CHAUVET® LEDs Invigorate Community Theater

December 1, 2011

Stuart, Fla. – The Lyric Theatre has served the ocean side community of Stuart for nearly 90 years. Within their plot of traditional incandescent fixtures are CHAUVET® LED-fitted fixtures lighting up international acts like Jim Brickman, Lily Tomlin, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Platters, Boyz II Men and more traditional fare, like Shakespeare, The Nutcracker and Guys and Dolls. Seven COLORdash™ Batten downlight the cyc while on the fly 24 LED PAR 38 Tri serve as front light for the 22 foot x 30 foot stage. Additionally, two Followspot 1200 fixtures spot the stage from the control booth.

The Lyric Theatre morphed from a silent movie house to a non-denominational church to its current incarnation, a community theater. Since 1987, the 500-seat theater plays host to a variety of events ranging from classical theatre to rock and country bands, orchestra and jazz concerts, dance recital and school programs, charity fundraisers, civic presentations, and, in a nod to its past, movies.

Also fitted with CHAUVET® is The Lyric Theatre’s multifunctional sister facility, The Flagler Center. Refurbished in February 2011, the center employed LED-fitted fixtures and recycled Dade County Pine in its green-build efforts. The center has a banquet hall seating 120 and additional smaller rooms with couches, love seats and overstuffed chairs for modest affairs.

The Flagler Center’s interior features an open beam ceiling with 110 discreetly placed COLORdash™ Accent compact RGB wash lights, giving the quaint space a cozier feel for the intimate productions and gatherings it hosts. Six Q-Spot™ 260-LED moving heads complement the colorful open beams and add dramatic flair to the room, invigorating the audience with moving light and colorful gobos. To define the stage area—a wood floor sectioned off from the carpeting—hangs one SparkliteLED™ Drape.

“Originally, the thought was to line the beams with fluorescent tubes,” said Bert Zimmerman, production and technical director for both spaces, “but the [COLORdash™ Accent] lights give the space a more high-end look with color-changing options. Plus, LEDs are more Earth conscience.”