Remote Control – Electronic (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:

• James Templeton Wood (Woody) (1906 - 1985)
• Leonard George Applebee (L.G.) (1890 - September 1964)

See also:

• Thyratron (1952 - 1966)

Documents

C1 Riverside 2 Electronic Desk 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[1.41Mb  JPEG]
From Strand Slide Archive

C?? Electronic Control - unknown venue 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[2.6Mb  JPEG]
From Strand Slide Archive

Electronic Control for Thyratron dimmers 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[43kb  JPEG]
From Strand Archive

Photo: Thyratron Dimmer Rack 
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[45kb  JPEG]
From Strand Archive

Electronic Control at the National Theatre, Reykjavik, Iceland (December 1949)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[61kb  JPEG]
From Strand Archive

Festival of Britain - Stratford Season Opens (March 1951)
[External Website]
From BBC Rewind

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)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[2.76Mb  JPEG]
From Strand Slide Archive

Give Me Some Light - Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (March 1958)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[145kb  JPEG]

Riverside Thyratron Electronic Control (May 1958)
[3.03Mb PDF]
From Bob Anderson Collection

LSI - Classic Gear - Electronic (May 2018)
[613kb PDF]
From Lighting & Sound International

The Rise and Fall of the Electronic: Strand Electrics Thyratron-based Stage Lighting Dimmer (April 2024)
[External Website]
From David Bertenshaw Collection

Electronic Control at Reykjavik (December 2024)
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
[2.6Mb  JPEG]
From Johann Bjarni Collection

Exhibits in the Backstage Heritage Collection

Electronic Control Desk  
From Jim Laws Collection

Catalogue & Journal Entries for Remote Control – Electronic (Thyratron) in the Backstage Heritage Collection

The Old Vic (1950)

Electronic Type (1953)

Lighting Control II (1956)

A Tale of Three Switchboards (1972)

NEW at the ALBERY Theatre (1977)

Back to Control - Manual (Strand)