Europe - Robert Juliat Lancelot and Victor followspots have been specified for the tours of Adele and Phil Collins by Woodroffe Bassett Design lighting designers Patrick Woodroffe and Roland Greil. Roland Greil, associate lighting designer, lighting director and programmer for all three tours, said: “The designs for Adele’s arena tour in 2016, for which Adam Bassett was the associate lighting designer, and her stadium tour in 2017 were completely different from each other. The former was based upon a very symmetrical lighting rig that was all about creating a good-looking picture frame with Adele as the centre of attention in the middle. We kept the colours muted with 80% of the lighting being different shades of white, with a few shades of blue and very little else.” He continued: “For the indoor arena tour we used two Robert Juliat Victor 1800W follows
Austria Luminaires from SGM Light played an important role in this year’s design of the floating stage in Bregenz. In 2017 and 2018, the opera Carmen will be performed at the venue. Markus Holdermann, deputy head of the lighting department, relied on SGM luminaires. He said: "In addition to 16 G-Profiles, we deploy 14 P-5 and two Q-7. The products are ideal for use on our sea stage. Their weather-resistance and advanced technology make them the first choice for me to implement in the lighting concept.” The production is running for two years “due to the immense amount of work we put into the stage designs” as Holdermann explained. For Carmen, Holdermann was not only responsible for the lighting but also the entire multimedia. “In addition to the light concept for this production, it was also necessary to implement the video desig
Belgium - The Belgium-based percussive entertainment group Drumspirit has added a more theatrical feeling to its current series of Hexahedron shows featuring Milk Inc. drummer Michael Schack and Netsky by using a Bart Rogge lightshow that features 12 Maverick MK2 Spot and 48 Rogue R2 Wash moving lights from Chauvet Professional. “Given the genre-defying performances of Drumspirit, to bring a theatrical feeling to the Hexahedron shows was no easy feat,” said Rogge. “The versatile Maverick and Rogue fixtures, however, proved to be essential elements in the implementation of my theatrical lighting concept.” Both the Maverick and Rogue fixtures were positioned above, behind and to the sides of the stage for a variety of visual purposes. Thanks to the Maverick’s generous selection of effects such as rotating slot and lock gobo wheels, a three-facet prism and 13°
USA - When electronic music producer Flume returned to Red Rocks in July, a large complement of Claypaky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes helped the Grammy winner light up the iconic Colorado amphitheatre. Brown Note Productions provided the equipment, while lighting designer Stu Dingley was charged with creating the design. Dingley used 46 Sharpys for Red Rocks, positioning 16 Sharpys on the floor in two horizontal lines at offset heights backing the artist, while 30 more were mounted overhead and kept in reserve for heavier electronic moments in the show. The LD also used 36 Sharpy washes, deploying four of them as side key lights and 32 overhead. While the floor package at Red Rocks was the same as that on Flume’s ongoing American tour, the overhead fixtures are only used for headline shows. He explained: “A large part of the design used spots and coloure
UK - The Queensferry Crossing, the world's longest triple-towered cable-stayed bridge, was illuminated by 60 x Robe BMFL Wash Beams during the crossing’s opening ceremony in September. The lighting scheme, which marked the opening of the 2,700m-wide crossing, was designed by event production company JMP Productions, specified and supplied by Edinburgh rental and production specialists Black Light. Their project manager Thomas Ramage worked closely with Jon Pugh from JMP and contacts from Speakeasy and Transport Scotland. “Given the throw distance, we needed the sheer power, intensity and punch of the BMFL coupled with the precision focussing potential of the Wash Beam shutters so we could concentrate light exactly where it was needed with minimal spillage,” explained Thomas. The 60 x BMFL WashBeams were positioned equidistantly along the central r
China - Star Events introduced a 22m Orbit and two V-towers to the Chinese market in September, providing the main stage and support structures at Concrete & Grass, a two-day music festival in Shanghai.
Star has supplied the event, at Shanghai Rugby Club, for the last three years from its depot in the city and organiser Split Works moved the company to the Main Stage after its 17m Orbit roof, Stage 2, was the only performance space to withstand torrential rain in 2016.
Gavin Scott, Star Events’ special projects manager, used an 80-ton crane and a six strong crew to build the bigger stage, a significant saving in time and resources compared to the local system it replaced.
Jo Xie, operations director at Star Events China, comments: “It is still very rare to see cranes building stages in China. Most are based on scaffold tower
Australia - Jands has been appointed as the Australian distributor of Gibson Pro Audio brands KRK, Stanton, Cerwin-Vega, Cakewalk and Neat. Jands’ managing director Paul Mulholland, said: “It is great to be back representing Stanton, having first represented Stanton in the early 2000's. Jands are excited to have the opportunity to work with Gibson Pro Audio under whose guidance and management Stanton, along with KRK and Cerwin Vega, have become market leaders in their category. Gibson Pro Audio's general manager Ingrid Calvo added: “We are extremely excited and very much looking forward to working with Jands as our new partner for Gibson Pro Audio in Australia. Jands is a long standing, highly professional distributor and we believe they are a great fit for our brands and products.” With its headquarters and a service department in Sydney, a factory in
UAE - Sonic Wave has become the exclusive Apart Audio distributor in the UAE from October.
Andy Williams, general manager at Sonic Wave said: “In an industry that has an ever-increasing demand for both the highest quality and the best value, Apart delivers a range of products with an outstanding audio performance while being incredibly cost-effective. Adding Apart to the Sonic Wave portfolio will make us your one-stop shop for all AV requirements.”
Kris Vermuyten, sales and marketing director at Apart Audio, added: “We are delighted to start the cooperation with Sonic Wave and further expand the Apart presence in the UAE market. We are looking forward to working with the qualified Sonic Wave staff and together support their dealers and system integrators as the Apart product range is an excellent addition to the Sonic Wave brand portfolio.”
UK - Aurora Lighting is working alongside lighting designer Gurdip Mahal and gaffer James Tinsley on Channel 4’s hit re-boot of TV cult classic The Crystal Maze. Based on the classic format and filmed at The Bottle Yard, Bristol on a custom-built set created by original series designer James Dillon, the aim was to remain faithful to the feel of the iconic zones, whilst adding a contemporary look to update the show for a modern audience and enhance the show’s newly added areas. Talking about the show, LD Gurdip Mahal says, “The sheer scale of the show presented a number of challenges for the entire crew. With so many small studios and unique spaces, lighting the production was both new and exciting and presented a few difficulties which the terrific crew were able to resolve.” The lighting specified for the show allowed the crew the flexibility to s
UK - The need to address historic intelligibility problems and improve the overall audio quality were the key factors behind a recent installation at Church House Westminster in Central London. The project focused on the site’s two-level Assembly Hall, a Grade II listed space that is primarily used for conferences and meetings. The reputation and range of d&b audiotechnik meant that the brand was Church House AV manager Ian Locke’s first choice for the upgrade, but he engaged the services of freelance sound designer and engineer Phil Wright to ensure the most appropriate units were selected throughout the cylindrical, dome-roofed venue. “We undertook some tests with the existing system in the downstairs area, and found that for any given impulse we put into the PA we could measure 10 to 15 distinct arrivals at the measurement microphone. From an intelligibili
South Africa - Investing in dedicated and committed people and the best equipment available has been a successful formula for Multi-Media Event Trading, which has 25 years’ experience in the South African market as a technical production supplier. In March this year, sound engineer, Adriaan van der Walt joined the company, increasing the high standard of audio knowledge. More recently, the firm purchased two DiGiCo SD10 consoles from DWR Distribution, accompanied by two SD Racks on HMA Optics, Wave Servers, Orange Box and option cards, all of which are featured at The Voice, Nigeria. Owning two SD10s definitely changes Multi-Media’s position in the market. “Traditionally there was only one house that stocked DiGiCo and the brand is now slowly starting to spread,” said Adriaan. “Having the SD10s puts us in a different league compared to a month ago, an
South Africa - Robe moving lights were the primary lightsources on the Main Stage at Innibos 2017, a high-profile arts and music festival staged in and around Mbombela (Nelspruit) in South Africa presenting Afrikaans music, theatre, literature and visual arts. The fixtures were part of a striking visual design by Johan Ferreira of BF Production Services. There were 151 Robes on the rig, all supplied by Johannesburg-based MGG Productions, delivering full technical production and crew for the main sage for the third year. These fixtures were hung on a series of trusses in the roof including three 4-metre diameter circles hung mid-stage, all staggered in heights from upstage to downstage. 12 Robe Spiider wash beams were on the upstage truss; 24 x Spikies were on six side totems (vertical truss towers) together with 30 x LEDBeam 100s; 24 x LEDWash 1200s and 27 x LEDWash 60
UK - Absolute Motion Control is providing the automation for Young Marx, the first production at the new Bridge Theatre, which opens this October. The new Bridge Theatre opens on 18 October 2017 and is home to the London Theatre Company, founded by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr after their departure from the National Theatre. It is fitting that Absolute, also at the start of their own exciting new venture, has been asked to supply the automation for the theatre’s inaugural production. Absolute will be providing the control system to power the show’s effects, including a six-ton revolving truck. Jamie West, one of Absolute’s directors said: “It’s a really exciting time for new companies working in the theatre industry, with several new theatre building projects underway in the capital. The Bridge Theatre is the first of those to be complet
USA - A festoon lighting system featuring IMS DMX-controlled RGBWW lamps flew high over the stage at the 10th annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Conceived by renowned stage and lighting designer Andi Watson (known for his tenure with the band Radiohead), with production, fabrication, and installation by Iron Bloom of New York, the Land’s End main stage structure featured 420 IMS Mk2 festoon lamps hovering overhead, conjuring abstracts of the Bay Area’s many suspension bridges. The stage was home to over 50 acts throughout the weekend, including Metallica, Gorillaz, and The Who. “Andi was looking for something high-impact and low profile, and he chose the IMS system because of its brightness, rich colours, and versatility,” says Iron Bloom co-founder, William Irons. “The installation has to be struck
UK – The latest production of the Hot Ice Show has just come to the end of a successful run at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Arena, with the majority of the lighting coming from ProLights fixtures. Billed as “a dream brought to life by the stunning lighting that reflects the mood and magnificence of each scene”, this year’s design featured 20 new ProLights Luma 1500 LED luminaires purchased by the venue from A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) to replace aging discharge fixtures. Delivering 26,000 lumens, each Luma 1500 is the equivalent of a 1,200W discharge fixture, but has a power consumption of only 650W. Amanda Thompson, managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, said, “It’s great working with A.C. Entertainment (Technologies) to get the best in stunning lighting and customer care.” Andy Mahaffey of AC-ET’s external sales team
Malaysia - Australia-based Norwest Productions provided the audio for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) Games held in Kuala Lumpur in August. DiGiCo SD5s positioned at Front of House, SD9s deployed for audio patch control, and SD8s at the closing ceremony’s monitor position. Norwest was introduced to the project by Nick Eltis, technical director for entertainment production company Technick, who was consulting on the ceremonies for Memories Entertainment (Malaysia). Norwest was asked to provide a turnkey audio service, from audio design and supply, through to crew and operation of all audio requirements, which included six DiGiCo consoles and an L-Acoustics loudspeaker system, which included 100 Kudo and 48 KS28 cabinets. “The two SD5s for FOH were position in the Level 1 seating bowl, with Ian Shapcott expertly mixing,”
UK - CPL (Central Presentations Ltd) has completed a full technical upgrade - staging, lighting, audio and AV - to the conference theatre at Heythrop Park Resort where the west Midlands-based company is also the house onsite technical support provider. Heythrop Park Resort is a luxury venue set in 440 acres of stunning Oxfordshire Countryside and dating back to 1710. It currently has two hotels, an 18-hole golf course, a health club & spa and state-of-the-art conference facilities including a ballroom with capacity for 300 – 400 guests (in banqueting or theatre style respectively), the Conference Theatre which can hold 400 delegates and the charismatics Enstone Room for up to 200. The latest plans have seen the addition of a marquee which can be configured as a 650-seater banqueting hall or an 800 capacity theatre space which will further expand the available res
UK - An abundance of GLP’s award-winning X4 Bar 20’s left the VER hire fleet for a very important event at the O2 Arena recently. They were commandeered by London-based lighting designer Sam Tozer (of Vision Factory) for a special grime event, when the Boy Better Know (BBK) collective, led by Jme and Skepta, took over the venue on August Bank Holiday Sunday. The Takeover weekend as it was known, took the form of a multi-venue, multi-discipline festival featuring five-a-side football tournaments, skateboarding, BMXing, roller disco, gaming events, cinema, food and music across six stages. This all presented quite a challenge for Tozer, who had been approached by David Davies, production manager from LRI, to create a new look for the event. “There wasn't much of a design brief other than it needed to look unique and bring part of the Boys’ prev
UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET), authorised Shure Pro Audio Reseller, will be hosting Shure Wireless Mastered: Live Events, at their dedicated training facilities in High Wycombe and Leeds on 12 and 19 October. Wireless Mastered demystifies the world of wireless by providing Front of House engineers, AV technicians and production professionals with the knowledge and confidence to operate reliable, secure wireless microphone systems in today's challenging RF environment. Attendees will finish the day with an in-depth knowledge in the following areas: RF technology - how it works and how to operate a secure, reliable system they can depend on; recent changes to spectrum allocation - what they need to know, how it affects them, and what they can do to mitigate risk; digital wireless systems and the advantages they bring as part of ensuring relia
UK - Lighting designer Richard Lambert chose a Zero 88 Orb XF desk – from Eaton’s popular lighting control brand - to control lighting for Cirque Enchantment’s 2017 UK tour. He wanted a powerful, physically small and quick-to-programme console for the inaugural tour of an exciting new performance concept which blends the breath-taking audacity of circus acts and aerial performance, hi energy choreography and a powerful rock, pop and classical soundtrack, fusing the disciplines of circus, dance and concert performance in one edge-of-the-seat experience. Produced by Umbrella Productions and directed / choreographed by Stuart Glover, Richard was delighted to rise to the challenges of tight get-ins, an expedient sized lighting rig – which had to stretch a long way to cover the show’s varied dynamics … and fit into a small van. The Orb XF sat right at the
UK - Robe lined up on the red carpet to welcome guests at the inaugural The Stage Debut Awards in central London, organised by The Stage newspaper. The awards were instigated to recognise the best breakthrough actors and rising star creatives in theatre, with Robe sponsoring the award for Best Designer which was won by Rosie Elnile for her eye-catching set for The Convert, staged at The Gate Theatre. The nine 2017 winners – eight judged by a panel of experts and one selected by public vote - received their awards in a ceremony at 8 Northumberland Avenue in central London, with Robe’s theatre project specialist Dave Whitehouse handing over the Best Designer award to Rosie. The shortlisted nominations revealed some strong competition! From young actors to established stars making their theatre debuts, highlighting a plethora of new talent b
UK - The live tour of London-based band Oh Wonder is supported by an appropriately imaginative and far-reaching Ben Mansfield lightshow run on a ChamSys Magic Q MQ500 Stadium supplied by LeSmurf Lighting. “There is no one set look for an Oh Wonder show, but many different looks,” said Mansfield of Tourlite Design. “I wanted to create an isolated performance environment that flows with the music. The idea is to create a canvas that I can build on, something that goes in different directions on different songs to reflect the scope of these two artists.” Mansfield has his entire show timecoded. He builds cue stacks on this ChamSys console and runs them through with the timecode rolling, recording the go triggers with the Record TC function. To trigger bumps, flashes and executes, he records a macro that references external TC. “One of my favourite ChamSys featur
Brazil - Lawo mc²96 Grand Production Console was used by Brazillian TV programmer Globosat during this year's Rock in Rio. Globosat’s use of the mc²96 console was part of a rental package of equipment, support and training provided by Lawo for the event. The first mc²96 sale had been made prior to Rock in Rio, with two consoles having been purchased by Viacom Media Networks (USA). Through Latin American system integrator and Lawo partner LineUp Broadcast Systems, Lawo provided Globosat with a 40-fader mc²96 fitted with Ravenna, AES and MADI Cards, along with a Sample-Rate Converter and a Compact Core for the console. The console was integrated with a Lawo Nova73 Router using RAVENNA. The set-up was able to take advantage of a legacy Globosat structure resulting from the company’s involvement in the Summer Olympics broadcast from the Barra Olympic Park la
Italy - Absen Europe has signed a distribution agreement with leading Italian Pro-AV distributor Ligra to exclusively distribute Absen’s LED wall products in Italy. Ligra has made a $450,000 investment in Absen stock to ensure immediate availability. Ligra business manager, Raffaele Losi, commented: “We were seeing customers very dissatisfied with low cost and low-profile LED wall products, which they wanted to replace a year after purchase. The Italian market needs an appropriately-priced, high-quality, indoor rental product amongst other things and the Absen ranges fill the demand. Going forward Absen customers will find in Ligra a single supplier for a wide range of traditional and innovative ProAV products.” Large rental service companies and major system integrators, as well as global contractors, design firms, architects and professionals will have i
