Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University Acquires Robert Juliat Aramis Followspots

The Hylton Performing Arts Center on the Prince William Campus of George Mason University in Manassas, Virginia has taken delivery of two Robert Juliat Aramis followspots with motorized dousers from dealer Barbizon Capitol in Alexandria, VA.

The 85,000-sq.-ft. center, which opened last year, serves the Northern Virginia community. Theatre consultant and lighting designer Robert Davis specified Aramis followspots for the 1,121-seat Merchant Hall, which is designed for symphony orchestra performances, dance, opera and theater and features a 45' by 100' stage and a motorized pit set for large orchestras.

"A followspot has to do everything perfectly: it doesn't have to clear just one hurdle, but dozens," says Davis. "The instrument has to have a really good followspot beam, and you need to have good control over it. It has to accelerate and decelerate smoothly and stand rock-solid -- any jiggle at 100'will be greatly exaggerated. Remember that the star talent will be standing right in this light.

"In addition," he says, "every designer wants something different from the light for a particular show, so the beam has to be flexible enough to accommodate different kinds of performances. Taking all these things into consideration, I recommended the Robert Juliat Aramis followspot because my clients can depend on it to perform in critical situations.

"Also, because Robert Juliat followspots are known and used throughout the highest levels of the entertainment industry any specifier or theatre owner can be confident that Robert Juliat followspots will find instant acceptance from touring companies."

Aramis is a 2,500W HMI followspot with a high light output, making it suitable for long-throw venues and theatrical applications. It is equipped with high-quality optics and covered in a robust housing for prolonged use in fixed and on-the-road situations. The fixture features a 4.5-8 degree beam angle, silent hot re-strike ignition, B-size gobo holder, and six-way boomerang color changer fitted with removable filter frames. Within its compact and efficient design all working parts are readily accessible for easy maintenance.

Kevin Smith, technical director at Merchant Hall, says "I like them a lot. They're very well constructed, very easy to use -- that's important when I bring in people to run lights as needed -- and very easy to service. They have also been very quick with tech support, too."