Albany Entertainment Centre Chooses Anolis

	Albany Entertainment Centre. Photo: Eddie Galak / courtesy AEC

Albany Entertainment Centre (AEC), a contemporary performing arts and events venue located on the waterfront in Albany, about 260 miles southeast of Perth, Australia, has upgraded the auditorium lighting of its main theatre space -- Princess Royal Theatre -- from incandescent sources to LED, utilizing over 100 Anolis luminaires picked from different Ambiane ranges.

The fixtures were supplied via Anolis' Australian distributor, Jands, and the project was overseen by architectural specialist Eddie Galak, who designed the new lighting scheme from scratch in conjunction with AEC's technical manager, Erik Loew.

The 618-seat Princess Royal Theatre now has 14 Anolis Ambiane XP56s, 48 Ambiane SP16 "tiltable" fixtures, and 24 Ambiane HP111s illuminating the main auditorium. Thirty XP56 Ambiane Pendant remotes are rigged in AEC's studio space, also for audience lighting.

Work on the project had started pre-COVID, initially envisioned as a white LED installation for the seating area. However, as the cleaning lights also needed to be upgraded, requiring 300 lux minimum, it made sense to achieve this using the same system.

Everything shifted to RGBW when Loew recognized the value of house lighting that could deliver whites while being integrated into the stage lighting control for specific events, immersing the audiences in color and atmosphere, and making them part of the action.

A color-changing LED option also offered visiting productions the opportunity embellish or blend in with their stage lighting.

As Australia's Great Southern region's main multi-purpose theatre space, AEC hosts a diverse range of productions and events, from touring shows and concerts to community events and conferences.

At the front of the stage and on the bridge above the orchestra pit in the Princess Royal Theatre, the XP56s are fitted with 20-degree reflectors and louvres. Underneath the first catwalk are six XP56s with 45-degree reflectors and six with 20-degree reflectors plus louvres. On the second catwalk are eight fitted with 60-degree reflectors.

Twelve of the recessed HP111s have 60-degree reflectors and yokes, and 12 have the 60-degree reflector without the yoke, all with the 2,700K white chip.

One challenge involved making the new installation look and feel like the old one while being more efficient. To reduce the time and physical impact of the new lighting scheme, the existing positions were reused, including those on the lighting bridge undersides and those recessed in the ceiling, and these were combined with new ones created where needed.

There was a specific requirement to ensure the new under-balcony lighting seating areas mimicked the look produced by the previous globe units, which the Anolis installation achieved, together with the addition of some new positions for additional fixtures underneath the back of the dress circle.

In the Kalyenup Studio, a flat-floor, flexible area accommodating up to 200 people for events, the Ambiane XP56 Pendants are attached to points chemically fixed into the ceiling, with the pendant version chosen to best match the space's aesthetic.

Jands also supplied a Paradigm control system, which was another starting point for the new installation, Loew says, as, together with other venues in Perth also run by the Arts & Culture Trust, they were keen to work with one supplier if possible. In addition, fixtures that could run on sACN were another requirement.

"There is plenty of variety in the [Anolis] range to be able to place a light exactly where it's needed," Loew says.

AEC's electrical contractor, Shane Congram, from Castlehow Electrical Services, completed the installation, working to plans and drawings supplied by Galak and Jands. Loew says Congram and his team's "work and commitment to the project" further helped deliver the excellent results.

Loew also emphasizes the importance of good service as part of the package, especially in a remote location like Albany. "Jands is a good company with a great name that we know we can rely on for solid local and nationwide support," he says.

Completed in 2010, the AEC complex was designed by the Australian company COX Architecture and has won several awards. Its striking glass and steel form was intended to be a contemporary structural work of art on the harbourside, with the angular facade and extensive glazing references to the crystalline molecular structures of earth. It comes alive like a glistening giant cut diamond, transformed by absorbing and reflecting light as people move around.