When devastating storms tore through Somerset West in December, the Playhouse Theatre was among the buildings hardest hit. The roof was severely damaged, and much of the venue's infrastructure was compromised. But rather than seeing disaster, the team behind this beloved community theatre saw an opportunity – to rebuild stronger, better, and more modern.

Will van der Leij, a multi-talented member of the Playhouse team who oversees technical operations and also performs as an actor, reached out to Matthew Mitchell (Electrosonic, Cape Town) to explore new solutions for lighting and control. The theatre had long relied on an extremely outdated Strand dimmer system running generic fixtures – a setup that no longer supported the busy and diverse productions the venue hosts, from school plays and ballet recitals to major community events.

Pretoria-based Stage Effects has taken delivery of the very first 48 x Martin Professional MAC One fixtures in South Africa! These compact yet powerful Beam/Wash fixtures, featuring a unique Fresnel lens and Aura effect, the MAC One’s are a perfectly complement to Stage Effects’ already impressive inventory of Martin Atomic Bolds, Sceptrons, MAC Aura XIP and Martin MAC Ultra fixtures. Designed to integrate seamlessly within the Martin P3 ecosystem, all of these fixtures open up new creative possibilities for stunning lighting designs.

After many years of supporting Cape Town clients from our Johannesburg mothership, Electrosonic SA strengthens its operations by establishing an official Cape Town office.

Operating out of the offices of LED Lighting SA in Cape Town, Electrosonic SA is now able to showcase both Pro-AV solutions, and Rental & Staging Products. We also now have a dedicated-on site warehouse that will house faster-moving items and consumables.