christielitessales

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 1: Getting Started

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 17:31:31 GMT

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 1: Getting Started

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

by Dan Tulloch of Christie Lites Sales.

Dan outlines factors and educational details when applying theatrical lighting equipment and techniques to the House of Worship markets.

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 2: Preparing A Lighting Synopsis

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:23:34 GMT

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 2: Preparing A Lighting Synopsis

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

by Dan Tulloch of Christie Lites Sales.

Dan outlines factors and educational details when applying theatrical lighting equipment and techniques to the House of Worship markets. Part 2 of 3

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 3: Choosing Lighting Fixtures

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:23:18 GMT

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 3: Choosing Lighting Fixtures

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

by Dan Tulloch of Christie Lites Sales.

Dan outlines factors and educational details when applying theatrical lighting equipment and techniques to the House of Worship markets. Part 3 of 3

Manual - System Design Samples

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:14:22 GMT

System Design Samples

Sample Bills Of Materials

For Typical School Theatre Requirements

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Toronto

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:54:26 GMT

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Toronto

House of Worship Lighting , concept of the team

For last 15 years we have teamed up with Grassby and Associates, supplying lighting design and collaboration on House of Worship Projects. Our team of Associates can supply many different services which involve many disciplines for our clients. On our team offers Lighting Design and installation, as well as State of the art Sound Systems , Audio Visual treatments, amazing acoustical treatments, Sanctuary Painting with Icons and symbols and devolving Stain Glass creations as well as weather proofing and resorting existing Stain Glass

All these are possible when you have a team of highly skilled and experienced players contributing to the final result. This is a feature that we all bring to a Project with the team of Associates we have assembled.

Part 1 .

We collectively share our design visions and work together to develop a solution that is a perfect as possible for the Church we are working with. We approach each project as a separate solution which is totally devised for our Client’s needs and vision with sensitivity and on site research.

This is the age of specialization. To do a wonderful high quality project it takes a team of expert professionals collaborating together under a group of team players who are concerned about the whole outcome not just their contribution. This is the secret of our success.

We all get our say, we are all independent and as a group when we collaborate: the result is greater than the whole. The solutions are amazing and unique for every house of worship we endeavor to design. This feature has given us a vehicle to design and develop truly incredible concepts and then the team of experts to install the work, program it and with high quality precision.

Part 2 , Features of our work.

Our lighting designs including , retrofitting existing Pendant Lanterns that are in the sanctuary to increase their efficiency ( which is usually a saving of 2/3 of the original power draw , because LED sources don’t emanate much heat is also decreases the air conditioning cost as well , because the AC does not have to cool the heat created by the antiquated light sources , this results in great electrical savings ) the color that can be added to the illumination, adds atmosphere to the sanctuary and can enhance ceiling treatments and make the artwork come alive. We install Hi tech Led Warm White Led down lights and other tunable sources that we program to enhance the ceilings and walls near each pendant. We find most congregations are attached to the fixtures that have been in the church since the days it opened, so we are about then only folks I know who will refurbish existing light fixtures.

We then look at the rest of the House of Worship and discuss with the those who bring us to the table their visions , critical elements important to their faith and then illuminate the Sanctuary platform accordingly take many details into concern. We also look at the architecture and enhance features that give the space its signature and accent them. The success of the work is the attention to detail!

If you have a project in mind, we would love to discuss it with you, contact us at www.chrsitielitessales.com

Regina Public Library Film Theatre

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:49:58 GMT

Regina Public Library Film Theatre

The Regina Public Library Film Theatre is located in the downtown public library, and focuses on presenting the best of world cinema to Regina. Their small auditorium features a shallow stage in front of their film screen, on which they often host panel discussions and lectures.

When the Library approached us to light their stage they had a few primary concerns. The ceiling is low and almost at the same level with the top of the screen, so they were very concerned with any lighting added being small and unobtrusive. To address this we recommended the track-mount versions of both the ETC Desire 22 Lustr+ and the ETC LED Source4 Mini in architectural white so that they blend into the white ceiling. The D22 Lustrs provide colorwash on stage for non-film events, and there are pairs of S4 Minis focused in the podium and panel discussion table locations.

Using ETC DataTrack to mount the fixtures we were able to keep them as high as possible and to go without any additional wiring to the back of the fixtures ensuring a tidy look.

The other primary concern was that the system be easy to operate from both the stage and the projection booth, yet still be user programmable. For this we used 2 of the Doug Fleenor Designs Preset10 Architectural controllers. We preprogrammed all 10 buttons on each of the stations to do different scenes, so that anyone can choose a stage color and a podium special with a simple button press. Although the system allows for re-programming should their needs change in the future, there is an internal lockout to prevent accidental re-programming.

After years of providing extremely high quality lighting to theatre & live entertainment, ETC has turned their attention to products offering the same performance for smaller applications, which was perfect for this project.

Mae Wilson Theater - Moose Jaw

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:44:39 GMT

Mae Wilson Theater - Moose Jaw

A Lighting Upgrade

Mae Wilson Theatre in the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre is a historic theatre located in the Moose Jaw’s downtown. Despite having received a complete renovation and technical retrofit over a decade ago, there were several deficiencies in the lighting package that left them with several deficiencies including poorly built lighting fixtures that were literally falling apart, two lighting consoles accessing different parts of the rig, and eventually critical dimmer processor failure.

Additionally, a major challenge revolved around the inaccessibility of the front of house lighting position. The front lights could only be reached by special scaffolding and removing audience seats. This was a time-consuming and expensive project that the city could only arrange to do once every 12-18 months. Often, by time they would come around to change the bulbs over half the front of house would be burnt out, there were areas on the stage that didn’t have front light.

The solution for the FOH lighting was to replace the 19 Strand SL ellipsoidal spotlights with 12 ETC Source4 Lustr2 Spots. 8 as a new FOH wash with full colour mixing, and 4 with Rosco I-Cue Mirrors so that they could be remotely positioned anywhere onstage or in the house.

Also very inaccessible at the venue were the Par 64 mid-rail work lights, which would often get left on for long periods of time resulting in frequent burn-outs. All 6 with 32w Nattech LED work lights, brighter, much longer lasting and without the frequent lamp failures and heat of the “par cans.”

The failure-prone 1000w fresnel top wash was replaced with ETC ColorSource-Pars for the ability to have a color-changing top wash, and better accommodate the live music performances which made up a significant share of this roadhouse’s performance schedule. Similarly the patchy, power hungry cyclorama fixtures were upgraded with ETC ColorSource-Spot lights using ETC’s cyc adaptor to better apply colour to the cyc drape for the many music, theatre & dance shows the venue hosts.

The critical part of this upgrade however was the reliability of the control. The existing dimmer processors had failed, but the dimmers themselves were in very good condition. Given the fixed budget for these upgrades, the venue elected to put in a Johnson Retro-Fit Processor and button stations along with some constant current modules instead of replacing the entire rack. The constant-current modules, paired with ETC’s ColorSource Wireless Relay allowed us to send wireless data and proper power to all the new LED fixtures without trying to pull new wire through the decorative plaster ceiling. The added advantage of the CS-Relays is that they turn the fixture power off/on automatically, thus preserving the lifespan of the LEDs.

Finally, the old Strand 300 and Smartfade ML consoles needed to be both replaced and combined onto one platform. A combination of budget, the house LD’s desire to have as many sub master fader faders available as possible, and ETC’s unparalleled support made the 60 fader ETC Elelmtet the appropriate choice.

Heritage Alliance Church - Regina

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:38:18 GMT

Heritage Alliance Church - Regina

A local church came to CLS Regina looking to upgrade their lighting to achieve several goals:

Increased visibility of pulpit and worship leader areas.
Increased comfort for the pastor & musicians on stage.
High quality, controllable lighting for video replacing the par cans, single pair of tungsten source fours and flicker-prone Chinese LED fixtures currently in use.
Powerful, intuitive lighting console to replace the DJ grade controller currently in use.
A clean, unobtrusive installation, concealing as much of the lighting positions as possible and replacing the microphone cables being used to distribute DMX 512.
The solutions we provided from ETC, City Theatrical and rosco are as follows:
Retrofitting the existing ETC Source 4 fixtures with Source 4Wrd LED light engines & adding additional Source 4s equipped as same.
Breaking the worship leader's area down to zones, allowing focused lighting on areas of activity such as the grand piano, etc.
Relocating the pulpit specials to an appropriate angle.
Using two ETC ColorSource Par as back light to the pulpit, both to improve the look on camera, and make reading worship materials easier.
ColorSource Pars and ColorSource Linear to paint the brickwork with colour.
Custom rosco gobo in an ETC Source Four jr zoom to highlight the cross built in the brickwork upstage center.
ETC ColorSource 20 console - powerful control - easy to learn & operate.
ETC wireless ColorSource relays and City Theatrical Showbaby transmitter clean up data distribution in this brick building where running hard data lines would be difficult if not impossible to do neatly.

This relatively small, but well thought out package has made an immense difference to the look and feel of this worship space, and overall we are pleased with the results.... but more importantly the client is very, very happy with their investment in a quality lighting package that will provide them years of trouble-free operation.

St. Mary's Church

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:27:28 GMT

St. Mary's Church

Christie Lites Sales is pleased to display a recent lighting overhaul at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Lindsay Ontario. The project, which was a total refit was completed over an eight-month period in 2017. Working in concert with Church Painting Associates, we undertook this large project to revitalize a 155-year-old building, to the pleasure of Father Tom Lynch.

The project included meticulous timing, to ensure that lighting rough-ins were arranged and scheduled along with the painting team - to ensure the new hardware would seamlessly blend into the intricate ceiling murals. The result is a lighting installation that does not obstruct the beauty of the artistic painting.

The church look is fully controlled by non-technical church members - and is easily modified via iPad or iPhone to allow for changes from a brilliant soft white traditional setting (as seen in the photos) - to special event and seasonal themes.

Some notes about the system:

All the congregation’s Pendant Lanterns were refurbished with new glass and internal components. The light output greatly increased, and power consumption greatly reduced with Led light sources with Color elements as well.
Four Pendant Lanterns were constructed to match the existing Pendants to be hung in new positions to enhance transepts, choir loft, organist, and the front entrance vestibule.
Due to the age of the building structure, as well as the sealed insulation, cable runs would have proven extremely intrusive – therefore the system was designed as entirely wireless.
The installation is controlled by over 1600 DMX channels (allowing for great detailed specific output).
Sixteen back lit pre-set buttons (placed in different locations throughout the church) allow for pre-programmed triggers.
Small lighting sources are placed carefully throughout to highlight statues and religious artifacts and add accent and depth.
The Alter has a front light relief of the last supper – this can be adjusted in brightness for different mass celebrations.

House of Worship Lighting – concept of the team

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:26:14 GMT

House of Worship Lighting – concept of the team

Part 2 , Features of our work.

If you have a project in mind, we would love to discuss it with you, contact us at www.chrsitielitessales.com

Brochure - Martin Lights up Massey Hall

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:15:34 GMT

Brochure - Martin Lights up Massey Hall

Christie Lites Sales is proud to showcase our recent installation at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall.

Utilizing Martin fixtures as a foundation for the project, the installation has been recognized as a tremendous success – including a recent article (found below) in Professional Lighting & Production Magazine.

Brochure - ETC Highlights

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:54:05 GMT

Brochure - ETC Highlights

Christie Lites Sales is proud to be the Canada’s premier ETC partner. A sample of some of the ETC product line is below, however we offer the full range of ETC products, and will be happy to help you with determining the right product fit for your project.

Contact Us to find out how ETC can be used in your next project, or for more information on the extensive line of ETC products we carry.

Brochure - Mole LED Fresnel

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:20:47 GMT

Mole LED Fresnel

If there is one product synonymous with Mole-Richardson Co., it’s the iconic Motion Picture Fresnel. Built in Hollywood California since 1936, the studio Fresnel remains the back-bone of professional lighting for the film, television and broadcast industries. Relatively unchanged since its origin, the studio Fresnel rarely saw dramatic improvements…until now.
Introducing the MoleLED Fresnels. A design familiar to generations of lighting professionals is now loaded with state of the art electronics and the latest LED technology.

These revolutionary fixtures use a proprietary Quantum Dot LED developed and produced by Mole to replicate film and television 3200K Tungsten and 5600K Daylight exactly.
High-output, with unparalleled color quality and a borosilicate glass Fresnel lens, the MoleLED Fresnels perform identically to an incandescent or HMI Fresnel fixture. In addition, Mole added features like a universal power supply, built-in local dimming as well as on-board DMX dimming. Now, you are no longer tied to an external dimming system or any one voltage.
In an industry inundated with mass produced, eco-friendly products, the MoleLED Fresnels are truly a hybrid of hand crafted quality and the most advanced solid state lighting technology available. From the ground up, the MoleLED Fresnels are designed, engineered and built in the USA for professionals everywhere.

Product Benefits

An 80% reduction in energy consumption
Flicker-Free dimming with little to no color shift.
No need for external dimming systems.
No direct IR or radiant heat from Fresnel.
And so much more…

Retro-Fit Kits

Realizing a need for our industry to further reduce, reuse and recycle, Mole is also offering simple retro-fit kits to convert existing legacy Tweenie, Baby and 8″ Junior Solarspots to new Tungsten or Daylight MoleLED™ Fresnels.

Control Panel

U-Snap Studios – Regina

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 01:03:47 GMT

U-Snap Studios – Regina

U-Snap Studios is located in Regina Saskatchewan. It is a one of a kind photo studio that exists not to serve a single photographer, but as a venue for hire featuring rental spaces accessible to professionals and amateurs alike. There are 6 rooms ranging from small 10’x12’ studios to a large room for family pictures and larger “pro” room for those who want better light control.

Steve and Lynn came to us for help designing the lighting in their unique photography studio from the ground up. Their goals were to outfit their rental studios with everything to make their client’s photographs great: the props, the background, and the lighting gear. Everything had to be top quality to satisfy their professional clients, and simple enough that amateur photographers could easily achieve good results without using up their studio time to get it. Lighting devices also needed to be easily moved from studio to studio as circumstances required. Rigging in all the rooms was designed to accommodate repositioning the lighting and soft goods in a quick efficient manner.

We ended up outfitting the 3 largest rooms with full pipe grids, and the 3 smaller rooms with a ceiling mounted pipe perimeter. Some extra lengths of aluminum pipe and Light source “Mega” double swivel couplers help in positioning the lights exactly where they need to be.

For front light the Lowel PrimeLED 200s & 400s were chosen in Daylight balanced colour temperature, these were provided with a selection of accessories to maximize their flexibility. For backlight, colour, and backdrop lighting we chose the compact ETC Desire 22 Lustr fixture. Every room is equipped with a DMX console so that they can easily be adjusted to the color and intensity the photographer desires. Possible future upgrades include a couple ETC lustr2 ellipsoidal spotlights for situations requiring highly controlled light or the projection of gobos. The full colour mixing capabilities of those fixtures will be a huge asset to this facility.

We also helped them gear up with some studio necessities: Matthews C-stands and Apple-Boxes, green screen, black IFR velour masking drapes, drop hangers and gaffer’s tape. Two ETC Source Four Mini LEDs on datatrack highlight the entryway signage.

Many of U-snaps guests want to look their best so to help ensure they do we installed Acclaim Flex2-Interior LED tape in daylight c.t. around the makeup mirrors. This allows people to check their appearance and touch up their makeup under the same colour temperature that they will be photographed in. Installed on an angle from 3 sides with a frosted lens, this light is soft and without shadows to ensure that everything is covered.

Much like lighting in general U-Snap studios has discovered that every situation is different and requires different things from its lights. The inter-changeability and consistency of the lighting from room to room has helped the studio meet the wide variety of requests their guests have.

U-Snap Studios clients have produced some fantastic pictures so far, and we can’t wait to see what they do next. See them on facebook @U-Snap Studios

All-LED Performing Arts Centre – Camrose, Alberta

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:53:50 GMT

All-LED Performing Arts Centre – Camrose, Alberta

The Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre (PAC) is a 44,200-square-foot, multi-venue building in Alberta, Canada, nestled in the heart of the city of Camrose. Equipped with nearly 100 ETC Source Four® LED Series 2 Lustr® luminaires , the venue earned a prestigious level-four Green Globe distinction for its revolutionary, energy-efficient building design and commitment to green technology before its doors even opened in October 2014.

The city of Camrose is home to a blossoming arts community and by 2012, the city desperately needed a new, large-scale performance venue. “There weren’t any venues within a 45-minute drive of the city that could accommodate touring Broadway shows and large-scale dance or theatrical productions,” explains Nick Beach, technical director and operations coordinator of the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed PAC. The primary goal for the new venue was to be as green, flexible and technologically advanced as possible.

When it came to planning the lighting system, an all-LED house was the natural choice. There was one small problem: “LEDs on the market back in 2012 simply didn’t perform up to the specifications of the venue. We decided to wait on purchasing any LEDs until technology caught up with what we wanted,” says Richard Schick, theater consultant from Schick Shiner and Associates, who worked on the installation. “It was like stepping into the abyss.”

In January 2014, ETC dealer Christie Lites contacted Schick, informing him that his leap of faith had paid off. “I was told we could have access to a prototype of the Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr and that we’d want to see it in action,” explains Schick. “I was excited that ETC had developed such a great fixture,” says David Neal, Christie Lites sales executive. “We knew it would be the perfect fit.”

“Before the Series 2 Lustr, nothing we found on the market even came close being able to meet our 55-foot, front-of-house throw distance,” explains Beach, “and what we did find didn’t color-mix well at all.” The Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr utilizes the x7 Color System™ with an additional lime-green emitter that increases the luminaire’s lumen output, making whites and lighter colors livelier and brighter while marrying the two ends of the color spectrum with ease. “The Series 2 luminaires are powerful enough that we could place them in our front-of-house position,” continues Beach. “Most LEDs are only good for small venues. The Series 2 is great for long-throw illumination, and outputs fantastic saturation and brightness.”

Neal says: “My first reaction to the Series 2 luminaires was very positive. I loved the intensity of the rich colors and how beautiful it looked on different skin tones.” The Series 2 Lustr luminaire’s lime-green emitter also works in conjunction with double the red emitters to produce rich ambers, straws, pinks and magentas that match gel colors produced by conventional fixtures. “We needed the best quality of light and color available and the Series 2 delivered just that.” Beach says: “Sometimes being the first with new technology can be very nerve wracking, but I’ve never had a lemon from ETC, so we knew we were in good hands.”

Additionally, the Jeanne & Peter Lougheed PAC uses a Gio® console to control their theatrical lighting rig, making color-mixing easy and fast. Beach says: “I especially love the direct selects and the color-picker tool for working with LEDs, not to mention that the RDM device management has been a lifesaver.” He has been working on an Eos®-control system since software version 1.2 and likes the changes in the recent Eos 2.2 software release. “Being able to create stage ‘snapshots’ is an easy way to recall a specific look very quickly,” says Beach. And in terms of hardware, “having more screen real-estate and more buttons is also a very good thing. I can’t image working with anything else other than an Eos-family desk.”

As the largest Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr installation in the world, the venue is able to save between $30,000 and $35,000 each year in energy costs from the lighting system alone. And the community reaction to the space has been overwhelmingly positive. “There are community theater groups and dance studios that are already clamoring to get in,” explains Beach. “This was a big project and we couldn’t have made this happen with anyone but ETC.”

CTV Saskatoon

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:24:15 GMT

CTV Saskatoon

In 2015 Bell Media was moving many of their news casts to HD, and CTV Saskatchewan was no exception. However, the Saskatoon studio did have some extra challenges.

In Saskatoon CTV regularly broadcasts 5 live shows, all sharing a single studio room. Peter Christensen the Saskatoon Operations Manager recognized that this was an opportunity to give everyone involved a little more elbow room. Since the set was being upgraded with the HD conversion Peter designed a single new set that could accommodate Morning Live, Farmgate, and all 3 news casts on the same set pieces. This eliminated the duplicate anchor desks and interview areas that were previously making the room feel so tight. The set’s primary surface was a translucent white plastic, allowing each show to uniquely brand the set with their own colors.

In television, especially in HD, quality of light is very important. With the primary considerations being color calibration, consistency, reliability, and flicker free operation it was easy to see that ETC would be the best choice. After testing out several sample lights of varying sizes and color arrays, Peter settled on ETC’s Vivid color mix, intended for bright and saturated color.

The insides of pillars top and bottom are lit with 12 ETC Desire 40 Vivid. There are 14 ETC Seledor Classic 21” Vivid-R lighting the backs of the walls. It took some experimenting with lensing and positioning to get the most even coverage without hot-spots. In the end the seladors were mounted close to the set and the light bounced off of reflective media behind the set, providing bright, smooth colour washes.

The system has proved so flawless, that a year later, similar upgrades were made to CTV’s Regina Studios, Using Peter’s design with Seledor Classic and ColorSource Par fixtures, plus an ETC ColorSource 40 console for control of both the new lighting and the existing sensor dimming.

Great Canadian Theatre Company – Ottawa Ontario

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 17:03:04 GMT

Great Canadian Theatre Company – Ottawa Ontario

The people who helped build the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa worked hard, dreamt big, and waited years to make the move from a converted truck repair garage with bad chairs to a true theatre with some of the best seats and production values in town. “The old theatre was built in 1981 at 910 Gladstone Avenue, and the new capital project, the new theatre, started about a week later,” laughs Building Project Manager Arthur Milner, who has worn many hats with the company including actor, playwright-in-residence, member of the board of directors, and artistic director. Serious talks about a new building started in 2001, when architectural and fundraising feasibility studies were conducted. Eventually GCTC launched a funding campaign, prompting generous donations from the Irving Greenberg family, municipal, provincial and federal governments as well as other donors. Next, the theatre company invited people from a number of organizations to play a role in moving the project forward, including representatives from the Windmill Development Group, Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, AECON Buildings, Martin Conboy Lighting Design and Christie Lites Sales.

The journey that began at a tiny garage at 910 Gladstone in 1981 officially reached its summit 26 years later on September 6, 2007, when the doors to the grand Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre at 1233 Wellington Street West (at Holland Avenue) were officially opened. Over 3000 people attended the cultural centre’s grand opening events, which included the Gala, and guided tours of the new venue at open houses on September 8th & 9th.

GCTC Artistic Director Lise Ann Johnson sees some similarities in the number of seats and intimacy of layout, as well as a measurable contrast between the old and the new theatres: “At the old theatre space, the seats were uncomfortable and there was very little leg room. There were only a handful of washroom stalls and the lobby was minuscule. There was no room to build sets, props or costumes, let alone store them. We had a single dressing room that doubled, tripled and quadrupled as green room, meeting room and storage room. And our administration office was about the size of my living room – so, it was a challenge to accommodate a staff of 14 people! The lack of space created a sense of community, but the working conditions were very poor for our artists, craftspeople and staff. The new home, in contrast, is luxurious beyond the imagination.”

At GCTC’s new home at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, there is 1,854 square meters of space that includes two theatres, two lobbies, a café, a visual arts exhibition space and more washroom facilities. Backstage improvements include a costume shop, a props room, catwalks in the main stage theatre, separate dressing rooms for men and women, a green room, and more office space, including a board room. Of the two theatres, the main one is the Irving Greenberg Theatre, which has 262 seats, ample leg room and fully up-to-date sound and lighting systems. The second is the Studio Theatre, a black box rehearsal and performance studio with flexible seating for up to 80 people. It also has its own sound and lighting systems and is appropriate for intimate theatrical presentations as well as workshops.

The new complex, developed by Windmill Development Group, is made up of the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre and the Currents residential tower. The facility is the first Gold-certified commercial/residential project in Canada under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program. The building uses high-efficiency thermal glass windows, toilets designed to save water, a cistern for storm water recycling, as well as many other systems and products all designed to result in 50% less greenhouse gas emissions and 60% less potable water drawn from municipal water supplies. The Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre was designed by Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, and built by AECON Buildings Ottawa.

GCTC’s ability to enjoy vibrant growth while staying true to its original artistic vision is something its members are proud of. Back in 1975, five professors and students at Carleton University joined together with an idea to produce Canadian plays. For several years in the beginning, GCTC was an entirely voluntary theatre, performing wherever space allowed. Then in 1981, the Company claimed its own home at 910 Gladstone Avenue. The new theatre opened with the premiere of Sandinista!, a large-scale production that toured nationally and won international recognition. After 35 years, GCTC’s mandate “to foster, produce and promote excellent theatre that provokes examination of Canadian life and our place in the world” continues to guide and inspire the company. The Man from the Capital, GCTC’s inaugural show in the new theatre, officially opened on October 11, 2007, marking the next exciting stage in GCTC’s development.

“The company has built its history and reputation on works by Canadian playwrights,” states Johnson, “It has produced and presented a ‘Who’s Who of Canadian Writers’ over three decades, and has been remarkably true to its core identity. Since 1975, GCTC has produced approximately 200 plays, a third of which are new works. The 2007/2008 season, the first in the new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, has a specific emphasis in that all five of the plays are entirely Ottawa based.” Named CAPITAL LETTERS, it is GCTC’s love letter to the National Capital Region and Johnson’s second season as Artistic Director with GCTC. “All of the plays are either penned by writers from Ottawa, or feature a connection to our nation’s capital. The collection of five plays features music, comedy, political satire, and great Canadian lives.”

Martin Conboy, of Martin Conboy Lighting Design (MCLD), has worked on many GCTC productions, and served as the Head Technical Consultant for the new building project. “Sandinista! was the first show I worked on at GCTC as a technician and that was in 1982. 1983 was my first lighting design and I have completed forty shows at GCTC since then,” Conboy reveals. He helped build their first dimming system from scratch. In conjunction with a business partner, he built all of GCTC’s sets for three years in the late 80’s. He sat on the Board of Directors for eight years and acted as both President and Vice President. He has been on the hiring committee for three Artistic Directors (including the current one), two General Managers and four Production Managers: “Without being maudlin, the old space was my laboratory, my workshop. I developed my palette there and was allowed to succeed on my own terms and on occasion fail miserably without being punished. I learned how important to great theatre lighting can be.” His award-winning company, now generally referred to as MCLD, is enjoying success in interior, exterior and exhibit lighting designs, theatrical and special events designs as well as providing services in theatre consulting.

Peter Eady’s history with GCTC goes almost as far back as Conboy’s, and it put him, as a Christie Lites Sales representative, in a good position to provide the half million dollar fit-up for the new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre on time and on budget, with turn-key serviceability. Eady was a young volunteer hanging focuses at 910 Gladstone back in the early 1980’s when he first met long-termers Arthur Milner, Martin Conboy and Jon Alexander, who is GCTC’s current Technical Director. “Peter is a great asset to Christie Lites Sales, and a well known theatre guy who’s been involved in everything in town,” says Alexander, “Peter brought a sense of trust, familiarity and accountability with him that helped the fit up process. For me, the actual technical fit up was virtually painless. This was largely because Christie Lites Sales said they were going to be finished by day x, and they were finished by day x, despite other things that were beyond all of our control that slowed down the big picture.”

“Christie Lites Sales sold GCTC on its serviceability and this company anti-ed up,” says GCTC’s Rachel Fancy. “From a production manager’s standpoint, the ability to call somebody and say ‘help, please fix this’ and have it happen right away is paramount, and Christie Lites Sales has been great at doing that. I’d join the Peter Eady Fan Club if there was one,” she laughs. The turn-key aspect of Christie Lites Sales is one appreciated by both GCTC and Martin Conboy Lighting Design. Says Conboy, “The complete system integration solved so many logistical problems. No problem that Christie Lites Sales encountered that the company hasn’t been able to solve.”

GCTC’s journey from its infancy in a truck garage to its full-grown status in the luxurious Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre took over 25 years, millions of dollars, and extraordinary levels of expertise. There are a handful of people with this expertise who have been involved with the professional theatre company since its beginning, including Arthur Milner, Martin Conboy, Jon Alexander and Peter Eady, who literally grew up with GCTC and who are equally proud to be involved in its coming of age. Perhaps Conboy sums it up best, when he says,” I’m very proud to know I had such a significant hand in GCTC’s growth”

The Theatre aptly celebrates its 34th season in 2008-2009 with Stages, a dramatic presentation of the cycle of a human life and all its rites and passage and metamorphoses. How wonderfully appropriate!

Banff Gondola Terminal

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 17:03:03 GMT

Banff Gondola Terminal

Written by Marshall Bissett

The recently opened Banff Gondola Terminal represents quite literally a high point in lighting installations for ETC. Perched on a mountain peak with an elevation of 7,486 feet, the four-story structure gives visitors access to restaurants, bars, retail stores and stunning views of the Rocky Mountains. Brewster Travel Canada, working with a team of subcontractors, completed the 35,000-squarefoot, $26 million reconstruction in 12 months. Video screens, reading panels and three-dimensional displays depict information of the park’s iconic flora and fauna, designed specifically to thrill and entertain the roughly 600,000 visitors who take the gondola annually, says Dave McKenna, president of Brewster Travel Canada.

Following a very “green” mandate from the end users, the entire facility uses ETC LED fixtures to create theatrical interior looks to match the spectacular exterior vistas. The project was not without its logistical challenges, as Michael Pyatt, of GES and project manager for the design team, explains: “We had to complete the install in three phases while the attraction was open to the public, and during the better weather months.”

With no access road, all the equipment had to make the eight-minute gondola ride to the oxygen-scarce heights, and – as opening day approached – the gondolas were running 24/7 to meet deadlines. Many of the bulkier pieces of gear had to be delivered by helicopter or in a specially enlarged gondola that could only be used outside public opening times.

Pyatt’s previous experiences with GES, on their very successful touring exhibitions (Harry Potter and the soon-to-be-launched Avatar) were very much at sea level. He hired lighting designer Josh Starr whose background was exclusively in New York theater and live events. “They wanted a theatrical twist on a permanent install, and I jumped at the opportunity,” says Starr.

Working only from renderings and photographs, his design uses ETC Source Four Mini™ fixtures and Selador Desire® D22 track-mount units. “I wanted to streamline the building, and these fixtures gave me the texture, color and templates I needed for the job.” Because of Park Canada regulations on the exterior lighting of high-profile buildings, the design focused on the indoor retail, performance and interpretive spaces. After an initial contact with Warren Mays of Los Angeles-based ETC representative MPA, the sale was handled by Christie Lites’ Calgary office. Comparing this project to lighting a Broadway show, Starr says: “In the theater, you get the electrician to move a light a few feet and it’s no big deal. In buildings, you are part of a huge team, where if you don’t plan ahead, you will have to live with your mistakes.”

With approximately 150 D22 LED luminaire packs, 100 Source Four Minis and 150 GDS by ETC ArcSystem Pro One-Cell fixtures, the Unison Paradigm® -controlled system has an amazingly small, three-phase, 25-amp power requirement.

ETC service technician Tyler Martin, who worked through Field Service CA, explains: “The whole building is automated for convenience using Paradigm control and the astronomical time clock feature.” At 7:00am as the sun is rising over the Rockies, the lighting system executes its early-morning look and at the end of the day, as the guests dine in the fading light, another cue dims fixtures that reflect on the glass surfaces to create an unimpaired view of the scenery.

Starr makes full use of the color palettes in the Paradigm controller to “make the images pop.” Foliage breakups in the Source Four Minis add to the displays depicting Canada’s natural majesty. Unison racks drive the Source Four Minis, sconce lights, relay switches, and house, emergency and décor lighting. In another ‘first’ in this remarkable installation, a GDS ArcSystem is running wireless at 8,200 feet above sea level.

Despite its tiny power requirement, the building is well-prepared for future expansion as it gains popularity as one of Canada’s premier tourist destinations. The lighting tracks are powered but not fully populated, and each floor has extra nodes and push-button stations to allow for additional fixtures. “We are using about 1,500 channels of control, but have the mains power and control capability to add more universes in the future,” adds Tyler.

Despite “challenges associated with a project being on top of a mountain,” Michael Pyatt and the entire design team are more than ready to take a deep breath and move onwards, if not upwards.

Photos courtesy of Tyler Martin

Massey Hall – Toronto

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:53:43 GMT

Massey Hall – Toronto

Christie Lites Sales is proud of the work we have accomplished at the historic Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The industry has taken note – and please read a recent article highlighting the overhaul of the legendary music and theatrical hall, as first published in Professional Lighting and Production Magazine :

St. Josephs Cathedral – Toronto

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:41:29 GMT

St. Josephs Cathedral – Toronto

St. Peters Cathedral – Toronto

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:40:05 GMT

St. Peters Cathedral – Toronto

Kingston City Hall – Kingston, Ontario

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:38:01 GMT

Kingston City Hall – Kingston, Ontario

When The City Of Kingston was looking for architectural lighting for Kingston City Hall, they choose exterior products from Acclaim Lighting and Christie Lites Sales. The project had a fast timeline and we were able to deliver an outstanding finished product.

The equipment list consists of:

Acclaim Pixel Graze
Acclaim Dyna Drum SO and HO
Acclaim Dyna Graze Exterior HO
Acclaim Dyna Flood
Various Sizes of Acclaim Aqua Drums
Acclaim ARIA Wireless transmitters
ETC Mosaic Controller

The Exchange – Saskatchewan

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:33:55 GMT

The Exchange – Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange society is an organization that focuses on delivering arts programming to the community through collaboration with both artists & other organizations. They also operate a venue that hosts live events ranging from fringe theatre, singer-songwriter folk music to thrash metal. When they were shopping for an upgrade for their lighting, they found the best value with Bruce and Alyssa at Christie Lites Sales.

The major considerations for the room were a modern, up to date system that touring acts would use without demanding additional rental packages, ceiling height, power consumption, simple operation, and of course, the fixed budget.

The foundation of the lighting is it’s rigging, and we started by recessing lighting pipes up in between the ceiling beams to maximize the height. We put pipes in a few extra places so that touring acts would have a place to hang lights they bring along, or the venue could re-arrange their rig if they wanted.

For front wash we used ETC ColorSource-Pars, which are able to both get the warm natural skin tones desired for folk acts and poetry readings, and the intense saturated colors that rock and metal acts desire.

On stage lights we chose the Martin Rush MH-1 for profiles & MH-6 for zooming wash fixtures. By using LED fixtures we were able to spare the venue from pulling extra circuits to the stage, and the maintenance costs of replacing expensive arc-lamps.

The ETC ColorSource-40 Console was the perfect control platform. Most shows in this venue do not use a dedicated lighting operator, so the console had to be simple enough for the audio technician to bring up looks as needed, but powerful enough to handle moving lights and LEDs.

This rig is rounded out with a Martin Magnum 2500Hz hazer, Swisson OptoSplitter, and ETC ColorSource-Relays.

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 16:27:01 GMT

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Christie Lites Sales worked with Ripley’s to resolve several installation challenges that lead up to Ripley’s August 2014 grand opening of the “Believe it or Not” aquarium exhibition. CLS assisted with numerous types of systems’ programming and refocusing adjustments and are presently designing new exhibits and presentations for Ripley’s.

Our philosophy includes working together with our clients to help build a successful business, not just to sell lights to a customer. We invested time appreciating the ins and outs of the day-to-day lighting needs of an aquarium – we then developed custom solutions for Ripley’s specific lighting requirements. We were awed by the manner in which Ripley’s display their specimens and their focus on the reverence and magnificence of the fish and mammals.

The more we learn about a client’s business the more valuable our work becomes to them. It’s been a pleasure to participate in developing lighting and control solutions to enhance the display experience for both the visitors to Ripley’s aquarium and for Ripley’s staff and management team. I would like to thank Andrew Butcher (one of my design associates) for his endless support. Andrew spearheaded the design work and coordinated site activities and is now on staff as Ripley’s Lighting Designer for events and lighting endeavours.

Rejuvenating the National Art Centre

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 21:22:15 GMT

Rejuvenating the National Art Centre

Christie Lites Sales is honoured to have participated in multiple projects during the rejuvenation of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Years of dedicated service to the NAC by Christie Lites Sales yielded big results, and in a total facelift inside and out of this historic cultural landmark. Please read a recent article first published in Professional Lighting and Production Magazine:

Professional Lighting and Production: The National Arts Centre

Sales Representative

Peter Eady

tel: 613-594-5804 ext. 1710

cell: 613-866-5804

peady@christielitessales.com

christielitessales

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 1: Getting Started

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 1: Getting Started

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 2: Preparing A Lighting Synopsis

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 2: Preparing A Lighting Synopsis

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 3: Choosing Lighting Fixtures

Seminar - Sanctuary Lighting Part 3: Choosing Lighting Fixtures

House of Worship “Sanctuary Lighting”

Manual - System Design Samples

System Design Samples

Sample Bills Of Materials

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Toronto

Our Lady of Perpetual Help - Toronto

House of Worship Lighting , concept of the team

Regina Public Library Film Theatre

Regina Public Library Film Theatre

Mae Wilson Theater - Moose Jaw

Mae Wilson Theater - Moose Jaw

A Lighting Upgrade

Heritage Alliance Church - Regina

Heritage Alliance Church - Regina

St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church

House of Worship Lighting – concept of the team

House of Worship Lighting – concept of the team

Brochure - Martin Lights up Massey Hall

Brochure - Martin Lights up Massey Hall

Brochure - ETC Highlights

Brochure - ETC Highlights

Brochure - Mole LED Fresnel

Mole LED Fresnel

Product Benefits

Retro-Fit Kits

Control Panel ﻿

U-Snap Studios – Regina

U-Snap Studios – Regina

All-LED Performing Arts Centre – Camrose, Alberta

All-LED Performing Arts Centre – Camrose, Alberta

CTV Saskatoon

CTV Saskatoon

Great Canadian Theatre Company – Ottawa Ontario

Great Canadian Theatre Company – Ottawa Ontario

Banff Gondola Terminal

Banff Gondola Terminal

Massey Hall – Toronto

Massey Hall – Toronto

St. Josephs Cathedral – Toronto

St. Josephs Cathedral – Toronto

St. Peters Cathedral – Toronto

St. Peters Cathedral – Toronto

Kingston City Hall – Kingston, Ontario

Kingston City Hall – Kingston, Ontario

The Exchange – Saskatchewan

The Exchange – Saskatchewan ﻿

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Rejuvenating the National Art Centre

Rejuvenating the National Art Centre

Peter Eady

Control Panel

The Exchange – Saskatchewan