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When you're home to world-class productions and an ambitious touring programme, your lighting control system needs to keep up. That was exactly the challenge facing Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam (ITA), one of the Netherlands' leading theatre venues and touring companies, before upgrading to ETC's Eos Apex platform...
ITA selected ETC's Eos Apex platform as part of its ongoing commitment to modernizing the venue and enhancing production quality. Working with ETC dealer Ampco Flashlight Sales, the theatre has installed a comprehensive lighting control solution that gives the technical team greater flexibility, precision and reliability – both in-house and on tour.
Home to acclaimed actors and pioneering directors, ITA hosts a diverse programme of plays and performances, while regularly taking productions on the road across Europe. One of the productions recently benefiting from the new system is Giovanni's Room, which has toured Europe, moving between venues of all sizes every two weeks. A demanding schedule like this requires a control system that can adapt quickly while delivering consistent results at every stop.
Before making the upgrade, the ITA team carefully evaluated several lighting control systems, comparing performance, flexibility and reliability. For Lighting Coordinator Wannes Klop and the team, ETC stood out thanks to its exceptional color engine, robust hardware and precise control, making it the ideal fit for both the theatre's day-to-day productions and its touring requirements.
The installation includes an Eos Apex 5, two Apex FP consoles, two Ion XE 20 consoles, a Programming Wing, ETC Puck, Fader Wings and Source Four LED Series 2 fixtures. These work alongside a fully integrated infrastructure featuring ETC Response Mk2 DMX Gateways and a Sensor3 dimming system, giving the team complete control over color, intensity and cueing throughout the venue and on the road.
For Lighting Engineer Wouter Pieters, the benefits were immediately clear:
"ETC stood out for its color engine and overall quality. The system allows for very precise operation, which is exactly what we needed at ITA. The hardware, particularly the encoders, is incredibly useful—now we can use 14 encoders where previously we had far less than that. With ETC, you have everything you need in a console."
ETC Associate Regional Manager Robbi Nassi sees the upgrade as a great example of how the right tools can empower creative teams and support ambitious productions:
"We're delighted that ITA has chosen ETC to support their ambitious programming. Our goal is always to provide tools that give lighting designers and technicians the creative freedom they need while ensuring reliability and consistency in the theatre. ITA's team has made excellent use of the Apex system to bring their productions to life."
With its new ETC lighting control system in place, Internationaal Theatre Amsterdam is well equipped for the future. Whether supporting performances on its home stage or touring productions across Europe, the venue now has a flexible, integrated lighting control solution that helps its creative team deliver outstanding experiences for audiences wherever they perform.
