Dripping Springs High School Upgrades Lighting System with ETC

Located in Texas, Dripping Springs High School produces theatre productions throughout the school year for the community, while also competing in UIL competitions such as One-Act Play and Theatrical Design. The auditorium serves as a multipurpose learning and performance space for band, choir, orchestra, concerts, large meetings, as well as theatre. When the district was looking to upgrade the technology in its performance space, the leadership team turned to ETC’s lighting solutions.

Daniel Baxter, Technical Director of the DSHS Theatre Department says, “My experience with ETC's support team over almost 15 years in event production and theatre has always been stellar. Knowing that we will have quality support years after the product has been delivered is a great feeling to have.”

Leading the way on design and implementation, Covenant Communications specified a robust package of lighting and control solutions. Now, the theatre is equipped with a new Ion Xe console, 40 ColorSource Fresnel V, 32 ColorSource CYC, 24 ColorSource PAR, 8 SolaPix 19, and 8 Lonestar fixtures. The DSHS Theatre Department also brought new life to existing incandescent fixtures in their inventory by retrofitting them to LED with 70 Source 4WRD Color II kits.

Brett Butler, Lighting Designer, and TJ Edwards, San Antonio Branch Manager, of Covenant Communications both commented on how impressive the demo of the Source 4WRD units was when they brought them to the school during the design process. Both the color and white options yielded excellent output for an LED retrofit solution.

Now that the Source 4WRD Color II kits have been installed, Baxter says, “Having the ability to color mix our main wash systems is wonderful. I will be able to replicate the familiar warm white of the incandescent HPLs that our guests and users are familiar with for our music departments and then change gears to start making beautiful color systems for our plays and musicals, without having to spend hours changing gels. The band director is also excited that the upgrade to LEDs means the stage will stay cool for their concerts.”

The ETC ColorSource family of affordable LED solutions has also made noteworthy improvements in the DSHS lighting system.

“Previously, we had incandescent PARnels coupled with an LED top wash system. The backlighting was good, but with the upgrade to ColorSource Fresnel V, we've gone from a somewhat spotty top wash with rough accuracy in the color mixing, to a perfectly even wash that puts out incredible color,” says Baxter. “We've also gone from a single backlight to two diagonal backlights in every lighting area. I'm excited to start making pretty backlight looks with these new systems.”

In addition to Fresnel V, ColorSource PAR fixtures have been installed in the house lighting to eliminate dark spots and incorporate color in the house lighting to help bring the audience into the world of the stage.

The introduction of SolaPix 19 and Lonestar fixtures to the DSHS lighting inventory marks the first time students will be able to work with moving head fixtures.

“The SolaPix 19s provide a wonderful wash. My students are already putting them to use by programming them to music. They're looking forward to the events where we can lower the electrics to take advantage of the eye-candy effects the SolaPix offers,” says Baxter. “The Lonestars are also incredible. I've already used them to light speakers who want to stand in parts of the auditorium that aren't covered by the main lighting system. I'm excited to take advantage of the framing and gobo features to step up the amount of specials and effects we can do in our productions.”

Butler adds, “Lonestar was a great choice for the school, with the added benefit of framing shutters and a wide variety of gobos. The color saturation and light output are also nice. It’s an excellent workhorse for a mid-range moving light, especially at its price.”

With the ColorSource CYC package, the school was able to place 16 fixtures on the ground and 16 fixtures above the cyclorama. That added ability to create a dual tonality coming from above and below makes for great effect when designing looks like a sunrise or sunset.

As for the control package, the new Ion Xe expands what’s possible in terms of programming. With the addition of an ETCnomad Puck and ETCpad, the students and faculty can review lighting positions and control the fixtures from anywhere within the space. They even had a road case custom made to make it easy to take the Eos set up anywhere in the theatre, with no need to go back to the control booth.

A new Response Snapback unit made upgrading the school’s existing Paradigm system a simple process. Baxter says, “It will allow us the flexibility to make really nice presets with all the new equipment for the different events that happen in our auditorium. It's one of those ‘behind the scenes’ things that makes staying in the ETC ecosystem so appealing.”

Kicking off the new school year with an upgraded lighting system, the DSHS Theatre Department is excited to see their staged productions and theatre learning reach new heights.

Baxter closes, “The students and I can't wait to push this new system when we get to our winter musical and the big rock and roll events we do with band, choir, and our dance programs. This upgrade means our students will graduate having experience with the most current technology available.”

Gear List

1 - Ion Xe console

1 - ETCpad

1 - ETC Puck

1 - Eos Programming Wing

70 - Source 4WRD Color II

40 - ColorSource Fresnel V

32 - ColorSource CYC

24 - ColorSource PAR

8 - SolaPix 19

8 - Lonestar

1 – Response SnapBack