Australia - Sydney’s Rooty Hill suburb is now home to a new $100m theatre space. The 2,000-seat proscenium arch theatre will be able to house large-scale musicals, ballet, opera companies and symphony orchestras. HF Events Pty, headed by Colin Baldwin, was tasked with supplying and installing the theatrical lighting, dimmers, power and lighting control system. “When we were asked to look at the design and installation of power distribution and dimming for the new Coliseum Theatre, we immediately went to LSC Lighting,” comments Colin. “I have a long-standing relationship with LSC and have great respect for their product.” Consequently, a shopping list of LSC products was made including 240-way Redback Patch Panels, Redback 36-way Patch Panels, MDRX 10-way data splitters (RDM-enabled), GenVi 12 x 10A dimmer/ power distribution and of course, APS 12
Luis Varona, who has spent over 15 years as an executive at leading companies in the region, has joined Chauvet Professional as business development manager for the Caribbean and Central America. He will be responsible for Chauvet Professional and Chauvet DJ products in that market. “Luis is well-known and respected throughout the region,” says Stéphane Gressier, Chauvet’s international sales director. “As a result of his varied experience, he has a deep, personal understanding of how lighting fixtures are used in virtually every type of application, His knowledge and insights, as well as his passion for excellence, will be invaluable in enhancing our level of support and service to the customer.” Varona comes to Chauvet from PSAV, where he served as a regional senior project manager. Prior to that, he spent a decade at Baynon, Puerto Rico-based Musique Xpress, In
Switzerland - On 22 November 2019, the Maag Music Hall in Zurich hosted the final of Switzerland’s Next Top Model, broadcast live on the ProSieben TV channel. Estec Visions, a creative company specialising in the events field, took care of the set up by choosing Prolights Digistrip IP 100. Andi Gschwend, project manager for Estec Visions, comments: “Our motto is ‘Aesthetics Meets Tecnology’. We believe that every single work of art is the development of a precise vision. Our goal is to implement that vision and then make it possible. Prolights Digistrip IP 100 perfectly suited our needs because they’re a creative solution to satisfy today’s stage design high standards. The fixtures were controlled through Art-Net with Mad Mapper and the final result exceeded expectations. Thanks to Plusmusic, Prolights’ distributor for Switzerland, who provided con
USA - Peter L. Spadaro III was just about to take a break from a busy touring schedule when he got a call to light a show by the up and coming jam-funk band Goose. “As a fan, I like their music,” says Spadaro. “They also pull a lot of different influences into their sound, which opens up a lot of creative opportunities for you as a designer. They’re really a lighting designer’s dream.” At Manhattan’s Mercury Loungs, Spadaro had to overcome one significant obstacle: the small stage. He was able to meet this challenge with help from a floor package supplied by Andrew Goedde, the band’s regular designer, that featured eight Rogue RH1 Hybrid, six Rogue R1 Spot, and six Rogue R2 Wash fixtures, as well as two STRIKE 4 units. “I was glad to have these fixtures from, Andrew’s floor package,” says Spadaro. “This was my first time lighting these gu
USA - As one of the lighting designers at a dynamic and active house of worship, Nic Vazquez is accustomed to creating live production designs. It’s something he helps facilitate every week at Willow Crystal Lake. Recently, Vazquez had to dig deep into this well of experience, when he had to adopt a different mindset by lighting the church’s first all-acoustic service in its new building. “We’ve always done more anthemic style experiences, where I build visual momentum around the intensity of the music,” said Vazquez. “However, with the acoustic sets, I didn’t have the same musical builds. Instead I had to centre the design around long cue times, gradual colour shifts, and more subtle details to allow the lighting to accentuate the music.” Vasquez met this challenge with help from an extensive collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures. His rig for th
USA - Seth Jackson was called on by Premier Productions to design lighting for a special fall concert series that saw three of the most prolific bands in Christian music tour the US to packed houses. The special USA arena tour featured multi-platinum-selling artists Casting Crowns, Hillsong Worship, and Elevation Worship, three top acts that brought together their devoted fan bases all under the same roof for a night of music, worship and praise. Jackson designed an adaptable rig using 51 Elation Proteus Rayzor 760 and 20 Smarty Hybrid LED moving heads, along with 12 Elation Protron Eclypse multi-effect lights, and then turned it over to each group’s design team to put their own different touch on. Lighting supply was by Bandit Lites. The 17-date circuit kicked off 1 November in Memphis, Tenn., making stops in major cities across the country before culminating in H
UK - Technical event specialists LFPS has been helping bring a suitably seasonal look to the arcade situated on Piccadilly in Central London in celebration of its 200th Burlington Christmas. Working with creative design agency L’Atelier 5 and expert paper artist Andy Singleton, LFPS leant their extensive rigging and technical expertise to help bring the installation to life. Running the entire length of the grade II listed building, the design features a giant golden Christmas ribbon, pirouetting amongst snowflakes and fairylights above the splendiferous shopping arcade below. Colour coded to match the arcade’s architectural styling the golden hues and crisp, white snowflakes delivered a wonderfully festive look, floating effortlessly overhead. Speaking about the project, LFPS managing director Rob Myer says, “It’s always exciting to be a part of high-profile
USA - High End Systems SolaFrame fixtures made their US screen debut in the 20th Century Fox film, Ford v Ferrari. The film is released under different titles worldwide such as Le Mans ‘66 throughout Europe, and Contra lo impossible in Mexico and Argentina. Los Angeles-based Lux Lighting was the first to purchase 12 SolaFrame Theatre High-CRI units last year, and when the SolaFrame 3000 launched last summer, they quickly ordered a dozen of those as well. Both were deployed in the filming, which started in July 2018 in Los Angeles. Actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale play starring roles in the real-life 1966 battle between auto manufacturers Ford and Ferrari in building a superior car for the 24-hour Le Mans race in France. Although there were plenty of loud racetrack scenes, Lux Lighting owner/LD Mike Bauman - who served as gaffer in the f
Finland - The biggest New Year’s Eve party in Finland takes place in the country’s capital, Helsinki. It features an outdoor concert showcasing some of the nation’s top performers during the build-up to a firework spectacular at midnight. For the 2019 celebration, 70 ADJ fixtures formed a significant part of the concert lightshow that was not only witnessed in person by a large crowd but also by a million viewers on state television channel, YLE. Taking place in Helsinki’s Senate Square, and attracting a large crowd despite the harsh winter weather, the concert featured a largely female-driven line-up. The headline performer was popular Finnish singer-songwriter Vesala, who had released a new single and look just days before the event. Also performing was trend-setting pop singer, Vesta, who delivered a powerful performance as the climax to her break-through year on
USA - A large complement of Claypaky lighting fixtures hit the road with Mexican pop rock band Maná when the multi Grammy Award winners launched their North American Rayando el Sol Tour in September. The tour is named after the band’s first hit single. Maná was founded in Mexico in 1986 and has become one of the most successful rock bands in Latin music history. They have sold more than 40m albums worldwide and won four Grammys and eight Latin Grammys. The Rayando el Sol Tour kicked in Corpus Christi, Texas and wrapped in Los Angeles in December playing more than 30 dates. Their seven-show LA appearance at The Forum broke the six-night record of Kanye West and The Eagles. Menga Cruz, lighting designer and lighting and video programmer for Maná, chose 122 Claypaky Mythos2, 24 Sharpy Wash and 22 Scenius Unico fixtures for the show’s rig, which he obtained from 4Wa
USA - Ayrton Perseo-S compact multi-function luminaires, which have been developed for intensive outdoor use, made their US debut at the Public Works musical adaptation of Hercules in the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Tony Award-winning lighting designer, Tyler Micoleau, selected the new fixtures, with an IP65 enclosure rating, for the Labour Day weekend production, which traditionally wraps a summer of Shakespeare in the Park outdoor shows. Hercules is based on the Disney animated film and featured the entire score plus several new songs. The production was from The Public Theatre’s Public Works initiative, which invites communities across New York to create ambitious participatory theatre. More than 200 New Yorkers took part in the dynamic production. The show marked the first time that Tyler Micoleau has used Ayrton fixtures. Micoleau has worke
Germany - The Black Forest’s steep Ravenna Gorge hosts an annual Christmas Market. Lending a magical quality to this event, and contributing to its visual appeal, is the 40m high railway viaduct that runs directly over the site. With its massive arches towering above vendor booths selling Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte and other holiday treats, the viaduct has become a symbol of the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market. Accentuating the viaduct’s majestic architectural features and enhancing its transformative effect on the market this year was an outdoor lighting design by Bächle Event & Media that featured 30 Chauvet Professional COLORado 1 Quad IP65 rated fixtures. Positioned at the base of the viaduct’s arches, the RGBW fixtures were used to bathe the towering structure in an array of evocative colours. The colours that washed the viaduct were changed thro
France - After more than two years of renovations, the celebrated Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris has recently reopened its doors to the public. With the intention of restoring the venue to its original splendour, the project saw the inclusion of an array of products from ETC and High End Systems. Christophe Leuba - one of the venue’s two lighting managers who assist lighting director Renaud Corler - recognised the potential of ETC Eos consoles after attending an ETC training session. “I loved the event and as soon as I got back to the Châtelet I arranged an ‘Introduction to Eos’ session for our entire team,” says Leuba. Subsequently, two Eos Ti consoles were installed in the theatre’s control room - one of which is used in the audience during creation phase - and a more compact Ion Xe 20 was chosen for use elsewhere. Even though decision-making for
USA - When Sellersville Theatre 1894 north of Philadelphia sought to upgrade its aging lighting rig early in 2019, the venue contacted Artistic Concepts Group for a solution and ended up demoing a number of potential fixtures. “Michael Wysolmerski at Artistic Concepts was very patient and brought in dozens of lights to demo,” recounts the theatre’s technical director and production manager, Daniel Faga. “We both knew the Artiste DaVinci was the winner as soon as we saw them in the space.” Sellersville Theatre 1894 is an intimate and historic live performance venue located adjacent to the even more historic Washington House Restaurant & The 325-seat auditorium with cabaret seating is exceptionally busy, hosting hundreds of national and international acts every year. “Our diverse line-up of performances ranges from comedy to theatre to music of all
USA - To create immersive lighting displays that compliment the colours of the Zimmermann Spring 2020 clothing line, Enlumen recently deployed a Martin by Harman lighting solution at the New York Fashion Week Zimmermann Spring 2020 Fashion Show. Founded by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann in 1991, Zimmermann is an award-winning Australian fashion label with 27 stores located throughout Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. Zimmermann recently unveiled their spring 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week. In order to illicit a more emotional response from the audience, Zimmermann worked with renowned lighting specialists Enlumen to create an immersive lighting solution that accentuated the signature pastel colours of their new collection. To meet these goals, Enlumen designed and installed a Martin by Harman lighting solution featuring VDO Sceptron 10 linear LED vide
Mexico - Light artist and designer Christopher Bauder and composer / music producer Kanding Ray brought their epic immersive kinetic light / sonic art piece SKALAR to Mexico City for a five-week installation, which also featured seven live shows in Fronton Mexico, on the Plaza de la Republica, right in the heart of this massive megalopolis. Ninety Robe Pointe moving lights plus 65 x double-sided mirrors each with a perimeter ring of 180 addressable pixels and suspended on 195 x custom WHITEvoid motors were at the core of the work. SKALAR premiered at Kraftwerk in Berlin last year. The former turbine hall of the derelict old power station provided a dramatic, charismatic, industrial cathedral-like backdrop for this powerful piece. It was a huge success, and Christopher’s ambition was always to tour it to other cool places around the world. Fronton
UK - In November, lighting designer Hayden Borgars included the VL10 BeamWash from Vari-Lite in his design for the UK tour by California ‘rapcore’ band, Fever 333. Using the VL10 BeamWash for the first time, Borgars found its effects versatility, speed and power to be “a perfect fit” for his design. With the band’s famously unpredictable live performances, Borgars looked for versatile, fast fixtures that could offer endless effects variety, while responding quickly to sudden changes in the show’s flow. “Being able to adapt and move the fixtures was crucial to choosing the VL10s,” he says. “The zoom range was also great and, for this fast-paced show, very necessary - particularly how fast it can go from a 2.2° beam to a 48° wash.” Borgars was especially keen to explore the possibilities provided by Vari-Lite’s VL*FX Animation wheel. “This was t
USA - Tom Sutherland of DX7 Design, along with creative director Brian Burke, provided lighting and production design for country singer Keith Urban’s Summer Festival Tour, which has been running this past year. The lighting rig comprised mainly GLP’s popular X4 Bars and JDC1 hybrid strobes. As well as providing creative direction for Urban, Tom has already made a name for himself Stateside, winning the KOI Sword last year for his work on Pitbull’s Las Vegas residency and tour. The Keith Urban tour also had a Las Vegas segment thrown in, with a spot at the CMT Awards in Nashville and two valedictory nights at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace, also co-designed with Brian Burke, to round off the tour. With Hunter Selby assisting in the lighting design, the DX7 Design team commandeered 200 impression X4 Bars and 50 JDC1’s from PRG. DX7 Design already
UK - A.C. Special Projects (AC-SP) has provided a LED system to illuminate Weymouth’s 1.2km seaside promenade in a dynamic lighting scheme inspired by the local community. The Weymouth Promenade Artistic Lighting Scheme is part of a portfolio of connected projects which aim to improve physical, digital and emotional connections to the coast in Dorset, funded by the Coastal Communities Fund and coordinated by Dorset Coast Forum. Owing to its exposure to the outdoor elements and sea air, the scheme’s lighting system needed to conform to marine grade levels of durability in every area of its specification. LED specialists, AC-SP worked with Dorset Council and scheme lighting designer, Tonkin Liu to supply all equipment and assist with the system’s installation methodology and programming. AC-SP project manager, Chris Little worked with the company’s i
Australia - The Sydney Dance Company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a double bill featuring two starkly different performances illuminated by lighting designer Ben Cisterne with Martin Professional MAC Encore Wash WRM fixtures. Established in 1969, the Sydney Dance Company has a broad community beyond the practice and performance of its lead dancers who believe in the universality of dance, and with the largest public dance class programme in Australia, they help over 70,000 people a year connect with the grace, strength and creativity. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, the company performed a short run of special back-to-back performances from 1-9 November at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay. The first piece performed, 6 Breaths, was choreographed by the company’s artistic director Rafael Bonachela to an original score for piano and s
Belgium - Painting with Light (PWL) has created a 2km walk-through lighting and visual experience in the centre of Bruges to add atmosphere, luminosity and magic for the festive Wintergloed (Winter Glow) season. Commissioned by Bruges Plus, the organisation responsible for the town’s cultural events, PWL’s winning pitch was led by Peter van den Bosch (business unit manager for leisure & entertainment’) and lighting expert Iiris Rousku who designed the various lighting artworks with their team. It comprises a series of elegant, eye-catching, ephemeral and different lighting and projection-mapped installations, located in six different areas. Each installation was inspired by an aspect of the warmth and hospitality of the people of Bruges and its many visitors over the different generations. Different approaches were taken for each work - s
Sweden - ELC Lighting has announced that Stockholm Stadsteater (City Theatre will benefit from a new ELC Lighting network distribution system based around the dmXLAN Node8GBx range of DMX-to-network converters. The system, including 63 dmXLAN node3 units purchased from ELC Lighting distributor mLite AB via local dealer Intersonic, is being installed across multiple performance spaces as part of the Stadsteater’s technical renovation. Situated at the heart of the city in the bustling Kulturhuset cultural hub, the Stadsteater is one of Sweden’s most popular theatres, producing up to 40 productions each year on its various stages. Its new ELC dmXLAN system, which operates over Art-Net, sACN and Shownet as standard protocols and offers remote programming and monitoring via ELC’s dmXLAN software, is set to provide a new level of flexibility throughout the site.
USA - Tenth Avenue North, the multiple Dove Award-winning band recently wrapped their fan-favourite Decade The Halls tour this Christmas season, with special guests Plumb and Land of Color. , which explores the last 100 years of popular music with the costumes, set and lighting reflecting the styles of music Bandit Lites provided the lighting system for the show ranging from Christmas pageants to candlelight services. “The big directive for the tour design is it needed to contain looks that reminded audience of every decade of the music they’re hearing,” explains lighting designer Mike Marcario. “Combined with logistical directives to keep the system simple enough to be set, teched, ran and struck by a one-man lighting crew, while also living within a lower than usual weight restriction due to transportation, I believe we landed on a production design that accomplis
Czech Republic - Robe was a sponsor of the 2019 Signal Festival in Prague, the Czech Republic’s best-known multi-platform event celebrating the fusion of digital arts and technology. A series of provocative lighting and video installations turned a series of hand-picked sites, areas and buildings across the Czech Republic’s vibrant capital into temporary gallery spaces for four days, attracting a diverse and inquisitive audience eager to explore new experiences created with multiple lightsources - video mapping, large format laser projections, moving light performances, etc. This year the additional resonance of the date made it 30 years since the ‘Velvet Revolution’ which saw the peaceful transfer of power (in then Czechoslovakia) from a one-party communist system to a modern parliamentary democracy. To mark this, various festival works touched on the th
