Element 2 and Multiverse Bring Big Upgrades to Tennessee High School

The students of St. Cecilia Academy in Nashville, Tennessee were ecstatic last fall when their technical theatre program was ushered into the 21^st century with equipment from ETC and City Theatrical. The school replaced all of their theatre’s conventional incandescent lights with ETC’s ColorSource Spot V, Fresnel V, and CYC luminaires. The school’s 30-year-old ETC Inspire console was retired to introduce an Element 2 to the students, and the whole system was linked by City Theatrical’s Wireless DMX Multiverse^®. This new equipment introduced a world of creative possibilities to the school.

The jump in capability and possibility after the upgrade was monumental. With a fleet of new ColorSource fixtures replacing the theatre’s traditional lights, the students were happy to step into a world of dynamic color at the touch of a button. With factory-calibrated color integrity to ensure consistent colors throughout every performance and across the life of a fixture, ColorSource luminaries deliver rich, consistent color to the stage. Combined with the CYC fixtures’ smooth washes, Spot V’s powerful beams, and Fresnel V’s adaptable zoom, the school was equipped with a versatile toolkit.

Ricky Lewis of the Bradfield Company, the ETC dealer responsible for the upgrade, recalls that the new fixtures sent the school abuzz with excitement: “The students were thrilled that they now have enough lights to cover the stage and about how amazing the ColorSource CYC fixtures make the backdrop look.”

Replacing the school’s original Insight console was a new Element 2 board. With Element 2’s intuitive design, transitioning to a more advanced system was smooth and unintimidating. “We did a two-hour training on the Element 2,” Lewis shares. “Both the theatre teacher and the students were so engaged. The students were super excited to see everything that the new console could do.” Element 2’s approachable, streamlined feel combined with its powerful control features empowered students and educators alike to feel capable as they harnessed the potential of their new equipment.

One of the most refreshing upgrades, however, was the introduction of City Theatrical’s Wireless DMX Multiverse^® to the school’s auditorium. “I cannot emphasize enough how incredible it was to install this system and not run any DMX cable,” says Lewis. “Our team kept saying to each other how weird it was but also how clean it looked not having the additional cable run between fixtures.” It didn’t just look good, either. Multiverse exceeded everyone’s expectations, even Lewis: “I was surprised at how responsive the lights were to the wireless signals! I guess I was expecting some lag—but there was absolutely no delay from the console telling a light to come on and seeing the beam from the fixture.”

With a powerful new system of lighting and controls to play with, St. Cecilia’s first show of the school year, a production of Annie, was a smashing success. The new equipment and legendary support from ETC will empower the students of St. Cecilia’s technical theatre program for years to come.