Teatro Solis Montevideo

The 24 x ColorSpot 1200E ATs are still going strong and, declares Martin Blanchet, the theatre's lighting manager, "They are definitely the best technical investment we have made from many aspects".

The ColorSpots are deployed in the Theatre's 1250 seat main auditorium. They are utilised extensively to help facilitate Teatro Solis's extremely busy and diverse national and international programme of shows and live performances - it's both a receiving and a producing house - numbering up to 250-300 a year.

The ColorSpot 1200E ATs have enabled the venue to offer a full range of flexible creative options and solutions to the various designers working in the space. The productions that are staged embrace many genres of entertainment, including opera, dance shows, live bands, comedy performances and theatre and drama productions, etc.

The Robes have been absolutely "One hundred per cent reliable", confirms Blanchet, needing no attention apart from the bulbs changing every so often as is normal. They have proved once again a great testament to Robe's legendary engineering quality!

They are also quiet enough for the theatrical environment remarks Blanchett adding, "They have absolutely everything you need in terms of features and functionality - just like a Swiss army knife!!"

He says he would not hesitate to recommend them to any other installation based on their experiences at Teatro Solis. They are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Robe ROBIN Series in Uruguay, particularly the LEDWash 600 as reducing power consumption and becoming a more environmentally conscious consumer is high on the theatre's technical agenda.

The ColorSpot 1200s were originally specified by the theatre's Technical Director Ricardo Mazzrelli, who co-ordinated the supply of all the new technology for the refurbishment project which concluded after 6 years in 2004. In the process, many parts of architect Carlo Zucci's magnificent 1856 neoclassical masterpiece were restored to their original splendour, simultaneously incorporating modern technical, production and front/back-of-house facilities capable of staging any modern show.

The ColorSpots will be worked for well over 1000 hours a year on average servicing the various shows, so they have really been 'tried and tested' in all senses in an exacting environment - and one where it is still rare to find moving lights in Latin America.

Mazzrelli's foresight in installing the best technology available at the time has also ensured that Teatro Solis remains one of the most popular and significant in Latin America - as well as the third oldest.