Brazosport Rotary Club Donates Funds for New Stage Lighting and Stove 

 

 

September 10, 2024 (Lake Jackson, TX) – The members of the Brazosport Rotary Club donated $10,000.00 to the Center for the Arts & Sciences in Clute, Texas. The funds donated paid for over 1/3 of the cost of a new, state of the art stage lighting system. The much more capable stage lights are principally for the Center’s annual ‘Penguin Project’ performances, though everyone who acts on the Freeport LNG stage will benefit. In addition, Brazosport Rotary also purchased a new oven for the Center, replacing the unpredictable, and many decades old unit used previously.

 

The new lights are ETC brand ‘ColorSource’ Fresnel LED fixtures. These instruments are industry-standard. They provide beautiful light that can change the focus area and color from commands from the control board. “This means that a single light can serve multiple functions in the same instrument,” said Center executive director Wes Copeland. “Before, if we wanted to wash the stage in blue or red or amber light, we’d have to use a different instrument for each color. Now, the colors and combinations of colors available in a single instrument run nearly the entire visible spectrum of colored light.”

 

The cost to operate these lights is also less as the Center no longer must replace expensive lamps (otherwise known as “bulbs”) that cost from $25.00 - $45.00 each and eliminates the need for color filters or “gels. “They create amazing special effect lighting, and various “looks” are available with the same set of instruments,” Copeland said. 

 

The ‘Penguin Project’ is a program that pairs young stage performers who have special needs with peer mentors to produce and perform a popular musical. The artists play all lead and supporting roles, with the assistance of their mentors also known as ‘stage buddies.’ The Center’s ‘Penguin Project’ productions over the past three seasons were Annie JR., The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition and The Little Mermaid JR. Dozens of actors and mentors performed to sold out audiences every year.

 

The Center for the Arts & Sciences is the cultural home for an entire community of approximately 340,000 people. Established in 1976 because of the vision and commitment of the region’s industrial and civic leadership, The Center is a shining example of what is extraordinary about living and working in this unique location on the upper Texas Gulf Coast.

 

The Brazosport Rotary Club was founded in Freeport, Texas in 1953. Members come from all walks of life but share the club’s ‘service above self’ values and motto. Its annual Shrimp Boil fund raising event is part of the culture in southern Brazoria County. The Brazosport Rotary Club has donated just under $1.2 million in its first seven decades to charitable organizations here in Southeast Texas. To learn more, please visit Brazosport Rotary Club.

 

CAPTION: Rotary president Harold Nicoll presents Center for the Arts & Sciences executive director Wes Copeland with $12,449.00 for the purchase of modern stage lights and a new oven.