USA - Chauvet Professional has announced it is extending its ReSet Fund programme through 31 December during 'the season of giving' to help individuals in the live event industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After Chauvet kicked off the programme, which helps fund grants through Behind the Scenes (BTS), with a $25,000 donation to BTS in October, the brand has been offering a matching donation for all merchandise sold on its website. With hundreds of orders in, Chauvet is committed to extending support during the holiday season. “We are in the season of giving and during a year when everyone has given so much,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “We see the ReSet Fund as a way to demonstrate the critical importance of supporting our community during good times and challenging times like now. As we emerge from the pandemic, we believe programmes like this
Europe - The MOSAiC expedition (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) is seen as the largest Arctic research voyage of all time and a milestone in climate research. The expedition set sail from Tromsø in Norway in September 2019 and came to an end with the return of the main expedition vessel, the icebreaker Polarstern, to its home port of Bremerhaven, Germany, in October this year. During the expedition, the Polarstern had docked onto Arctic sea ice and drifted through the Arctic Ocean on a gigantic ice floe. As the ship drifted with the ice, it had contact with a network of measuring stations covering many kilometres. One aim of the expedition was to gain a better understanding of the Arctic’s influence on the global climate in order to make more reliable predictions. One of those taking part in the expedition was Friederike Mari
Europe - Ashly Audio has announced a partnership with COMM-TEC Exertis to extend product availability across Europe. "In order to further expand our range of audio solutions and provide them to an enhanced customer base, we were looking for an outstanding distributor for AV solutions in Europe,” said Jim Mack, CEO of Ashly. “In COMM-TEC Exertis we have found the perfect partner to further expand Ashly's distribution throughout the region. We look forward to many exciting projects and a long-term partnership that will allow us to offer our comprehensive product range to an even wider range of customers.” COMM-TEC Exertis is a full-range supplier of AV/IT media technology across Europe and works to offers its partners the right solutions for almost any application: from live set-up, office space and conference rooms to background sound in bars and restaurants.
UK - The We Make Events campaign has launched the short film The Show Can’t Go On in recognition of all events and creative arts people, and those who support and work in the industry. Created by Sam Bradford of production company Praxima, the video, available to view here, offers a stark reminder of the harrowing consequences of the pandemic for arts and events professionals, many of whom have had to take on different jobs to survive financially in a year that saw their work calendar wiped out. The video is also an apparent rebuttal of the controversial 'Fatima' advert that depicted a young ballet dancer as part of the UK government's reskilling campaign. “At this time of year, we should be working hard and enjoying the best live events and entertainment in the
USA - Alcons Audio has appointed Taub Sales as its North American representative in the mid-Atlantic territory, which encompasses Virginia, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC), Maryland, Delaware, the southern half of New Jersey and the eastern half of Pennsylvania. Based in Silver Spring, a few miles north of Washington, DC, Taub Sales was founded by Morton Taub in 1974. Although starting out primarily in the consumer audio business, the company has always had a presence in the professional audio market, switching its full focus to that sector around a decade later. Since the early 1990s, it has sold specialty loudspeakers for the professional live and installed audio markets. “Alcons Audio pro-ribbon technology is ideal for Taub Sales in two respects,” says Steven, Morton’s son who now heads the business. “The first is that it’s a high-quality solutio
UK - Shure and Curtain Call have announced a series of networking evenings for industry professionals during a time of great need. The virtual gatherings will be an opportunity for people to have open discussions about any issues they may be dealing with and seek advice from professionals, as well as staying engaged with their fellow professionals, ensuring they are work ready as and when the world begins to resume to normality. Shure and Curtain Call share the sentiment of supporting and championing those that are behind the scenes and Shure’s previous ‘This is the Moment’ campaign was launched to celebrate the tremendous efforts that make theatre productions possible. Keen to continue supporting industry professionals, whether there is anyone on or off the stage, the sessions are designed to allow people to seek advice or make new connections. Marc Hensha
Taiwan - When Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) hosted a revival of the German/Taiwanese co-production of Puccini’s Turandot earlier this year, Chien-hao Kuo, lighting designer and head of lighting, boldly chose to replace all the discharge moving lights of the original design with LED fixtures. He carefully selected 26 Ayrton Khamsin-S profiles which were supplied to the venue from its rental stock by Hispot Workshop of Taipei, Taiwan, a company which has been dedicated to theatre design and equipment rental for over 26 years. Kuo’s had used Ayrton Khamsin-S on several operas in the past and knew them to be both powerful and quiet. “Because opera singers perform without amplified sound, I was focused on methods of reducing the background noise in the theatre,” he explains. “Moving lights with discharge sources are n
On Stage - Many West End theatres have started reopening their doors for the first time since March. Among those reopening their doors for the first time since closing eight months ago are the Garrick Theatre, the Lyric Theatre and the Sondheim Theatre, which is home to the Les Mis concert. The development comes as Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed plans to open six of his West End theatres by the summer of 2021, in a move that is being seen as a major boost for the sector. Nimax venues staged 12 performances over the weekend, including four performances of Six at the Lyric. Nimax chief Nica Burns had previously indicated her intention to begin a phased reopening of her six theatres earlier this year, and had already brought Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt to the Apollo, which opened in October shortly before the second lockdown in November. “It was a ve
USA - As a Latin Grammy Award-winning mixing and recording engineer, musician and sound supervisor, Nicolas Ramirez’ resume also includes head mixing and recording engineer at Art House Academy & Abbey Road Institute Miami, a music performance/production and sound engineering school. He recently implemented KRK Systems’ V6 Series 4 powered reference monitors into the space. Ramirez was elated to continue working with the KRK brand as he also uses the ROKIT 5s and 7s in various home studio applications. Using his KRKs, Ramirez is up for three Latin Grammys this year with nominations for two Record of the Year awards as well as an Album of the Year nomination. Ramirez has worked with high-profile recording artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Marc Anthony and Bad Bunny, and knows quality matters. “KRK makes a variety of superior st
USA - As this difficult year draws to a close, ADJ is hoping to spread a little festive joy over the holiday season with its Winter Wonderland Lighting contest. The company is offering lighting pros and enthusiasts at all levels the chance to win one of three prizes simply by using their ADJ fixtures as part of a festive display or holiday event and tagging the photos or video on social media. Says ADJ, “Entries could be a holiday project created for a client or you could simply use your ADJ lighting, video or effects equipment to decorate your yard, front porch or home for the holidays. It probably goes without saying, but in whatever you do to celebrate the holidays and enter the contest, please be safe, take any necessary precautions and practice social distancing. “The ADJ team will be selecting the first, second and third place winners based on how good the ph
USA - In the face of tight travel restrictions and the industry-wide slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, music producer to the stars Garth Richardson has spent several months focused on renovating and updating his The Farm Studios. Nestled within the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, The Farm Studios offers a tranquil cabin-in-the-woods workshop atmosphere for recording and studio production. The seven-acre property features several cabins and a main house where the control room is located. Richardson's goal for the extensive renovation is to expand the studio's footprint and create a varied set of indoor and outdoor recording spaces. Rooms in the main house are connected throughout with a Dante network, and Richardson is now extending the network out to another large cabin adjacent to the main house and other locations. Dante allows audio, control
USA - When Caesars Entertainment, who operate Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, planned their next expansion phase – Caesars Forum, a new conference centre - they needed a first-class technical infrastructure for site wide multi-signal transmission over this large facility, and opted for BroaMan, the video and data based sister company to Optocore. Locally based design and engineering specialists, National Technology Associates (NTA) have a long track record working with the Caesars Entertainment family, including LINQ promenade, the High Roller, and many restaurants and venues. Thus, they were again contracted, and as their project manager Shane Snell recognized the building was way too big to run traditional SDI cabling, he instead turned to a BroaMan fibre solution. The Conference Centre itself measures a massive 550,000sq.ft including more than 300,000sq.ft of flexibl
UK - With its in-person training currently on hold, Brompton Technology has set up an advanced virtual platform to continue offering its global customer base access to the LED processing manufacturer’s renowned training programme. Brompton’s initial foray into this new venture was a set-up devised by the company’s technical support specialist, Steve Harris, to deliver training videos from his home office during the height of the pandemic. Quickly recognising that a more in-depth approach was needed, the support team adapted the training room at Brompton’s Ealing headquarters to allow the delivery of a more sophisticated training format. Using a powerful PC, Infiled DB2.6 LED screen, and a Brompton Tessera SX40 processor, the team developed a new environment to demonstrate the Brompton user interface, using a variety of in-depth, interactive ‘explainer’ pa
USA - The colourful floats were there, 26 of them in all; so too were the giant helium balloons, bands and street performers, but the 2020 version of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was unlike any of its 96 predators. The usual throngs of fans were nowhere to be seen, and instead of following its normal route down 5th Avenue, the entire ‘parade’ took place within a designated area in front of Macy’s flagship store. For the 20.7m who watched on TV, this year’s parade offered all of the pageantry, excitement and holiday spirit that people have come to expect from this popular tradition, pandemic restrictions notwithstanding. Helping to create this image on television was a Geoff Amoral lighting design that artfully relied on lighting and props to support the parade with an engaging background, despite the absence of fans. “The normal look for the parade
UK - Exhibition London is a new multipurpose live music and events venue in White City, West London initiated and operated by Broadwick Live and Venue Lab, offering 1400 seated to 2800 standing capacity. It is designed for conferences, exhibitions, gala dinners, awards presentations, location filming and live music events. Opened in early 2020, Exhibition London’s complete technical infrastructure was specified and procured by consultant and technical production director Simon Jones of SJ-TPM who also coordinated and oversaw all elements of the technical installation and commissioning. Simon had started work on the project in the second quarter of 2019 after having been involved in other Broadwick Live venues. He chose both Robe and Anolis products to be core house lighting system elements for the main show-space where the spec features 28 x Esprites and 30 x Robe
Russia - Moscow’s Vakhtangov Theatre marked its upcoming 100th anniversary with a special 10-minute music and light show featuring more than 100 Claypaky Axcor Profile 900 LN high-wattage moving head LED spotlights and HY B-EYE K25 moving head LED wash. The theatre’s lighting designers Ruslan Mayorov and Alexander Matveev created the lighting spectacular with Sergei Dobrikov, software engineer from equipment supplier and installer Doka Centre, choreographing the intricate play of beams to music by Faustas Latenas. An invited audience was in attendance for the show, which featured forests of parallel beams, dancing beams, textured curtains of light and giant beams that broke the boundaries of the proscenium to sweep the audience. The theatre’s heads and the Russian government’s Minister of Culture were on hand to offer congratulations. “When we were loo
UK – Luxury fashion brand Dior’s flagship London store has launched its festive Christmas display, unveiling an entirely video mapped frontage powered by a Hippotizer Nevis+ Media Server. Motion Mapping is masterminding the technical set up, control and running of the festive projections, having been commissioned by Dior’s creative agency to deliver the project. Motion Mapping’s creative director, Stuart Harris, specified the Nevis+ as the main show control and media player, driving two Panasonic RZ21 projectors protected by Tempest Outdoor Enclosures. The projection and visual control and manipulation equipment is installed on the roof of Dior’s neighbour Louis Vuitton, which is situated directly opposite in London’s New Bond Street. “The small form factor of the Nevis+ has made the setup of equipment on the top of a six-storey building, in
Greece - Prolyte has confirmed PA Solutions as an authorised dealer in Greece. PA Solutions is led by Kostas Tsaganos and Yiannis Benetas, who both carry more than 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry. “We are thrilled to have PA Solutions join Prolyte’s family. We look forward to working side by side with Kostas, John and his team in Athens, and to seeing more Prolyte exposure in the South East region of Europe,” says Prolyte sales director William Voskuil. PA Solutions CEO Kostas adds, “I was one of the first technical experts to install Prolyte products in Greece in the early 2000s. And now almost 20 years later, I’ve made my way to work side by side with Prolyte. “I have great respect for Prolyte products. Adding Prolyte to our Portfolio, I know that I have the best trussing system and I feel very confident about providing the b
UK - PLASA is hosting two sessions on Brexit during December to help PLASA members prepare for the new trading rules which will come into play from Friday 1 January 2021. The first session on Friday 11 December at 2pm is a 30-minute introductory Q&A which will allow members to ask questions on the new rules and how they should prepare. This session is free, but numbers are limited to 20 to allow everyone to ask their questions. Pre-registration is required via the link below. The next session will take place on Thursday 17 December and will run from 2pm to 4:30pm, allowing for a detailed look at exporting and importing post-Brexit. This workshop will help you prepare for the new rules of moving goods between the UK and Europe and will consider the process and cost obligations of navigating through new borders and the implications of procedures for both seller and
UK - Industry campaigns #WeMakeEvents and #ExcludedUK have joined forces with homelessness charity Crisis to stage Silent Nights, a protest movement that encourages people to spend a night at their workplace. Organisers hope the action will highlight the plight of around three million workers, who remain excluded from the state’s economic relief measures related to the pandemic. Silent Nights will start at 7pm on 18 December (Friday) and end at 7am on 19 December. Organisers are inviting those whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic to participate by sleeping out at their place of work. This could include venues (if permitted), homes, shops, offices or salons. Organiser Tom Branston comments: “This is even more urgent following the prime minister’s refusal yesterday to meet with #ExcludedUK following a plea from Leader of the Scottish National
UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup has announced Round 2 of applications for its Hardship Fund is now open. The fund was launched in October with the aim to provide limited financial assistance to production crew and those working in the technical supply chain across the UK entertainment sector. Set up just ahead of the then-concluding Self-Employment Income Support and Job Retention schemes, it originally targeted those in the community who had been unable to receive any state or charitable assistance. But Round 2 will be open to workers who have been awarded up to £5,000 in funding between 1 April and 30 November. “The application uptake for Round 1 of the Hardship Fund reaffirmed to us how dire it is financially and that this help could not come soon enough for many or our colleagues,” comments Backup chairman John Simpson. “It has been heart
USA - Custom safety netting specialist InCord recently made their annual donation to Behind the Scenes reflecting a percentage of profits from sales of its Theatrical Safety Netting Systems. Joe Menhart, InCord’s theatre division sales manager, comments: “We are delighted to provide this support to BTS especially when so many more are in need due to the ongoing global pandemic. Our hearts go out to all those who benefit from the grants and resources provided by BTS.” Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes, says: “InCord’s obvious commitment to safety through their netting systems, is further demonstrated by their desire to provide a financial safety net for their colleagues who are ill or injured. We thank them for their ongoing commitment and, in particular, for honoring that commitment during this difficult time for so many in our industry.”
Europe - DirectOut named Audiosales (Italy) as Distributor of the Year during the company’s recent Insider event. DirectOut also recognised the exceptional performances of tm stagetec systems (Australia) with the award Rookie of the Year award, while Lawo BVBA (Netherlands) took the Prodigy of the Year accolade. Jan Ehrlich, CEO of DirectOut, states: “Our cooperation with Audiosales has constantly developed over the past 10 years and we appreciate Audiosales’ professional performance in service and support across the pro audio and broadcast segments in Italy. It’s another success story and this award expresses a well-deserved acknowledgement for their great job.” Marco Alterini, sales director of Audiosales adds, “Receiving this award is of great satisfaction for us, not only because of a great year, but also because it is the tangible proof of what kind of
Finland - The Finnish Sports Museum housed at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki has recently re-opened to the public with a completely revitalised permanent exhibition after extensive renovations closed the venue for five years. The new exhibitions celebrate Finnish sport using the best of what modern technology has to offer, including a Genelec Smart IP audio solution. All audio, video and control technology was supplied by AV integration specialists Studiotec Oy, with AV and sound design by building services engineering experts, Granlund Oy. Granlund’s Aki Päivärinne and Timo Muurinen were responsible for the AV design. “Our aim was to put the visitor in the middle of the action, to make them feel as if they are really there,” says Päivärinne. “It’s hard to think of any sport where sound is not a crucial part of the experience. Sounds from various sports
