Situated in the heart of South Africa’s Western Cape Province, Stellenbosch University has continued its legacy of investing in the development of South Africa’s artistic community with a recent upgrade of the institution’s extensive drama department, including the HB Thom Theatre.
HB Thom Theatre replaces is old counterweight rigging system with a state-of-the-art ASM scene hoist system.
The scenery hoist installation at the HB Thom Theatre comprises 24 ASM HCWA Twin Master Hoists.
A key component in the institution’s current infrastructure modernisation project at the HB Thom is an ultra-modern, fully programmable scenery hoist system, manufactured and produced in Germany by ASM Steuerungstechnik. Installed by local ASM distributor, DWR Distribution, the installation has brought the HB Thom Theatre’s scenery hoisting system in line with more than 400 international theatres to have adopted the technology in recent years – and represents the first installation of its kind in South Africa.
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
The HB Thom Theatre opened its doors in 1965, largely due to the vision of University Rector HB Thom, who instituted the first chair in Drama at a South African university in 1961. Almost fifty years later, the HB Thom is cherished not only by the students at the University of Stellenbosch but by the broader community, as a cultural asset that consistently presents both student and professional work of an exceptionally high standard while providing a platform for development theatre.
Stellenbosch University recently committed to upgrading theatre infrastructure to ensure that students and staff are afforded the opportunity to gain experience in a facility that is comparable with modern theatres across the world. In addition to new lighting and control, the theatre is now home to the first fully automated and programmable ASM theatre hoisting system in the country.
According to the theatre manager at the HB Thom, Albert Snyman, the University is committed to producing graduates that are equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to excel in professional theatre upon graduation, both locally and abroad. At an institutional level, Stellenbosch University is committed to providing the tools and support to staff and students to enhance their learning and success. With this guiding principle behind the theatre upgrade, the institution is guaranteed to continue to produce some of the country’s best theatre performers and technicians for the years to come.
ASM HOISTS THE HB THOM TO NEW HEIGHTS
Central to the theatre refurbishment project instituted at the HB Thom Theatre is the replacement of the facility’s 53-year-old counterweight rigging system with a state-of-the-art, fully programmable scene hoist system.
Following extensive consultation, the University of Stellenbosch commissioned DWR Distribution to supply and install the HCWA hoist system by ASM. According to ASM, the light-weight, ultra-slim design significantly reduces forces on stage structures and opens up new installation possibilities, including flexible hanging on head pulley structures or on wall installations. ASM’s HCWA hoist system is specifically engineered to ensure that a traditional theatre counterweight flying set can be replaced by a scenery hoist, making the upgrade as effortless and cost-effective as possible.
Depending on the design, each winch can move a maximum load of 1000kg up to 34 meters, using between six and twelve installed ropes, at a whisper-quiet 45dB.
“Once installed, the ASM scenery hoist system is fully automated and programmable, allowing theatre technicians to pre-programme set changes for an entire production.”
The control system for the ASM Hoist.
HCWA Twin Master Hoists featuring ASM’s unique two-channel safety winch and narrow construction.
INSTALLATION INNOVATION
Prior to the installation of the ASM Scenery hoist system at the HB Thom, a comprehensive structural analysis was carried out by DWR together with ASM engineering consultants, who approved mounting the ASM hoists on top of the theatre’s existing grid. On completion, the installation comprised 24 HCWA Twin Master Hoists, which feature ASM’s unique two-channel safety winch concept and extremely narrow construction, and is the most powerful and efficient product in the ASM HCWA range.
Rob Young of DWR Distribution, who served as a team leader on the project explains: “The installation included replacing the old pullies and bars on the grid with new units. During installation, we split the hoist in half, as there was a logical place where we could undo a few pins, enabling us to separate the unit into two. We then made a gantry crane off the top of the back wall of the theatre at approximately 16m high, using electric chain hoists to haul the units up.”
According to Albert Snyman, who serves as theatre manager at the HB Thom, a key requirement of the new scene hoisting system for the HB Thom was that it needed to be fully automated and programmable – which the ASM HCWA system provides. Controllers for the hoists are located on the grid, with four controllers in a rack each controlling eight hoists. A three-phase power cable together with a network cable run to each power stack. The network cable runs down to stage level and connects to either an automated, programmable, Master Desk, CD1, or the smaller RC128 controller, located on a trolley.
“The control system for the ASM Hoist System is very similar to a lighting desk,” Young points out. “A programmer can instruct a bar to come down with the use of a touchscreen and joystick. When the bar is at the desired height, the programmer simply records the position and programmes it in. Continuous load monitoring on the flybars is shown in real time on the display screen, which provides accurate overload and underload protection,” Young explains.
André Bragard, sales director of ASM, explains that ASM’s main objective is to develop and manufacture theatre and entertainment products for worldwide applications. The company relies on its global network of approved and trained distributors to install and maintain ASM products at a regional level. “ASM has every confidence that our South African distributor, DWR Distribution has the skill and capacity to ensure that ASM systems are installed and maintained to comply with the highest safety standards,” Bragard concludes.
Moses Sowka, founder of ASM adds: “We are very proud to have worked with DWR to successfully deploy an ASM hoisting system at the HB Thom Theatre. It is very rewarding to see that our products are appreciated by our partners and, most importantly, by the end users. It is this positive feedback that continues to motivate us to improve our existing products
and develop new, innovative solutions for the global entertainment industry.”
Continuous load monitoring on the flybars is shown in real time on the display screen, which provides accurate overload and underload protection.
