Helping Collingwood College to make the most of its school hall with a new lighting and stage installation.
The main hall is at the heart of Collingwood College in Camberley but needed upgrading to comply with health and safety requirements. Solutions On Stage designed an affordable solution with an up-to-date lighting system and revamped stage area to give the school the flexibility it needed when using the hall.
The Problem
An essential school space hampered by dated equipment and an awkward layout.
As with many schools, the main hall at Collingwood College fulfils several roles during a typical term. It is used for “a whole host of events”, everything from assemblies and presentations through to exams and large drama productions. The facilities therefore need to be flexible enough to multi-task as both a school hall and a venue as required. The school was working around several challenges when using the hall, however. Dated equipment provided limited lighting options and there was an awkward balcony stage area on different levels, which had been built internally with “many add-ons” over the years. As Danny Kang, Facilities Manager at Collingwood, explains: “It was all very basic and a bit of a mess!”
When a routine inspection by Solutions On Stage highlighted a number of health and safety issues with the equipment, Danny was able to secure a budget from the governors to upgrade the facilities in the hall.
The Solution
A modern LED lighting system and new stage, designed for ease of use and flexibility
Putting together a brief for the project “felt daunting as I have a very basic knowledge of theatre,” Danny says, “but Solutions On Stage really guided me through the process”.
He and Shakiara Valu, Head of Performing Arts & Drama at Collingwood, produced a wish list of what they wanted to achieve. Solutions On Stage helped Danny and Shakiara to finalise this specification to meet their needs and “limitations of budget”. Revised quotes “came back really quickly” and they always gave “an honest opinion” about what did and didn’t need to be done.
For Danny, this was a deciding factor in trusting Solutions On Stage with the job. “It’s not always just about price – it’s about the customer service and the time and effort put in,” says Danny. “I was confident in the project being delivered just the way I wanted it.”
Logistically, the installation needed to be done during the summer holidays and had to accommodate work being carried out separately to install a new ceiling in the hall. Danny found Solutions On Stage to be “really considerate towards the narrow timescales we had and very understanding of any requests”.
Solutions On Stage were “very efficient and informative” during the installation process on site. Once everything was in place, they provided “fantastic” training that “answered all our questions” covering important safety information as well as how to operate the equipment.
The Result
A facility to be proud of, with lighting and staging solutions that meet the school’s various needs
The project has created a practical multi-use space that can be easily adapted for the different events that take place in the hall. With interest in drama “going through the roof”, the school has been proudly showcasing its investment and Danny reports that “it has all gone down extremely well”.
The DIY levels and partitions of the old balcony stage have been cleared, creating a “brand new canvas” that has opened up the area, meaning it can be used more flexibly. Adding theatrical drapes and curtains has helped to define the stage, so this can transition from a platform for presentations to a set for more professional drama productions.
The old lighting equipment has been replaced in the main part of the hall with a new LED lighting solution. Effectively a “like for like swap” of the old dimmers, lighting bars and cabling, this brings everything up to date so that the school can be confident it is complying with health and safety requirements. There is now a comprehensive lighting system in the hall that is easy to operate and maintain. A scene setter makes every day use simple, programmed with a pre-determined lighting selection and controlled at the touch of a button, without needing to know how to use a lighting desk. In addition, a new lantern package allows for more creativity with the lighting design for productions.
As an ETC accredited supplier, Solutions On Stage has been able to use its ColorSource products, which offer affordable quality lighting. This has maximised what the school was able to achieve with their budget.
