As the largest theatre in London, the London Coliseum has been pushing technical boundaries since it first opened in 1904. Home to the English National Opera (ENO) since 1968, the Grade II listed venue combines more than a century of theatrical heritage with the demands of modern productions.
Today, its permanent technical infrastructure supports dedicated lighting, stage, sound, video and flying departments, making reliability and system visibility essential across every performance space.
To support the continued evolution of its lighting infrastructure, ENO recently deployed a new Luminex networking backbone throughout the venue. This installation marks an important step towards a more connected, scalable and future-ready lighting network.
Building a foundation for the future
The project was led by Will Carter, Lighting Systems and Projects Technician (Equipment Specifier and System Designer), together with Ian Jackson-French, Head of Lighting and Marc Rosette, Lighting Supervisor.
The installation brings together twenty-one LumiNode 2, thirty-four LumiNode 4, six LumiNode 12, seven GigaCore 30i 10G PoE 2PSU, two LumiCore 64, two GigaCore 10t 10G PoE and seven GigaCore 20t 10G PoE.
Deployed throughout the venue, this equipment creates a resilient, unified infrastructure capable of supporting complex lighting workflows across one of the UK's most demanding theatre environments.
For the deployment, the London Coliseum worked closely with AC-ET, Luminex’s official distributor in the United Kingdom. Graham Roberts, the company’s Luminex Product Manager, and Ryan Norfor the AC-ET sales lead supported the venue throughout the project.
Graham’s involvement highlights one of the key principles behind the Luminex approach: supporting customers throughout the entire lifecycle of a project, from planning and deployment to long-term operation and future expansion.
Rather than focusing solely on hardware, the project centred on knowledge sharing, guidance and collaboration, helping the venue's team confidently integrate the new infrastructure into their existing environment.
Designed for visibility and confidence
Beyond the physical installation, network visibility was an important consideration for the lighting team. As part of the deployment, the theatre is also going to make use of Araneo at Front of House (FOH), providing a clear overview of the network from a central location and enabling the team to monitor system status more efficiently.
For a venue operating at the scale of the London Coliseum, having immediate visibility into networked lighting infrastructure can be just as valuable as the hardware itself. It allows technical teams to work proactively, simplify troubleshooting and maintain confidence in the system as productions move through the building.
“Graham’s support throughout the process has been excellent. His expertise and willingness to share knowledge have made the whole process straightforward and given us real confidence as we bring the new Luminex technology into our lighting infrastructure. Knowing that this level of expert support is there not only during the initial setup, but whenever we may need it in the future, reinforces our trust in the solution. We’re also looking forward to using Araneo at FOH to monitor the network and give our team a clear overview of the system.”
Supporting technical excellence
The London Coliseum has a long history of embracing technical innovation. More than a century after pioneering advanced stage engineering, the venue continues to invest in technologies that support the next generation of productions.
Through a combination of network infrastructure, monitoring capabilities and ongoing technical support, the new deployment provides a platform that can evolve alongside the venue's requirements for years to come. For ENO, the project is not simply about installing new equipment. It is about building a foundation for future productions with the confidence that expert support remains available every step of the way.
Products used
Araneo GigaCore network management software.
