GDS ArcSystem Illuminates the Bacon Theatre in Cheltenham, UK

GDS and Gloucestershire-based Chinnick Theatre Services (CTS) recently commissioned a complete re-fit of the Bacon Theatre's house light system.

The impressive Bacon Theatre sits in the grounds of Dean Close School in Cheltenham, UK, built in 1991 it owes its name to Christopher Bacon, former headmaster of the independent school. Bacon fundraised tirelessly to build the Bacon Theatre which is used as a resource by Dean Close School pupils as well as hosting the best of professional touring theatre, live music, dance, film, and accommodating local talented youth, community groups, and charities.

The GDS engineering team visited the site with CTS in the summer of 2011. They designed the 566-seat theatre a retrofit house lighting solution, incorporating its industry acclaimed ArcSystem LED auditorium lighting fixtures. The theatre had in place an aging track light system which was proving increasingly difficult to source replacement fixtures and expensive to maintain. Over time this resulted in dim and inefficient auditorium lighting.

After working closely with the theatre's technical department and Clive Chinnick of CTS, GDS commissioned a bespoke, retrofit system. The final scheme included, from the ArcSystem Pro range, thirty 80-degree focusable fittings, which were flush mounted in to the auditorium ceiling, eight 37-degree fixed one cell fittings and four standard eight cell fittings controlled by the innovative GDS ArcMesh wireless control network. Three ArcSystem Wireless button panel controllers and a transmitter were installed, allowing the house lights to be controlled from the front and back of the theatre and backstage and avoiding the need for the DMX feeds at each location.

Dave Harris, projects manager at GDS commented: "ArcSystem was the perfect solution for the theatre, they needed an energy saving, low maintenance solution, while increasing the amount and quality of light. Specific requirements regarding control of the system were easily achieved by supplying our wireless button control panels along with the flexible configuration options we have with the system. They were able to locate the button panels wherever they wanted, in fact we sited them in minutes during commissioning and now they have the flexibility to move them anywhere in the venue in the future."

"It was a pleasure to see the system working and exceeding the theatre's expectations. The system was a true enhancement to the venue, both in terms of aesthetics after removal of the old track lighting, adding flexibility to their control system, and knowing that they are truly saving energy and cost by using the system. We worked closely with CTS on all aspects of the installation from conception to commission. CTS is a well-established business with over 31 years' experience and their knowledge and skill made it a pleasure to work alongside Clive and the team."

Clive Chinnick, of Chinnick Theatre Services added: "We were very pleased to install such an innovative product at The Bacon Theatre; a true example of a long established business merging with a contemporary solution with the impressive results exceeding every expectation. Working closely with both The Bacon and GDS enabled us to truly deliver a bespoke solution that will not only save the theatre money in the long term, but is also brighter and easier to control and maintain. Looking to the future we envisage many more venues would benefit from converting their existing house lighting to the ARC system and we look forward to continued success with the ARC system and cementing our relationship with GDS."

Dave Thompson, Bacon Theatre operations manager concluded: "As part of our policy of reducing our carbon footprint we have been looking for an LED house lighting system for about two years but we found nothing that suited the venue with the height of the ceiling being a major issue. When GDS came in and demonstrated the ARC system I felt we had found what we were looking for and after installation it far exceeded expectations and has significantly reduced the heat output and energy consumption in the auditorium. A big plus is the control system which allows the lights to be operated from anywhere in the theatre just by plugging one of the controllers into the mains supply. I would have no hesitation in recommending both the system and CTS, the installation team."

ArcSystem has won numerous industry awards including, the LDI Best Green Product Award, the ABTT Lighting Product of the Year Award, the Theatres Trust People's Choice Award for Sustainability, a PLASA Award for Innovation, and the PLASA Sustainability Award.