George Izenour
Izenour, George
George Izenour, began conceptualizinga lighting fi xture with remote control of the pan, tilt, focus, beamangle, and color. He was employed by the Federal Theatre Project workingrepertory theatre when he realized the fl exibility that such a system mightafford. But the complexity of the system and the available technology atthe time made it virtually impossible to realize his concept.
When Izenour became an associate professor at Yale University School ofDrama in the 1950s, he developed two prototypes of a remote-controlled2K Fresnel fi xture. The fi rst attempt did not work, but the second, whichwas a refi ned version of the fi rst, was more successful. The working prototypeused three servo motors driven by a null-seeking signal bridgecircuit using electron tube push–pull servo amplifi ers. But the potentiometersused in the feedback circuit lacked the precision to provide accuraterepeatability.
Izenour attempted to build another remote-controlled fi xture in 1969. Themoving mirror fi xture was built around a 1K ellipsoidal, and it had to bewater cooled to prevent the motor-driven iris from seizing up. The mirrorwas panned and tilted by means of a self-synchronous (selsyn) drive motorand the douser was solenoid driven. Another selsyn-driven motor controlledthe remote focus. Only two production models were ever manufactured;they were operated at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre for a shortperiod, but it was never a commercial success.