You wrote: "The theatrical space will be completely dark for this moment."
You may not be aware of this, but the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) that publishes the Fire Codes that most jurisdictions use, changed the Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) a few years back and you can no longer have a complete black-out in a theatre. Two things must ALWAYS BE ON:
1. The EXIT signs that must be visible to the audience (you cannot cover them up, turn them off, or remove the lamps).
2. Aisle Lights. The egress paths must have a minimum of 1/5th foot candle (fc) illumination at the floor level. Most theatres do not have special lights that only illuminate the aisles, so this means that the entire houselight group must be set no lower than 1/5th fc.
How do you know it is at 1/5th fc? Buy a light meter and set the sensor head on the floor facing up and read the results. A light meter is good for teaching many things about lighting, so this should be in your toolbox anyway.
FWIW: 1/5 fc can appear very bright when it is cast upon a light colored floor, railing, or seat back. The color of your floor, railings, and seat backs greatly affects the perception of how bright the lights are. This is all the more reason to have dedicated light fixtures that only illuminate the aisles - you only have to be concerned with the color of the aisle carpeting / tile.
How do you control this light setting? Several options are available:
1. Install a DMX merge unit between the houselight controls and the houselight dimmers (or the houselights if they are directly DMX controlled LEDs). Set it for a "highest takes precedence" and feed a DMX signal into one of the inputs that sets the 1/5th fc level in the seating / aisle areas.
2. If your Dimmer Rack Central Control Unit (the device capabilities and name varies by manufacturer) allows the low level dimmer trim to be adjusted, then set the low trim for the houselights here.
3. Train your lighting operators about this legal requirement and make sure that no houselight level cues are set below the 1/5 fc level.
NOTES:
1. You will need a more complicated control programming / processor if your want to be able to actually turn the lights all the way off (ZERO) when the theatre is empty. If you just follow the steps above you may end-up with lights that you can't fully turn-off when you are not there.
2. If you leave halogen incandescent lamps on at a very low level (to achieve the 5 fc goal) for extended periods of time (days, weeks, weekends, over the summer, etc.) it will shorten the lamp life because the halogen gases in the lamp globes don't get hot enough to cycle the chemical properties of the halogen gasses properly and the interiors of the lamps will prematurely darken (not to mention wasting a lot of energy).
3. Some theatre seats have lights mounted in the 'standard' at the end of the seat rows and this light can contribute to the 1/5 fc requirement, but they are usually is not bright enough nor do they offer even coverage all the way to the exit doors / vestibules (and the vestibules have to be illuminated to a higher level than 1/5 fc).
4. Some theatres have lights on the floor that shine UP (and glare in the audience's eyes) and this may not meet the code requirement as the code measures the light cast UPON the floor, not the light emitted FROM the floor).
5. Some theatres have lights embedded in the riser of the steps, or in a step nosing, or in the wall adjacent to the side aisles that cast light across the floor. Like the seat standard-mounted lights, these may not provide sufficient illumination, and/or the eveness of the illumination may be inadequate.
Bottom Line:
If you have been looking for justification to redo your houselights (LED upgrade) and / or the color of your seats, carpet, or the floor space between the seats, this is a good rational to present to your school planners. It is necessary to be compliant with the current Fire Code egress illumination requirements. An upgrade to the controls and lights will save money in the long-term from both energy consumption and maintenance labor.
Caveat 1: Have a consultant that understands the theatre functionality necessary from a lighting system be the one to specify the lighting, dimming, and control. Most engineers and architects don't 'get' this and the results are dysfunctional.
Caveat 2: Have a consultant that understands the theatre functionality necessary for seating and color selections be involved in the color selections for carpets, paints, wood finishes, etc. so that the results guide the audiences' eyes to the stage and not to the interior distractions.
Caveat 3: If updating the finish colors / materials on floors, be aware of the ADA recommendations about contrasting colors at step edges, and requirements about maximum step edge radius's. Now is the time to fix all these things at once!
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Erich Friend
Theatre Consultant
Teqniqal Systems
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-06-2017 02:02
From: David Hastings
Subject: Eyes light up in every part of the theatre
I need help with a technical challenge.
I am working on a project in which I need to have eyes light up in every part of the theatre. The suggestion I have been given is to "buy one of those read-in-bed light up glasses from CVS and see how cool it looks when you look in a mirror in a darkened room." This is a decent solution, but I thought someone might have a better idea. The theatrical space will be completely dark for this moment.
What I really want is for the eyes to appear everywhere: onstage, in the aisles, and in the balcony. I also like the idea of eyes that could levitate magically ... perhaps that could fly. And I want the eyes to be red.
Let me know if you have any suggestions. I am willing to spend some money to make sure I get the right effect for this project.
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David Tate Hastings
Olathe South High School
Troupe #5006
dhastingsos@olatheschools.org
913-481-1868
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