Over one million visitors a year journey to Dune du Pilat (South West France) this 110 meters high sand dune (Europe’s tallest) and gazed out onto the Atlantic or the majestic Arcachon Basin.
Not long ago, Jean-Jacques Eroles mayor of La Teste-de-Buch, a small community that borders the famous site had an inspired idea. His dream was to give his city a cultural center that would be in keeping with its position as home to one of France’s most popular tourist destinations.
Earlier this year. Mayor Eroles’ vision was turned into reality when his city’s old and fading Pierre Cravey Ballroom was reborn as the modern Le Theatre Cravey.
Contributing to this transformation was a new lighting system designed by the Bordeaux-based Concept Group that features CHAUVET Professional Ovation and COLORado LED fixtures.
“We had to rethink the entire technological core of the building,” said Stéphane Pouydesseau of the Concept Group, which also was responsible for installing an all new audio system at Le Theatre Cravey. “Our team worked very closely with the facility’s stage manager Frédéric Nadeau to define the audio and lighting products that were most appropriate for the building’s needs.
The list of essential lighting products included 10 Ovation E-930VW ellipsoidal fixtures and 10 COLORado 2-Quad Zoom wash units. “The ellipsoidal and washes are an important part of our lighting package,” said Stéphane. “They are used from different positions depending on the show being performed.”
Indeed, a wide variety of shows are now being performed at Le Theatre Cravey, which is more flexible, thanks to its expanded stage and seating arrangements. The stage in the old ballroom measured 12 x 8 meters, compared to the new theatre’s 21 x 10 meters stage. While the former ballroom had a capacity of 700, the new theatre can be configured to accommodate audiences ranging from 480 to 1,000 people.
Given the flexibility of the new theatre, the versatility of the Chauvet Professional fixtures is very appreciated. For example, the Ovation E-930VW fixture projects light in nearly any temperature of white with high CRI and CQS, and for times when a splash of color is called for, it can also provide full control of each color LED.
The COLORado fixture’s 14° to 44° zoom range allows it to cover a wide variety of different sized spaces. For added flexibility, the Concept Group included 20 different sized lenses for the Ovation ellipsoidal in the specification for Le Theatre Cravey.
“Flexibility was a key reason why we choose the Chauvet fixtures,” said Stéphane. “As far as the Ovation ellipsoidal fixtures were concerned, the range of white temperatures and the fluidity of the setting we critically important. For the COLORado pars, the aperture of the Zoom and the quality of the colors made the big difference.”
For the Concept Group, helping Le Theatre Cravey move to the new era of LED technology was extremely gratifying. “We were happy to bring the building to a new age” said Pouydesseau.
More information on the Chauvet Professional website
