Breck Theater Receives Generational Lighting Upgrade

Just weeks before the Upper School production of Mamma Mia, the Breck Cargill theater is receiving a stage lighting upgrade. These lighting upgrades only come around once in 20-30 years. Most of the stage lights will be replaced with more efficient, higher quality, more modern lights. In recent weeks, lots of people have worked tirelessly to get these new lights installed so they can be of use before Mamma Mia premiers. Students, teachers and Breck’s lighting designer have all been crucial in getting this new update rolled out. This upgrade will lead to major changes for the theater, making performances more seamless for actors and crew. The changes aren’t just for efficiency, audience members will also be able to notice the change.
Mr. Gustafson, the Breck theater manager, remarked upon the new lights, saying, “This update has brought Breck into the modern age of live stage lighting.” These new lights will make Breck school up to date with all the new stage lighting technologies. Mr. Gustafson also said, “We are switching from a very cumbersome [lighting] technology to one that is more efficient and computer based. There is a potential 80% drop in power consumption from our lighting system alone.” These new lights will now also be easier to control via computer, helping lighting technicians set all the lights correctly. He noted that audience members will also notice a difference in the new lights because the lights will be brighter, have more color options, and better cover the stage.
The new lights will have a maximum power of 250 watts, while the old lights maxed out at 575 watts. This change will not only make the lights much more power efficient, but also safer in general. These lights will not get nearly as hot as the old lights while at full power, making it safer for cast and crew. Additionally, all the new lights will now be LEDs. As a result of more modern technologies and enhanced efficiency, the new 50 lights will be able to do the same job as 130 old lights. This will make it much simpler for everyone positioning lights before performances as there will be fewer lights to deal with. Mabel McLain (‘29), who is acting in Mamma Mia, said that the new lighting will be very impactful for the future of the theater and is excited to see how the new lighting will look in Mamma Mia.