UK - Lighting designer Jon Clark has specified Showline's SL BAR 640 luminaires on account of their "impressive" range of colours and clean aesthetic for Benedict Andrew's production of A Streetcar Named Desire at The Young Vic, starring Gillian Anderson.

The 1947 Tennessee Williams classic is currently being staged in the round. Clark's lighting design consists of deliberate, uniform systems, which are used to continually re-inform the performance space and the entire room.

"The SL BAR 640 luminaires are rigged in two parallel lines on an exposed grid above the main playing space, embedded in a uniformly hung, 88 Par Can toplight," says Clark. "Often the aesthetic attributes of a unit are almost as significant in an exposed rig as the light it throws, and that was the case with the design of the SL BAR 640 luminaires. Their clean, ordered round

Sweden - This September LumenRadio adds ACME to their growing CRMXchip family. ACME, one of the largest enterprises known worldwide for its specialization in the field of lighting, will now include CRMXchip as a standard feature for their existing and future professional product line.

LumenRadio has been working very closely with ACME during the last couple of months to include the CRMXchip in some of ACME's current bestselling products, such as XP-1000SZ/WZ, XP-16R Spot and Beam, as well as CM-600Z.

"We are very pleased to be in an OEM partnership with LumenRadio. ACME always strives to be in the technology forefront and CRMXchip will help us with just that. With a wireless receiver as a standard feature, our customers will now benefit from having wireless DMX control integrated tightly into the fixture. Also, we are proud knowing our customers get the most reliable wire

UK - As the deadline for entries approaches, nominations for the PLASA Awards for Innovation are rolling in. Examples of all the nominated products will be exhibited at the PLASA Show's Innovation Gallery at the centre of the PLASA show (ExCeL London, 5-8 October), forming a focal point for visitors to the exhibition keen to view the latest technologies.

The products will be judged against one another on the strength of their innovation alone. All nominees will have the opportunity to make a 5-minute presentation, during the show, to a team of independent expert judges, who will have eight awards of equal standing at their disposal - plus the option to give a 'Gold' Award to one or more products which they feel reach a particularly high standard of Innovation.

The judges are tasked with making their decisions based on the PLASA Awards criteria for Innovation. The winners will

UK - PLASA London 2014 has added a host of new sessions to its Professional Development Programme. The latest additions are spread across the programme's two venues - the Audio and AV Theatre and the Lighting and Stage Theatre - and include contributions from Martin Professional, d&b audiotechnik, Rockart Design, the Association of Sound Designers, Total Training and :entertaining sustainability.

The Professional Development Programme is part of PLASA London 2014, which takes place at ExCeL London from 5 - 8 October. Since launching in 2010, it has welcomed more than 300 speakers and thousands of attendees. The programme's aim is to test theory, inspire debate and showcase expert insight from the different areas of the entertainment technology industry.

Rockart Design's session, Making the Eurovision Set Come to Life, will see Nicoline L. Refsing reveal the creative pro

UK / Italy - D.T.S. has appointed Qeytek as its exclusive partner in the UK, as a part of the D.T.S. expansion plan, with a focus on premium customer service throughout the UK.

Cally Bacchus, owner and director of Qeytek comments, "With the innovative release of the popular Jack moving light and the continuation of product releases including Raptor, Nick Nrg line, Max and Wonder, we have a fantastic portfolio of product to offer the market.

D.T.S. has a full production and assembly line, quality control, R & D department, all based at their headquarters in Misano Adriatico, Italy. Its products are used around the world, including events such as the Sochi Olympic Winter Games 2014.

I've been equally impressed with the evolution of the popular FOS, Delta and Scena LED luminaires. It is clear this company is on the rise.

"Service and support is very important, and t

UK - Ambersphere Solutions has been appointed the exclusive UK distributor for the Ayrton range of LED Luminaires and creative LED imaging solutions. The appointment enables Ambersphere Solutions to extend its sales, service, support and training facilities to cover Ayrton products in the UK.

The Ayrton collection of LED lighting solutions offers lighting designers creative lighting tools built to withstand the tough demands of touring and installations. The innovative range includes indoor and outdoor fixtures, static and moving yoke fixtures including the signature Magicpanel range.

Ambersphere Solutions is the exclusive UK distributor for Clay Paky, MA Lighting and Robert Juliat. "Ayrton offer a high quality range of modular creative LED products which perfectly complement the existing Ambersphere product range," says Ambersphere managing director Glyn O'Donoghue.

UK - US rapper Childish Gambino recently wowed audiences at a one-off 02 Academy Brixton gig, with lighting designer Sarah Landau delivering a stunning show design. In testament to their longevity and robust technology, the design was complemented by the classic yet versatile Philips Vari-Lite VL2000 Spot and VL3000 Wash luminaires.

Landau worked alongside touring lighting director/operator Christian Lincoln to specify 18 VL3000 Wash luminaires and 16 VL2000 Spots. Supplied by Siyan Ltd, the luminaires performed key roles within the design and crucially worked well alongside the extensive visual element.

"Childish Gambino's show is very theatrical, not a typical rap concert," explains Landau. "The visual design is focused on projections - four 20K projectors mapped onto an upstage screen, a downstage scrim, side columns, and stage set pieces. The Vari-Lite lumi

USA - W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB was recently a key player in the spectacle of Burning Man 2014, held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. W-DMX made it possible for a series of art cars, bedazzled in light, move through the festival with control coming from a moving stage.

Burning Man is an annual event and a thriving year-round culture. The event takes place the week leading up to and including Labour Day, and is dedicated to the spirit of community, art and self-reliance, culminating in a burning of a series of effigies as a spontaneous act of "radical self-expression". It is a popular communal event full of unique entertainment.

Walter Productions, located in Phoenix, Arizona brought a parade of five oversized art cars plus their moving 'Kalliope' main stage to Burning Man. The cars and stage were illuminated eye candy for spectators, which were all wirelessl

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light returns to the annual PLASA London exhibition in 2014, held once again at London's ExCel Centre. A leading supplier of lighting to the entertainment industry for more than 40 years, White Light will showcase its portfolio of Hire, Sales, Events, and Installation services as well as hosting its family of exclusive products in the White Light Zone.

Comprised of eight stands, the White Light Zone for PLASA 2014 will serve as home base for the latest lighting, effects, and media control technology from exclusive manufacturers. The White Light Bar, a long-held PLASA London tradition, will anchor the White Light Zone on Stand F40 this year. Visitors can easily find the White Light Zone, located near the PLASA 2014 Innovation Gallery on the show floor.

The White Light family of products can be found within the White Light Zone on the

UK - Power management company Eaton has announced its theatrical and performance lighting controls Zero 88 product line now offers the new Chilli Pro Bypass lighting cabinet. These professional 24-channel, slim line cabinets feature 24 Eaton bypass switches for use when direct mains power is needed in place of theatrical dimming.

Available in both 10A and 16A variants, individual channels can be set for dimming or to deliver mains power for intelligent lights, light-emitting diode (LED) light fittings and other stage specials. Chilli Pro Bypass cabinets save wiring and simplify set up to make it easier to connect lights exactly where they are needed.

For peace of mind, the bypass switches, user interface and all breakers are also protected by a lockable, hinged cover with viewing window to check bypass status.

Chilli lighting control cabinets are a comprehensive range of hig

UK - Panasonic has launched "the world's first 6,500 lumens, 1-chip DLP laser projector", which promises over two years of continuous, maintenance free operation.

The PT-RZ670 and PT-RW630 are additions to the company's existing Solid Shine line of projectors, and feature 20,000 hours of working life without lamp replacement and flexible, all angle, installation.

Hartmut Kulessa, marketing manager for Panasonic said, "The RZ670 series brings an unparalleled ease of installation for exhibition and museum applications. At the same time, critical applications such as control rooms and signage will benefit from the build quality and absolute reliability of the projector."

The PT-RZ670 and PT-RW630 both boast 6,500 lumens brightness and are WUXGA and WXGA respectively. Powered by a laser light source, there is no requirement for replacement lamps or filters, a

Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Bao Ngo as their digital marketing consultant. In this role, Ngo will be responsible for the execution of the company's digital marketing strategy. He will ensure the company's websites, social media accounts and applications are creative, user-friendly, current, and optimized to reflect the company's products services and values. Ngo will also support digital solutions for marketing, training and sales initiatives.

Prior to joining Apollo Design Technology, Ngo worked at Lincoln Financial Group for 18 years in various communications and marketing roles most recently as multimedia manager.

Angela Delagrange has been named as their purchasing manager at Apollo Design.. In this role, Delagrange will work in partnership with management to ensure effective and efficient purchasing of materials and services. She will help effective

UK - Lighting and rigging specialists dbn were asked by Glasgow-based arts organization Cryptic to collaborate on creating Sound To Sea, a very special night-time nautical extravaganza presented in partnership with Glasgow Science Centre, and in association with Walk The Plank, All Or Nothing and The Royal Navy, staged at the Canting Basin on the River Clyde in Glasgow.

This vibrant and ambitious site specific work, directed by Cathie Boyd, celebrated Cryptic's 20th anniversary and was part of the arts programme accompanying the 2014 XX Commonwealth Games in the city, which culminated the same weekend.

dbn's Stephen Page was commissioned to design and develop a lighting scheme for the show, due to the company's extensive experience working on dynamic outdoor multi-faceted performances like this.

The performance encompassed several live artists and bands, aerialists, p

UK - Robe moving lights were right at the heart of the action at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival and particularly at The Pleasance, where 46 fixtures - a mix of Pointes, 600E Spots, MMX Spots, MMX WashBeams, MMX Blades and LEDWash 600s - were dotted around the larger of the 23 pop-up full-on venues operated by The Pleasance for the duration of the Festival.

This year, the Pleasance celebrated its 30th anniversary at the cutting edge of independent and innovative theatre, and was once again central to the Edinburgh vibes staging some of the best new works and showcasing breakthrough talent with an average of 10 shows a day running in each of its spaces!

All the technicals were overseen by Pleasance technical operations manager Matt Britten and lighting by Pleasance Edinburgh head of lighting Dom Knight, who also designed and specified 'house' lighting rigs for the venues.

World - James Blunt, alongside his production designer Paul Normandale and lighting director Glen Johnson, are on the road for another tour with Martin Professional lighting fixtures, including 41 MAC Auras, 32 MAC Viper Profiles, six MAC Viper AirFXs and two AF1 Fans.

Blunt released his newest album in October of 2013 entitled Moon Landing, which features an emotional and powerful side to the singer-songwriter we have not yet seen. The album is personal and intimate, reflecting back to where Blunt got his start and where he is now.

"We have worked with James Blunt since 2005, this is our fourth world tour with him, and all James' shows have been dominated by Martin moving lights," Said Johnson. "This is the largest production we have taken out on the road thus far."

The theme of the tour is the romanticism and loneliness of the moon landings. For

France - Robert Juliat is proud has announced a new partnership with Munich-based Licht-Technik Vertriebs GmbH in the provision of motorised solutions for the Robert Juliat range of Fresnel, PC and profile lanterns. The official start of the partnership will be celebrated at PLASA London 2014.

"We are extremely happy with this new business alliance which brings together two of our industry's leading, high-end brands to offer quality solutions to the market," says Robert Juliat sales director, Claus Spreyer.

The two companies join forces to team Licht-Technik Vertriebs GmbH's specialised range of motorised yokes, motorised barndoors, colour changers and dimmer shutters with the full range of Robert Juliat Fresnel, PC and profile fixtures. Aimed at theatre and studio installations, the collaboration will benefit these institutions with precise control over their fixtur

South Africa - Jolene Van Der Merwe joined Gold Reef City in the first half of 2008 as a stage manager and immediately fell in love with the lavish and classically-styled Lyric Theatre. She was very happy to join the Lyric family officially in October 2008 and currently works as the theatre's production co-ordinator, managing all the production requirements for their shows.

"I assist the stage manager with the day to day running of the backstage workings such as the scheduling of crew, liaising with our suppliers when we need to, servicing and repairing any equipment, purchasing new equipment to either replace or expand our existing in-house equipment and generally make sure that the team has everything they might need," said Jolene.

With this in mind, the Lyric recently purchased Philips Selecon PL2CYC LED Luminaires. "When the Lyric opened its doors in 2007, i

UK - The second annual T-Live music festival took place 29-30 August in Telford, Shropshire in the UK with production provided by the Liz Hobbs Group from Newark on Trent Nottinghamshire. The two day event, with an 80's themed night followed by a modern pop night, used 24 Elation Platinum Beam 5R's as the mainstay of the lighting rig.

Designed and operated by Oz Player, who used the fixtures in both the truss and floor package, commented on the ACL-type beam's frost effect wash look, "I've used the Elation Beam 5R on many shows and the soft edge frost adds another dimension."

Production manager Paul Joyce, who added extra Platinum Beam fixtures to the fleet for Tom Jones' shows earlier in the year, added, "I'm really happy with their performance. It's a great return on investment and we have them scheduled out on a major tour happening this month as well."<

France - In only their second use at a major concert event, 110 Solaris LED Mozart fixtures ringed the balcony rail of the Stade de France in Paris for the Beyoncé Jay Z On the Run HBO Concert Special. The Mozarts were chosen specifically to enhance the TV shoot featuring the tour's closing dates, and stood out brightly amidst over 80,000 fans.

"The Mozart is the perfect eye candy fixture and this was an ideal application for them - they really showed off the depth of the stadium and did a great job on camera," says Cory FitzGerald, the tour's lighting director. "We alternated Mozarts and Sharpys all around the second level of the Stade de France. They worked brilliantly." Lighting was co-designed by FitzGerald and Roy Bennett.

With settings from three to 48 DMX channels, and 1, 4, or 16 RGB "pixel" groups per fixture, the lightweight, low

USA - When Boise, Idaho-based lighting designer Brock Hogan was asked to design lighting for the recent co-headlining Matt Nathanson and Gavin Degraw U.S. and Canada Summer tour, he specified Robe Robin LEDWash 600s as the main stage washes.

Originally hired by Nathanson's management - who he met through his work with the group Train - to produce a lighting scheme for the tour, Hogan also reached out to Gavin Degraw's team to see if they had something in mind for the lighting. At this point, they decided it would make sense and be efficient if Hogan coordinated the lighting needs of both artists ... in a single adaptable and flexible design.

The size of the venues on the tour varied, and featured numerous theatres, so in order to fit the production in to the majority of spaces, Hogan chose a front and back truss to provide his lighting positions.

For Nathanson, there was an

USA - In their first significant use on a major tour, 165 Solaris LED 16x1 fixtures have been performing flawlessly on Jason Aldean's 2014 Burn It Down tour.

"I chose Solaris 16X1s because, based on my experience with the amazing Solaris Flare, I knew they would perform well for my needs," says Mike Swinford, the show's lighting and production designer. "We use them to outline the overhead trusses and also to outline the T-shaped thrust. They're performing very well and ride on the trusses everyday so they do not have to be handled at every show.

"As with the Flare product, I am really impressed by their high output, plus linear effects when used with the MA console driving them. The 16X1's individual LED "pixel" control is a real plus". Production personnel include tour LD Keith Hoagland and lighting programmer Mark Butts. The Solaris LED pr

UK - Wireless Lighting is a new company and online portal dedicated to the dry and cross hire of battery powered wireless lighting technologies for the show and event industry in and around London.

Founder Justin Hammond, who has been at the sharp end of the professional lighting, video and AV rental industry for eight years, spotted a gap in the market for quick, simple, reliable and no-nonsense service providing wireless lighting kit.

He states, "There's been a massive surge in popularity and use of wireless LED lighting over the last two years - there's no messing around with cabling, and the lighting fixtures can instantly transform any environment. Wireless Lighting is designed to provide a fast, efficient and straightforward service to all those wanting to make use of this technology on their events."

Clients can log in to the website, place their order, sele

UK - The PLASA 2014 exhibition sees the culmination of Robe's 20th anniversary celebrations, with the Czech Republic based manufacturer making a big impact in the 1,000sq.m Robe Arena at London's ExCeL Centre.

The Robe Arena is the company's largest exhibition area to date, and will highlight Robe's just launched BMFL Spot, a new mega-bright long-throw signature fixture which needs a large environment in which to be demonstrated most effectively.

Additionally, there are another 12 new innovations launched by Robe at PLASA 2014, together with all the current product range luminaires on this spectacular booth, which will also feature one of Robe's dazzling exhibition lightshows.

CEO Josef Valchar states, "We attend many exhibitions around the globe, but it's always good to be back in London, and this has always felt like THE lighting show for us. We wanted to do something

UK - MDG Fog Ltd has appointed two new distributors for its range of fog and haze generators.

From 1 October 2014, MDGfog UK, a trading division of Robe UK Ltd, will take responsibility for the exclusive distribution of the full MDG product range in the UK & Eire. This new division will be headed by Matt Wiseman, a well-known face in the UK entertainment industry who brings 20 years of experience to the role.

"I am looking forward to the new avenues and responsibilities this arrangement brings," says Wiseman. "It will allow MDGfog UK to focus wholeheartedly on promoting and servicing the MDG brand across the UK and Eire, with the added confidence of solid backing from Robe UK's established administrative, service and warehouse facilities in Northampton."

Mick Hannaford, Managing Director of Robe UK, adds, "We believe the quality and performance of th

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