Located in Hamilton, New Zealand, the newly built BNZ Theatre, designed as a state-of-the-art performing arts venue, is a versatile space featuring a 1,300-seat auditorium, circle balconies, and flexible staging configurations.
It hosts a wide range of events, including concerts, rock, pop and rap performances, musicals, ballet, opera, and community ceremonies.
The venue, formerly known as Waikato Regional Theatre, was renamed BNZ Theatre following a five-year naming rights agreement with the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), in collaboration with Live Nation New Zealand.
Māori soul singer TEEKS was the first major artist to perform on the public opening night on January 23, followed by New Zealand legends Sir Dave Dobbyn and Bic Runga, as well as the first international artist, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
ACLX, the leading technical equipment supplier in Waikato, was responsible for providing consultancy and solutions for this flagship venue. Its Managing Director, Aaron Chesham, selected Robert Juliat followspots, proposing the RJ Tristan model as an LED solution well suited to the venue’s versatility.
Launched in 2024, Robert Juliat’s Tristan rivals traditional 1800W MSR followspots in output, while offering a more compact format. This high-performance 825W cool-white LED followspot, with a 7° to 14.5° zoom range, proved to be the ideal choice for a venue of this size, where throw distances are shorter than in arena-scale environments.
The two Tristan units offer more consistent long-term performance. They deliver a very sharp beam in a compact format, exactly what the space requires. In addition, a frost filter can be applied to that precise focus to achieve a soft, even light without complex adjustments. As for the CTO, its performance is well suited for theatre: unlike other fixtures, it delivers a very natural warm tone, close to tungsten, comments Aaron.
Aaron notes that the initial followspot operators were volunteers, who were able to quickly learn how to use the Tristan’s features, enabling a smooth setup and efficient operation from the outset.
The ergonomic dimmer, along with pan and tilt controls, allows smooth one-handed operation, providing full control over intensity and beam size. This is excellent for our operators. The Tristan’s electronic iris is an outstanding feature, offering smoother control, adjustable scaling, maximum limits, and direct console operation, adds Aaron.
Image credits: © Yvonne Millroy
