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Dakota Theater upgrades to Elation LED lighting

Dakota Theater, one of The Hague’s eight cultural anchors and a vibrant artistic hub of the Dutch city, has installed an LED lighting system by Elation. The theater and film house hosts a wide array of productions, from experimental theater and festivals to film screenings, musical performances, workshops, and presentations.

With a 184-seat theater, 64-seat movie theater, and an affiliated school, the venue required a modern lighting system that could meet the diverse demands of its programming. To achieve the transformation from traditional lighting to an LED system, Dakota Theater collaborated with Rolight, Elation’s Dutch distributor, who played a pivotal role in advising, supplying, and supporting the installation process.

After a demo at the theater, the choice fell on the KL and Fuze series: thirty-two KL Profile FC with interchangeable Fresnel lenses for front lighting; eight KL Fresnel 6 FC for stage fill and hall lighting; eight Fuze Wash 500 for side fill; ten KL Cyc L for horizon lighting and footlights; and five KL Fresnel 6 for use in the movie theater and house lighting.

The upgrade was driven in part by the discontinuation of bulbs for the theater’s old fixtures, prompting a necessary transition to LED. “When we saw the KL Profile FC during the demo, we were instantly convinced”, explains Nigel Heidt, Dakota Theater’s technician. “The ability to switch from spot to Fresnel gives us incredible flexibility in designing our light plans.” New lighting in the movie theater was also on the wish list. “The KL Fresnel 6 FC gives us the option to transform our movie theater the way we want it”, says Heidt. “Sometimes we have presentations there or panel discussions after a movie and the lights let us create the perfect setting.”

Since he started working at the Dakota, Heidt says he has always wanted to have some moving fixtures in the lighting rig. “The Fuze Wash 500 is a fixture we use as our main backlight or as an effect light”, he reports. “The option to create spots from the light desk without having to move is perfect. The colors and the options we have with the beam are what sold us.” The KL Cyc units offer an adaptable horizon and footlight solution. “They have a lot of options”, says Heidt, with Rolof Tilanus, Project Consultant at Rolight, adding: “The fixtures are positioned quite high, but they’re more than strong enough.”

Heidt says the benefits of the new system are numerous. The theater often works with non- or semi-professionals, who know little about light, and having an LED setup gives them many more options than conventional lights. Heidt also highlights another benefit: “Whereas in the past we had to walk to our bridge to change filters and then walk back only to hear ‘we don’t like this color’, now we have every color available at the press of a button.” He says the same goes with the Fuze Wash, which allows them to reposition beams, streamlining their workflow, “and of course, in terms of power usage, the new LED system is way more economical.”

Rolight also replaced the theater’s dimmer system with modern switch packs, ensuring an up-to-date power supply. Tilanus says the client liked the fact that all the lights have the same RGBMA color engine (with the exception of the KL Fresnel 6), so they have compatible colors across the system. “The multifunctionality of the system allows the theater to do much more than previously”, he concludes. “They now have a flexible setup with profile and wash options, more light, more color options, and greater adaptability.”

(Photos: Elation/Dakota Theater)

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