A Bevy of Illuminating Ideas

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Despite the world class facilities at its Kew campus, there was one major thing missing at Genazzano FCJ College; somewhere for their artistically minded students to perform. But when Melbourne’s Archbishop Denis Hart opened the brand new Madeline Centre for Music and Performing Arts in April, that need had substantially been met.

The Madeleine Centre is a fully functioning performing arts venue, incorporating a series of classrooms, drama rooms, a gallery space and the main attraction; The impressive Montagner Auditorium. The 456 seat auditorium and the accompanying rooms are already heavily used each day, playing host to Drama and Theatre studies, Music Classes, band rehearsals, meetings, assemblies, seminars, concerts, recitals and theatre productions.
The School’s Business Manager Mark Glover was heavily involved in the coordination process of the construction, and was just as excited as the rest of the staff and students when the venue opened its doors. “The build up to the opening of the Madeleine Centre was most exciting. The new building was the first major construction at the College in 11 years and there was a great deal of anticipation and excitement leading to the grand opening.”
Lightmoves were contracted to supply and install the Theatrical Lighting, Sound and Lighting Control packages for the new artistic hub.

LIGHTING
Lightmoves decked out the stage lighting rig with a series of Philips Selecon fixtures. Eight 600w profile spots, four 800w profiles and six 1000w profiles create flexibility, while eighteen Fresnels give superb stage wash. The cyclorama is lit using 12 HUI cyc lights and 12 LUI cyc lights, while twenty-four PAR64’s round out the stage lights. Two Selecon followspot’s sit on a balcony above the bio box.

LSC products were used for the stage lighting control, with a MAXIM console and twenty-four 2500w Dimmers. Theatre consultant Arup chose a hard wired dimmer system, removing the need to have a patch panel or the knowledge of how it works; giving the venue the ability to load every lighting outlet up to 2400W at the same time.

LIGHTING CONTROL
A Philips Dynalite system is responsible for the Lighting Control of the whole venue. The system is a little unusual for this type of installation, as all areas of control – Auditorium house lights, backstage lights, white and blue work lights and Front of House lights – have been integrated on the one control system. This way, one-button push can ensure all lighting is turned off as the last person leaves the venue.
During a performance, a button in the Bio Box can select ‘performance mode’ which automatically disables certain panels and locks out lighting that may adversely affect the performance.
The first major dramatic performance was the VCE Theatre Studies performance of Amadeus. The Music Department had the first performance in the form of a major recital. The first key event after the opening was the 2010 VCE Graduates Award Presentations.
For more information on Theatrical Installations, contact Peter Gray of Lightmoves on 9701 2500

Construction Team
Builder: Watpac
Architect: H20 Architects
Electrical Consultant: Waterman AHW
Audio Visual Consultant: Arup

Lightmoves.com.au