“ The Nextfest people are already starting to talk about using those .” While there are no screens in the other spaces – “ We obviously have cycs and scrims for all the venues . And , in the Lorne Cardinal , we have this gigantic Baltic Birch wall . We ’ ve projected on that and it looks fantastic .”
Video elements for the Roxy were informed by their time in the Gateway as well , and naturally , in the shift forced by the pandemic . “ So , Lorne Cardinal is inhabited by the lighting and sound rig from the last theatre , which we purchased after the fire . We also bought Panasonic projectors after the fire . Over the pandemic , we turned into , basically , a TV studio and did Nextfest online for two years ,” Peters explains , citing the additional purchase of “ a Roland switcher and a little 4k Sony Handy Cam .” During that time , “ We also got involved with a company , AVI-SPL ( previously known as Sharps ), and ended up being involved with Panasonic directly . They came out , talked to us about what we were doing with the new building , and put us into their beta program .” Ultimately , that will result in even greater flexibility going forward and is a natural match for the type of experimental programming on offer at the Roxy . “ We would never have had that gear had it not been for the pandemic , and now we have the knowledge to stream whatever we want to . The learning curve was steep but very worth it .”
“ I ’ m standing in the Lorne Cardinal Theatre right now ,” which , he adds , was built not only to present shows but may act as a venue in which those shows are filmed and repackaged for a wider audience .
As Moss said in an interview with CBC in 2018 when they received provincial funding for the rebuild , the return of the Roxy is “ a turning point – it ’ s a game-changer .” Overall , the results across the board represent a major upgrade . What remains consistent , however , is The Roxy ’ s status as an iconic landmark . “ Everybody is ecstatic that it ’ s back .”
LORNE CARDINAL BLACK BOX THEATRE
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer .
THE REHEARSAL ROOM
THE ROXY ’ S LIGHTING EQUIPMENT LIST
NANCY POWER THEATRE
20x ETC S4 750 26 degree 10x 20x 10x 25x 18x
ETC S4 750 2550 zoom ETC S4 LED series 3 26 degree ETC S4 LED series 3 2550 zoom ETC Colorsource pars ETC Colorsource Cyc 5x Elation Fuze Profile 6x Elation Fuze Wash Z350 2x Chauvet Rogue R1 FXB 5x Chauvet Maverick MK Pyxis
MISC :
ETC Iris kits Rosco DMX Iris Rosco I Cue mirror Martin ZR 45 fogger Ultratech Radiance Hazer
CONTROL :
ETC SR 48 rack with 48 ETC Thrupower modules ETC ION XE console ETC EOS Fader wing – 2 x 20
Cisco network switch with patch ETC DMX network nodes ETC Network and DMX boxes
LORNE CARDINAL THEATRE
ETC SR 24 rack with ETC Thrupower modules ETC Network system Echo house light controls ETC network and DMX boxes
REHEARSAL SPACE
ETC Colorsource 20 AV console 12x ETC Colorsource Pars ETC DMX boxes
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