The reopening marks the beginning of the Bolshoi's 236th season, with a schedule bigger and busier than any in the theatre's history - 365 performances, with a staggering 319 shows at home. To keep up with the hectic performance schedule in the main hall, and to ensure that the lighting is as stunning as the building itself, the Bolshoi chose ETC Eos control desks to control the new lighting rig. The system consists of three Eos desks - one main board and two backups - and a full set of ETC control accessories, from Radio Remote Focus Units (RRFU) to Universal Fader Wings. The system originally had 8,000 channels, but the theatre upgraded to 16,000 before the reopening.
The Eos system controls 900 lighting fixtures - 600 of them located on stage. The rig includes conventional lights - including 5° and 10° ETC Source Four luminaires - moving heads and scrollers. There are also six followspots located on the hall's top balcony that are normally operated manually, but if an operator misses a cue, the Eos console can take over and run the followspot.
Says lighting designer Yelena Drevalyova, "Based on the amount of fixtures we have to control, we chose Eos for its size and what it can handle. We looked at other consoles but Eos was the best to fit our needs. We're really happy with it. The quick access to parameters is my favourite feature."
The Eos system also allows programmers the ability to control the legendary two ton crystal chandelier that hangs in the main theatre. Originally lit by candles and gaslights before an electrical station was built to support the theatre, the chandelier was refurbished and updated during the reconstruction project to include modern bulbs that can be dimmed by Eos. In addition, Eos can control house, lobby and corridor lighting.
A 12-person team (six programmers, four designers, one head designer and an assistant) is responsible for lighting at the Bolshoi. ETC dealer Doka - who managed the daunting task of providing and installing all of the stage technology during the renovation - led a training session on Eos at the Bolshoi shortly after the lighting crew purchased the desks. The team then travelled to Holzkirchen, Germany - the ETC office that oversees sales and service for Eastern Europe - for further training. And just a few months before the theatre reopened, they were invited to ETC's headquarters in Wisconsin, USA, to meet the experts behind Eos.
(Jim Evans)
