USA - Main Light, LLC has hired Patrick Bellino as an inside sales representative. His responsibilities will include working with both rental and sales clients as well as interfacing with the shop to ensure the smooth fulfilment of client’s orders. Bellino will work from Main Light East in Wilmington, DE and will report directly to Main Light rental manager Rick McKinney. Bellino previously worked as a rental representative with the Christie Lites office in New York where he focused on the Broadway theatre market and as an account executive with 4Wall Entertainment. Main Light’s business model as the leading industry source for dry hire equipment is something that is excited to be part of, as he explains. “Dry hire is a really great model,” says Bellino. “It lets us help everyone. We're not directly competing on jobs against other companies instead we get to
The Netherlands - SLF Group and Black Out Lighting used Showtec and Infinity lighting solutions to create a spectacle at Medammecour Draait Door. Over 100 Infinity, Showtec, and Showgear products were used throughout the week of performances. As the carnival season rolls around each year, the province of Limburg readies itself for some entertaining, festive, and spectacular performances. One such recent tradition is the Medammecour, a travelling tour of Carnivalesque musical performances. In a typical year, the Medammecour tours from town to town, putting on performances across Limburg. On 14-21 October, Medammecour Draait Door was held in the Rodahal in Kerkrade, allowing social distancing restrictions to be observed while accommodating up to 300-spectators per evening. The event featured many of the regular cast and performances that have contributed to the success o
Bulgaria - The new International Congress Centre Burgas (ICCB) on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria has installed an Elation lighting system in its largest event space designed and delivered by Elation Professional’s Bulgarian distributor, ProAudio. The city of Burgas is an industrial, transport, cultural and tourist centre, and a natural location for an international conference centre. ICCB with its variety of event spaces, transportation access and nearby first-class hotels, fulfills that role. The modernly equipped complex houses six different spaces including three main event halls used for conferences, exhibitions, concerts, television broadcasts, gala dinners and more. Building designers ATM Architects chose distributor, ProAudio to develop audio, video and stage lighting solutions for the venue. In the centre’s largest space, the 500-capacity Chernomorie Hall
France - Dushow recently helped deliver the world’s biggest concert, Global Citizen Live, as lead technical partner for the Global Citizen Live event in Paris. Serving as the main official service provider for the broadcast event which featured Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Black Eyed Peas, Christine and the Queens, Doja Cat and Måneskin, as well as special guest performances by Angélique Kidjo, Charlie Puth and Fatma Said, and raised more than US$1bn to fight climate change, famine and vaccine inequity. Dushow partnered with its video-specialist subsidiary, Alabama, and sister company Magnum to deliver a complete technical solution encompassing audio, LED, lighting, video, cabling and power. This tour de force was made possible thanks to the wider Novelty Magnum Dushow group offering organisers a single point of contact for the complex 20,000-person show. T
The Netherlands - Oktoberfest Sittard held an open-air Wiesnfest in October to the delight of 18,000 visitors. This annual folk festival welcomed lederhosen-wearing punters who enjoyed mugs of beers, ate bratwursts and saw live performances by Dutch and German artists like Rowwen Hèze, Beppie Kraft and Wir Sind Spitze. Reflexion Evenemententechniek provided the technical equipment at open-air Wiesnfest, and T.Y.S Entertainment Architects was responsible for the light design throughout the festival, including the installation of an extensive arsenal of Infinity effect lighting and Showtec stage lighting. Six Infinity Furion S-601 Profile moving heads were used as stage front light. They were an ideal fit with the back effect lighting, consisting of 11 Infinity Furion S-401 Spot and 15 Infinity iW-1941 RDM moving heads. the fixtures share the same CMY+CTO colour mix sys
Europe - Astera’s Titan Tube has won a Pro Moviemaker Gear of The Year award in the lighting innovation category. The annual accolade from the international publication for professional film makers is the third major industry award won by Astera’s Titan Tube, following a PLASA Award for Innovation and the PLSN Gold Star Award, both in 2019. Gear of The Year recognises 'the best, most interesting and useful products and technical innovations and the companies behind them’. The TitanTube is designed to be a portable lighting solution for TV, film / video / broadcast cinema and photography as well as for shows and live events. Brent Sauls of Magic Arm Lighting is a freelance gaffer and cinematographer from Cape Town, South Africa and a regular user of Titan Tubes who commented, “They are extremely user-friendly products, and once familiar with what
Canada - Released in November 2021, supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Afterlife continues the spooky story line of the first two movies. Directed by Jason Reitman and set in Oklahoma, the film was shot in various locations and sound stages across the Province of Alberta, Canada in the months before the pandemic from July to October 2019. The crew travelled to Calgary and neighbouring communities, also working in Crossfield, Beiseker, and Drumheller over several months of principal photography. To handle the fast-paced needs of the production, set lighting programmer Benoit Richard used an extensive Hog 4 control system to network the production. As a Ghostbusters fan, Benoit is quick to thank Gaffer Michael Ambrose for getting him this gig. “Nothing would have been possible without Michael calling and offering one of the jobs of a lifetime. I was a tee
Belgium - The Big Fire That Never Happened drew much attention and widespread praise at Ghent’s internationally acclaimed Lichtfestival in November. Conceived by Belgium-based Austrian artist, Michael Langeder, the exhibit set the tower of St. Nicholas Church in the city centre ablaze in simulated flames, a conflagration that looked so authentic, it prompted calls to the fire brigade. Creating this realistic scene was no simple task. Aside from having to hoist gear up the church’s 40m high tower (a 15 minute journey each time), the design team had to do extensive trial and error tweaking to get make their fire frighteningly believable. Helping them in this undertaking was the extensive colour-rendering prowess of their IP65 rated Chauvet Professional COLORado and COLORdash fixtures, supplied by John & Jane Premium Technical Event Support. Liam van Tornho
USA - Miami-based lighting and creative director Yamil Charif who heads up design company YC3 delivered a high impact stage production for Pitbull’s recent I Feel Good tour, with 32 shows across the US and 100 Robe moving lights - MegaPointes and BMFL WashBeams - as the backbone of the lighting rig. Yamil has worked with the artist for the last four years as lighting and video director and for this one, he was offered the chance to work on the full production design, together with a talented team whose collaborative effort embraced all technical disciplines plus associated areas like wardrobe and choreography. The result was a live performance experience delighting fans nationwide, and a tight logistical operation under the production management of Victor Martinez. The tour’s lighting, video and rigging vendor, LPS Production, had Robe fixtures in stock whi
USA - No one is quite sure, where or when the custom of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters started. Some say it began in the 1950s when TV singers tried to set a cozy tone on their holiday specials by wearing corny cardigans. Others trace its origins to the ‘80s when it became a staple of TV sitcoms every December. Either way, one thing is certain, ugly sweater parties and events pop up everywhere across North America this time of year. Among the most popular is the annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Concert at the Mesa Amphitheatre sponsored every December by radio station 99.3 FM. Except for a 2020 hiatus due to COVID, the concert has been held every year since 2015, featuring national acts like Silversun Pickups and Kings of Leon. On Saturday 11 December, the magic returned to Mesa with an Ugly Sweater concert by Grammy winning headliners Weezer, supported by up-and-coming
USA - Elation Professional’s LightJockey is one of the longest available lighting control software solutions on the market. Now, after over two decades of service and with tens of thousands of systems in the market, the time has come for LightJockey to gracefully retire, says Elation. “As ongoing security changes to Windows prevent LightJockey from functioning reliably, the decision was made to phase out the lighting control software with the release of Windows 11 in October,” says Elation. The last LightJockey kit has been sold and this iconic software - the starting point for many professionals in the business - will no longer evolve.” The transition to a new and modern software solution, however, is simple. LightJockey USB DMX hardware is recognised by Onyx, the lighting control platform by Obsidian Control Systems. Plug-and-play drivers unlock any of
USA - Technical Arts Group (TAG) has invested in Ayrton Perseo Beam and Ayrton Domino fixtures, both IP65-rated, for its inventory. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton lighting in North America. TAG was formed earlier this year and specialises in lighting, audio, video, staging, special effects and event management. The company has offices in Secaucus, New Jersey and Miami, Florida. “We were getting more post-COVID event work than we had equipment for, so we needed to increase our overall fixture count and quickly,” says Kevin Mignone, CRO at TAG. “We are also seeing more outdoor festivals happening than ever before, where IP-rated fixtures are a necessity. Doug Mekanik at ACT arranged an Ayrton demo and we liked what we saw. The gear was in stock and we placed our order, increasing our inventory by a hundred fixtures nearly overnight.”
USA - Sometimes what is old can become new again. Such was the case with the red brick building at 3700 Canal Street in the historic New Orleans Mid-City neighbourhood. Recognised by the New Orleans Historic District Landmark Commission, the building had been a church for six decades, until it was closed in 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Eventually its owners put the spacious structure up for sale, and in 2019 it was reborn as a house of worship, slated to become the fifth campus of Baton Rouge-based Bethany Church. Led by pastors Jonathan and Angie Stockstill, Bethany planned to open the new church in 2020 until the COVID pandemic got in the way. This August, the building finally began its new life as a church when it opened its doors to worshippers, after extensive renovations and repairs. Some of the stain glass windows and wrought iron from the original ch
USA - Located in the heart of San Diego, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, operated by the San Diego Symphony, was looking for a reliable follow-spot system they could use during the symphony, concerts, and events held at venue. Jason Rothberg, technical director, and lighting designer at The Rady Shell understood the challenges that his venue faced. Being an outdoor venue, Jason knew that a traditional follow-spot would not be an option. While the original design centred around a brand-specific moving light and tracking system, the venue, sitting on the San Diego Bay wanted a system that would meet IP65 standards for outdoor use. The team at The Rady Shell worked closely with Jason Reberski, CEO of Chicago-based JRLX, and identified Follow-Me as the solution that would allow them to use any IP65 rated moving light to meet their unique challenges. Jason Reberski, C
Zimbabwe - Even before its release, Gwara, the 11th album by award-winning African superstar Jah Prayah, was touched by a sense of mystery. Months ahead of its recording, the singer/songwriter let fans know something important was coming by sharing social media images of a wide-open blue sky, a symbol of hope and boundless opportunity. The very name of the album itself left itself open to many different interpretations, Gwara being a Shona word that could mean anything from frightfulness to a quest for new directions. There is nothing timid about the album however, as the artist obviously chose the latter meaning, conveying as much with cover art that shows a woman walking alone down a beautiful wooded path. More importantly, its 16songs express a dreamy, hopeful sense of opportunities that await those who seek them. Blessing Bero and Tatenta Gaylord Rushw
UK - Edinburgh-based production services and dry hire company, Blue Parrot, has become the first company in the UK to take stock of one of Ayrton’s latest products, Perseo Beam, having purchased 10 of the new fixtures from Ambersphere Solutions, Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in the UK. Released in July, Perseo Beam is the first compact, waterproof multi-function beam effect LED luminaire and the latest in Ayrton’s family of IP65 rated fixtures. Suited for use indoors as well as outdoors, the fixture is equipped with an ultra-intensive 2° beam and 21x zoom ratio. “We are extremely excited to add Perseo Beam to our line up alongside our pre-existing stock of Ayrton Perseo Profile,” says Blue Parrot managing director, Rebecca Clough, who explained that the reasons for selecting Perseo Beam were the same as for their first investment in 2019. “They were every
Estonia - Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu - the country’s oldest and first Estonian language theatre - celebrated the opening of its 152nd season with an elaborate gala event staged in the city’s main square, with a lighting design created by Tõnis Järs featuring Robe moving lights. Not only was it a great historic occasion, but it was a joyous moment for the public and everyone connected to the landmark Theatre representing the ‘hard re-start’ of Vanemuine as a lively cultural melting-pot for art and creativity and a vital community hub after the pandemic period. The event’s main stage performance action included an array of ballet and operetta pieces, culminating in a full orchestral concert and collaboration between the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra and popular Estonian electro-pop artist, NOËP, (Andres Kõpper). Vanemuine owns a large quantity of Ro
UK - A.C. Entertainment reports that Cromer Pier's Pavilion Theatre has recently added a digital dimension to its stage by installing a Prolights DeltaPix48T LED video wall backdrop. With approximately 450 seats, Cromer Pier Pavilion Theatre audiences are entertained all year round with vocals, specialty acts and a blend of dance, in an intimate venue. The team behind the Cromer Pier Show wanted to add new elements to the production and make a strong comeback following the enforced closure of the theatre due to the global pandemic. Cromer Pier's director, Rory Holburn comments, “Our new Prolights DeltaPix48T screen has added a lot more versatility to the show and what can be achieved from a backdrop. The stage is limited in space, so we needed something that was fairly compact yet robust. We are delighted with how the DeltaPix has been performing and the huge a
UK - The ALPD has launched an evolution of its Lumière Scheme apprenticeship programme. The Lumière Scheme provides a pathway into the industry for emerging lighting designers by creating professional opportunities that include practical training and professional experience. The new Production Lumière Scheme has been established as a pilot in 2021, with its first edition initially planned as a virtual process due to the continuation of COVID-19 restrictions within the theatre environment. But circumstances as well as generous donations have since made it possible for this year’s Lumières to benefit from a week of onsite paid work experience alongside their mentors, with all the associated networking opportunities that brings. As such, the five successful Lumière applicants were paired with suitable and professionally established mentors. The Lumières enga
Europe - L8 reports that it now supports the grandMA3 viz-key. It is now possible now to connect any grandMA3 or onPC software to L8 with the maximum number of parameters. This means that all current 255 universes from L8 can be used. L8 supports grandMA3 viz-key for it's Media, Trace, Unlimited dongles with FP21 update package (FP21 package is already included in all licenses sold in 2021 and can also be purchased separately).
The Netherlands - AV rental and production company Houben Souren has installed Elation Fuze Profile and Colour 5 Profile luminaires in two auditoriums in the recently refurbished Maastricht Exhibition and Convention Center (MECC). As the audiovisual partner for the biggest convention centres in the southern part of the country, Houben Souren enjoys special insight into the audiovisual needs of the venue and drew upon its close relationship with Elation’s European office to realize a successful installation. The upgrades to the facility, begun in 2019, included investment in new lighting equipment for two newly renovated auditoriums. Under the supervision of theatre consultants Theater Advies bv and the MECC, Houben Souren won the tender and was awarded the contract to deliver and install the new lighting gear. Tijs Verfurth, operations manager at Houben Souren,
Poland - Robe supported the fourth edition of the Stage of Tomorrow (Scena Jutra) conference, staged at the Teatr Wielki Polish National Opera in Warsaw, organised by the Stage of Tomorrow Foundation and its president Rafal Rzeczkowski, with Polish production technology sales specialist Prolight and Teatr Wielki, the latter represented by technical director Malgorzata Szablowska. The one-day event featured over 150 production industry related presentations, seminars, and discussions with a focus on the theme of virtual, extended, augmented, etc. reality and its potential for events and shaping the future. Three main presentation areas - Stage of Inspiration, Stage of Discussion and Stage of Partners - were constantly busy and explored a lively array of topics including sustainability; new technologies and their use in entertainment; art and promotion, education, and f
USA - HBO’s recent broadcast of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place inside Cleveland’s NBA arena. Key to creating a sense of intimacy within the walls of the 152,970sq.ft. Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse was a lighting design by Allen Branton and production design by Bruce Rogers that drew audiences - TV and live - into each performance, while also allowing the stage to stand out against its cavernous surroundings without being overwhelmed. Helping Branton accomplish the latter goal was a collection of 104 Chauvet Professional COLORdash Accent 3 compact washes, which like the rest of the rig, was supplied by 4Wall Entertainment. Positioning the RGBA fixtures along the sides of the stage as well as in the blacked-out seats behind and to either side of it, he used them to define space and maintain consistency between camera shots. “The COLORdash
Denmark - Cirkusrevyen (Circus Review) is the longest-running review performance in Denmark, with a six-month season kicking off every year since 1935 except for 1945 (due to fire) and 2020 (due to Covid). Staged in a purpose-built big top tent in Klampenborg, Dyrehavsbakken north of Copenhagen, the 2021 season was lit for the first time using Robe Esprite moving lights. The lighting spec also included a Robe RoboSpot remote follow spotting solution, LEDWash 300+s and LEDBeam 150s, all supplied by rental specialist Live Company, who were working on their second season as a supplier. Lighting designer Malthe Haugaard was designing his fifth Cirkusrevyen season, which started in May, initially to restricted audiences due to Coronavirus rules. As these were gradually relaxed, ticket sales opened up. A new production design is created for each season, just as a new
