Bourke Street’s iconic Kinselas – overlooking Sydney’s creative heartland, is once again redefining Sydney’s cultural landscape, with Level 3 transformed into The Standard – Sydney’s premier mid-sized all purpose performance art space.
A Surry Hills institution, 383 Bourke Street has remained at the core of Sydney’s cultural DNA for the past 30 years. From its cult following as a theatre restaurant, to infamous parties and performances that launched countless careers, even playing witness to the odd dalliance between Kylie and Michael.
Having lain dusty and dormant for the past fifteen years, the Level 3, New York style warehouse space has been transformed to answer Sydney’s call for a live performance space with a twist. With a constantly evolving configuration and limitless staging options – on any given night The Standard can host an eclectic mix of live music, theatre in the round, aerial performances, comedy, burlesque and art exhibitions.
Designed to fulfill the needs of a city currently experiencing a cultural renaissance, The Standard is unlike any other venue of its kind in Australia. Owned by the Riversdale Group with creative direction and programming provided by Peer Group Media, The Standard is seizing its unique and colourful past and reinterpreting it for a new generation.
GRB Lighting was asked to design and supply a versatile lighting system on a limited budget. Managing director Greg Butts turned to Show Technology for a cost effective yet adaptable rig that still show cased the latest in lighting technology.
“The rig not only has to cater for music acts but also events such as comedy and burlesque as well as corporate and show case events,” said Greg.
The rig contains six Martin MAC101 moving head LED lights, four 750w FAL fresnels with barndoors, four 750w FAL profiles, sixteen Pro Shop LED Par 64’s, eight Pro Shop LED Mini Blocks, two Duets and two MAX strobes all controlled by a Martin M1 console.
“The MAC101’s are definitely a winner as you can use them in so many ways,” commented Greg. “You can spot things around the room, create good looks for the band and also they require little maintenance. The conventional fixtures such as the fresnels and profiles are great for stage washes and they free up the MAC101’s to do different things.”
The majority of the LED PARs are used for lighting the room, walls and the crowd whilst six of the LED PARs, four of the MAC101’s, the strobes, the duets and the LED Mini Blocks are situated at the back of the stage for the performing bands.
“The LED Mini Blocks are a relatively new product and they’re really punchy and effective for their size,” said Greg. “They provide great eye-candy!”
Greg describes the Martin M1 console as a fantastic little unit that is really great value for money.
“We’ve already had quite a few lighting designers use the M1 at The Standard and they all remark how easy it is to use,” he added. “We’ve pre-programmed a lot of stuff into the console but it’s so easy to pick up.”
The H-shape truss was supplied by Design Quintessence.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login