With student operators at the heart of its Live Theatre & Production program, St Mary MacKillop College required a lighting solution that balances professional results with simplicity. Partnering with Jands and Sound Advice, the College selected ETC’s ColorSource range to standardise setup and control across its new theatre spaces and to build skills with confidence.
Key Players
St Mary MacKillop College (Canberra)
A co-educational Years 7–12 school across two campuses in the Tuggeranong Valley. Its new Performing Arts Centre supports Dance, Drama, and Music, with an emphasis on practical, student-operated productions and creative outcomes.
Sound Advice
Canberra-based consultant and integrator that worked with the project architect to shape the PAC specification.
Jands
Since 1970, Jands has distributed world-class audio, video, lighting and broadcast technologies across Australia and New Zealand, supporting partners with design guidance and product expertise throughout the project.
ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls)
Founded in 1975 in the USA, is a leading global manufacturer of lighting and rigging technologies. It serves the theatre, live events, and architectural lighting industries with advanced control systems and fixtures. The ColorSource family is purpose-built for small to mid-sized venues and education, delivering calibrated colour, reliable performance, and an integrated, easy-to-use workflow for students and staff.
The Challenge
With a new Performing Arts Centre coming online at the St Peter’s (Senior) Campus, the College needed a unified lighting approach for a 370-seat auditorium and a flexible Black Box—professional results that students could learn and operate confidently. “As we were initially the consultants that designed this space with the Architect, we had the opportunity to deliver a Performing Arts Centre that wasn’t about finding the cheapest fixtures, but about achieving true colour matching, an exceptional warranty, and consistency across the site,” said Mr Norman Korte, Director at Sound Advice.
The Solution
To meet both the performance and education needs of the College, Sound Advice specified ETC ColorSource fixtures for both the main theatre and the Black Box. The range offered the ideal balance of reliability, colour accuracy, and ease of use—delivering professional-grade results while remaining approachable for student operators.
“Having visited the ETC Factory and seen the detail and care that goes into all ETC products, it was easy to recommend the ColorSource models to the architect and the school for this project,” said Mr Korte. “The result has been excellent—consistent colour, simple setup, and the assurance that the fixtures will perform for years to come.”
From the College’s perspective, the system has proven intuitive from day one. “The ease of use from addressing, focusing, and controlling the ETC fixtures has been nothing short of exceptional throughout our rehearsals and opening performances,” said Mr Harry Hattch, Media & AV Assistant at St Mary MacKillop College.
Outcome
Since installation, the new lighting system has supported three major productions in the main theatre and four smaller performances in the Black Box as of October 2025, many of which have been operated entirely by students. The fixtures have delivered consistent results from rehearsals through opening nights, reinforcing both reliability and confidence among staff and students.
“It gives peace of mind knowing that—even in the infancy of this building—the fixtures will remain high quality and low maintenance throughout their life,” said Mr Hattch.
