Celebrating the Wonder

Each year, both the staff and congregation at Essex Alliance Church in Vermont, USA gather together for a joyous occasion that involves the entire membership. This year’s Christmas Spectacular - Celebrate the Wonder - was a 70 minute musical that celebrates the birth of Christ. Taking place for 10 shows over 3 days in December, the event showcases various styles of music and dance in the spirit of worship.

A production like this one needed three main ingredients: an energetic cast, a talented and artistic lighting designer and a dynamic lighting rig to illuminate the entire production.

Choreography complement
Lighting designer/programmer Chris Tall knew exactly what was needed to bring out the best in the lively production and turned to Martin’s MAC and Mania lines to make it happen.

With Dark Star Lighting and Production supplying Martin’s MAC III Profile™ (3), MAC 700 Profile™ (10), MAC 250 Wash™ (10), MAC 250 Entour™ (4) and 12 Mania SCX 700™ scanners, Tall was able to showcase design choreography that would not only keep up with the cast, but complement the production perfectly while remaining trouble-free for 10 days of rigorous usage.

“I wanted tight beams for aerials, and to cover performers in the aisles without spilling onto the audience members too much,” said Tall. “But I also wanted wide effects to paint the auditorium’s architecture. Rig locations in this room can be difficult. I needed units that would replace floor mounted units on some service mezzanines at the back of the house.”

MAC III™ shows its many sides
“Wow, they’re MAC 700’s on steroids,” said Tall, describing the MAC III Profile’s incredibly enhanced depth of field and wider beam angles. “Seriously, I was very happy with the balance of features offered in the MAC III. I made use of all of them during the show. Everything from tight solo spots in the aisle to rotating gobo air effects. I even complemented the finale’s confetti blast by projecting ‘confetti’ on the ceiling over the stage. I did this by using the ‘Snow Storm’ gobo, prism and animation wheel. I then set the focus and animation to a speed that was perfect and voila!”

While Tall has been a fan of Martin’s MAC line for over 4 years, this was the first time that he employed a full Martin rig. The product selection left a lasting impression, “The church produces two major productions each year, Christmas and Easter,” he explains. “The Easter service seats 2,500 people and is held at our local Expo. I’m looking forward to using this rig again for the Easter production.”

Martin products are built for a rugged touring industry, performing flawlessly from show to show. The MAC III’s resilience was demonstrated after three days of programming, technical and dress rehearsals and 9 shows, “We were very impressed,” said Tall. “The (MAC III) fixtures arrived that same morning (Dark Star turned them around the same day). We normally don’t get to rigging fixtures on the first evening of load-in, but we couldn’t wait. We set up the MAC III that evening.”

The rest is something wondrous.
The MAC III Profile™ offers a perfect balance between an impressive list of features and ultimate performance. This high-output moving head luminaire offers superb optical efficiency, a new design and great feel; and the sheer speed and precision of the fat beam out-moves and out-throws any competing product.

Martin Professional is dedicated to energizing the worship experience.