Electronic Control for Thyratron (1949 - 1956)
Strand
- First system was installed at the National Theatre, Reykjavik in December 1949 - January 1950.
- Old Vic: Autumn 1950
- Palace, Blackpool: 1950
- Kings, Edinburgh: December 1950
- Manchester Opera House (no earlier than 1951)
- New Theatre [Noel Coward Theatre now]: March-April 1951 (until 1955, when it was replaced by a prototype PR System)
- Stratford: March-April 1951
- BBC Riverside Studio 2: 1955 (96 ways)
Also known as the 'Woods Electronic' after it's inventor.
The board of Strand Electric decided on 5th January 1954 to make no further sales of the Electronic and associated dimmers, due to the technical problems and hidden costs caused by the need for isolation transformers to reduce electrical losses. (from research by David Bertenshaw)
There were just over 30 installations in total, in 6 years of existence.
Related Venues:
- Riverside Studios, Hammersmith
- The Old Vic, London
- Kings Theatre, Glasgow
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford upon Avon
- The Noel Coward Theatre
- National Theatre, Reykjavik
- Winter Gardens Theatre, Blackpool
- Opera House Manchester
Related People:
See also:
Documents
Electronic Control for Thyratron dimmers
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[43kb JPEG]
From Strand Archive
Electronic Control at the National Theatre, Reykjavik, Iceland (December 1949)
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[61kb JPEG]
From Strand Archive
Strand Electric quote for Grand Master vs Electronic at St Martins (February 1952)
[1.2Mb PDF]
From David Bertenshaw Collection
C30 Strand Electronic desk at Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (1958)
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[2.76Mb JPEG]
From Strand Slide Archive
Give Me Some Light - Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (March 1958)
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[145kb JPEG]
Exhibits in the Backstage Heritage Collection
Catalogue & Journal Entries for Electronic Control for Thyratron in the Backstage Heritage Collection
Back to Control - Manual (Strand)
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