SINGAPORE: Celebrity Cruises has upgraded the theatre aboard Celebrity Solstice with a new Martin Professional lighting system as part of the vessel’s 45-day dry dock modernisation in Singapore, enhancing the ship’s ability to support its extensive onboard entertainment programme while improving long-term operational reliability.

As the first vessel in Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice-class fleet, Celebrity Solstice has hosted Broadway-style productions, concerts and theatrical performances since entering service. A key element of the theatre refurbishment involved replacing the original Martin MAC 700 fixtures, which had supported onboard productions for more than 18 years.

“The Celebrity Solstice was born in 2008 and was specified with MAC 700 fixtures, which were best-in-class at the time,” said Tania Ordoñez Prieto, Director of Entertainment Technical Production for Celebrity Cruises. “The MAC 700s were workhorses for many, many years and we are very happy to now be welcoming the MAC Encore Two to our family as our new workhorses.”

The new installation equips the theatre with Martin Professional MAC Encore TWO and MAC Aura XIP fixtures, providing a flexible lighting platform designed to meet the demands of multiple daily performances while withstanding the unique operating conditions of a cruise ship, including continuous operation, vibration, power fluctuations and regular crew changes.

According to Martin Professional, the new fixtures deliver improved output, colour consistency and effects capabilities while maintaining the reliability required for a venue operating six to eight hours each day across three to four performances. The installation was completed during the ship’s three-week technical dry dock period, requiring close coordination between production crews, programmers and designers preparing new entertainment for the vessel’s return to service.

“When we first turned on the MAC Encore Two fixtures, all we heard was ‘wow.’ Not just from me but from everybody in the room… every tech, every stagehand,” said Simon Hary, lighting designer for the installation. “The output is so bright, the colour mixing is amazing, and the gobo package is great for what we need. We produce a wide range of shows, and the versatility of the fixtures gives us the flexibility to support each one.”