UK - The winners of this year’s PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced last night at PLASA Show at Olympia London. The awards, run in association with LSi magazine, are respected industry-wide for celebrating future-focussed technology that improves safety, efficiency and performance through new methods and materials.
40 products were entered this year, with the judges ultimately awarding eight products, including one highly coveted Gold Award. This year’s judging team comprised 12 independent technical specialists from a wide array of backgrounds, chaired once again by chartered engineer and LSi columnist, James Eade.
The winning products and judges’ comments are listed below:
Astera, PlutoFresnel: The judges said that the versatility of this battery powered Fresnel-come-profile is unmatched and it will

USA - Today, it seems like just about every show “has to be lit ready for broadcast, I-Mag and or social media at any time,” says Felix Peralta. The noted designer and programmer has worked with many big stars with astronomical followings on Instagram, Facebook, and every other platform.
This summer Peralta had the opportunity to create an array of video/photo-worthy visuals with his lighting when he lit Café Tacvba with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic in concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
Peralta’s inspired use of contrasting warm and cool colour tones played off against the famed bandshell’s concentric arches, while the warm, radiant glow emanating from the shell-like stage accentuated the natural beauty of the venue’s Hollywood Hills surroundings.
Helping him create these looks was a 4Wall Entertainment supplied rig that included 24 STRIKE Array

Singapore - Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is always a delight to light, and Singapore-based lighting designer Gabriel Chan relished this task for the 2023 Shakespeare in The Park (SITP) version of this magical and mischievous work.
Gabriel chose 67 Astera NYX Bulbs to get light sources into some of the more inaccessible parts of Richard Kent’s ‘cityscape’ set design, a cocktail of architectural fantasies that reimagined Athens as a stark industrial landscape that transformed into a dynamic hi-tech playground for the magic parts of the narrative.
The set needed careful lighting from specific places and NYX Bulbs proved a perfect solution.
It was the first SITP event for producers, The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), since 2018. The production was directed by Guy Unsworth and staged at Fort Canning Green within Fort Canning Park.

UK - LSi is sad to report the passing of Dave Bartlett, an industry stalwart whose career encompassed electrics, lighting design and production management. Bartlett passed away earlier this summer at the age of 68 following a short illness.
Here he is remembered by his friend and industry colleague, Nigel Walker: “Dave died on the 26th June following a relatively short illness. His funeral was attended by about 40 industry friends and colleagues as well as a remote audience by webcast. Dave’s family are grateful for the many messages of love and condolence they have received.
“Dave’s career began at the Royal Exchange in Manchester in the mid-70s and he progressed to work in theatre – repertory, opera, musicals, light entertainment and some rock and roll, and ultimately corporate where his talents were ideally suited to production management.
“What fo

UK - Classic Gear Live (stand A78) at this year’s PLASA Show, running from 3-5 September at London’s Olympia, offers a unique opportunity to get hands on with some of the lighting and audio products that have shaped our industry, from the 1973 Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon PA to the pioneering Vari-Lite Artisan console and VL2 and VL4 moving lights that featured in the band’s shows a generation later; from the unique cutaway lighting fixtures that graced Strand Electric’s famous West End showroom for years to the prototype and unique rep version of CCT’s Silhouette spotlight that shook up the fixture market; from the MMS memory lighting control that introduced the level wheel to the world to the custom mixing console that brought Cadac into the world of theatre.
But equipment is nothing without people, and Classic Gear Live will also offer an opportunity

Europe - Markéta Fantová has joined the team at Robe lighting s.r.o. as international education programme coordinator and designer, where her role will be co-ordinating Robe’s existing NRG programme on an international level.
ROBE lighting s.r.o.’s commercial director, Josef Valchar Jr (JJ) says: “We are delighted to have Fantová onboard. We have known each other for some time, she has the right knowledge and extensive connections in the arts and education worlds, great communication and diplomatic skills, and we are all looking forward to working alongside her as she develops this important and exciting aspect of Robe’s future vision.”
Fantová has over 10 years of university undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate teaching experience.
She has worked as a cross-cultural project developer, a diversity advocate and an international curator, activ

UK - GLP UK has appointed the experienced Paul Fielder as its new key account manager.
Coming from a theatre lighting background, he was previously technical sales consultant at Stage Electrics after leaving the Royal Opera House, where he was lighting systems assistant manager. He also worked in a series of London theatres for the Really Useful Group, gaining much experience in various technical lighting roles.
The move to GLP will enable Paul to broaden his scope. “Part of my remit is to expand my reach from London, which was my primary interest at Stage Electrics, to nationwide - and also to take me further from technical theatre into the concert touring rental market,” he says.
Paul is already familiar with both GLP’s rapidly expanding product range and the personnel at GLP UK. “I have known Simon, Kerry and Greg for some time as a customer, so althou

UK - PLASA Show 2023 will see the world premiere of Claypaky’s Midi-B FX which stems from the innovative idea of adding some fancy lighting effects to a moving head washlight to get a fixture that can do both RGBW wash lighting and be used as part of the set design.
To do this, Claypaky has placed a long top hat on the body of a Claypaky Midi-B, and fit five parallel rings of LEDs around it, each of which can be controlled separately for a wide range of colours. This patent-pending technology allows dynamic, attractive plays on colour, which are perfect for TV studio set designs and very useful for corporate and tour lighting.
As a washlight, the Midi-B FX has the same features as the Midi-B - with which it is fully compatible - including the optimised HD optical system, which provides a highly efficient, bright output. Its 4° to 50° zoom means it can be used in

UK - Bronx-born ‘King of Bachata’ Romeo Santos played a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena earlier this summer, transforming the venue into a vibrant Latin music club.
The show was the only London stop in Santos’ Vol. 3 World Tour. Adding to the dynamic vibe that resonated throughout the arena was a collection of 84 Chauvet Professional fixtures.
Bigabox Productions managed (and supplied full) production for the show. “We called upon our friends at Encore Audio London and DMX Productions for audio, lighting and rigging support and solutions,” said Bigabox’s Dean Graves, who served as production manager. “The team of experts was complemented by the services of pyro master extraordinaire, John Wilson. Nyfield designed the original show, which was modified for O2 by assistant PM Tom Cull. It was a very memorable show.”
“Everything flowed s

Italy - On 28 May 2023, Magnifying the Beauty, a Cartier show designed and directed by Lulu Helbaek and Simone Ferrari, was held at the Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, in front of a select audience of 600 people with entertainment from guest artists Ellie Goulding and Celeste.
Lighting designer, Pasquale Mari, assisted by Gianni Bertoli and programmer Mattia Carli, was responsible for lighting the evening’s events, set within the historic confines of the Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of the Five Hundred) amid the statues and paintings of Italy’s largest public hall.
Mari chose to illuminate the statues and highlight the grand architectural elements of the room using 40 award-winning Robert Juliat Dalis 860 cyclorama lights which he floor-mounted just 1m away from the painted walls and sublime statues, transforming them into a beaut

USA - Lighting and rigging company, TSL has prioritised increasing and improving the stock of rigging supplies within their inventory this year.
New investments which have already arrived are the EXE Rise D8 + 350kg and 500kg Chain Hoists, with the EXE Rise D8 + 1000kg and 2000kg LV Single Fall Chain Hoists on their way. These hoists are the most up to date and comply with European regulations.
TSL’s new 2000kg hoists boast a single chain (single fall) configuration, which means they are a lot bigger and more powerful but the main benefit is that the chain can be used without fear of getting it entangled which is an improved safety feature.
More Doughty frames and a range of truss have also been purchased to increase stock availability.
Sam Tamplin, TSL managing director says: "We're committed to developing our rigging capabilities by investing in the r

Germany - Cameo has introduced the PixBar G2 series. The second generation of LED bars is IP65 certified and therefore also suitable for outdoor use. With its combination of sophisticated design features, robust aluminium housing and diverse mounting options, the PixBar G2 series is aimed at customers from the rental, theatre and broadcast sectors who want to expand their lighting technology portfolio with particularly flexible lighting solutions.
The PixBar G2 Series will be launched with the PixBar 600 IP G2 (RGBWAUV) and PixBar 400 IP G2 (RGBW). Versions with TW (Tunable White) and SMD LEDs have already been announced for October.
The new PixBar G2 series offers a variety of connection and mounting options that allow users to think creatively in all directions to create seamless lighting effects for unique set designs. For example, the identical PixBar G2 LED bars

UK - The British Drivers Club chose Prolights solutions to illuminate the VIP locations during the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit. A.C. Entertainment Technologies, the official distributor of Prolights in the UK and an official sponsor of the club, supplied and installed a sophisticated lighting system that left both the A.C. Entertainment Technologies team and the British Drivers Club satisfied.
The main event took place at The Farm, the circuit's largest venue, which hosts a 30m x 30m marquee, terrace, and gardens. To ensure perfect lighting both during the day and in the evening, A.C. Entertainment Technologies carefully selected the most suitable Prolights products:
For the indoor lighting of the marquee, they used 20 EclSoft LinearIP, four Astra Profile400, eight Astra Wash7Pix, and four EclPanel TWC. The internal stage was enriched with four Astra

UK - Experienced lighting designer Anthony Hazelden has made the journey from classic theatre to high-octane dance raves effortlessly, his generic stage lighting of yesteryear now replaced by next generation hybrid LED strobes, including GLP’s new JDC Line 1000.
For a recent EDM concert within Cardiff Castle he not only provided a cutting-edge floor package for headliner Fisher, for whom he was LD, but the generic house rig for the support acts. This included Luther star Idris Elba and Arielle Free.
Hazelden had known most of these artists from working with them on other projects around the world and had known the production manager for the Cardiff Castle show, James Dutton, from High Scream Productions in Ibiza.
Mindful of the high-speed approach of Australian dance DJ Fisher within a historic venue, Dutton and Hazelden conceived their design for the sh

Hungary - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced the launch of Lightware Academy, its new free certified e-learning resource for students and professionals at every level who have a thirst in specialising in the AV market, and gaining or advancing their knowledge of the entire industry.
Based on Lightware’s core principles of openness and knowledge-sharing, Lightware Academy is open to everyone - customers or not - and provides industry-leading content curated by a breadth of seasoned professionals in the area.
Participants can enrol in more than 10 courses, organised into three core categories:
Traditional AV: Focused on the use of hardware components, such as audio and video cables, switchers, and matrixes, to transmit and switch audio and video signals between devices.
AV-over-IP: It involves the processes behind sending audio, video, and other si

The Netherlands - Obsidian Control Systems has announced that Controllux BV has been named the exclusive distributor of Obsidian products in the Netherlands. The agreement, which went into effect on 1 July, 2023, covers Obsidian’s full range of lighting control products, including the company’s growing range of Netron data distribution devices.
Founded in 1968, Controllux is a leading full-system integrator for professional lighting and operates in the key markets of theatre, broadcast & film, entertainment, and architectural. The company has grown over the years to add audio and architectural lighting to its portfolio, evolving into a one-stop-shop for system integration.
Controllux distributes a wide range of brands and is delighted to have added Obsidian Control products to its offerings. “As we’ve transformed from a sales company to a full support sys

UK - Sound Technology, UK distributor of Martin Professional, Robert Juliat and Macula Systems has announced the appointment of Sadie Naylor as key account manager in an expansion of the company’s Professional Lighting Division.
Sadie joins from Encore, where she began her career in 2008, gaining knowledge working in various departments before spending the last eight years in product sales and becoming product sales manager.
Sadie will be responsible for the management of key customer accounts within Sound Technology’s Lighting Division.
“I am super excited to be part of the team and getting the great lighting brands Sound Technology work with out there in front of more customers.” said Sadie.
Steve Fay, Sound Technology managing director comments: “We’re delighted to welcome Sadie to our brilliant lighting team. As we continue to grow our pres

Denmark - For this year's Smukfest, the Roxx Cluster B2 FC was used on the festival's main stage as a blinder.
The mood was high at Smukfest in Skanderborg earlier this month as 40,000 guests flooded the festival grounds to experience five days of performances by international and Danish artists on the five different stages - and the odd rain shower.
Nordic Rentals, who supplied lighting for the festival's main stage, Bøgescenen, chose to use 72 Roxx Cluster B2 full colour blinders, which generated a buzz on the main stage because of the endless possibilities the fixture offers lighting designers.
The Roxx Cluster blinder made its debut last year directly on three of the biggest festival stages, the Glastonbury Festival, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park and has since found its way to many of the biggest stages in the world. The fixture has become very popular all o

The Netherlands - The Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is an amusement park in Reuver. Since it opened in 2013, the park has continued to grow and its latest attraction is the largest play castle in the Netherlands. Designed by Amusementprof, the castle is 15m high and features a lighting installation by Dynamic, Beeld, Licht & Geluid who used fixtures from Showtec.
The original Billybird Park began as Recreatieplas Hemelrijk back in 1986. Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is the second of three Billybird parks that exist today, each of which is constantly being improved. Opened on the 30 April 2023, the new play castle at Billybird Park Dragon Kingdom is located on top of a hill and stands 15m tall.
The castle has various rooms, different obstacles to climb and features several slides, including one that descends 12m, watched over from the highest tower by a 10m long dra

USA - Designer Tyler is a fan of the Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 FX-B with its five individually controlled RGBW moving heads. He particularly likes the fixture’s infinite pan and tilt.
When lighting multi-platinum rockers Breaking Benjamin on their North American tour earlier this summer, Veneziano stopped himself from using this feature at points during the band’s 90-minute, 17-song set. “I love the infinite pan and tilt, but I didn’t want to over-use it and become predictable,” he explained. “My plan was to save theses looks for key moments to maximise their impact.”
There were plenty of such moments in the band’s performance, as they rocked the crowd with ‘their heart-shaking base, crunchy guitar riffs and thunderous percussion’. When they did, Veneziano was ready with his 12 Rogue R1 FX-B units, which, like the rest of the rig, was supplied

UK - PLASA Show once again returns to Olympia London to showcase the future of live entertainment technology. From 3-5 September, the expanded show will set the stage for 239 brands, 112 educational sessions, and the meeting of thousands of industry professionals. Free tickets are available until 31 August, after which the price will increase to £15, then £20 on the door.
Lighting professionals can look forward to meeting Artistic Licence, Astera, Ayrton, Chauvet Professional, Claypaky, Elation, ETC, GDS, GLP, MA Lighting, Martin, Robert Juliat, ROXX, SGM, TMB, Vari-Lite and more leading brands. Plus, headline sponsor Robe will run impressive live demonstrations on its stand throughout the show.
Pro audio professionals can connect with brands suc

UK - Ayrton will officially launch its new IP65-rated Argo 6 fixtures at the PLASA Show (3-5 September, Olympia London) on 5 September 2023. Argo 6 FX will be exhibited on Stand C11 by Ayrton’s exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions, alongside a wealth of other innovative LED products from the Ayrton portfolio.
For the first time in its history, Ayrton is launching a weather-sealed effects luminaire that offers as much creative potential indoors as outdoors. "Argo 6 presents a minimalist design incorporating features for total protection against harsh weather with easier internal access," the company says.
A new composite alloy, reduction in thickness of the parts, an optimised cooling system, simplified lens guidance, and integration of low-density optical components, mean Ayrton has been able to reduce overall weight by 20%. Meanwhile, the placemen

UK - ETC returns to the PLASA Show with new seminars, state-of-the-art products and a games arcade area featuring the latest in lighting technology for visitors to explore.
This year, visitors to ETC's stand B29 will get a chance to experience industry leading technology in a whole new light. The Arcade will feature some of ETC’s newest lighting solutions as a part of a series of interactive games for attendees to enjoy. Visitors are invited to the booth to put their skills to the test in three different games - all whilst playing against the clock and in for a chance to win some swag!
During the three-day show, ETC product specialists will also present a series of seminars in the Seminar Theatre 1 - Lighting + Production Theatre. On Sunday 3 September from 13:00 - 13:45 BST, ETC’s senior product manager Sarah Clausen will present Hog 4 OS v4.0 - Hog’s Next Ch

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Amy Kerestessy as the director of human resources. She will be responsible for implementing policy and procedures, onboarding new hires, managing employee engagement, assisting with record keeping as well as other duties.
Kerestessy initially began her career in nursing, working her way up to a Level 1 trauma nurse. She later transitioned to managing medical practices, pursued an education in business and business management and became certified through SHRM and Labour Law.
“I finally found what makes me happy,” shared Kerestessy. “I truly can help people in their lives, by assisting them with getting jobs, with issues at work, and even personal things that people entrust me with; that is life changing that I can help someone so deeply that it affects their whole life in a positive way! That is why I am in the HR f

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