One of the leading Stage and Event Technology courses in the Netherlands, known for its scale theatre, uses the Avolites Titan platform to familiarize students with lighting technology. A large number of Tiger Touch II and Quartz consoles are available to facilitate the lessons.

Particularly due to the intuitive nature of the Avolites platform, it is ideal as a starting point for first-year students. “During the first six months, which is mainly aimed at all-rounders, students start working with Avolites. Basic skills such as patching and cue lists are then discussed," says Daniël van der Kreeft, teacher of Stage and Event Technology at the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. “Because the platform is very visual and you don't have to work with entering syntaxes, you can get started fairly quickly. A good example is that the pallets are easy to create and can be used directly for live busking. Students can learn a lot in a short time, which means they see results quickly.”

When the students opt for the specialization in lighting technology at a later stage, more complex matters are also treated, such as key frame shapes, user numbers, set lists and macros. There is also room for expansion on other platforms later in the year. “Although we see many Avolites in the field, we like to provide students with a broad education. We also offer a basis in AutoCAD and Capture, the latter of which is easy to link with Avolites.”

Van der Kreeft has learned the trade in practice. He was active for quite some time at Purple Haze in Woerden. “I started here on the Rolacue. Although I now feel more at home on the Titan platform and all the new features that come with it.” At the Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam he started as a teaching assistant and then progressed to become an instructor. “We have wonderful facilities here to train the students. For example, we have one large studio that can be transformed into three smaller studios by means of two partitions. We also have four scale theaters in which students can test their designs on a scale of 1 to 4. In combination with a large stock of equipment, we therefore have everything in-house to annually deliver a new generation of talented AV and stage technicians.”

 

Pictures: Xandra Lieffering