ST MARY’S BOOSTS THE ARTS

It’s not often that a school has the funds to create its own state-of-the-art dramatic arts facility, let alone a world class opera theatre, but St Mary’s Anglican School for girls in Waverly, Johannesburg, has done just that. However, the venue is not an indulgence, it will also generate income for the school by being hired out for corporate functions.

To achieve their brilliant result, the school realized that they needed the specialized knowledge of an expert consultant and called on veteran South African lighting designer and theatre consultant, Dennis Hutch. Denis knew precisely what was required and was involved from day 1 to ensure the correct specifications in the design phase

The specification went out to tender and Electrosonic was pleased to be awarded a substantial amount of the work. This included supplying, installing and commissioning 10 x Strand 6 pack dimmers with a custom patch facility. The venue has 120 circuits but only 60 dimmer channels so flexibility was extremely important. The house lights were allocated on a Strand Wallrack dimmer with two Strand Accent preset panels at FOH and stage managers positions. In addition, Electrosonic supplied the well priced and very bright Topaze MSD 1200W follow spot from Robert Juliat

Electrosonic also manufactured and installed the four stage lighting bars, including a very clever cable management system, as well as a full DMX 512 network with 12 points around the venue.

The highly anticipated opening of the theatre in mid-May will be marked in the calendar as another significant milestone for the oldest school in Johannesburg. St. Mary’s was established in 1888 as an Anglican school for girls, and more than 100 years later it still demonstrates not only its rich history, but also a rich diversity in culture and religion and exudes integrity, passion and excellence in all its endeavours.