General

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14 December 2016

Roland Beckerle is the tour production manager and Olaf Schr

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14 December 2016

The historic Castle Gardens played host to performances from Status Quo supported by Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, Will Young supported by Gabrielle, and the 'Soul Legends' show with Angelo Starr and the Team and featuring special guests Gwen Dickey of Rose Royce fame, Clem Curtis from the Foundations, Jimmy James ex of the Vagabonds and George McCrae.

Saturday night saw a very special Military Proms celebrating Sapper 300. An informal brass band was first established in 1836 by the Royal Sappers and Miners and music has been a major part of military life for centuries and over the years the Royal Engineers have been privileged to enjoy the work of some outstanding musicians. The conc

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14 December 2016

Bram is already well known to many in the world of entertainment technology lighting. Based in Belgium, his character, communication skills, quick wit and extensive network of contacts have helped establish him as an industry 'personality'.

This coupled with an intense passion and commitment to the Robe brand in recent years will make him "a great asset to our international team" says Robe CEO Josef Valchar, adding, "We are very pleased to have Bram on-board, his energy and enthusiasm is infectious and his experience is very valuable. We and the whole Robe distribution network welcome him and look forward to many positive results working together."

The scope of Bram's work at Robe will include developing the expanding and dynamic Robe community, liaising with clients,

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14 December 2016

The newest member of the STRIKE series, this fixture is more than a scaled-down version of its forbearer, says the company. With a 230W warm white LED source (each of the four pods in the STRIKE 4 is 100W), the STRIKE 1 has a blisteringly bright and intense output. An outdoor-rated fixture, it is ready to add eye-popping looks to festival stages and open-air events, as well as to arena and music hall concerts.

Another key feature of the STRIKE 1 is its emulated red shift, which warms the colour temperature of the light as it dims to replicate the look of an incandescent fixture. The fixture's 16-bit dimming control also enhances its performance by allowing perfectl

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14 December 2016

"The Go-Between has a pretty interesting history; we opened at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds five years ago, before hitting the Derby Playhouse and Royal and Derngate in Northampton - the reviews were great and we really wanted to bring it to London, but we were aware of the need for a strong actor to play the lead role who could really pull in the crowds. When Michael Crawford said he'd do it, it was the perfect casting, so we started planning to bring the show to the West End."

Tim continued, "The lighting rig we have here in the Apollo is a full mix of what we used in Leeds,

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14 December 2016

Grant was the frontman in alt-rock band The Czars in his twenties and thirties, left the music business altogether for six years, and has enjoyed a more soulful renaissance as an electronica and orchestral-driven solo artist on leading independent label Bella Union in his forties, with a string of successful albums to his name.

Following the release of Grant's third solo album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure in Autumn 2015, he took to the road for a short tour of the UK and Ireland which lasted into early 2016. It was on these dates that he began using the Shure microphones, as Ber Quinn, the tour's front-of-house engineer, explains, "The difference once John started using the KSM9HS was startling. A voice as

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14 December 2016

The purchase is part of the plan for the anticipated mid-2017 opening of their new Plenary Building, a multi-purpose venue built on the site of the original 1987 Convention Centre, with a capacity of up to 3,500 seats. Local production and installation company AJS were selected to fulfil this government tender, and have developed a close working relationship with the ACC.

"This was all part of the Convention Centre's tender process for stock replenishment and the new Plenary Building," relates AJS's Luke Hattam. "We contacted Australian High End Systems distributor Lexair Entertainment for guidance. We were successful in our

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14 December 2016

With a construction period of almost 17 years, and extending to 57k in length, the world's longest tunnel is regarded as the "Swiss project of the century", and has attracted many superlatives.

The construction, which is 7k longer than the Eurotunnel, is the heart of the new Railway Link through the Alps and connects the cantons of Uri in the north portal Erstfeld in central Switzerland to the south portal in Bodio (Canton Ticino). As a result, the travel time from Zurich to Milan has been reduced by one hour to about two hours 40 minutes. For freight transport, the new Gotthard tunnel brings great

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14 December 2016

A few kilometres from the city of Modena, the ancient villa represents an important part of the tenor's life and it contains a vast collection of personal items, souvenirs and scene costumes that Pavarotti was particularly fond of. Unreleased pictures and videos are projected in the rooms where the Master spent his last years, and constitute a great opportunity to get to know more directly the artistic and human heritage of the tenor.

The quality of the audio system is a key feature of the Home Museum. Willy Gubellini, a sound professional who has worked on all editions of the famous charity project Pavarotti & Frie

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14 December 2016

In June, Coldplay paid tribute to Viola Beach at Glastonbury by performing the band's song Boys That Sing as part of their headline slot on the Pyramid Stage. This week's official chart will be revealed on Friday.

Cats Criticised - British singer Leona Lewis has failed to impress critics in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway revival of Cats. The former X Factor winner was given the leading role of Grizabella after Nicole Scherzinger pulled out days before rehearsals were due to star

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14 December 2016

The custom 32 channel Legacy Plus will feature in LMU's Recording Arts programme, which focuses on production, post production, live sound, and music recording. The new console will familiarize LMU Recording Arts students with analog signal flow, preparing them for world class recording environments they are likely to encounter after they graduate. LMU students will be able to utilize the Legacy Plus this coming fall semester.

"We're proud to play a role in LMU's Recording Arts program," said API managing director Gordon Smart. "We're convinced that truly understanding signal flow while working with top quality analogue audio is an unbeatable combination."

(Jim Evans)

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14 December 2016

Ironmonger Marquees was introduced to Arena Group in 2015, when the companies collaborated on the Art Central project in Hong Kong. Tom Evans, managing director of Arena Asia explains, "We worked very well together, identifying a shared ethos of giving our clients the best possible event space. Arena Middle East and Asia Tents Arena work hand in glove serving the growing events market in North Asia and identified Ironmonger as an ideal acquisition to help grow the Arena brand in the region."

Key Ironmonger Marquee contracts that have been delivered recently include the Cathay Pacific HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, European Tour (HK Golf Open), IMG's Taste Foo

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14 December 2016

Dave Gillett joins as head of technical, while Karl Travers and Rhys Williams both come on-board as senior project managers, all bringing a fund of experience, knowledge and excellent contacts to the PR Live equation led by founder and MD, Ian Coull.

Ian comments, "I'm delighted to welcome Dave, Karl and Rhys to PR Live, and we all look forward to the hectic pace continuing for the rest of the year. It's great to attract three people of this calibre to join our excellent and highly committed team who all share our core values, ideas and personality."

Dave Gillett has a decade of industry experience, starting off with a lighting company i

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14 December 2016

The range of equipment available to buy on the new website includes power distribution units, automatic transfer switches (ATS), site transformers, single and three-phase power cables ranging from 16A-125A, as well as a wide range of electrical accessories.

The new website will also feature an online exclusive in the form of the Vulcan range. This budget range of power distribution units features a high-visibility orange enclosure, making it ideal for outdoor use.

"We've launched ide O

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14 December 2016

Deep Time was developed by 59 Productions with academics from Edinburgh University and will also look at the work of renowned Edinburgh scientist James Hutton (1726-1797), often referred to as the father of geology. Leo Warner, creative director of 59 Productions, said, "Deep Time g

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14 December 2016

The ESTA Control Protocols Plugfest is an educational opportunity for control manufacturers and developers to gather together in person and test their products for interoperability with the latest versions of the Control Protocols Working Group standards. Our goal is to assist you in ensuring that your customer is purchasing products that interoperate and communicate correctly on the same control network.

Attendees may bring controllers, intelligent lights, architectural fixtures, control protocol analyzers, and various other tools. In an effort to l

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14 December 2016

Ed Pagett, formerly managing director of Panalux Broadcast & Event and current chairman of PLASA's Board has led the organisation through very challenging times. In his speech Ed outlined the many changes that have taken place over the last year including bringing in a new managing director following the departure of former CEO Matthew Griffiths, and the demerge from PLASA North America (which has now returned to its former name of ESTA) after four years. This development, said Ed, although not desired by PLASA, had brought fresh clarity and new opportunities for PLASA, but had also resulted in a financial fallout with the North American organisation that has yet to be resolved.

Ed commented, "My role as Chairman has been to navi

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14 December 2016

Cliff Dounting commented, "I want to thank the people that have made my journey so special and I will miss working with such a great bunch of colleagues that make up Team Leisuretec."

Mike Henden further commented, "Our business has seen many market and economic changes over the last 26 years and inevitably personnel come and go as well. I am proud to say that I have always reinvested in Leisuretec to ensure that it is robust and does not rely too heavily on one or two single aspects, whether it be

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14 December 2016

Voting in the Gottelier Awards is only open to PLASA Members, registered readers of LSi magazine and pre-registered visitors to PLASA 2016. All will receive an email with a unique code inviting them to place their individual vote via the PLASA Show website. Voting closes on Friday 9 September 2016 and the winner will be announced at the PLASA Show at Olympia, West London, on Monday 19 September.<

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14 December 2016

One of the UK's most prolific and accomplished sound designers, Rick Clarke started out as a roadie and mix engineer for the 1970s band Medicine Head and The Grateful Dead. He went on to enjoy a successful career in theatre, especially musicals.

In 1980, Clarke joined the staff of the National Theatre, under Peter Hall, and worked there for four years. He was fondly remembered by the National's technical coordinator Rob Barnard as "a very capable technician - fearless, self-confident and a lot of fun".

Clarke himself recalled Richard Eyre's 1982 Guys and Dolls as a stand-out National production that helped to make musicals more highly regarded by the theatre establishment.

He left the National in 1984 to work on Howard Goodall's groundbrea

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14 December 2016

Dawn has designed lighting on Broadway, Off Broadway, the New York City Opera, regional theatres across the country, and concert tours. A few highlights include Zoot Suit on Broadway; work at Manhattan Theatre Club, Arena Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the Guthrie Theatre; and a Paul Anka tour. Dawn has earned two Drama-Logue Critics' Awards and numerous nominations around the cou

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14 December 2016

The panel, led by new Chairperson for this year Coral Cooper, is made up of deputy editor of Lighting&Sound International magazine Claire Beeson, head of lighting design at creative agency Imagination Jonny Milmer, editor of Total Production International magazine Kelly Murray and formally-trained lighting designer and experienced video content creator Miguel Ribeiro. Beeson, Milmer and Ribeiro are also new to the process for 2016.

"The incredibly high standard of entries for the KOI Awards Concert Touring and Events category made selecting a shortlist a real challenge," says Claire Beeson. "It's been an honour to witness the vast and varied array of wo

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14 December 2016

Going Underground - London's 24-hour Tube service could see some West End shows abandon their traditional 7.30pm start times, the Society of London Theatre has claimed. SOLT chief executive Julian Bird said the introduction of a 24-hour Tube service in London, which begins this weekend, would present "significant opportunities" for the theatre sector. He hinted that the 24-hour service, operating on Fridays and Saturdays, could see shows abandoning the traditional 7.30pm start time in favour of a later curtain-up.

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14 December 2016

Founded by Roger Barrett and Maddy Sheals as touring sound specialist Star Hire, the company's first contract, in 1976, was with singer/songwriter Carol Grimes. Star went on to provide for the likes of Split Enz, the Rock Against Racism tour of 1979 and Miles Davis in a similar capacity.

Star Hire stages made their debut at Notting Hill Carnival 1983, Barrett, and Sheals who retired in 2014, determined they could make a better, safer job of it than the platforms then available to them as a PA supplier.

Later the same decade, Star formalised its interest in improving standards, writing a technical safety guide for the National Outdoor Events Association (NOEA). Star Mobile platforms were patented in 1989 and the Ver