Denmark - One of Scandinavia's premiere ballet companies, The Peter Schaufuss Ballet based in Holstebro, is a leading touring troupe that was established ten years ago by renowned ballet dancer, choreographer and director Peter Schaufuss. The company tours nationally and internationally with new productions staged every year.

Since 2005 lighting design for the Ballet has been handled by technical manager and chief of lighting, Bo Kudsk Kristensen who has traditionally had a large conventional lighting rig at his disposal. Last year he welcomed the addition of a Martin automated lighting package consisting of 17 MAC 2000 Performance and 17 MAC 2000 Wash fixtures, with control via a grandMA.

In 2006 Peter Schaufuss initiated collaboration with the British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe who created part of the scenography for Satisfaction, Schaufuss' dance concert based on the m

Australia - Established in 1859, the GPO is a famous Melbourne landmark, transforming from postal hall to popular night spot and function centre in the 1990's. Managed by Robertson Hospitality Group, the GPO most recently underwent a comprehensive update of its audio systems,selecting Allen & Heath mixing products throughout.

"CEO Ian Robertson and music director Scott Thompson were looking for a premium quality audio system that could stay in the background visually, but be very much in the foreground acoustically," commented system designer and contractor Nathan Pugh of One Productions.

The GPO offers four key function areas, The Lexington, The Music Room, The Library and The Terrace. The Lexington makes use of the heritage architecture of the GPO building, with grand archways, 7-metre high ceilings, huge period windows, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, draped privat

USA - A complement of grandMA consoles controlled an array of fixtures employed by lighting directors Patrick Dierson and Kevin Lawson of Artfag, LLC at two pre-Super Bowl concerts. grandMAs also controlled lighting by Artfag lighting & video directors Richard Wold and Pat Brannon for a pre-game NFL party for VIPs.

The VH-1 Presents Pepsi Smash Bash featuring John Legend, Fergie and Kanye West, was hosted by Taye Diggs outside Dolphins Stadium on the NFL Experience Concert Stage. Recorded to HD by MTV Networks the Thursday before the game, the concert was telecast on Saturday night. Friday night Telemundo's Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Fiesta featuring Don Omar, Ivy Queen and Aventura was taped on the same stage for broadcast as well. Spike Brandt at Artfag provided production design for both concerts.

"The same equipment and rig was used for each event," not

UK - Lighting designer Steve Douglas is using an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console to control lighting for Las Vegas-based The Killers' Sam's Town world tour which is currently playing UK arenas.

Dublin-based Douglas has used Avolites consoles since the start of his professional career. He used a D4 on the previous US leg of the tour, "so it was a natural choice to continue" he says. He's also the show's programmer and operator, so he wanted a powerful desk that he knew was fast and easy to set up. He adds that with their schedule already including a festival season in the summer, "Features like Fixture Exchange are really invaluable".

Equipment for the European section of the tour is being supplied by Siyan. The stage features some spectacular red curtains, borders and legs, with monitor and guitar worlds onstage also wrapped in matching red materia

USA - A substantial quantity of SymNet DSP and expansion devices have been installed at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, where they provide processing, auto-mixing, matrixing and distribution functionality for the legislative spaces. This installation is part of an audio/visual upgrade at the State Legislature building which was designed by special systems engineering firm NBTA Engineers, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"We worked very closely with the owner to develop a system tailored to their specific needs. The project was well executed and on budget, and will meettheir needs for many years to come," claims Trez Traylor, president of NBTA Engineers.

The House and Senate chambers are each identically outfitted with a SymNet 8x8 DSP hardware module together with 12-channel BreakIn12 and BreakOut12 expansion devices. Principal inputs into each DSP matrix include mi

South Africa - DPA microphones have played a major role in the South African production of We Will Rock You which premiered at the 1,069-seat Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg before transferring to Cape Town and Durban.

The show, which plays tribute to rock band Queen, was written by British author Ben Elton together with band members Brian May and Roger Taylor and has sold more than four million tickets worldwide. A futuristic struggle between good and evil, We Will Rock You is based on Queen's back catalogue which spans more than three decades.

A combination of DPA 4065 and 4066 omnidirectional headband mics were used for all cast members. The mics were supplied by DPA's South African distributor Prosound, whose Mark Malherbe was also the sound designer for the show's South African run. Malherbe loosely based his design on the original, which also specifi

Italy - TV lighting designer Pino Quini has specified 12 Robe DigitalSpot 5000DT moving head projectors for the popular series Tutte Donne Tranne Me (All Women Except Me), a one man show starring actor/singer Massimo Ranieri with special guests. The RAI 1 show is broadcast live from Studio 15 of Rome's Cine Citta complex and is on air at 9 p.m. Friday - one of the channel's prime time TV slots.

The scenic design by Marco Calzavara includes a 360 degree white cyclorama which encases the whole studio set, including the seating stands and the stage. "It was an obvious artistic decision to make in filling this space with colour and texturing" explains Quini, but he wanted to go beyond just gobo and lighting effects to moving images and photographic impressions.

The twelve fixtures are being supplied by Di & Di Lighting & Truck SRL from Rome. They are rigged around

UK - AKG, celebrating its 60th anniversary, and its British distributor Harman Pro UK are showing several of the company's latest products at Sounds Expo 2007 at Olympia.

Perhaps the best commemoration of AKG's heritage on display is the limited anniversary edition of the C414 large-diaphragm recording mic. Only 2007 of these mics are being made worldwide, and only during this year.

Two of AKG's biggest launches this year are the D5 and C5 vocal microphones. The supercardioid D5 is a hard-wearing handheld dynamic mic (also available as the D5S with an on/off switch), while the C5 is a rugged cardioid condenser mic. Both mics are designed for recording or stage use, and use some of AKG's most recently developed microphone technology, including a laminate diaphragm in the D5 and a 24-carat gold-sputtered capsule housing in the C5 as a protection against humidity and moisture bui

UK - Harman Pro UK dealer Mersysound Productions has completed a project to install conference facilities and a performance Room at the Alima Centre in Liverpool, which is operated by the Novas Group community project.

The installation features a range of Harman products, including a Soundcraft GB4 24 channel mixing console; Crown I-T4000 and Xs500 amplifiers; DBX 260 Loudspeaker EQ & Management System; Lexicon MPX550 Multi-FX processor and a range of JBL Professional speakers including Control 25 Compact 2-way loudspeakers, VRXX932LA line array loudspeakers, an SRX7188 sub woofer and a JRX112M two-way wedge monitor.

The Alima Centre is a multicultural community venue that offers a range of services and educational and training facilities to community arts groups and schools. Its aim is to create a platform for local people to develop their individual, community and cultural a

UK - Support and training organisation Britt Worldwide UK, held its winter conference at Nottingham Ice Arena under the banner 'The Start of a New Day'. Panda Hire provided and installed the lighting for the event where the aim was to design a flexible lighting rig that could be used for great lighting effects during the introduction and musical play-ons and static lighting for the rest of the weekend.

With this and time restrictions in mind, an all intelligent rig was put together comprising of Martin MAC 700 Profile and MAC 700 Wash units on the front truss and MAC 250 Entour and MAC 250 Wash units to the back truss and stage. Two Jem Glaciators were used stage left and right to create a heavy fog effect for the introduction and Jem Stage Hazers and a Magnum 2000 smoke machine to enhance the lighting.

Lighting designer, Panda's Paul White comments, "The MAC 700 Wash uni

UK - St Bride's Church in London's Fleet Street - often known as the journalists' church - has taken delivery of some 50 ETC Source Four fixed focus spotlights as part of a refurbishment to replace worn out lighting.

Designed in 1672 by Sir Christopher Wren, the current St Bride's replaced a smaller church of the same name destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London. The 234 ft spire, added in 1701, was the tallest ever designed by Wren and was supposed to withstand both lightning and war. The tower's shape, which looks like three tiers, has led to it being dubbed the Wedding Cake Church. It has a traditional link with journalists and newspaper proprietors, who paid for it to be rebuilt after it was gutted by incendiary bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe in 1940.

Since then, it has acquired a reputation as not only a place of worship for traditional services, but also for concerts

UK - After thirty years, the powerful drama Equus has returned to London's West End, with lighting designed by David Hersey and supplied by PRG Europe. Daniel Radcliffe, better known for playing the lead role in the Harry Potter movies, plays the part of a 17-year old who has a passion for horses, with Richard Griffiths as psychiatrist Martin Dysart.

Written by Peter Shaffer in 1973, the show, which is produced by David Pugh and directed by Thea Sharrock, has received rave reviews since it started previews on 16 February with a standing ovation for Radcliffe, surprising many of his critics. The lighting includes some 140 Source Four luminaires and over thirty moving lights, as well as a number of custom gobos produced by PRG Europe's Gobo Resource facility.

Production electrician for the show, which is being staged at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, is Ian Moulds; p

USA - Through a generous grant provided by GE Consumer & Industrial, Thomas Edison House in Louisville (KY) has installed new museum lighting. The project was completed in commemoration of Thomas Edison's 160th birthday. The inventor lived and worked in Louisville, and later became the founder of the General Electric Company.

Kevin Ruppelt, general manager of Water Products, GE Consumer & Industrial, and a member of the Thomas Edison House's Board of Regents, comments: "This was a great way to utilise GE's design, products and resources, and to give back to our local community. Thomas Edison would be proud of GE's advances in lighting technology and what we've done to highlight his inventions at the Museum. We are proud of our heritage."

The lighting installed at the Museum includes GE's new Diamond Precise track lighting designed for interior museum applications. Di

USA - Super Vision International Inc is changing its name to Nexxus Lighting Inc, with effect from April 2007, and is relocating its corporate headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina. These changes are part of the company's new strategic plan to direct its focus toward advanced technology lighting products and systems. The company's stock symbol will change from 'SUPVA' to 'NEXS' in April 2007, and trading under the new 'NEXS' symbol is also expected to start in April.

The company will focus its resources on the rapidly expanding market for LED lighting system technologies, fibre optic lighting technologies and other new emerging white light technologies through both new product development and potential strategic acquisitions. "Nexxus Lighting can be viewed as a brand new company with a solid foundation and a very clear vision," stated Mike Bauer, president and CEO.

UK - Roadmender in Northampton is a long-established contemporary performing and visual arts centre which is now under new management and stages concerts including rock, reggae, hiphop, dance, world, jazz roots and experimental music.

The Fabtronic Group in Northampton was asked to provide an alternative to architectural LED lighting and colour-changing products. The new system was designed, programmed and commissioned by Chris Hobbins, events and special projects manager at Fabtronic. He says, "My solution was the CX-10 Extreme to provide colour change, morphing texture effects and gobo projection."

The venue was also refurbished during this project, using a good selection of Martin products which included, MAC 250s, Atomic Strobes, Martin Roboscan 218s, Martin Roboscan 518s, Martin Freekie, Jem ZR-12 DMX and Jem ZR-30.

(Jim Evans)

USA/Japan - Analogue signal processing and mixing equipment manufacturer API Audio has appointed Mix Wave as its Japanese distributor.

Hide Suzuki, director, pro audio sales manager at Mix Wave says: "API manufactures some of the very best analogue equipment in the world. They've been making waves for decades, and with the industry's renewed interest in imparting an analogue sound on digital recordings, interest in API keeps increasing. For those customers who were clambering for API, we're happy to add them to our line card. For those customers who haven't heard of API's products, we're happy to let them hear what they've been missing!"

API's managing director, Gordon Smart, commented: "We're extremely pleased to have Mix Wave as our distributor in the important Japanese professional audio market, and we look forward to working closely with them."

(Jim E

Sweden/USA - Wireless Solution Sweden AB and Illumivision, Inc. recently turned the Murray Lock and Dam Bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas into a spectacular tourist attraction. The newly constructed pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Murray Lock and Dam, dubbed the "Big Dam Bridge", recently held a special ceremony to show off its new look, bejewelled with coloured lights.

The bridge, which spans the Arkansas River, is 4,226 feet long, with a span over the river totalling 3,463 feet, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. Billed as the world's longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge, construction was completed in August 2006. The addition of lights was completed a few months later.

Illumivision of Edmonton, Alberta, was responsible for the design and installation of the bridge lighting - 169 Illumivision Light Wave LX fixtures are installed at the base of the thirt

Finland - For the Finnish Symphony Orchestra's Tapiola Sinfonietta, lighting and set designer Valo Virtanen used the Martin MAC TW1 because of its "quiet operation, power and functionality". Tapiola Sinfonietta wanted to deviate from the typical black suits and concert lights to create a story about musicians' fantasies, both happy and sad, by incorporating acrobats, magicians, dancers, singers, and even a "wild vacuum cleaner".

Valo chose the MAC TW1 tungsten washlight because "traditionally powerful Tungsten washlights have been a problem. When the TW1 came out our local distributor Electrosonic Lightinen kindly sent one to me for testing. Now we have twenty on tour. Its "quiet operation - not just virtually silent - combines with really good colour mixing and a wide zoom range to make these units heavy workhorses for us. I really enjoy working wi

Czech Republic - This June, Prague will host the combined celebration of design for theatre at the Prague Quadrennial and the PQ Scenofest. In June every four years, Prague hosts an international competition of the work of individual designers and nations. The best design from across the world will be on display for the 10 days of the Quadrennial.

Scenofest sits in the very heart of the Quadrennial, designed to bring the next generation of designers together to collaborate as a part of a huge range of exhibitions, performances and workshops. The world's greatest designers will take part as workshop leaders and in delivering a series of Lectures and presentations.

The venue is the Industrial Palace, and the PQ organisers have given Scenofest pride of place in the Central Hall. This space will see a 300-seat theatre space, workshop areas and exhibition areas - and the Tower of B

UK - Leicestershire-based Hawthorns, providers of lighting, sound and video have announced the acquisition of Core Creative from The Concerto Group.

Managing director Martin Hawthorn comments, " We have been looking for some time now for London premises and the opportunity arose. Having an established base in London provides another resource to the London customer as we continue to grow. An increasing amount of our conference and party work is London-based and now is a great time to build on that success with Core's experienced full time staff and equipment based in town."

The Hawthorn inventory of £5 million worth of state-of-the-art lighting, sound, drapes and staging will be based across the two locations, supporting the events market with their creative in-house project management team and the continued dry hire of equipment. The move will make Hawthorn a &

South Africa - Ingonyama Productions, based in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, recently purchased a Soundcraft MH3, 32-channel mixing console. Ngubane Thabani, owner of Ingonyama, comments, "We are getting more and more calls for a variety of high profile live events in this area. It's vital to have a desk that's built to perform in diverse circumstances."

Gary Furman, of Wild and Marr KZN, adds: "Ingonyama Productions has come a long way in the last year - due in part to the fact that they offer a professional service coupled to their planned buying process, ensuring that their inventory is scalable and cutting edge.

"The Soundcraft MH3 together with its dbx and BSS processing, Crown I-Tech amplification, JBL VRX line array system as well as other professional products, gives them the tools they need to become a major force in the touring and production

Germany - BSS Audio has provided advanced site-wide digital distribution at Movie Park Germany - a major amusement park in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, which is continuously evolving and expanding. The Park welcomes around 1.5 million visitors a year into its 40,000sq.ft facility, who have access to 40 different shows, 15 shops and 24 restaurants. Further facilities will be added prior to the park reopening on 31 March following the winter recess.

Having acquired the site in 2004 from Six Flags Inc, early last year the park's operators, Belgian-based StarParks recently embarked on a major technology upgrade and commissioned a new audio-visual infrastructure, based around a central BSS Audio Soundweb London DSP/distribution system.

Under the supervision of technology integrators, FACE, the installation began in the early summer and was completed by the end of the year. Using Soundweb L

UK - i-Vision has designed, supplied and installed a colour-changing LED lighting system for Flamingos, a brand new gay clubbing destination concept in central Bristol. The 900 capacity club is independently owned by Stuart Hayles, who saw a gap in the market for a really top notch gay nightclub in the city.

Hayles asked i-Vision's Luke Dodd to design the lighting following Dodd's eye-catching scheme at L!QU!D, a new club in Chepstow also owned by Hayles. "Lighting is absolutely fundamental to creating and enhancing moods, and no cutting edge clubbing environment is complete without good lighting and sound these days" he says.

Flamingos' main room (Arena 1) features R'n'B and dance music, a bar and a VIP area upstairs. Its walls are up-lit with 18 of i-Vision's Lumos 3 fittings, "The perfect fixture for the job" says Dodd. Three bubble tanks behind the bar

UK - Dialight Lumidrives, in collaboration with the University of Manchester, has been awarded a grant by the Department of Trade and Industry-led Technology Programme for a £330,000 project to develop new technology platforms for next generation LED lighting modules. The applied research programme runs until April 2008 and aims to produce a number of high output LED modules with light outputs exceeding 12,000 lumens.

The modules will integrate thermal management, optical control and high reliability drive electronics to maximise the benefits of LED technology in existing lighting applications such as architectural, road way and industrial lighting.

Welcoming the new partnership, Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks said: "The UK has a proud history of innovation in science and technology. We believe that we must work with industry to develop the marketabl

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