Dallas High School Chooses J. R. Clancy Automated RiggingThe new building for the Booker T. Washington High School of Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, features a theatre with state-of-the-art automated rigging and control, thanks to equipment provided by J. R. Clancy, Inc., the company says. Working with theatre consultant Encore Design Group and Dallas installing dealer StageLight, Clancy supplied a total of 24 PowerLift Automated Hoists: nine with 0-180fpm variable speed and eight with 0-120fpm variable speed, all with 1,250lb capacity, for use with scenery, travelers, and a portal tormentor; and seven with 2,000lb capacity and a fixed speed of 20fpm, for electrics and the orchestra shell. In addition, Clancy provided a Zetex Plus fire safety curtain with a motorized line shaft hoist, for easy opening and closing during normal use. The line shaft is equipped with a hydraulic speed control to allow regulation of speed during an emergency descent. Zetex Plus fabric meets fire code strength requirements without the need for reinforcing wire. The PowerLifts are operated using dual control systems: a simple seven-channel control station for the fixed-speed utility sets, and the SceneControl 500 system for the variable speed hoists used to raise and lower scenery during productions. Using the SceneControl 500's touch screen interface, students can select sets and create simple or elaborate cues quickly, moving battens singly or in groups at different speeds. SceneControl's three-dimensional displays allow students to view graphic displays of the stage house with color representations of every piece of scenery on a batten, and to maneuver this 3-D display to provide the best viewing angle for operation. Operators can upload files of each drop, set piece or curtain to the SceneControl database and "paste" these onto each batten, creating a realistic view of each scene change in motion. 
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