Theater-goers frequenting the Fortune Theater in Dunedin, New Zealand, are being enlightened by Ecoglo’s convincing performances in pathway emergency lighting.
The theater’s retrofit with Ecoglo’s photoluminescent stair nosings in March 2001 has given theater-goers renewed confidence to move to and from their seats. Using Ecoglo® as pathway emergency lighting also gives peace of mind that theater-goers will be able to exit safely and efficiently in the event of an evacuation.
The Ecoglo® enhancement is a modern installation in a theater steeped in tradition - situated in what was originally a 19th-century church. The theater was dimly lit, and the stairs were sometimes difficult to negotiate due to varying gradients and heights making effective pathway emergency lighting a concern.
Fortune Theater production manager Jon Waite says the light from the stage was all that lit the way for theater patrons before it installed Ecoglo® stair nosings on steps in Fortune’s two auditoriums, which is a hazard for people trying to follow pathway emergency lighting.
“We decided it was time for the installation of some sort of lighting solution that would help patrons to get to their seats. It was definitely a safety factor for us - we have a lot of older patrons at the theater and we have had a few people fall on the stairs before.”
“We looked at installing electrical lighting on the stairs, but found that it was distracting to both the performers on the stage, and to the patrons watching - the lights would have shone directly off the stairs onto the performers which wasn’t a good option,” Mr Waite says.
He discovered in Ecoglo® a cost-effective pathway emergency lighting solution that guided patrons to and from their seats, was unobtrusive to performers and cost-effective to install.
“We didn’t want a solution that would detract from the charm of the theater or distract performers or patrons,” he says.
Fortune Theater has also installed Ecoglo® in the entryway to its auditoriums in addition to improving its pathway emergency lighting.