Lights of Vegas to Shine on High Street

In theater, most of the attention is focused on the acting and music. Behind the scenes, however, another show is being staged, this one to catch your eye and make the stage come alive. It can be summed up in one word—lighting.

Recently the High Street Arts Center had a chance to improve their lighting by going to Vegas. That’s right, Vegas—not to party or perform, rather, to buy light fixtures.

This story actually begins with the recruitment of the HSAC’s current lighting director, Patrick Duffy. Duffy owns his own lighting equipment company called Lumenique Lighting and was recruited last year by theater manager Ken Rayzor to assist with HSAC’s lighting production.

“I came when Ken became manager,” said Duffy.  “Evita was my first production here.”

Rayzor knew Duffy through his daughter Megan, who happened to be best friends with Duffy’s girlfriend.

“Initially, my girlfriend asked me to do lights for the production of Bugsy at the Camarillo Community Theater,” said Duffy. “Ken was doing sound and producing the show. When he came to High Street, he asked me to do Evita.”

Duffy subsequently worked with Rayzor last season on Les Miserables and Jekyll and Hyde.

Recently, Rayzor got a flier in the mail announcing a great deal on lighting equipment.

“It was from a company called NCL,” said Duffy. “They were selling equipment from the old Sahara Casino on the strip and they mentioned they were liquidating lighting.”

The Sahara, located next to the Wynn and Encore, was one of the last old casinos left on the strip. Instead of blowing it up, plans are for the casino to be revamped to include night clubs, discos, bars and restaurants.

Rayzor and Duffy traveled to Las Vegas and bought 4 moveable lights (called intelligent lighting) and 25 conventional fixtures (called Lekos). Compared to the 1970s lighting that the HSAC currently has, these fixtures are a definite upgrade.

“It’s newer than what we have,” said Duffy. “Everything we purchased was in really good condition, probably dating from the mid to late ’90s.”

In addition, they picked up something equally valuable—cable. 1200 feet of it.

All told, the cost for the fixtures and cable was, in Vegas terms, a steal.

“The price we paid for it, it was probably worth it for the copper alone,” said Duffy. “It was definitely worth more than what we bought it for.”

The lights purchase was partially funded by the Moorpark Foundation for the Arts, which raises money for the theater with with events like it's upcoming Aug. 15 gala at (read about the gala ).

With the additional lighting, Duffy will be able to have more flexibility in stage and lighting design.

“It gives me the tools to execute my designs more effectively,” he said.

In addition, the new Lekos will leak less light and be less distracting to the audience. They’re also more energy efficient and cost less to run.

Duffy has some definite ideas for the coming HSAC season, which begins with A Few Good Men on Aug. 19 (click here for a complete list of the season's shows).

“We can use this to better isolate a cast member,” he said, “and with the moving fixtures, we can reposition our lights anywhere we please.”

Looking into the future, he sees tremendous possibilities for upcoming shows like Little Shop of Horror, and thinks, with the additional lighting, the design possibilities will spice up the audience experience.

“When a show calls for it,” he said, “it can add to the flashiness. It can add excitement and punch to the end of a number.”

Duffy thinks that audience members will definitely notice and enjoy the improvements.

“What I’m excited about is that we’re increasing our dynamics,” he said. “It will help the audience to enjoy the show more.”