New lighting and the electronic equipment to operate them will brighten up the Red Deer College Arts Centre, shining on the young stars of the college’s arts programs.
A total of $119,732 will go towards the Arts Centre infrastructure updates. The money comes from the Community Facility Enhancement Program, which generates its revenue from provincial lotteries.
Jason Frizzell, interim dean of the school of Creative Arts, called the equipment commercial-grade and said it would help students learn on the advanced systems.
“It’s going to train them on very specific pieces of equipment, very new equipment and they’ll be able to work in other performing arts centres and they’ll know what it takes to run cutting edge technology,” said Frizzell.
“Our students will be learning with these new lighting systems.”
The upgrade to the lighting is underway and it should be ready by September for students.
Among the projects planned are improvements to student access of modern lighting control consoles, improved reliability and enhancement of core lighting controllers, improved reliability and flexibility of the architectural control system, flexible distribution of data through up-to-date computer networks, improved user experience of the space for both internal and external users and providing a comprehensive implementation of modern entertainment control networks.
“It’s not something the average member of the audience is going to sit in their seat and say ‘Wow, I was really impressed with the way the sound and lighting data was transferred back to the control room seamlessly,’ ” said Frizzell.
“But it enhances that overall performance so that when you come in, the performance and atmosphere are great because things worked when they’re supposed to work and exactly how they were designed.”
The Arts Centre is approaching its 30th anniversary and since its opening, more than one million people have attended educational and community-focused events and performances there.
RDC president and CEO Joel Ward called the centre a community asset and said the funding will allow the college to ensure it remains relevant for future learners and community groups, especially since technology is rapidly changing.
mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com