Frankston Arts Centre Undergoes Major Theatre Lighting Upgrade

Published on 01 December 2025

Frankston Arts Centre is shining a whole lot brighter! We’ve just completed the second phase of our lighting modernisation project, adding 18 new moving lights to the Theatre and six each to the Function Centre and Cube spaces.

Theatre lighting at Frankston Arts Centre has reached a new level, with a world-class LED rig worthy of any major city stage.

What does that mean for our audiences and performers?

✨ More vibrant, dynamic shows
✨ Beautiful colour on stage
✨ Lighting that can move and change in an instant
✨ A huge improvement in energy efficiency

In fact, we’re now using around two-thirds less power than before. The lights run cooler, need far less maintenance, and help our technical team work more efficiently behind the scenes, all while making our stages look incredible.

We’ve already received glowing feedback from touring shows. One musician from the Tubular Bells tour told us that out of 64 venues, ours had the best lighting. That’s a moment we’ll never forget!

Whether it's a blockbuster touring show, a school production with 600 performers, or a community event, these upgrades mean every artist who walks onto our stages will look their absolute best.

For the Lighting & Tech Buffs Who Love the Details…

If you’re someone who gets excited about fixtures, specs and backstage magic, here’s a peek behind the curtain.

After being impressed with last year’s purchase of six Ayrton Diablo Profile S fixtures, our team expanded the rig with:

• 6 more Ayrton Diablo Profile S fixtures

• 12 Ayrton Levante S Wash fixtures

• 12 ShowPRO R3 Wash lights for the Function Centre and Cube

The Diablos offer high output, CMY colour mixing, framing shutters, gobos and powerful versatility, all in a surprisingly lightweight 23kg body, ideal for our single-purchase flying system.
The Levantes replace our traditional Fresnel washes, giving us thousands of colour options, tight control of light spill, and the ability to shape light with precision.

Supervising Technician Glenn Parry says the difference is remarkable: "Even with the first six Diablos, we had touring companies choosing to use our lights instead of their own. The brightness, flexibility and control are outstanding. For us, it’s a huge leap forward in quality and efficiency.”

The upgrade also streamlines changeovers between shows. Instead of refocusing and re-gelling dozens of fixtures, the new lights can simply be rehung and reset with saved positions, dramatically reducing setup time.

Frankston Arts Centre lighting ensures every performance looks spectacular, the spotlight is always on the artists.