--- title: Kirkland Performance Center Renovation Partners with ETC description: When the Kirkland Performance Center needed to upgrade their fixtures and rigging, they turned to ETC. image: https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Kirkland.screenshot.1.png --- - [ETCCONNECT](https://etcconnect.com/) - [ABOUT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/about) - [AUTHORS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/blog-authors) - [CONTACT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/contact) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [![EtCetera\_319x104](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "EtCetera_319x104")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) [![ETC Blog](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EtCetera_319x104.png?width=319&height=104&name=EtCetera_319x104.png "ETC Blog")](https://blog.etcconnect.com) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) Search ## [![blog-header](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-header.png?width=476&height=155&name=blog-header.png "blog-header")](https://www.etcconnect.com) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/ElectronicTheatreControls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/electronic-theatre-controls) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.youtube.com/user/ETCVideoLibrary) [✕](https://blog.etcconnect.com/kirkland-performance-center-etc#gwen-offcanvas-primary) - [SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) - [ETC CULTURE](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-culture) - [GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) - [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) - [ODDS & ENDS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/odds-ends) - [BRIGHT IDEAS](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/bright-ideas) # Kirkland Performance Center Renovation Partners with ETC ![Cameron Scallon](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cameron.png?width=34&height=34&name=cameron.png)By [Cameron Scallon](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/cameron-scallon) 12 Nov 2026 ![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Kirkland.screenshot.1.png) At the heart of Kirkland, Washington, the Kirkland Performance Center (KPC) has become a cornerstone of the area’s vibrant arts and culture scene. More than just a theatre, KPC serves as a gathering place where creativity, connection, and community come together. Richard Buckley of Bellevue Lighting and Stage (BLS) explains, “Kirkland is a place where many things are coming and going. It’s truly a community space”. That constant activity presents its own challenges. “The perennial issue you run into with venues like these is that the faster we can turn something over, the more community we can serve,” Buckley said. However, the need for quick turnaround often leaves little time to focus on large facility upgrades and long-term improvements; the facilities at Kirkland were starting to show their age. The venue still used incandescent lighting, a traditional counterweight rigging system, a standard stage deck, and other dated technology. That’s when ETC dealer BLS was brought in to act as both the general contractor and theatrical systems integrator, leading a full renovation of the venue over an accelerated two-month timeline. The original bidding process took place in the early days of BLS, Buckley recalls, “We thought we’d start with a modest project to get our feet wet. Instead, it turned out to be the biggest job I’ve ever done.” Divided into multiple phases to streamline installation, phase one involved removing the traditional line sets and replacing them with a fully automated variable-speed hoist system from ETC.  ![Backstage.Kirkland.photocredit.BarbieHull](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Backstage.Kirkland.photocredit.BarbieHull.jpg?width=4820&height=2410&name=Backstage.Kirkland.photocredit.BarbieHull.jpg) The impressive 38 Prodigy Exo 1200 hoists delivered several advantages. “The reason we went with Prodigy hoists is that they not only gave us the ability to quickly bring drops in and out and integrate them into productions, but from a safety standpoint, we were able to reduce the number of people required for scene changes,” Buckley says. While the automated rigging system offered significant benefits in terms of efficiency and ease of use, its planning and installation required a high degree of precision. “All of the motors had to be mounted on one wall at 9-inch centers. With these hoists, you can't stack them together, so we had to get creative,” Buckley explained. “We ended up using a combination of overhead steel above the load floor and a 2-inch gap between each motor, which allowed us to fit 18 units in that space. The remaining motors were mounted on the wall. We then reeved those wall-mounted motors up through the overhead structure and used steel tube spacers to bring them down to the load floor.” Another hurdle to overcome was the issue of power. “We didn’t have the power infrastructure for this many hoists. The building had 208V coming in, but all those motors require 480.” Buckley said. “We ended up installing step-ups for the transformer out to the main distro, then out to seven different subpanels.”  ![Kirkland.Rigging.photocredit.BarbieHull](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Kirkland.Rigging.photocredit.BarbieHull.png?width=1656&height=828&name=Kirkland.Rigging.photocredit.BarbieHull.png) After the final Prodigy hoist was installed, the team got to work on phase two of the installation: a full overhaul of the previous Strand lighting rig. Now controlled by an ETC Eos Apex console, the new system includes a full rig of ETC LED fixtures; ColorSource Cyc, Source Four LED Series 3 fixtures, and High End Systems Lonestar automated fixtures. This inventory provides designers with a full range of powerful, creative tools while giving the building a modern, flexible lighting infrastructure. Buckley explains, “We upped the quantity substantially, allowing them to have a lot more flexibility with a set rep plot.”  ![ETC.Fixtures.-photocredit.BarbieHull](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ETC.Fixtures.-photocredit.BarbieHull.jpg?width=6192&height=3096&name=ETC.Fixtures.-photocredit.BarbieHull.jpg) The goal of the upgrade was clear: bring the lighting into the modern age and make it easier for the wide variety of shows that utilize the venue.  The upgrades have positioned KPC to continue serving its community for years to come, making it easier to welcome the consistent stream of artists, performers, and audiences through its doors. With a modernized technical backbone in place, the venue can focus on what it does best: bringing people together through the arts.  [Learn more about the Kirkland installation in the BLS video on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naCJ22tq0Hc ).   *photo credit @Barbie Hull* - - - 0 [#SPOTLIGHT](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/spotlight) [#FEATURED](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/featured) [#ETC Rigging](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/etc-rigging) [#GEAR](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/gear) ### Evolve With Eos Part 2: Filling Out the Family [Next article](https://blog.etcconnect.com/evolve-with-eos-filling-out-the-family) [Cameron Scallon](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/cameron-scallon) ![Cameron Scallon](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cameron.png?width=180&height=180&name=cameron.png) #### You may also like [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_5939-750x500.jpg)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/03/led-faqs-part-1-what-is-led-binning) [FEATURED](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/featured) ### [LED FAQs (Part 1): What is LED binning?](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/03/led-faqs-part-1-what-is-led-binning) By [Guest Blogger](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/guest-blogger) 7-Mar-2019 *In this series, we’ll touch on some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about LEDs. The insights in parts 1 and 2 are brought to you by ETC’s Outreach and Training Specialist Tom...* [Read More](https://blog.etcconnect.com/2019/03/led-faqs-part-1-what-is-led-binning) [![](https://blog.etcconnect.com/hubfs/Desire_Family_glam_wide.jpg)](https://blog.etcconnect.com/an-array-of-choices-1) [LEARN](https://blog.etcconnect.com/tag/learn) ### [An Array of Choices Part 1: Getting the Most out of Your LEDs](https://blog.etcconnect.com/an-array-of-choices-1) By [Guest Blogger](https://blog.etcconnect.com/author/guest-blogger) 7-Aug-2023 Imagine having the power to manipulate color on the fly – quickly and easily being able to tweak and adjust your fixtures to make the costumes pop or the scenery really come to life or add just a... 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