Soaring to new heights
The future has never looked brighter for Belen’s Ignatian Center for the Arts thanks to a generous donation from Juan Js. and Ophelia A. Roca. Their generous gift recently upgraded the Roca Theater with state-of-the-art lights, a 4K-capable rear projector and a new set of stage curtains. “With the upgrades in place, the Roca Theater has become one of the most advanced theaters in Miami-Dade County,” said Ignatian Center for the Arts Director Luis Dulzaides. “Our theater will now rival any other large scale community theater.”
Previous equipment already enabled ambitious student shows and concerts, now with the refreshed technology it will push the envelope forward in terms of what is possible for upcoming performances at the theater.
Thanks to the all-digital system, future productions will now be able to program advanced light cues and modify the quality and color of the 12 new moving lights on-the-fly from the control unit located in the back of the theater. Previously, the stage only had four moving lights that were manually operated. The new LEDs also draw less power and output less heat than conventional bulbs, making for a more efficient lighting setup.
The new rear-screen projector is capable of outputting 4K resolution video. As a result, the projector will display a flawless image that won’t be interrupted by shadows cast by the audience. Additionally, the stage now features several sets of high-quality curtains that can move and segment the area as needed.
Dulzaides emphasized that these technology upgrades mean students will be able to experience using equipment that is standard in the professional production industry. “Students will now be able to learn how to use equipment on par with what can be found at a major regional theater,” he said. “Now that phase one is complete we can turn our attention to phase two, which will include the replacement of the theater seating, flooring and photoluminescent path lighting”
Theater buffs won’t have to wait long before enjoying a show in the renovated theater. On October 8, the theater will screen a documentary about Operation Pedro Pan and the musical “1776” the first two weekends in December. For more information on upcoming performances contact the Ignatian Center for the Arts office at 786-621-4624.
“Our students are exceptionally talented, committed to their craft, work really hard day in and day out, and they deserve a space that merits that,” Dulzaides said. “We are extremely grateful to the Roca family for their generosity and for helping our humanities program soar to new heights.”
The Ignatian Center for the Arts Center opened in 2003. The art center consists of the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Theater, Olga & Carlos Saladrigas Art Gallery, eight classrooms, the Leopoldo Nuñez Rehearsal Hall and the theater’s administrative office.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.