050 VENUE
THE BIG HOUSE
Built in 1967, the Big House includes a 660-capacity main stage auditorium, workshops, extensive front and back-of-house facilities and administrative offi ces. The building underwent extensive refur- bishment in 2004 and new lighting in the Big House includes 136 Robe moving lights made up of 56 Robin 1200 LEDWash lighting fi xtures, 20 Robin MMX Spot moving heads, 10 Robin 600E Spot moving heads, 24 Robin 600E Wash moving heads, 24 CitySkape Xtreme LED fi xtures - six of which are illuminating the exterior front façade - and two DigitalSpot 7000 DTs moving heads, while a selection of fl ight-cases were supplied for the fi xtures so they can be easily moved for use on the summer season works and other ‘off- site’ shows.
”The new lighting has dramatically improved not just the creative po- tential for lighting designers and show directors, but the speed of the entire lighting process and the effi cient use of stage and technical time,” explained Andres Sarv, Vanemiune’s Head of Lighting. Less time is needed for focussing, and previously they relied on a lot of 2K PC luminaires that simply could not be physically moved. All these have been replaced with Robe’s LEDWash 1200 lighting fi xtures, which weigh a fraction of the PC spots and offer more scope and functionality. In its fi rst month the new Big House stage lighting kit - including 22 LDR 250W LED lighting profi les - consumed just an eighth of the electricity than the average previous monthly fi gure. “We are extremely happy,” continued Andres, adding that personally, although it had served their time well, they were pleased to see the Big House’s previous - much smaller - and eight-year-old moving light system replaced.
The beginning of May saw the premiere of a new production of Grease in the Big House, with an international production team including Director Georg Malvius and Lighting Designer Palle Palme, both from Sweden and Set Designer Ellen Cairns from the UK, who were all delighted to be among the fi rst to benefi t from the new lighting.
Palle Palmé felt spoilt for choice when it came to the moving lights and said: “It is fantastic. Normally a house this size would have a lot less kit and probably not even half the moving lights, so it’s a massive improvement all round.”
Palle has been working on shows at Vanemuine for around 10 years, and has also been using Robe products for a similar time in various locations around the world. Andreas Kangur is Vanemuine’s Head of Video and is said to be de- lighted to have the Robe DigitalSpot 7000 DTs moving heads at his disposal, especially with video becoming increasingly common and affordable as a visual medium in all performance genres.
“They are ideal for quick and very fl exible projecting onto different set pieces,” he commented, “and for producing really convincing environ- mental effects like fi shes in water, fl ames, skies and so on. Content can be uploaded to the head of the unit and played back through any DMX controller, which opens a whole new dimension of painless integration of video into shows.” The lighting is controlled in the Big House by a High End Systems WholeHog 3 lighting desk.
HARBOUR TEATER The Harbour Teater is located in a former river port building, which was converted in 2001 and is nestled into a picturesque riverside location, offering a fully fl exible 300-seat, multi-functional black-box environment.
This has received 30 new Robe moving lights in the form of eight Robin DLX Spot moving heads, 12 Robin 600 LEDWash lighting fi xtures, 10 Robin 300 LEDWash lighting fi xtures and two CitySkape Xtreme LED fi xtures, together with 24 LDR Alba profi les. The light- ing is in use most days for the Harbour Teater’s programme of 20 - 25 shows per month. Like Andres Sarv from the Big House, Chief LX Jaanus Moor had previously used Robe products when they were hired in for special occasions.
Jaanus likes Robe for its reliability and - in the new Robin LED fi xtures - for the tungsten emulation features, which are highly sought after for all types of theatre lighting. Jaanus will often light the Harbour Teater shows, and feels that some LDs have a bit of catching up to do in terms of learning the capabilities and fi ner points of their new fi xtures. To this end both Vanemuine and E&T are supporting a lighting design course in Viljandi, part of the Cultural Academy of Tartu University, for which they are offering equipment, experience and expertise to an upcoming generation of Estonian lighting professionals.
THE SMALL HOUSE
A charismatic Art Nouveau building constructed between 1914 and 1918, the Small House includes a two-tiered oval shaped auditorium seating around 300. It’s exceptionally charming, and like the other two venues, painstakingly maintained - and due for a major internal re-fi t in the next year.
Lighting is looked after by Chief LX Imbi Mälk, who, like many staff has been at Vanemuine for several years, clocking up 20 in the Small House and around six in the Big House.
The Small House stages a range of works - dramas, musicals, operas and ballet - and is the recipient of 40 new Robe moving lights made up of Robin 600E and 300E Spot and Wash moving heads, as well as LEDWash 600 and 300 lighting fi xtures.
Imbi lights the majority of the Small House shows herself and is really enjoying the advantages brought by the new Robe installation. “The luminaires are very easy to work with in every way,” she comment- ed. She added that she likes the gobos in the Robin 600 and 300E Spots and the intensity and colour ranges of the LEDWashes. For anyone wondering how Paavo Nõgene working in the Culture Ministry and ostensibly a civil servant, is so switched-on to the latest lighting trends, there is another interesting twist to how he knows his stuff… Paavo’s professional career began by working as a basic lighting technician at Vanemuine. He quickly progressed to become Head of Lighting, then worked up to Head of Production before being appointed Managing Director of the Vanemuine Teater group itself - all in the course of a decade. From there, he took the post in the Culture Ministry - a man with a vision and who sees that he can
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