After a three-year renovation, the Tallinn City Theatre has reopened with a fully modernized lighting system, setting a new benchmark for theatre in Estonia.
Its seven architecturally distinct stages now combine cutting-edge technology with energy-efficient, networked lighting, delivering flexible and reliable performance for every production.
Focus Point Systems, led by Kalle Karindi, designed and implemented a comprehensive lighting and effects system. The installation includes more than 350 ETC Source Four LED Series 3 luminaires, around 100 SolaFrame Studio units, 100 fos/4 fixtures, multiple ColorSource luminaires, five Eos Apex 5 consoles, and Echo architectural control.
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Renowned lighting designer and lecturer Margus Vaigur served as an independent expert on the project, advising the Estonian government on lighting investments. “I made it clear why a specialized solution, even if slightly more expensive, is better than a cheaper, universal option”, he says. “The decision was simple: for theatre lighting, ETC has always been my first choice”.
ETC provides an integrated system from a single supplier. Integration across luminaires, consoles, and networks ensures reliability and simplifies updates. Every light, every cue works in harmony across all seven stages, explains Karindi.
Performance, silent operation, and accurate color reproduction were key priorities. Emil Kallas, head of the theatre’s lighting department, notes: “The Source Four LED Series 3 delivers very natural skin tones and vivid colors on stage. SolaFrame Studio operates silently without compromising functionality, while ArcLamp and Irideon fixtures provide dimmable lighting for public areas and the main auditorium”.
Karindi highlights the SolaFrame Studio as a standout fixture: “It is completely silent, which is essential for the theatre’s intimate spaces. Features such as zoom, shutters, gobos, animation, iris, frost, prisms, and a high-CRI LED source producing over 10,000 lumens make it ideal for most stages”. He also praised the Source Four LED Series 3, calling it the global “standard” for theatre stages, as “it comes closest to natural light among available fixtures”.
Each of the seven stages presented unique architectural and technical challenges. “Each space has its own size, shape, and lighting requirements”, says Kallas. “We needed fixtures and control systems flexible enough to adapt to any production, yet simple to operate. This system allows us to achieve that”.
The reopening production, Iphigenie.Agamemnon.Elektra, demonstrated the system’s versatility, with complex scene changes, dynamic lighting transitions, and varied atmospheres that helped immerse the audience.
This is the largest ETC installation in Eastern Europe to date. The collaboration between the theatre, Kalle, and ETC demonstrates how an integrated system of luminaires, consoles, and software can achieve a high level of technical quality, concludes Florian Maier, ETC Regional Manager.
