsible for the integration and for the superb support throughout the project, also deserves significant recognition”, Marc adds. “And of course, my thanks to the Ville de Saint-Jean-d’Angély; as a municipal venue, an investment like this depends heavily on the city’s support”.
The investment is already paying off in multiple ways. One of them can be felt in the theatre’s thermal comfort. Marc notes that the temperature has dropped by around 7°C during the summer, which makes a real difference for both the artists and the audience.
The space now feels less hot and much more pleasant. In addition, the lighting quality has improved significantly, and the feedback from visiting companies has been very positive—even from those who were initially hesitant about using LED lighting, he notes.
