Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

Lighting

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Zero 88's newly appointed Dutch dealers, Rolight Theatertechnik have hosted the first in a series of Zero 88 open days in Holland. The theme of the two-day event was of partnership, with a renewed emphasis on servicing the needs of the Dutch lighting market. On the first day, Tim Burt Zero 88's product manager, met with representatives from Rolight Theatertechnik and the six main Zero 88 trading partners in Holland. The meeting gave the customers a good opportunity to see the latest developments in the product range and also to discuss future requirements. The second day was very much a hands-on experience where a large number of visitors from all sectors of the industry were given the chance to see and use the wide range of products that Zero 88 now produces. Rolight and the main Zero 88 trading partners, will be running further open days around Holland where the product range will be o

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The perfect time to show off High End Systems' hottest products is during the hottest time of the year in Texas. During July 11-12, High End Systems is inviting all interested parties to see the latest new offerings at its Lone Star headquarters in Austin. From 3-6 pm on both days, visitors can chill out with the High End team with cold beverages and hors d'oeuvres while watching demos of x.Spot, EC-2, Handshake, Indy 575, Color Pro and Studio Beam. The office is located at 2217 West Braker Lane, Austin, Texas 78758. Anybody wishing to attend should call the special reservations hotline at +1 877-468-1693.
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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Lightfactor has recently supplied lighting and control equipment to St Paul’s Church in Hammersmith. The church is a large 1000-capacity building, constructed in 1880 and the current lighting refit is part of the church’s ongoing programme of events, designed to involve and stimulate participation from the local community. The need for dramatic, theatrical-style lighting is a growing one, with services frequently featuring live music and performers. As part of the technical refit, Lightfactor supplied four LightProcessor Paradime rack-mounting dimmers and a LightProcessor Q24 control desk - now utilised to control the concert lighting system. At the same time St Pauls’ have also purchased three Paradime Wall packs and four architectural remote button plates to control the ‘house’ lights for every day services and functions.

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Bytecraft announced recently that whilst earlier this year it had injected much needed capital into UK company Caire Ltd, in order to protect staff and creditors of that company it was now putting Caire into liquidation. "Bytecraft feels that liquidation is the only responsible course of action," said general manager John Rowland in London. "Because of a long-standing relationship with the Caire parent company, and also because we had bid several projects with Caire Ltd, we felt we needed to help the company when it ran short of funds," Rowland added.

Earlier this year, Bytecraft has injected £60,000 into the troubled company and had, in fact, been implementing Stage 5 of its international strategy that called for a permanent presence in the UK. An investment position in Caire Ltd added value to the opening of a UK daughter company Bytecraft Europe with potential

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CP Sound has just completed the installation of an innovative new lighting rig, plus a re-invention and design of the sound system incorporating several new elements at The Core in Yeovil, Somerset. The club - formerly known as Duke’s - is owned by locally-based independent operator Terry Clare. Steve Howie from Howie Design was commissioned to produce the interior design, basing his themeing on ideas triggered from the complex and world of the cult 1999 Warchowski Brothers movie, The Matrix.

Audio-wise at the Core, CP Sound’s Colin Pattenden utilised as much as possible of the existing installation, whilst also addressing the previous system’s serious lack of bass. He added four JBL MS125S cabinets to the room, complete with new RSE PFX 1200 clip control amplifiers. CP Sound also added a DJ monitor where previously there was none - plus two JBL top cabinets for infi

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Neil Finn, of Crowded House and Split Enz fame, has been busy touring an entertaining live show with some semi-legendary muso mates and a very flexible format. L&SI caught up with him in New Zealand and the UK, courtesy of Catriona Strom and Steve Moles . . .

Auckland’s St James Theatre was the setting for the start of the Neil Finn & Friends shows, which featured a line-up including Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, Johnny Marr and Sebastian Steinberg on electric and double bass, and Lisa Germano doing vocals and a number of instruments.

Oceania Audio supplied sound, with the company’s Paul Jeffery acting as both technical manager and monitor engineer. "The concert was certainly a challenge," said Jeffery, "but having worked, off and on, for Split Enz and Crowded House for many years, I’m quite familiar

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For the fifteenth year DHA Lighting will be exhibiting at PLASA.

PLASA will see the launch of DHA’s new YoYo+, ideal for revealing images and for creating effects such as sun rises, opening doors and windows, bouncing balls and floating balloons. Available in single and double versions, with the option of a gobo-changer on the double design, the YoYo+ was initially designed for the current production of My Fair Lady, in which it has been used to create a window effect on stage. Using ETC Source Fours, each with a distortion corrected glass window gobo with a net curtain, the YoYo+ gobo has a heavy curtain profile - when Higgins pulls a rope all four curtains 'open' to reveal the window patterns and the room floods with light.

Continuing on from last year’s success, DHA Lighting will be conducting lighting effects workshops in the Kensington Room on Wednesday 12 September

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A redesign of the playing area at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon for the 2001 season meant that a completely new repertoire lighting rig was required. And, when designing that rig, the RSC's head of lighting Vince Herbert and lighting designer Peter Mumford saw the potential for some new lighting opportunities, they turned to The Moving Light Company for advice.

Their plan was to move beyond the increasingly-standard use of automated lighting: as well as having the lights pointing themselves in different directions from fixed positions, they wanted the lights themselves to move! The tracking system for the lights was to be created by the RSC, with the drives and control provided by automation specialists Stage Technologies. Dave Isherwood from The Moving Light Company was able to show the RSC the wide range of equipment held in MLCo's stock. After carefu

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Brand experience consultancy Hotcakes has won the international award for Best Consumer Products Event at the European IBTM Awards in Geneva (30 May), for its production of Marks & Spencer’s unique ‘Time To Celebrate’ touring show.

‘Time To Celebrate’ has been acknowledged as Europe’s biggest ever touring show undertaken by a retailer and was devised to showcase the retailer’s Christmas/Millennium collections. Taking place in a specially-designed state-of-the-art structure, the show was staged adjacent to M&S’s flagship stores in Bristol, Gateshead, Edinburgh and Camberley. It incorporated a celebrity cooking demonstration, a fashion show and an exhibition of merchandise from the Home & Gifts department, and was seen by 26,000 customers and staff across the UK. The event was managed by a crew of 550, and transported around the country by

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Amptown Cases is celebrating a staggering 10,000 sales worldwide of its versatile Transflex road trunk system by launching Transflex2, offered in a standard range of four lengths and two widths (1/4 and 1/3 truck packs). As part of the launch, Amptown is offering the first 598 customers over 20% discount.

The Transflex2 has been updated to allow even greater flexibility. The movable partition systems have been redesigned to allow them to be positioned at 25mm centres, and are available in two heights, one which fits the full height of the case and a shorter version, designed to fit under any trays that are used. The Transflex2 trays themselves are self-supporting and can now be firmly located anywhere along the length of the case - they can also be fitted in multiples. Existing users of Transflex will be pleased to learn that all components of the new Transflex2 are compatible with the

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The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) recognized nine lighting projects with Lighting Design Awards for their outstanding lighting solutions and creative techniques. One award of excellence, seven awards of merit and one special citation were announced at the 18th Annual Lighting Design Awards held recently in Las Vegas. The IALD received 175 submissions from all over the world for this year’s competition and a panel of award-winning lighting designers and architects reviewed the projects.

The Award of Excellence went to Charles G. Stone II, IALD, Henry Forrest, Alicia Kaphelm, and Matthew Toomajian of the New York-based design firm Fisher Marantz Stone Inc for their work on the American Museum of Natural History Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York, NY, USA. The seven IALD Award of Merit winning projects were Alexander Graham Bell House British Teleco

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After the success of the multimedia waterscreen shows during the world expos in both Osaka (1990) and Tottori (1996), Yves Pépin and his team at ECA2 have been asked to produce the multi-media watershow for the Yamaguchi Expo in Japan, which runs from the 14th of July through to the 30th of September 2001. For the last two years, ECA2 and its technicians have been working alongside the Japanese Expo team to ensure the success of this night-time spectacular. The show will feature images projected onto four monumental spheres, as well as onto a giant water screen; pyrotechnic and fire effects will complete the impressive show.

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The annual Canadian-based Preston Figure Skating Show is considered to be one of the best amateur figure skating shows in North America. Involving over 170 amateur skaters, this show is rehearsed for over a month and runs four shows during the three day festival. Lighting designer for the event was Carl Lukings of Concord Production Services, who specified 12 SGM Giotto Spot 250s for his rig. "I used the Giotto 250s for both frontal and back lighting for each number, as well as to create an ice ‘wash’ effect. The Prism and Gobo effects coupled with the Linear Zoom made it possible to create great static and moving projections on the ice surface. The factory colour selection is perfectly suited to the artistic nature of figure skating lighting." Lighting contractor for the event was Little Electric Inc of Cambridge, Ontario.

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Gemini’s lighting division has launched a number of new fog machines. The FG-5200 is a low profile, lightweight professional fogger built around a large, internal 1.5 quart fluid tank. Boasting a high output pump providing 10,000 cubic feet per minute, the FG-5200 also has a 1200W heat exchanger for denser fog. The unit incorporates a 32 foot remote control with magnetic backing, while the remote itself features both timer and duration controls. Also new are the FG-1200 and FG-2200 fog machines. While the FG-1200 boasts a high output pump offering 3000 cubic feet per minute, the FG-2200 will pump 4000 cubic feet in the same time. For denser fog, the FG-1200 has a 700W heat exchanger, while the FG-2200 has an 800W version. Both units have a 32 foot remote control with magnetic backing and a lower heating temperature as an added safety mechanism.

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Coe-tech Ltd is now stocking the PR.com projector system - the latest product from Italian company Travel Show, for which Coe-tech is exclusive UK distributor. The PR.com is suited to a wide range of applications including retail/point-of-sale, museums, attractions, bars, restaurants and club.

The system comprises two small projectors: the PR 5.2 is an effects projector using 200W or a 250W HSD light source whilst the PR.com 3.1 utilizes a 250W 24V halogen lightsource. The PR 5.2 is a versatile multi-functional device, offering bright, sharp images up to 10 metres from the source. A variety of effects are available to fit on the front of the projectors. Two metal prongs extrude from the lightsource and support the lens system, plus a large range of motorized or fixed accessories and effects. The effects mechanism is designed specifically to offer very quick and simple access for changi

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AC Lighting has expanded its international sales operation with the appointment of Chris Buckman. Chris is a well-known figure within the lighting industry following three years with Opti where he held the position of director of sales and marketing. He has enjoyed a distinguished career covering a wide range of industries including fibre optics, telecommunications, plastics and industrial plant. He also served as Deputy Head of the International Division of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Commenting on the appointment, Nic Tolkien, AC’s international sales director, told PLASA Media: "We continue to expand our International Sales operation and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to recruit someone with the wealth of experience in general and sales management which Chris brings to the company. His fluency in five languages will be a major asset to our in

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Strand Lighting has further strengthened its position in London with a move to a large studio office facility in Hammersmith. A result of recent expansion, the move will enable all operations and services of the UK Trading Division to be conducted under one roof.

The 100-year-old mews building, formerly recording studios, now houses the sales office, credit control and project management team, a large showroom, impressive training facilities and will also be home to the new London Service Centre. Offering a new base for the sales team and a total package for clients, sales director Ivan Myles told PLASA Media: "This is another positive step forward for Strand, which is now consolidating its position by being able to offer improved customer service with larger stock and a faster response time to customers." The move comes after six productive months in temporary offices in Ful

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The quiet town of Hay on Wye annually plays host to a world-famous literary event which regularly attracts over 60,000 visitors. The Sunday Times sponsored’ festival runs over 11 days and during that time features over 200 events across three venues. During the festival, visitors get to hear presentations from celebrities ranging from Kate Adie and Germaine Greer to Melvyn Bragg and Louis de Bernieres.

However, one of the big names this year caused quite a buzz in the town - ex-president of the USA Bill Clinton attended the festival to deliver the keynote address entitled ‘Conflict Resolution’. Paul Elkington of Theatre Vision has been the technical director for the festival for the past 14 years, and chose Zero 88’s new Fat Frog desk to control his rig of Martin Mac 250s, Par cans and theatre luminaires.

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Le Maitre has had a very busy couple of months, concentrating particularly on the rock n’ roll touring side of the business. Major contracts were awarded, taking advantage of the company’s worldwide distribution network and Prostage II range of professional pyrotechnic effects. The SlipKnot European Tour used rows of Large Flame Projectors and one-second 25ft Stage Gerbs to dramatic effect, as witnessed by a packed UK crowd at Milton Keynes Bowl. Kid Rock toured Europe in May and June, culminating in one night at Brixton Academy with an impressive pyrotechnic effects list, including half-second 25ft Gerbs, Mines and Flame Projectors.

Bon Jovi appeared at 17 venues through May and June, including Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Cardiff in the UK. Being a tour of European stadiums, the design utilised some of the largest stage effects currently available, such as crossettes, mi

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Rental Management System (RMS), has become even faster and easier to use, and the new version of the software will be shown at the PLASA Show. With over 2000 users world-wide, RMS is a market leader in the supply of software for professional rental companies. The software is available in nine languages, including English, German, French and Spanish. New 'cut and paste' shortcuts allow users to easily move items from one job to another, or to convert a job into a (new) packaged item. The multi-sites option also has new features: from within a job, the user may see both the local stock-situation, as well as the situation at the available sites added together. With another mouse-click, all jobs (from the local or from a selection of sites) that hold an item in a given period, can be viewed. The crew-planner is a new module that allows for entering comprehensive labour details. Personnel may

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The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) has defeated the UK Government at the European Court of Justice over the UK’s implementation of the Working Time Directive. The UK’s Working Time Regulations 1998, which implements the Directive, entitles workers to a minimum of 20 days paid leave each year. But employees are not entitled to the leave until they have completed a qualifying period of 13 continuous weeks with the same employer. This means that many freelance and contract workers who work for less than 13 weeks have been denied a right to take paid leave.

BECTU launched a legal challenge to the UK legislation and on 26 June 2001 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) accepted the opinion of the Advocate General of the ECJ, which stated that national governments may not exclude groups of workers from the rights that the directive gives them.

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Fred Bentham’s Memorial Service took place yesterday at the Palladium Theatre in London. Over 100 colleagues, friends and family members attended the Memorial Service, which was a celebration of the life of the man who many regard to be the founding father of the lighting industry. Roger Fox introduced a number of tributes to Fred from colleagues in the industry. Francis Reid talked about Fred’s insight into the art of theatre and its technical requirements, whilst Brian Legge and Alan Luxford of Strand recalled their time at Strand with Fred and his early involvement with the ABTT. Bob Anderson spoke of Fred’s impact on lighting at the BBC during the 1950s and his work on the Riverside Studios, whilst John Watt paid tribute to the man he felt had played a large part in designing the equipment most in the lighting industry grew up with. Richard Pilbrow reminded the audi

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The opening of Bounce at the Roundhouse Theatre, by Nick Grace Management, brings a major international production of a highly-rated dance company’s work to London.

Lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe first visited the BouncE Streetdance Company in Sweden in 2000, with the troupe’s management and producers, to guage the potential for a major international production of the highly-rated company’s work. Woodroffe recalls: "We saw that we could translate what they were doing into something even more exciting. Les Brotherston became involved as designer and came up with this wonderful set design for the Roundhouse, on the understanding that Bounce would first do production rehearsals in Ealing, then a six-week run of the show in Sweden before moving to London."

Brotherston’s set has a wide central stage and two raised ‘satellite’ side stages

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Utopium Lighting designed and provided all of the lighting for the spectacular London launch party for Hollywood’s latest blockbuster, Pearl Harbour. Utopium’s team worked 16-hour shifts through the scorching bank holiday weekend at their Bristol offices preparing equipment prior to installation on a tight time-frame at the University of London Senate House. Over 240 lights were installed in little over eight hours into six themed areas and two reception areas, under the direction of the company’s MD Colin Bodenham who designed the whole show.

The building’s façade was spectacularly lit with lighting and custom projection of the Stars & Stripes theme, whilst the skyline was pierced by two authentic Second World War searchlights. Inside, art deco silk flames in each of the alcoves hid an assortment of lights washing the room in red, white and blue, with an array

  1. My Fair Lady Comes Home
  2. Landmark Theatrical ‘Smoke and Fog’ Study Completed
  3. VL Lights the Way for Aerosmith
  4. New ChromaRange from Pulsar
  5. Moving Light Company - now with Vari*Lites
  6. Ciddor Joins Show Technology
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Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
Sennheiser - MPU - June 2025

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