AVW Controls Ltd - Press Release - March 2003
Royal National Theatre
AVW Controls Ltd have provided automation systems for many productions at the National including all of the above shows. In addition the National Theatre currently have two Impressario computer automation systems, one in the Cottesloe Theatre and one in in the Lyttelton Theatre.
Following its launch at PLASA 2002 and installation on the hit musical Our House, AVW’s Impressario Advance! motion control system has now been given its first permanent home at the RNT’s Cottesloe Theatre. It’s not the first time the RNT’s turned to AVW. This latest project follows the success of the Impressario system in the Olivier Award winning productions of A Streetcar Named Desire staged in the Lyttleton Theatre and other work carried out on Anything Goes in the Olivier Theatre. Impressario Advance! controls 13 flying bars in the Cottesloe, including four point hoists and three dedicated lighting bars, and with the amount of equipment set to increase on a yearly basis, it was deemed the best tool for the job. It was the use of the Impressario in the RNT’s production of Howard Katz that captured the interest of the Cottesloe’s senior operations assistant, Simon Cranidge. "The reason we bought the system is simple", explained Simon. "Not only is it very easy for even the most novice computer user to operate, but it’s easy to install, it’s very effective in shows and there’s always the option of upgrading". Cranidge also likes the system because it’s ideal for touring, easy to move and quickly adapts to suit any venue. This is confirmed by the fact that the Lyttleton is currently borrowing the system for its production of The Duchess of Malfi, where it controls a 250kg sheet of glass which moves across the stage at a stunning two metres a second, 14 times every performance. The RNT has a serious policy that it does not allow suppliers to subcontract which in Cranidge’s opinion is very important. "Before we decided on a permanent system for the Cottesloe, we looked at eight different companies, but none were as efficient as AVW’s Impressario Advance!", he said. "We fully intend to buy another one, and after doing our research, we’re positive we won’t even consider buying anything else". In fact, so impressed are staff at the National with the system, that work’s soon due to start on installing a second permanent Impressario Advance! in the Lyttelton. It will also be used for the much-talked about forthcoming production of ‘Jerry Springer the Opera’.
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