USA - High End Systems resumed exclusive distribution for its HOG4 HedgeHog console products from 1 October. Customers can now purchase HedgeHog 4 products directly from authorized High End Systems dealers and distributors, and the company retains the single point of initial distribution for the entire console line. HedgeHog consoles are small but pack a serious punch. Built for travel (even on a plane), HedgeHogs are compact and lightweight - perfect for new users and smaller venues. School theaters, nightclubs, corporate events, medium-scale rental events and Houses of Worship are the HedgeHog 4's natural habitat. HedgeHog 4 consoles share the same programming layout and capability as their larger brothers, and can happily load show files from any console in the range. In the coming months, High End Systems will be introducing a new series of console training videos.
UK - A bespoke 'dimmer world' dolly system using three Avolites ART2000 dimmer racks is proving the right solution for the ongoing UK and international tour of the National Theatre's multi-award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. Providing the touring production with a reliable dimming, power distribution, hoist and pyrotechnical control system is a unique 'dimmer world' system designed by the tour's production electrician, Chris Mence. British rental experts, Hawthorn, supplied the three Avolites ART2000 dimmer racks that made-up part of Mence's dimmer system alongside their provision of the tour's entire lighting element. "The 'dimmer world' system enables us to roll in the entire lighting control and mains distribution package in one hit," says Mence. "It's a plug-and-play solution with the Avolites ART2000 racks provid
UK - Scotland’s foremost celebration of cultural diversity, The Edinburgh Mela, brought the curtain down on Edinburgh’s festival season last month. The sound for this multi-cultural extravaganza was designed by Live Systems, who used an Adamson S10 line array loudspeaker system. The company supplied all of the technical equipment for the Edinburgh Mela 2017. Founded in 1995 to showcase the talents of Edinburgh’s ethnic minorities, Edinburgh Mela has now grown to regularly attract thousands of people to its extraordinary range of theatre, dance, music and art. Taking its name from the Sanskrit word for 'gathering' or 'to meet', Mela has come to represent the widest reaches of the Edinburgh festivals, attracting the most exciting and colourful acts from southern Asia, as modern Scotland's diverse mix of heritage and culture is celebrated in style.
USA - California production company Stage-Tech again dipped into its extensive inventory of Elation Professional lighting gear to deliver an impactful lighting package for the Hard and Pink stages at this year’s Hard Summer Music Festival. With a venue change somewhat late in the scheduling – a move from the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to the more scenic environs of the Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino – Stage-Tech had to be both flexible and resourceful, a challenge they met with the help of adaptable Elation lighting. Held 5-6 August, the popular rave event celebrated its 10 year anniversary in style by paying homage to some of the artists who have filled the line-up over the past decade, including top acts Snoop Dogg, Bassnectar, DJ Snake, Zeds Dead and Justice. Stage-Tech has been involved with Hard Summer for the last eight years a
UK - Following positive reviews and sell-out shows, the Watermill Theatre’s production of Crazy for You has hit the road for a national tour. Working with producers Jamie Wilson, Gavin Kalin and the Watermill Theatre, full service technical production company Hawthorn is supplying lighting equipment for the highly-anticipated show. The high-energy musical stars Strictly Come Dancing winners Tom Chambers and Caroline Flack as Bobby Child and Irene Roth. Crazy For You is billed as the ultimate feel-good musical with a score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook. The lighting designer for the tour is award-winning Howard Hudson, with Hawthorn supplying lighting equipment to his specification. To create the look and feel he was after, Hudson drew on a mixture of Martin MAC Viper Profile and Performance, GLP Impression 90 RGB and Claypaky Sharpy Was
Italy - Outline GTO PA system was used during the performance of electro-funk superstars Jamiroquai at the Firenze Summer Festival held in Florence's Cascine Park. A year after its successful deployment at a similarly memorable Florence concert by Sting, Outline’s GTO systems was once more centre stage, but with a totally different music genre. Outline product specialist Vincent ‘Vinnie’ Perreux explained: “The PA was designed by Outline and Tuscan rental firm Emporio On Stage, based on the predictions of Outline’s Open Array 3D software.” Angelo Catoni, owner of Emporio On Stage, added, “I’d worked with Jamiroquai FOH engineer Rick Pope in the past, so knew what he’d want for the band as far as the PA was concerned and in fact our design met with all-round satisfaction right from the paperwork stage. The enclosures respond really well
UK - Held at “a secret location in Market Harborough' on August Bank Holiday Weekend, the eclectic Shambala Festival featured 200 acts across a dozen or so stages of music programming, plus a roller disco, karaoke, contemporary circus performances and lots more. Promoters, Bristol based Kembe Events, now have the formula down to a fine art, as do their technical service providers (and Martin Audio partners), Stage Audio Services (SAS), who have been involved with the event for the past dozen or so years. Their MD Kevin Mobberley says the fact that they have just enjoyed their biggest summer ever is due in no small part to their investment in Martin Audio’s premium MLA Compact PA. “In fact, having now added MLA to our hire fleet we were able to give [the promoters] a choice between this and our other front line system; fortunately, they picked MLA which was great
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
