Martin Fiber Optic Solution at Harrison Opera House

Home to the Virginia Opera, the Harrison Opera House is an intimate yet magnificent 1,632-seat venue for the grand tradition of opera. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, the totally refurbished opera house features a number of dramatic elements including a dual-towered façade, three-story grand lobby, elegant staircase, and balcony.

The spectacular interior has been further enhanced by a unique audience lighting system of 72 fiber optic points. Martin dealer, Virginia-based Dr. Bob’s Theatricity, supplied 12 Martin FiberSource CMY 150 units for the versatile and effective lighting system.
 
Bulb replacement a costly problem
The main hall’s audience lighting consisted of 72 ceiling lighting fixtures on a sloping ceiling of varying grade from 12 to 60 feet, but bulb replacement was a problem. Each time light bulbs had to be replaced, scaffolding would have to be set up, an enormous and expensive task. 

“The problem was reaching the light bulbs to change them,” explains Marty Sparks, Maintenance Supervisor - City Facilities for the City of Norfolk and the inspiration behind the fiber optic lighting project. “Setting up the scaffolding to replace the bulbs was not only a problem but cost a lot of money. There was a liability issue involved so the entire theatre had to be scaffolded for bulb changes or maintenance. That cost nearly $20,000 each time.”

Searching for a solution
Marty decided to search for a company that could propose a fiber optic solution but had no luck. “It was a real problem. I ran into a lot of sceptics who didn’t think it was possible. No one I spoke with had a solution that was acceptable, but then one day I spoke with Dr. Bob who told me that Martin had something they thought would work. We were looking for a cost effective solution plus the possibility of color changing, 100% dimming and 150 watts of luminance. That was my criteria.”

FiberSource CMY 150
Marty received backing from the Director of Civic Facilities for the City of Norfolk, John Rhamstine, in his proposal to use fiber optic lighting in the opera house. The decision was then made to use the Martin FiberSource CMY 150, an automated 150-watt color-changing luminaire for illuminating fiber optic cable that features seamless CMY color mixing and full-range continuous dimming.

The 72 ceiling light fixtures were replaced with 72 end light fiber optic points powered by 12 FiberSources, each FiberSource powering 12 fiber points. The fiber optic was installed with 2 ½ inch reflectors and fit nicely into the existing lighting canisters. All 12 FiberSources are located in the catwalk, making them easily accessible - no more need for expensive scaffolding. The FiberSources are tied into dimmer banks and controlled via the house DMX lighting board.

Cost savings
The installation is discrete enough to appear as a general lighting system yet has characteristics that allow it to be used in a variety of ways. “The illumination is bright enough for people to walk in and out,” Marty states, “and we can cater the lighting to the event or performance if we want.“ As far as I know it’s the only solution of this type in a theatre. Usually you see this in bars or clubs but theatres ought to be looking at this as a cost effective and versatile lighting solution. We’ve saved money, time and saved the liability hassle as well. The system will pay for itself in two years.”

The fiber optic has not only saved on bulb replacement costs but has cut the electrical bill as well. Furthermore, the FiberSource bulbs can be changed by one person in a fraction of the time it took to replace the conventional lighting bulbs.