Wales Millenium Centre Chooses Robert Juliat Arthur LT Followspots Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru (Wales Millennium Centre) is Wales's national arts center. Located in Cardiff Bay, the Centre is the principal receiving venue for the Welsh capital, and comprises a large theatre, as well as smaller concert hall, studio theatre, and cabaret space. A major venue for opera, ballet, and musicals, the Centre is home to eight resident arts organizations including the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales. Its main Donald Gordon Theatre is renowned for having the second largest stage in Europe, enabling it to deliver an extensive program of unique and spectacular performances. Under the leadership of technical director Martin Hunt, the Centre recently took the decision to replace its existing xenon followspots with LED units to improve energy efficiency, reduce maintenance, and promote environmental and financial sustainability. Deputy technical manager at the Centre, Josie Allen, comments: "One of our main goals at the Centre is reducing our carbon footprint. Our old spots had been with us since our opening, and we were after an upgrade as well as a sustainable option. Also, swapping to LED from the HMIs would in turn be extremely cost-effective, as buying lamps for our old spots was becoming more difficult and expensive." On a visit last year to Plasa Focus Leeds, the Centre's team looked at a number of options which included Robert Juliat Arthur LT (long throw) followspots, on display with distributor Live Technology. A site demonstration of the Robert Juliat Arthur LT was arranged and conducted by Live Technology and its customer Gobo Plus, which confirmed its credentials as the best-fit solution to meet the requirements of the Donald Gordon Theatre's expansive auditorium. The on-site demonstration was invaluable according to Allen: "The demo was extremely helpful in respect of making our choice. We had a couple of spot operators on our team come in to try them and catch any potential pitfalls. It was really helpful to have Mandy (Gobo Plus) and Avril (Live Technology) with us, who were extremely knowledgeable in answering our questions. Once on-site they helped us set up the spots and even realized that after evaluating the distance from the spot box to the front of the stage, one of the potential choices wouldn't be the right fit, thus saving more time to investigate the others." Following the demonstration, Gobo Plus supplied four Robert Juliat Arthur 800W LT to the Millennium Centre. The Arthur LT is the long-throw version of the original Arthur followspot, with a narrower beam (4- to 10-degree zoom range) and an output that exceeds that of an HMI 2500W followspot. It has an enhanced light quality with a CRI>94 and a sound level that is quieter than any of its discharge rivals, making it as suitable for theatres as for concerts or large arenas. Allen continues: "A common gripe with touring companies was that our spots were slightly dim compared to upgraded, predominantly LED-heavy touring rigs. The distance from the spot box to the stage to the stage -- 36m -- coupled with the ages of the spots was a big factor in that. With a move to LED and the slightly higher lumen count that we managed to test during the demo, we ended up landing on the RJ Arthurs. The choice was also supported by the good reviews from other UK theatres and the reports of touring production staff coming into the venue." The Centre's followspot operators have responded positively to their new units citing the Arthurs' smooth operation, brightness, throw range, low heat, and reduced noise, as delivering a significant improvement to the theatre. Product specialist at Live Technology, Avril Cook adds, "We're very pleased to see that the long-throw Arthurs have fitted in so well at this prestigious venue. It was good to collaborate with Gobo Plus on the demo, ensuring that the Centre made a fully informed choice and was able to get to grips with the units in a hands-on situation before investing." 
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