The Super Troupers!

Tonight we did another run of the show. This time the Lower School kids that play the king's children did not come. We ran all the scenes and songs with the lead actors. The stagehands and fly crew got to practice some of the major set changes.

But a big addition to the show tonight was electric! For the first time we fired up our two new Strong Long Throw Super Trouper Followspots with 1600 Watt Xenon Lamps! The clean white light of these professional grade spots looked fantastic against the colorful backlight on the stage.

Here Mr. Pusch tests a Super Trouper for Mr. Lowell. (The 8 seats lost due to the installation of the followspot towers were replaced by adding seats to the old followspot balconies).

Zach and Carys were given the responsiblity of operating the monsterous spotlights during the shows. They stand atop new towers at the highest corners of the balcony section. The sharp focus of these spots makes every solo and every duet really pop from the stage!

Here is the amazing view that Zach and Carys will share on opening night. It's exactly one hundred feet from the snout of the spot to the center-center of the stage. But still, as Mr. Lowell jokes, "You could cook a pizza on stage with these spots!"

The 1600 watt xenon lamp has such a powerful internal vacuum that it could "explode like a hand grenade" if dropped, so Mr. Pusch wears a welder's jacket while installing a new bulb.