Out with the old and in with the new!

It has been a very exciting week for Next Stage Theatre Company! After parting with their beloved 15 year old Strand lighting desk, which has provided lights for over 150 Next Stage shows, and over 700 visiting productions since 2005, Next Stage has installed a state of the art ETC Element 2 Lighting desk.

Arriving last week, and safely installed by Next Stage’s technician, Kris Nutall, this brand spanking new piece of kit came just in time for Next Stage’s get-in and week long tech rehearsals for their upcoming production of Great Expectations. The new easy to use lighting board comes with a 22 inch” LED optical touch-screen monitor, a built in keyboard, 40 pageable faders and 1024 outputs - perfect for the size and technical demands of The Mission Theatre. The Next Stage team have already began making good use of the kit, easily, and quickly, programming over 130 cues for their Dickens’ tale!

Along with a new lighting desk, 2 new QSC RMX850a amps have been bought and installed in The Mission’s Technical Cupboard. The old amps were both worn and dated, and had definitely seen better days. By having 2 new amps, crystal clear sound can be projected around the Main Auditorium through our 4 speakers, ensuring companies have the best quality sound effects, songs, microphone and instrument projection possible for their shows. These amps are the perfect partners for our year old Allen & Heath sound desk.

Next Stage strives to keep up with the ever-growing technology side of the theatre world in order to bring the best possible quality of lights, sounds and technical support to all our visitors.

Of course, lighting desks and 2 new amps come at a very hefty price! As a theatre which receives no public funding, finding the money to update equipment can be a big struggle. However, recent, generous supporters and patrons of Next Stage and The Mission who have financially contributed to these projects have enabled the theatre to expand and modernise.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, supported and helped fund this expensive upgrade.