The Leeds Grand Theatre was built in the 1870s in a mix of Romanesque and Scottish Baronial styles popular at that time. The theatre has a capacity of 1,550 and is home to Opera North and a regular host to Northern Ballet and a regular stop for touring shows.
The summer of 2024 saw Push The Button (PTB) undertake a significant project at the iconic Leeds Grand Theatre to replace the auditorium and working lights. The theatre required a sensitive modernisation that respected the theatre’s rich history while bringing the auditorium lighting up to current standards.
Before undertaking the replacement of the auditorium lighting, the first step was upgrading the lighting control system. An ETC Unison Paradigm system was chosen, offering a versatile mix of mounted and portable touchscreens for recalling house and working lights. This system provided the theatre staff with a modern, intuitive way to manage their lighting. The Paradigm was mounted in a new equipment rack along with DMX distribution and network processors.
The existing emergency lighting was previously fed from the building’s inverter. PTB installed additional feeds to control both the new and existing auditorium and working lights. This ensured seamless integration and reliable emergency functionality. The heart of the project, however, lay in the auditorium lighting itself. The theatre’s existing dome fittings, a mix of styles and showing their age, were completely replaced. PTB sourced and installed replica surface glass bowl fittings that complemented the auditorium’s aesthetic, providing a sense of continuity and integrity throughout the space.
For the LED lamps, PTB collaborated with Zico to provide high-quality, colour-rendering lights that mimicked the warmth and feel of traditional tungsten filament lamps. These were installed throughout the auditorium, maintaining the familiar ambience while offering the energy-saving benefits of LED technology. Step lights on all levels were also replaced, ensuring safety and consistency. A custom LED linear solution was implemented in the windows, adding another layer of subtle illumination.
Downlights were upgraded using fixtures from Design 360, controlled by ETC ARC system drivers for seamless dimming to absolute zero. This level of control allows for nuanced lighting design, crucial for theatrical productions and events.
In parallel with the house lighting upgrades, PTB worked with leading emergency sign manufacturer Philip Payne to replace all existing exit signs with dimmable LED versions, maintaining emergency functionality while offering dimming control zero. The working lights, previously fluorescent linear fixtures, were replaced with NVC Greenland LED fittings, both single and twin intensity. The working blue lights were also replaced with ETC BluesSystem dimmable blue fixtures.
Finally, a pair of Gantum iQ Warm White gobo projectors were installed to project “Please mind the step” warnings at level changes, addressing a practical safety concern. The result is a comprehensive lighting upgrade that respects the Leeds Grand Theatre’s heritage while providing modern functionality and energy efficiency.
PTB completed the installation during a short summer closure period to minimise disruption to the theatre’s schedule.