Doornroosje, Nijmegen (2022)
Busy and vibrant
live music venue, Doornroosje, in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, has invested in
more Robe moving lights for its two main performance halls, which are action-packed
with a full programme – currently staging around double the number of pre-covid
shows such is the demand – making up for down time during the pandemic!
Doornroosje is
run by the local Nijmegen town council and managed by a full-time staff of
bookers, admin and technical staff including Robbie Van Reen, who has been head
of lighting since 2009.
Twenty Robe T1 Profiles,
12x T2 Profiles 12x Spiider LED wash beams and eight LEDBeam 350s have
recently been added to their house lighting rigs, which help offer fantastic
production values to all visiting artists. These were all delivered by Robe’s
Benelux distributor, Controllux, with whom Robbie has a great relationship.
Way back
The venue’s history
with Robe goes back many years. In 2014 when Doornroosje moved to its current
site in the city centre the current investments started, initially in MMX Spots
… which were still going strong last year when replaced with the latest purchases!
They also have
DLX Spots and DLF Washes – Robe’s first-generation LED moving lights – which
have clocked up over 20,000 hours and were recently moved to the bar area in a
reshuffle of existing lights that happened alongside the installation of the
new ones.
Flexibility
The largest room
in the building is the main 1100 capacity Red stage; the Purple stage can
accommodate 400 music fans, and the bar area around 200. The musical mix is
diverse, from rock, pop and folk to reggae, world, and funk, to metal, hip hop,
R ‘n’ B plus a profusion of dance genres, so the lighting rig has always been specified
for flexibility and offering numerous creative options.
The 12x new T1s
have gone to the Purple stage, with the older DLX Spots and DLF Washes that
were there before now moved to the dance floor of the Purple stage and the bar,
where they are perfect for the dance nights.
Of great value
The first ever
Robe fixtures to arrive at Doornroosje – before 2014 when it was still at the
previous site across town – were some LEDWash 300s, and six of these are still
part of the venues floor package. “These and other Robe fixtures have all been
amazing value,” Robbie stated.
Twelve of the new
T1 Profiles, all the T2s and Spiiders are now installed over the Red Stage. The
Spiiders are augmenting some LEDWash 800s that were part of an earlier
investment and the 8x new LEDBeam 350s are part of a floor package, their
small size, massive brightness, and easy manoeuvrability making them perfect
for the job!
Happy LD's
“Colour mixing was
a key feature for choosing the T1s and T2s,” explained Robbie who likes the
intense reds and blues these luminaires can create. They are also trying to be
as sustainable as possible in their choices, so LED was a natural choice.
Robbie himself
lights many of the shows, working with a team of 15 regular freelancers who
assist the lighting department who now have no less than 116 Robe fixtures at
their disposal across the various different areas of the venue.
Made in Europe
During the covid
lockdowns, they kept busy with streaming events which also kept the kit in use,
which were interspersed with socially distanced and limited capacity shows as and
when the restrictions allowed.
Everyone loved the
T1s when they arrived, so they then looked at the T2s for the Red Stage and
after having a fixture on demo, quickly decided to also purchase these.
“I wanted good,
efficient, reliable LED fixtures with a nice quality of output and excellent
colour mixing,” commented Robbie who also recently visited the Robe factory,
adding, “I like the fact that the products and essential parts like PCBs are
all properly made in Europe.”
The numerous visiting
LDs to Doornroosje are also enjoying the T1s and T2s, appreciating the many
features, accurate shuttering and good selection of gobos.
The venue offers
a variety of control consoles in house – grandMA, Avo and a Road Hog.
Solid relation
Robbie notes
that having a solid relationship with the distributor is paramount to the continued
loyalty to any brand, as it assures quick and efficient tech support and back
up when needed.
Controllux’s
account handler Maikel Sakkers commented, “It’s always great to work with
Robbie and his team, Doornroosje is one of the most consistent and
professionally run venues in the Netherlands, so it is an honour and a pleasure
to have as a loyal client.”
More references Concerthalls