Opened in 1967, the Helsinki City Theater is a bilingual repertory theater located in Finland’s capital city. With six active venues, the theater stages a diverse array of productions each year. In 2023, the Helsinki City Theater aimed to modernize its main stage lighting by replacing outdated conventional fixtures with LED technology to align with the government’s go-green initiatives. The theater sought a solution that would improve energy efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and offer superior lighting performance for its productions.
After evaluating several lighting suppliers and manufacturers, the production team selected Martin Professional’s MAC Ultra and MAC Encore series fixtures for their outstanding color rendering, energy efficiency, and silent operation. The theater’s new lighting rig consists of:
- MAC Ultra Performance Fixtures: Used for overstage and backlight, chosen for their high brightness and low noise levels.
- MAC Ultra Wash Fixtures: Integrated into the overstage lighting plot to provide smooth, even washes of light.
- MAC Encore Performance Fixtures: Deployed for front-of-house key lighting, delivering pristine white light with ultra-high color rendition—ideal for rendering skin tones and facial details accurately.
The MAC Ultra fixtures also solved a critical issue: the noise generated by the previous lighting rig, which sounded like “a server room full of computers,” according to Lighting Designer William Iles. The quiet operation of the new lights has impressed both the actors and the sound designer, contributing to an improved backstage environment.
The transition to LED lighting has delivered immediate benefits. The new Martin fixtures consume significantly less energy, in line with the theater’s sustainability goals. The reduced maintenance needs have also saved the theater tens of thousands of euros annually, as they no longer need to replace bulbs or deal with frequent repairs.
“We’re consuming considerably less energy than we did with the previous lighting fixtures,” said Iles. “I don’t miss the old halogen and gas-discharge fixtures at all. With the Martin fixtures, we don’t have to buy new bulbs every year. That alone saves us tens of thousands every year.”
In addition to cost savings, the new lighting rig has enhanced the theater’s ability to produce a wide range of shows. The versatility of the MAC Ultra and Encore fixtures allows the same lighting plot to accommodate multiple productions seamlessly.
“Every other evening, we switch between different shows,” said Iles. “The same light plot has to work across them, and the versatility of the Martin MAC Ultra and Encore fixtures has made that possible. I achieved everything I wanted and more. With these lights, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
The theater’s sound designer was also pleased with the lights’ quiet operation, ensuring that audio quality was not compromised by equipment noise. The combination of energy efficiency, low maintenance, and superior performance has made the Martin lighting rig a valuable addition to the Helsinki City Theater’s productions.
