After True North Sports and Entertainment acquired Winnipeg’s Burton Cummings Theatre, it commissioned a new marquee sign, both to modernize the venue and to pay homage to the history of what is affectionately referred to as ‘the Burt.’ The changeover meant a chance to benefit from modern materials, including lightweight acrylic and aluminum, and light-emitting diode (LED) illumination.
在True North Sports and Entertainment收购了温尼伯市的Burton Cummings剧院之后，该公司重新设计并更换了一个新的大型字幕标识，新的标识不仅让剧院的外观更显现代化，同时也是在向这个被人们亲切地称为“Burt”剧院的历史致敬。新标识的更换让我们看到了现代材料的诸多好处，我们使用了轻质的亚克力和铝材，以及使用LED光源对新标识进行照明。
A theatre by many names
一个历史悠久的剧院
The venue at 364 Smith Street currently known as the Burt was originally built in 1906 and 1907 as the Walker Theatre. Designed by Montreal architect Howard C. Stone and named after its owner, Corliss Powers Walker, it was part of the larger Red River Valley Theatre Circuit and presented vaudeville acts, ballets, operas and Broadway-style stage shows. It was also intended to be part of a planned hotel, office and retail complex, but that project never came to fruition. The theatre eventually closed in 1933, during the Great Depression.
现在，位于史密斯街364号的建筑被称为Burt剧院。这个建筑最初于1906~1907年建立，并被命名为沃克剧院，该剧院由蒙特利尔建筑师霍华德·C·斯通（Howard C. Stone）设计，以其所有者Corliss Powers Walker命名。这个剧院是大型红河谷剧院巡回的一部分，并能够为观众呈现杂耍表演、芭蕾舞、歌剧和百老汇风格的舞台表演。该剧院还计划建设一个集酒店、办公室和零售为一体的综合建筑，但该项目从未实现。剧院最终在1933年大萧条时期关闭。
In 1945, the Walker Theatre was converted into the Odeon Cinema. It went on to serve as Winnipeg’s most popular single-screen movie theatre for the following 45 years.
1945年，沃克剧院改建为Odeon电影院。在接下来的45年里，它继续成为了温尼伯最受欢迎的单屏电影院。
A non-profit organization, the Walker Theatre Performing Arts Group (WTPAG), purchased the theatre in 1990. With its original architectural features restored , it reopened as a live performance venue in 1991 and was designated a provincial heritage site and a national historic site.
沃克剧院表演艺术团（WTPAG）作为一个非盈利组织，于1990年买下了该剧院。在复原了其原有的建筑特色以后，它作为一个表演舞台于1991年重新开放，并成为了省级遗产和国家历史遗址。
Next, the theatre was renamed in 2002 after Winnipeg-born musician Burton Cummings, the former frontman of rock band The Guess Who, known for such hits as ‘American Woman,’ ‘New Mother Nature’ and ‘No Time.’ The WTPAG had struggled with fundraising, so Cummings agreed to help out with a series of five concerts. Two of these benefit events ended up raising $120,000 to help pay down the organization’s debt.
在2002年的时候，剧院以在温尼伯出生的音乐家Burton Cummings的名字命名，他是摇滚乐队The Guess Who的前任主唱，以《美国女人》《新自然母亲》和《时间流逝》等热门歌曲而闻名。由于WTPAG筹款困难，所以Cummings同意在五场音乐表演中提供帮助。其中的两项福利音乐会最终筹集了120,000美元，以帮助该组织偿还债务。
True North, locally well-known as the owner of the National Hockey League’s (NHL’s) Winnipeg Jets and their arena, Bell MTS Place, began managing and operating the Burt in 2014, purchased it in 2016, dissolved the WTPAG and invested in upgraded electrical systems and plumbing, as part of long-term efforts to rejuvenate and refurbish the venue.
True North公司管理着当地著名的国家冰球联盟（NHL）——温尼伯喷气机队及其竞技场Bell MTS Place。该公司于2014年开始管理和运营Burt剧院，并于2016年买下了该剧院，由于恢复和翻新剧院是一个长期的过程，因此公司首先解散了WTPAG组织并投资升级了剧院的电气和管道系统。
Finally, in 2017, True North signed a continued sponsorship deal with Cummings, ensuring his name would remain on the building through 2032. Cummings, who lives in Los Angeles, Calif., committed to returning to Winnipeg to perform more benefit concerts, the proceeds of which would go toward a new marquee, among other improvements.
最后，在2017年，Cummings与True North公司签署了一个长久的赞助协议，确保建筑将保持以他的名字命名至2032年。住在加利福尼亚州洛杉矶的Cummings承诺回到温尼伯举办更多的慈善音乐会，其收益将用于改进新的标识项目和其他的建筑修复工作。
Where the theatre’s older sign had used tin, the new one uses aluminum.
剧院的旧标识使用锡材料制作，新的标识使用铝材制作。
Time for a new vision
愿望实现的时刻
To handle this job, True North turned to SRS Signs & Service, a 929-m2(10,000-sf) shop located about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of the theatre.
为了完成这项工作，True North公司向SRS Signs＆Service商店寻求帮助，这是一家占地929平方米（10,000平方英尺）的商店，位于剧院西北方向约4公里（2.5英里）处。
“It was definitely time for a refresh,” says Derrick Amy, director of operations. “The previous neon sign, which they temporarily covered with a banner, had rusted through and was in very poor shape by the time we came along. Most of it could not be reused, except for the original steel structure.”
剧院的运营总监德里克·艾米说：“对于标识的翻新现在已经到了迫在眉睫的时候了，以前的霓虹灯标识已经生锈了，他们暂时用横幅将其覆盖，并且在我们看到标识的时候，状态就已经非常糟糕了。除了最初的钢结构外，其中大部分都无法重复使用。”
Josh Dudych, True North’s director of creative and marketing services, asked the SRS team for practical advice about how a new marquee might be built and attached while retaining the original appearance of the theatre’s canopy. His vision was for the sign’s shape to resemble that of the province of Manitoba on a map. For this concept to work on a two-sided sign, SRS suggested dividing two single-sided sign faces with a grey backing, so each side was disguised from the other.
在关于如何保留剧院原始标识外观并同时建造新的大型标识方面，True North公司的创意和营销服务总监Josh Dudych向SRS团队询问了一些比较实用建议。他的期望是制造一个与地图上的曼尼托巴省形状相似的标识外观。为了使这个概念能够应用在新的双面标识上，SRS团队建议将两个单面标识的背面设计为灰色背景，这样两边标识的正反两面就能区分开来。
“We had worked with True North before, custom-fabricating fixtures for Bell MTS Place,” Amy explains. “After our initial discussions with Josh, we were selected for the job in spring 2017. It was because he had pitched the idea earlier that I knew we could do the work within the timelines. The deadline was Sept. 22, as Cummings’ first new benefit concert was scheduled for Sept. 23.”
艾米解释道：“我们之前曾与True North公司有过合作，为Bell MTS Place体育馆制作固定装置，在我们与Josh进行初步讨论之后，我们于2017年春季被选中参加这项工作。正是因为他之前提出了这个想法，因此我知道我们可以在规定的时间内完成这项工作。项目的规定完工日期是9月22日，因为Cummings的第一场福利音乐会定于9月23日举行。”
Once Dudych’s drawings were officially agreed upon by True North and approved by Winnipeg’s municipal government, SRS completed more detailed renderings in early July.
一旦Dudych的设计图纸经过True North公司的审核通过并得到温尼伯市政府的批准，SRS团队将在7月初完成更多对标识设计的细节加工。
The crew at SRS was excited about the opportunity to work on the project.
SRS的工作人员很高兴有机会参与该项目的制作。
It was the first time LEDs would be used at the theatre.
这是这个剧院第一次使用LED光源进行照明。
Modernized materials
现代化的材料
The fabrication of the new marquee was, in some ways, representative of changes in the sign industry over the years.
剧院的新标识在某些方面也可以代表标识行业多年来的一些变化。
“We used to be a 100 per cent tin shop, but have changed over to 90 per cent aluminum in the last five years or so,” says Amy. “Similarly, the theatre’s old sign was galvanized, painted tin, but we used painted aluminum sheeting this time for the front, back and sides of the marquee, to present an exterior finish that looks true to the era and is built to last. Everything is durable and reinforced.”
艾米说：“我们的商店原来几乎所有的产品都是由锡材制作而成，但在过去五年左右的时间里，铝材所占比重越来越高，到现在几乎90％的材料都是由铝材制成。同样地，剧院的旧标识是在经过电镀加工后，增加锡材涂层制作的，但是这次我们使用彩绘铝板来制作标识的正面、背面和侧面，以呈现一个真实的新时代的标识外观，并且这种材料制作的标识也非常经久耐用。”
As for illumination, the changeover offered the first opportunity to use LEDs on the building. SRS specified white and green border tubing from Global Lux in Boucherville, Que., to add an ‘old Broadway’ feeling to the sign.
在标识的照明方面，这是剧院第一次使用LED光源进行照明。SRS团队从布谢维尔的Global Lux定制了白色和绿色的外框灯管，为标识增添了一种旧式“百老汇”的风格。
“We used LED ‘ropes’ that reproduce the look of neon,” says Amy, “but neon always sucked in Winnipeg anyway because of our weather!”
艾米说：“我们将LED光源安装成线条状来重现原有的霓虹灯外观，过去在温尼伯，由于天气的影响，霓虹灯总是不能正常地运行。”
The white letter faces and dark sign face, meanwhile, were made using Acrylite acrylic polymers. “The acrylic has a seven-year life expectancy before it will need to be replaced,” says Amy.
同时，整个大型标识上的白色字母和黑色标识表面使用Acrylite亚克力聚合材料制成。艾米说：“这种亚克力制作而成的材料表面在进行检修更换之前，可以保持7年的使用寿命。”
An iconic installation
标志性的安装成果
Following client approvals, SRS began fabrication in August 2017 while True North, which had already developed a strong relationship with the municipal government, took charge of the permit application process. All of the production work, including welding, computer numerical control (CNC) routing of panels and painting with Cloverdale finishes, was handled in-house, stretching into early September.
在得到客户的认同之后，SRS团队于2017年8月正式投入标识项目的制作中，而True North公司也与市政府建立了牢固的合作关系，并顺利完成了许可证的申请流程。所有的生产工作，包括焊接、CNC切割和使用Cloverdale涂料进行上色，他们都在商店的室内完成，这个项目一直持续到9月初才完成。
“Given its iconic nature, this project was close to everyone’s hearts in our shop,” says Amy.
艾米说：“鉴于该标识的形象特点，这个项目在我们的商店很受欢迎。”
Once the 2.3 x 9.7-m (7.6 x 31.9-ft) sign was completed, it was transported to the site for installation. “It was a big project,” says Amy. “We had three crews on-site to handle demolitions by night and installation by day. We had done work downtown before, but nothing with this kind of high profile. The Burt is like Toronto’s Massey Hall in terms of great, old Canadian theatres for musicians.”
在完成了这个2.3 x 9.7米（7.6 x 31.9英尺）的标识后，SRS团队将其运至现场进行安装。 艾米说：“这是一个很大的项目，我们现场有三名工作人员在夜间处理拆除工作，并在白天进行安装。我们以前在市中心做过类似的工作，但没有这个标识项目如此的引人注目。Burt剧院就像多伦多的Massey Hall剧院一样，是加拿大古老的音乐剧院。”
He credits the opportunity to work directly with True North’s designer and architect for how smoothly the project went, with a solid design and plan.
艾米认为这个直接与True North公司的设计师以及建筑师合作的机会，不仅为这个项目安排了可靠的设计与计划，还确保了项目的顺利进行。
“That increases your chance of success immeasurably,” he says. “Even Burton Cummings himself really likes the new sign!”
他说：“完美的合作会在很大的程度上增加成功的机会，即使是Burton Cummings自己也非常喜欢这个新标识！”
