Illuminating a St. Louis treasure

For more than 100 years, Ameren has been a proud supporter of The Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre. As renovations continue throughout The Muny, both onstage and off, Ameren has played a key role. It was recently announced that to honor Ameren's longtime commitment, two of the newly renovated areas of the grand theatre will be named after the company, the Lighting Control Room and the Electrics Work Room.

Located on the top floor of the stage left tower, the Lighting Control Room is the hub controlling power and the 650 lights that illuminate the stage, with more than 400 light cues per show. From building effects and powering the stage, this state-of-the-art space allows light designers the ability to bring their visions to life as they illuminate every aspect of the performance. As part of the stage renovations, The Muny transitioned from using traditional halogen stage lights to all LED fixtures. In addition to being waterproof, the revamped lighting system offers designers a full array of color choices never before available. So no matter what color pallet, intensity or effect, the lighting technology now has the capability to bring the stage to life like never before.

A short trip downstairs and offstage left is the Electric Work Room. From props to special gadgets for the performers, this room runs everything that needs power on stage. With the new automation system, crews no longer have to come on stage and move around tables, chairs and other props. They simply place them on moveable pallets that are programmed to preset cues. They can even control the stage turntable to sync seamlessly with the musical score, all while the electricians work offstage to carefully monitor and oversee the onstage action.

"This campaign has given us the physical space to support the quality of the work we are doing and will be our new home for another 100 years," said Travy Utzmyers, production manager for The Muny. "Thanks to Ameren for believing in us and contributing to the future of The Muny."

Another compelling aspect of The Muny is the ongoing commitment it  shares with Ameren to inspire and educate young people seeking careers in the arts. In addition to offering onstage opportunities to aspiring performers, each year, there are more than fifty behind-the-scenes internships including administrative, marketing, costuming, and of course electric and lighting positions for those wanting to learn more about the world of musical theatre.

So, the next time you are enjoying a magical Muny evening, please take a moment to think about and appreciate all the great work being done behind the scenes to bring the performance to life.