FORTE, T2 Profile and Arianne 6: the new lighting at Teatros del Canal

Teatros del Canal, one of Madrid's leading contemporary performing arts centres, has added 24 FORTE, 24 T2 Profile and 24 Arianne 6 LED wash beam fixtures from Robe, all supplied with their respective flight cases, as part of a major technical equipment upgrade.

These are the first current-generation Robe fixtures to be installed at the venue, according to technical manager Antonio Serrano. The purchase is part of a wider technical modernisation project at the complex, which opened in 2009 and is managed by the Regional Government of Madrid.

Antonio Serrano has held the position for four years. He oversees all technical production aspects across the complex and coordinates around 50 full-time staff working in the various technical disciplines.

A busy performance venue

The three main auditoriums have capacities of 850, 400 and 200 people respectively, while the foyer can also be transformed into a performance space for 120 people.

Teatros del Canal operates as a receiving venue for visiting productions, with a diverse programme that includes entertainment, theatre, dance, circus, opera, music and experimental performances.

From conventional light sources to LED technology

The equipment was supplied by sales and integration company Telesonic through Midwich Iberia, Robe's distributor in Spain.

The investment addresses the need to replace conventional light sources with more sustainable LED fixtures, which also offer greater flexibility for staging contemporary productions.

The technical team carried out numerous demonstrations with products from different manufacturers before choosing Robe, which was considered the highest-quality option for meeting the requirements of their productions. Another decisive factor was that most visiting companies specifically requested fixtures from this brand.

Antonio Serrano, who has 25 years of professional experience in lighting and production, has long valued Robe's reliability. The venue already had some previous-generation fixtures, specifically ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200 units, which demonstrated exceptional durability.

I think Robe's TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) technology is a brilliant idea that considerably extends the value of the products, he comments.

For a publicly funded venue, equipment longevity is an important consideration.

Why FORTE, T2 and Arianne 6

The FORTE and T2 models were selected for their light output. "Visiting companies were requesting these two types of fixtures when choosing Robe equipment for their productions," explains Antonio.

Despite their high light output, lighting designers also appreciate the softness, quality and high colour rendering index (CRI) of their light sources, which deliver excellent skin tones and flattering facial illumination.

The Arianne 6, launched at ISE this year, will serve as a versatile LED wash fixture. It can produce wash and beam effects using 19 x 55 W RGB lime LED multichips, delivering 90,000 lux at five metres from a compact housing.

Its variable CTO system ranges from 1,800 K to 10,000 K, while the tungsten lamp emulation feature reproduces the characteristics of 750 W, 1,000 W, 1,200 W, 2,000 W and 2,500 W sources. These features make it particularly well suited to theatrical applications.

The FORTE and T2 fixtures will be used in Sala Roja, the largest venue in the complex, while the Arianne 6 fixtures will join the house lighting rig in Sala Verde, the second-largest auditorium.

According to Antonio, both the technical crews and lighting designers are pleased with the new equipment. He also highlights the local technical support provided by Telesonic and Midwich Iberia as another key factor in choosing Robe.

First production

The new fixtures were first used in September, when lighting designers Juan Gómez Cornejo and Ion Anibal lit a production of Los locos de Valencia, a comedy from the Spanish Golden Age.

Photos: © Bentor Albel/La Dalia Negra