Discover PORT's role in remodeling the stage lighting equipment in the Seasons Showroom at The Brook Casino in Seabrook, NH!
November 2023 -
When a Vegas-based casino operator looked to do a remodel and relaunch of a local casino here in New Hampshire, PORT got the call to create a high-impact visual experience for casino guests using creative stage lighting. This article from our partners at ADJ shares the story of the transformation of their theatrical lighting and features our own Ron Kuszmar who provided more detail and context.
As part of an extensive remodeling and expansion project, the Brook Casino in Seabrook, New Hampshire has added a 300-seater showroom. This luxurious and versatile lounge theater will host regular headline concerts and tribute band performances as well as comedy shows, and therefore needed a versatile stage lighting system. This was designed and installed by local specialists PORT Lighting, who choose to utilize ADJ led-powered fixtures exclusively to deliver a high-impact system that is both flexible and economical to run.
Formally known as the Seabrook Park, the casino in Seabrook was renamed The Brook in 2019 after the Nevada-based company Eureka Casino Resort purchased the 75-acre property.
Since then, a multi-phase renovation and expansion project has been underway, including a complete remodeling of the 90,000-square-foot casino and the addition of a 20,000-square-foot sportsbook, the largest in New England.
The latest new addition, Seasons Showroom, is the venue’s first major foray into live entertainment and features lavish décor, comfortable couches and booths, high-top tables, a dedicated bar area, and multiple VIP sections.
Its soft opening took place on September 1, with a Jason Aldean tribute and the space then hosted a sold-out show from Emmy award-winning actor and comedian Jeremy Piven. Since then, it has hosted multiple live music and comedy shows, with the next set for New Year’s Eve when an Aerosmith tribute will take to the stage.
PORT couldn’t have been more ideally located to work on the lighting for the Seasons Showroom, as the company’s shop is less than five minutes away. However, the team’s involvement with the project actually began elsewhere, with curtains! The Vegas-based company responsible for the interior design of the space had specified luxurious red theatrical-style backdrop curtains for the rear of the stage from a company for whom Port Lighting is the local distributor.
This began a conversation between the casino’s management and Ron Kuszmar, VP of Architectural & Theatrical Lighting for PORT, which led to the drawing up of a proposal for the venue’s entertainment lighting utilizing ADJ fixtures. This was ultimately accepted and installed ready for the soft launch event.
“The clients wanted to get as much impact as they could; it’s a visually appealing room and they wanted the entire environment to be immersive and appealing,” explains Ron. “Another consideration was the layout of the room.
The stage is in the middle, with seating on both sides as well as the front, so we wanted to provide the same experience – the same quality of lighting – to people sitting at the sides as those sitting in front of the stage.
We didn’t want it to feel like there were ‘cheap seats’. So, we knew we needed high-impact fixtures and plenty of them. We have been very aware of the great job ADJ has done over the past few years rebranding itself and focusing its product line on the mid-market of the installation and production worlds. We do a lot with [ADJ’s sister company] Elation Professional Lighting, but this seemed like a good opportunity for us to try the new ADJ line and see what it could achieve in this kind of space.
The room isn’t massive, so I didn’t need a ton of output, but I did need lights that were going to work consistently, and I needed to be able to put a lot of light around the stage to create the impact the client wanted to achieve. I was very impressed with the result; in fact, the fixtures performed even better than I expected!
“The entire team at ADJ – from Chris Tesoro at Healy Sales [ADJ’s manufacturer’s local rep firm] to Alfred [Gonzales, ADJ USA National Sales Manager] and Edgar [Bernal, ADJ Regional Sales Manager] – was fantastic to deal with,” continues Ron, “always happy to answer any questions we had. You can really tell how much they put into the brand, how concerned they are about the quality of the fixtures you are getting, as well as the overall customer experience.
There’s been a huge transition from where the company was, as American DJ, to where it is now as ADJ.” To rig the lighting fixtures, the Port team installed a rectangular truss that surrounds the stage on all four sides. To wash the stage, they installed eight of ADJ’s Encore Profile Pro Color ellipsoidal fixtures on the edge facing the stage and two more on the back corners of the side trusses.
Powered by a 250W RGBWAL LED engine with a CRI > 90, these fixtures can be used to generate a huge gamut of colors ranging from vibrant primaries to subtle hues. They can also generate color-corrected white light, with a macro function providing easy selection of a range of different color temperatures.
These robust and reliable fixtures also feature a 4-blade manual framing shutter system, manual focus, and a B-size GOBO slot. They can be used with ADJ’s range of interchangeable lens tubes; however, they have an industry-standard design and can therefore also be used with any existing ellipsoidal lenses.
“We’ve been looking for other options for LED ellipsoidals for a while,” comments Ron. “Everyone uses the same big-name manufacturers, but we’ve been looking for other – more cost-effective – solutions for projects like this where we’re working to a reasonably tight budget.
And I have to say, I really like the Encore Profile Pro. I like the way it operates, the color that comes out of it, everything about it. I specified the color version because whenever I have the opportunity to put color in a rig I’m going to. You never know when it will come in useful.
For example, at a venue like this, when they have a comedian who is just going to sit on a stool in the center of the stage, we have two fixtures that will light him really well so the other fixtures can be used to fill the rest of the stage with some really nice color.
And when they have bands, we are able to use those fixtures in white to highlight lead performers but we’re also able to throw a little bit of color in so that the rest of the band is lit – and not just with backlight – they are clearly illuminated, but the focus is still on the lead singer. Having color ellipsoidal just gives more flexibility – which, in a venue used for a wide variety of acts, is important.
When we do need white, that looks fantastic too – we were very happy, it looks great on people’s skin tones. Because, of course, that’s always one of our biggest concerns, you can look at a fixture on paper, or shining on the wall, and it may look fine, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the CRI or TM-30 is there so that it is going to look good illuminating performers, but the Encore Profile Pro Color does a really great job.”
Backlight color washing is then provided by ten of ADJ’s 12PX HEX LED par fixtures. Four are positioned along the rear truss, with three more running down each side. This means that audience members viewing from the sides see the same rear wash effects as those viewing straight on.
Similarly, eight Vizi Hex Wash7 automated LED wash fixtures are positioned around the stage, two on the back truss and three on each side. These can be used for additional static backlight washes – “the colors of the 12PX HEX and Vizi Hex Wash7 match really well”, comments Ron – as well as to create dynamic effects.
The rig also utilizes six of ADJ’s Focus Spot 5Z moving head fixtures. Compact yet feature-packed, each of these automated spot luminaires are built around a potent 200W cool white LED engine. The light from this is focused through high-quality optics to allow the fixture to punch out sharp GOBO projections, in vibrant colors, while two frost filter options (heavy and light) allow it to also function as a wash light.
At the Seasons Showroom these fixtures are primarily used as spotlights to highlight specific performers or, with their prisms activated, to add texture to the stage in the form of a GOBO wash.
Completing the rig are six Focus Beam LED moving lights, which are positioned along the back of the stage. These compact fixtures each harness the power of an efficient 80-watt white LED light source, focused through an advanced optical system to create an output comparable to an MSD 5R lamp.
The unit’s large front lens projects a beam with a 5-degree angle that has an even field with no hot spots, which remains uniform over long projection distances. This is paired with a carefully curated selection of high-quality beam manipulation tools to offer lighting designers a wealth of creative potential.
“The Focus Beam LEDs are probably my favorite fixtures on the rig,” enthuses Ron. “They are much brighter than I anticipated. The beams we’re able to get out of those fixtures – the intensity, the color – just look so good. They also pair really well with the Hex Wash7s. For the space, the Focus Beam LED is perfect, we have plenty of intensity, even with a GOBO and prism selected, there is still more than enough intensity for the fixture to cut through everything else and look really good.”Having designed, installed, and programmed the rig, Ron and his team handed over the system to The Brook’s in-house lighting operator who was thrilled with the vibrance and versatility it has to offer.
Providing multiple layers of fixture types in varied positions, with more than ample brightness, the lighting installation delivers exactly what management was looking for: huge impact and the versatility to adapt to any type of performance or style of music. “The clients were beyond thrilled with the installation, they think it is the most fantastic room on the planet!”, sums up Ron, aptly.