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UK - Forty years ago LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, recognized that its Stage Management course needed updating as the job of stage management and the technology available backstage evolved. The college's principle, Michael MacOwan, turned to Richard Pilbrow, the leading technical theatre practitioner of the day, for advice. With help from Pilbrow, his company Theatre Projects and his stage management mentor Robert Stanton, LAMDA's new Stage Management and Technical Theatre Course was born.

Forty years later, Pilbrow returned to LAMDA to help celebrate the course's anniversary, with an afternoon's conversation with the college's current students, a selection of alumni and a variety of other industry practitioners. Entitled 'Two Conversations', the afternoon firstly saw Richard describe the conversation with Michael MacOwan that led to the formation of the c

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UAE - The new Emirates Palace Hotel is Abu Dhabi's only 7-star hotel. UK-based LSI Projects provided the lighting and stage engineering systems for this truly unique complex. The company first became involved in 2001, and in 2003 won the international tender for Package 13b, the production lighting and stage engineering systems. These are located in the magnificent art deco auditorium centrally housed in the entertainment complex, strategically placed between the two lavishly equipped hotels. The whole project has been rumoured to have cost £2 billion and officially opened on 7 March 2005.

The technical specification was prepared by Jerry Godden and his team at Theatre Projects Consultants. The brief was to provide conference and theatre facilities that would enable large corporate clients to stage international conferences, product launches as well as providing local facilitie

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UK - DHA Lighting Services recently announced that in direct response to calls from designers and distributors alike, it has now added over 100 new designs to its extensive standard metal gobo range.

Aiming to fill the gaps in the existing catalogue, DHA's creative team has put together a collection of new images from pantomime phrases to exotic breakups. Each design has been carefully tailored to meet designers' expectations then projected, evaluated, tweaked and remade. The end result is a range of gobos that DHA is understandably proud of. As Diane Grant, MD for DHA commented, "DHA is known throughout the world as the place to come for gobos. It is our responsibility to keep applying a fresh approach to the catalogue and to reinvest in its development. Even as a non-lighting designer, I know that some of these designs are beautiful and I can't wait for people to start us

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Singapore - Stephen Tan returns to High End Systems (HES) Singapore as the regional sales manager for Southeast and Northeast Asia. Tan was previously business development manager at HES Singapore during 1995-1998. He left to start his own company -- focusing on lighting design, installation and servicing - which he has been running until his return to HES.

"It's time to move lighting into the digital age in the Asian market," says Tan. "It's a good time for me to follow the technology. Digital lighting has become a main attraction for me, and I'm excited to be 'home' at High End again."

Tan will soon be scheduling Open House and demo events at the HES facility, and will represent HES at upcoming trade shows such as CALME in May and PALA in July.

Bill Morris, VP of Sales, said "We're excited to have Stephen return. We have experienced a tremendous am

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians will launch its annual Summer School 2005 at the A.C. Lighting North Trade Show being held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds on 26 and 27 April.

ABTT Summer School 2005 will be held at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry. Four Awards are being offered this summer. In addition to its Bronze for Stage Technicians, this year sees the launch of a Silver Award for Stage Technicians, a Silver Award for Sound Technicians and a Silver Award for Stage Electricians. For the first time, these Awards will have full accreditation from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, making the ABTT Awards the first accredited courses for technical and production practitioners in theatre.

The Bronze Award is five intensive days taking the following subjects: Electrical Fundamentals, Portable Appliance Testing, Knots & Spl

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New Zealand - Anyone who plugs in a plug and switches a switch in a theatre, opera house or performance space should be mindful of the energy being consumed and of the bill that arrives every month. Balancing venue profitability with the need for lighting and effects that audiences and performers have come to expect can be a problem.

With such considerations in mind, Selecon's Pacific 80V Power System is the result of over three years' R&D aimed at developing better solutions for the entertainment lighting industry. Combining a quality light output (the 80V 1200W lamp delivers as much light on to the stage as a traditional 2.0/2.5kW luminaire, say Selecon) with significant energy savings (as much as 40-50%), the fixture offers an important new tool for designers and venues, say the company. For example, a front-of-house lighting bridge equipped with 40 2.5kW profiles will consum

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The Netherlands - Luxeon I light output performance has been dramatically increased for all InGaN colours (white, blue, cyan, green and royal blue). Typical performance of Luxeon I white emitters improved from 31 lumens to 45 lumens. Other colours have similar increases, all without increasing the package or chip size. No other comparable high power LED offers more light than Luxeon I say the company. Increased performance can be attributed to Lumileds continued technology leadership in epitaxial, packaging and five years experience manufacturing high power LEDs, it continues.

"We continue to advance and develop solid-state lighting technology that address the needs of a wide variety of markets," said Jason Posselt, Lumileds director of product marketing. "Our Luxeon I LEDs are broadly used in applications ranging from LCD television and monitors to architectural,

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USA - When Mercedes Benz wanted to create an impact for the world première of its Mercedes Benz M-class at the 17th North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, it enlisted the help of media concept planning agency, TLD Planungsgruppe GmbH. TLD, which has a long established relationship with DaimlerChrysler AG, Mercedes Benz and Manufaktur Maybach brands, was given an open brief for the project. Aside from launching the M-class, TLD was also responsible for showcasing all the other Mercedes Benz vehicles on the stand, plus three cars on the Manufaktur Maybach stand.

A total of 20 vehicles had to be put in to perspective in only 2000sq.m. "Presenting so many different models on the stand provided a challenge as we had to define the separate identity of each model," said chief lighting designer Richard Profe. To maintain this distinction, a huge architectu

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Worldwide - Bandit Lites is supplying full lighting production to Mark Knopfler's Shangri La world tour, once again working with lighting designer Simon Tutchener. Bandit UK has invested in a new MA Lighting grandMA lighting console - their first - especially for the tour, complete with an MA Light for backup, as this was Tutchener's console of choice. Tutchener re-visited his theatrical roots for part of the design's inspiration. He decided at the outset that the moving lights would be used sparingly, only visibly moving at a few specific, punctuating points in the set.

"Mark's extremely specific about what he likes and dislikes," says Tutchener. "Any distractions to him and his music are a definite no-no!", so that ruled out a whole raft of lighting staples including gobo projections onto the backdrop, rotating gobos, etc. Needless to say, when light

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Slovakia - Slovakian Superstar is the country's first series of the Pop Idol roll-out, and has captured the nation's popular imagination, with up to 1.8 million TV viewers (out of a population of approx. 5.5 million), a highly enthusiastic public, and 3,678 original applicants, whittled down to the 11 most talented finalists.

Superstar is broadcast live each Friday night from the National Tennis Centre arena in Slovakian capital, Bratislava, staged in front of 1,500 highly vocal fans. STV has put 2.6 million Euros into producing the series, making it the country's largest TV project to date, and very much a matter of National pride. The live show tickets are allocated as give-aways for various competitions and about half via the show's main sponsors, including Nestlé.

Naturally, production values are right at the top of the agenda, with STV seeking the best technical and crea

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Australia - Melbourne is the home to a world-first roadway feature: a 300m interactive matrix of colour changing LEDs on the new Craigieburn Bypass road. Supplied by veteran lighting projects company, Lightmoves Pty Ltd, the LED matrix is incorporated into an acoustic barrier wall of screen-printed acrylic panels. Designed by landscape architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean and engineers Webb Australia in collaboration with local artist Robert Owen, the LED Wall is the main lighting feature of Stage One of the project which opened to the public on 21 December 2004. Lightmoves successfully tendered for this unique project designing a system that would deliver a matrix display of colour-changing LED fittings that could be individually controlled and regulated by transducers in the road.

Installed by contractors Alstom Australia, the LED Wall is one of the most ambitious feature lighti

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USA - Lumileds Lighting introduced new colour-matched white Luxeon Lamps that enable lighting manufacturers to quickly build LED-based luminaires with consistent white light. Advanced binning algorithms applied during manufacturing ensure colour uniformity within each fixture as well as from luminaire to luminaire.

"The lighting community looks for white-point consistency whether viewing the light source directly or the effect that's being created," said Keith Scott, market development manager. "Uniform white light is essential in luminaires, but achieving a consistent colour temperature with LEDs has been a major challenge because of the wide colour variations inherent in the LED manufacturing process, "Our Luxeon Lamps offer the first practical solution to the problem by supplying pre-matched, pre-mounted LEDs that not only provide the desired colour consis

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UK - Hawthorn was appointed as technical production contractors for the 2005 RSVP party at Olympia, supplying lighting, sound, AV, rigging and drapes.

With a low ceiling height and no provision for rigging Hawthorn decided to make a bold feature of the truss and created a ground support structure with lots of long spokes covering both the stage and the rest of the room. As UK dealers, Hawthorn used Prolyte's X30V truss due to its lightweight but superior strength, allowing large spans of truss with the minimum number of truss legs.

With only a 3m clearance, Hawthorn specified Mac 250's and Mac 300's - due to their small size, uplit with Thomas PIXELline battens. Working in conjunction with Mask Event Design and Production, Hawthorn sponsored the Event Talks area. Hawthorn draped the room in its white Expo Cloth, a fabric it imports for its light reflective abilities. These dra

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USA - Newly released Djtube from Chauvet offers RGB colours and the extended life of LEDs, but without the stiff price tag usually associated with them at about a fifth of most LED tubes available today, say the company. It houses 90 red, green and blue light emitting diodes inside a durable milky white UV-coated plastic tube and is simple to install and operate, not requiring controller. Each tube performs automated rainbow patterns in seven colours induced by RGB mixing: red, green, yellow, blue, purple, cyan, white. DJtube lends itself to a wide range of DJ, club and architectural lighting applications.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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UK - The Compulite Vector control system was recently used in St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle for the service of blessing led by the Archbishop of Canterbury for The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Lighting director Bernie Davis used his own Vector Green control system to control a discreet rig of conventional lighting, supplied by ELP, as the aim was for an unobtrusive installation and a natural look. Console operator Roy Adcock was using a Compulite desk for the first time, but reported no problems getting the hang of the Vector's versatile graphic user interface.

Davis comments: "While the effects engine and sixteen DMX universes were not used to their full potential on this occasion, the easy to read touch screen controlled groups made programming extremely quick and easy. The lighting control position was from the world's smallest Portakabin - only 12'

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UK - When Production North approached LiteStructures to provide a Perspex sign and neon lettered sign suitable for touring, LiteStructures' Mark Jackson came up with the solution.

Briefed to create a signature stage piece for Westlife's recent No1s tour, it soon became apparent that neon lettering wouldn't be practical, because it's made of glass, but then Mark remembered seeing Neonflex at PLASA. Marketed by Batmink, Neonflex is a flexible PVC light tube which closely replicates real neon, but uses LEDs as a light source. Much more rugged and roadworthy than neon, it was the obvious choice. LiteStructures made up an individual Neonflex letter, which Production North and the band agreed was just what they wanted.

Although the original design, a 20x10ft Perspex signature, was intended to be invisible when not lit, it was then decided, by the band and Production North's S

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Canada - Due to popular demand and the fact that some customers did not receive notice of its previous promotion in time, Cast Software recently announced a four-week extension to the Upgrade to Unlimited Channels Promotion. Effective from 15April through to 15 May, 2005, upgrades from WYSIWYG Perform 500, Perform 1000, or Perform 2000 to WYSIWYG Perform with unlimited channels bundled with a 12-month subscription, will be offered at a 50% off discount.

"The response to our upgrade promotion was tremendous! Our customers have been asking us to entertain a further promotional period. It only makes sense for us to re-introduce this promotion ", says Gil Densham, president & CEO of Cast Software. "We've made the best lighting design package in the industry and are allowing our users to upgrade for the great price of only $639 US. Plus, these upgrades include a

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Europe - Arup's Rogier van der Heide has been accorded the most prestigious award for Lighting Design - the Radiance Award, given by the IALD (International Association of Lighting Designers). The award, bestowed by a panel of design peers, was given to van der Heide in recognition of his contribution to lighting design, highlighting one of his most recent projects, the Galleria West Shopping Centre in Seoul. The judges described the project as: "State-of-the-art technology and design . . . a striking effect . . . a vibrant and scenic experience at night".

Together with Ben van Berkel of UN Studio in Amsterdam, van der Heide and his team developed a lighting scheme for the building skin that changes, chameleon-like, at night, and during the day reflects the subtleties of natural light on the opalescent façade of dichroic glass discs. At night, the discs are individual

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Denmark - Blackburn-based HSL Sales & Distribution - one of the HSL Productions group of companies - supplied all the pyro and special effects to Machine Shop for the opening event of HCA2005, the Hans Christian Andersen bicentennial celebrations. This massive show was staged at the Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, last weekend.

Pyro for the two-hour extravaganza titled Once Upon A Time, enjoyed in real time by 35,000 people and broadcast live on Danish TV and across Europe by the European Broadcasting Union, was designed by Paul Mann from Machine Shop. He collaborated on the task with whom HSL's Tom Owen: the two have enjoyed a long and fruitful working relationship. The overall Once Upon A Time show design team and production included some of the best names, suppliers and rental operations in the UK production industry. The special effects all had to be very big and v

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UK - For three days in April the NEC in Birmingham was taken over for the Commercial Vehicle Show 2005, with exhibitors including Proton cars, who were showing the new Jumbuck range. Proton's stand was designed and installed by Embee Lighting and used 20 Pulsar ChromaCubes and 20 ChromaSpheres to decorate the back of two display vehicles.

A ground-supported truss was used to form the basis of the stand, before Lycra sails were stretched over the back wall and used as projection surfaces for the vehicle branding. Par 64s and ETC Source Fours were used to highlight the cars. Embee lighting's Mark Bailey used the cubes and spheres to attract people on to the stand. He explained: "The built-in effects were used to play random colour patterns and made a visual work of art for people to look at as they visited the show."

The feedback from Proton was extremely good, Bailey

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Germany - Osram is expanding its modular SharXS lamp family with the HTI 1200 W/D7/75, which provides cold white light at a colour temperature of 7500K - meaning that the most powerful lamp in the family is now available in two colour temperatures.

Like all members of the SharXS family, the metal halide lamp is compact and double-ended. Its key features are a short arc and eXtreme Seal (XS) technology, which makes the lamps capable of withstanding thermal stress (up to 450°C). Its main areas of application, say Osram, include stage, film and television, and its improved heat handling offers benefits in terms of reduced cooling, smaller housing requirements and quieter operation in the luminaire, say Osram.

The company has also introduced a new version of the SharXS HTI 400 W/D3/75 - which now boasts 30% longer life, of up to 1000 hours.

(Lee Baldock)

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China - Avolites' Diamond 4 Elite and Vision consoles were used to run lighting for the MTV Asia Awards 2005, repositioned as 'MTV Asia Aid' a global benefit concert to raise money for victims of the tsunami.

Staged at the Impact Arena in Bangkok in front of a live audience of 10,000 people and a TV audience of several million, the lighting design/direction team from the UK was headed by DOP Eugene O'Connor who also operated the key lighting console. Main stage LD was Theo Cox and Mikey Howard looked after stages B and C plus the extensive audience lighting. All were working with The Show Company from Singapore, MTV Asia's principal technical production contractor, and headed by Joseph Gan. In addition to supplying all lighting, the company also provided two Catalyst digital media servers for the video clips, and both high resolution and 'break-up' LED screens for the event.

T

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UK - Technolight, a leading designer and distributor of professional lighting systems, has announced the appointment of Louise Tester to its new division, Light Planning Techniques. Tester is well known in the entertainment side of the lighting industry, having worked for 14 years as sales manager of DHA Lighting Services Ltd. She will be providing services from Light Planning Techniques as a total lighting solutions provider. At the same time, Technolight has announced the appointment of John Hannaford as sales manager for Technolight.

(Lee Baldock)

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