USA - In a recent production of the Alan Menken-Jack Feldman Tony Award winning musical Newsies at Pittsburgh’s State Theatre, Amanda Frazier helped call forth the play’s historic context by accentuating its evocative scenic elements with a vivid lighting design that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Vincent Lighting. Working with Noland Jenkins, production manager of Vincent Lighting Systems, Frazier selected 15 Rogue R2 Washes for her rig. She used nine of the RGBW moving fixtures for top lighting, and six for side lighting. Drawing on the colour rendering capabilities of the Rogue units, she subtly shifted palettes throughout the play to reflect different scenes, all while underscoring the turn-of-the-century New York setting. “I assigned colours to absolute moods as themes,” says Frazier. “I went with lavenders and ambers for dream
South Africa - The Little Theatre, based at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, has upgraded to a grandMA3 light console as the theatre moves into its dance season, hosting various performances from ballet to contemporary. “Although our previous console served us well, it was over nine years old,” explains technical manager Leon Rossouw. “We were having issues with updating fixture libraries and the start-up time for the console was time-consuming. Software updates were no longer rolled out as the console had been discontinued a few years back already and some of the hardware was also giving me major hassles.” In 2010, the Little Theatre decided to focus on promoting theatres in schools and youth groups instead of being a money generating playhouse. While their main clientele consists of private dance studios, schools and drama groups they also host va
Spain - Electronics, lights and lots of dancing meet every year at Dreambeach in Villaricos where thousands of people gather for five days to enjoy one of the biggest musical shows in the country on the Main Stage and in the Dreams Tent. Lighting plays a leading role in electronic music events where the choice of fixtures is of paramount importance. For the last four years of Dreambeach, Eduardo Valverde from Pixelmap Studios has designed the scenarios with lighting supplied by the rental company Fluge. In his designs, the common factor is the construction of gigantic structures that create the illusion of being a temple of music. Among Valverde’s most recent credits are the stages of Love the Tuenti’s, Love the 90s, A Summer Story, HallowANTS and Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos festivals, among others. "In the case of the Dreams Tent at Dreambeach, the main c
USA - During a 20-plus-year career, Gary Allan has sold over 8m albums. With a fan base that stretches around the world, the California-native is often out on the road showcasing his vocals in a raucous live performance. Readying now for the 2019 tour across North America, production designer Ben Shockley once again worked with the Nashville-based production provider Elite Multimedia Productions to supply a versatile and memorable LED video and lighting design. “As an artist, Gary typically tours all year long without a set schedule,” opens Shockley. “I have been with him for a little over two years now, and each year we try to bring something new. Since we will be playing a lot of the same venues each year, we have to have a fresh look to give the fans a slightly different experience each time.” Getting started on the new production design, Shockley understood
Mexico - Doble B is the latest nightspot in the Mexican tourist centre of Cancun. Open for lunch and then dinner as a sleek restaurant, after hours the venue transforms into a nightclub with help from more than 40 of ADJ’s professional LED-powered lighting fixtures. Attracting an up-market clientele looking for a sophisticated evening of dining, drinking and dancing, Doble B is the latest new venue to enhance Cancun’s vibrant nightlife scene. With an elegant interior design anchored by four custom-built chandeliers each featuring a myriad of tungsten-effect pixel-mapped lamps, the space features a large bar on one side and glass doors opening onto a terrace on the other. The well-established entertainment audio and lighting equipment installer Adimsa, headed up by director general Edson Rivera, was contracted to specify and install a versatile lighting system for t
Italy - Claypaky has announced the appointment of Marcus Graser as the new CEO of the company. He replaces former CEO Pio Nahum, who is retiring on 1 October after 30 years in the lighting industry, the last 10 spent at the Italian lighting manufacturer. Graser, 42, is an experienced Osram executive who has spent the past 15 years in a variety of roles at the organisation, most recently as head of business development and innovation for entertainment. When Osram acquired Claypaky, Graser led the Osram side of the integration. He has been Nahum’s designated successor, working closely with the former CEO since the start of 2019. "I am proud of having become the new CEO of Claypaky and to oversee the exciting progress we anticipate in the years to come,” comments Graser. “I feel however that this is the right time to express on behalf of an entire Claypaky community
UK - The 2019 PLASA Show was “the busiest in years” thanks to a six per cent increase in attendance, PLASA has reported. The event’s global status was also strengthened, with delegates from over 63 countries flocking to the London-based tradeshow. This was the last edition of the event that was held at Olympia’s National Hall, with the 2020 PLASA Show set to move to London Olympia’s Grand Hall to accommodate a greater number of stands and show features. “PLASA Show has clearly been improving year on year with 2019 being the best one yet,” comments Johan Gunsing, international sales manager for Adam Hall Group. “We have started to see a wider geographic audience attend the show which brings with it new opportunities, new business and increased brand awareness.” “Once again PLASA did not disappoint,” comments Gareth Collyer, Nexo’s UK sales m
UK - Ayrton launched two new products and previewed another at a very successful PLASA 2019 along with its exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions. Perseo-S and Huracan-X were the two to receive their official launch and visitors were treated to a first look at Karif-LT, due for release at LDI in November. Shipping with immediate effect, Perseo-S is a multi-function IP65-rated fixture. Weighing in at just over 38kg and designed for the broadest range of applications, Perseo-S is also ideal for both indoor and outdoor use thanks to its compact size, output and ease of service. Feature rich from the factory (including 100% framing shutters, a wealth of effects and gobo options, a subtractive CMY colour mixing system and further colour options for an infinite palette of vivid pastels and saturated colours), Perseo-S produces 27,000lm (calibrated at 8000K) from its 500W
France - Lighting solutions manufacturer GLP has appointed Bruno P. Souchaud to head up its newly-formed subsidiary, GLP France. Souchaud has nearly three decades’ experience in international show lighting, including three years with the French GLP distributor, LA BS. GLP board member Kasper Gissel comments: “We are fortunate to have the services of such a lighting industry veteran as Bruno. The move will bring us closer to our customers and key LD’s. GLP has been specified by French LDs for many years, and previously we have done business directly with the major rental houses in France. So the timing is perfect for GLP to put a more solid structure in place and to further increase our presence in the market.” Bruno says he is relishing the new challenge. “When Udo [Kuenzler], Kasper and the GLP team set out to emulate the formula that had worked so wel
Germany - Colour Sound Experiment returned to the Olympiastadion in Berlin for the 2019 Lollapalooza festival where they were the lighting and LED screen supplier - plus all related sub-rigging - for the Perry’s (Dance) Stage. The West London-based technical specialist has been involved with the two-day event since 2015 when the Berlin edition of the popular music extravaganza started. It was the second year for Lolla Berlin at the Olympiapark site, and once again Perry’s Stage was inside the Stadium arena itself, where the line-up was headlined by Underworld on Saturday and Martin Garrix on Sundaysupported by Don Diablo, Scooter, TV Noise and others. Ricardo Lorenzini (crew chief) and Dave Ross led the Colour Sound crew, who sub hung three LX trusses from the roof plus four vertical tower trusses per side in the mid-stage area. Another lighting truss was rig
South Africa - Having congregated in the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, and filling the venue to its maximum capacity, the CRC Church started a 10-month project to build a new 6,000-seater church in Fourways. DWR Distribution supplied and installed lighting, audio and AV equipment for the church which opened earlier this year, ranging from a grandMA3 compact console, 64 Robe lighting fixtures, an Absen DWP3.9mm screen, Prolyte trussing, L-Acoustics Kara System and a DiGiCo SD12. The CRC Church led by Pastor At Boshoff, already has two branches in Bloemfontein, a massive auditorium in Pretoria and 90 satellite meeting points where services are broadcast each week. “Pastor At is a focused man,” says Robert Izzett of DWR, who headed the install. “He is very straight, honest and doesn’t mince his words.” While the CRC buildings are similar to each othe
USA - On 25 May, country music star Eric Church played a special show at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The show was extraordinary in that it marked the first stadium headlining performance in Church's 15-year career and with 56,521 fans in attendance impressively broke Taylor Swift’s previous venue record. The show was special for another reason as well. The last date of an extended spring run on the artist’s Double Down tour, lighting and production designer Butch Allen specified 135 Elation Professional IP65 Proteus Hybrids to fill the stadium in beams and effects. The multi-functional weatherproof lights were an addition to a large lighting package that also included some 420 Elation ACL 360i single beam moving heads. “We chose the fixture as it was the last show of the spring leg, outdoors and a completely different show than we normally do,” says Allen of
Sweden - Elite Park Avenue hotel is one of Gothenburg’s premier establishments, and also hosts the At PARK restaurant, run by Michelin-starred chef, Stefan Karlsson. Specialist Uppsala-based AV, lighting and multimedia systems integrator, Kreativ Teknik, was commissioned to develop a complete solution including audio and lighting automation for the restaurant and bar, and they opted for Genelec installation loudspeakers. Kreativ Teknik’s Daniel Landmark comments: “Our first priority was sound quality. We needed to achieve smooth, even coverage and a balanced soundscape at low volumes that is pleasant to listen to without being aggressive or intrusive. However, the system is running almost 24 hours a day and, during the weekend, also needs to be able to run comfortably at high SPLs for several hours when the DJ is in residence. We required a high-quality system with bot
UAE - SLS has recently made a substantial investment in Robe lighting fixtures. This included an initial purchase of 50 MegaPointes last year followed by 86 Spiider LED wash beams earlier this year, then 24 Pointes and a pair of DL4S Profiles. Martin Luiz founded SLS 22 years ago in Dubai to provide full technical production management and design services - combined or individually as required - to a range of different events. He has built his business steadily based on being imaginative and delivering high quality results with outstanding technical expertise. SLS provides equipment for all major disciplines - lighting, sound, video rigging and staging - and there are currently around 130 full-time employees, all dedicated to working, mainly on a mix of corporate and industrial shows across the UAE and in neighbouring GCC countries like KSA, Oman, Kuwait and others.
Europe - Belgian-based visual design studio Painting with Light (PWL) celebrates 20 years of utilising multiple media and luminescent sources - including lighting, video, lasers, projection - and content to create inspiring designs and dramatic immersive environments. The journey has seen it grow from an ambitious dream to a leading international technical innovator and solutions provider. The company was founded by Luc Peumans in 1999. His vision, imagination, focus and sense of adventure have driven PWL to become the imagineering powerhouse it is today, working across multiple entertainment and leisure industry platforms with a skilled team of dynamic multi and mixed media experts. PWL’s core business started with designing lighting, video and scenic elements for music tours and festivals, television productions, a diversity of live events and theatre product
UK - Norfolk-based LED lighting and control specialist TLS Pixelite has rebranded to TLS Lighting. The company was founded by Alan Reeves in 2007 and offers control systems for LED lighting as well as bespoke lighting solutions manufacturing and design services. Reeves reveals that he initiated the re-brand for the purpose of consolidation and simplification, “to create a stronger brand for our customers to identify with, drawing upon the solidity upon which TLS was built”. The TLS Lighting website now boasts a new portal (www.tlslighting.co.uk) from which visitors are invited to view the company’s projects, its premium lighting and control system products, and learn more about lighting control in its technical knowledge section. “Taking the time to clarify what TLS Lighting stands for and what it represents to its customers is a very important step
UK/Germany - Following on from a successful PLASA Show, Artistic Licence has confirmed Frankfurt-based AES Technik as a value-added reseller for its products in Germany. As technical services provider and project integrator working with many leading brands, AES is known for its high level solutions across a broad sector including conferences, trade fairs, award presentations and concerts. Artistic Licence CEO Wayne Howell comments: "As a UK-based manufacturer facing Brexit uncertainties, it's very important for us to maintain a strong international profile and ensure a business-as-usual approach. We have some incredible new products - our trailing edge mains dimmer, sunDial, won the Gold Innovation Award at the show last week - and I think many people will be surprised at just how keen our pricing is these days. “Growing our European distributor base is an obvi
Europe - The 2020 Hog Factor Europe competition is now open, High End Systems has announced. The company is inviting applications from students, apprentices and other aspiring lighting professionals under the age of 25 from across Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Africa and the Middle East. Individuals or teams of two people are asked to submit a performance lighting piece programmed on a Hog or on Hog 4 PC, which can be downloaded for free with a special demo version of Capture visualisation. The deadline for submissions is 15 January 2020. The top three entries will be selected and the contestants asked to programme another performance lighting piece based on High End Systems’ 2020 Prolight+Sound stand design. These finalists will be invited to the event in Frankfurt, Germany (31 March – 3 April) to demonstrate their programming skills live
Europe - Harman Professional Solutions has announced that Hamid Soufian has been appointed vice-president and general manager of EMEA. Soufian brings more than 18 years of experience in the Harman organisation to his new role. “We are pleased to welcome Hamid Soufian to this key leadership role as we continue to improve and strengthen the Harman brand worldwide,” comments Mohit Parasher, president & EVP, Harman Professional Solutions. “We are excited to have someone with Hamid’s expertise to help us grow and bolster our relationships with our valued partners in the EMEA region.” Prior to his new appointment, Soufian was the VP and GM responsible for multiple European automotive customer accounts forging new relationships and enhancing existing partnerships with the OEMs. “I’m extremely honoured by this appointment and will be working dili
USA - TMB will introduce the first offerings in its new FloppyTape range during Lightshow West, taking place on 25-26 September at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Suitable for applications from bespoke retail lighting to the most punishing rock and roll tours, FloppyTape is offered in premium and standard versions. Both versions are also available sealed with a highly protective, ultra-clear, UV-resistant, fully submersible, flexible coating. In support of the range, a comprehensive selection of standard and custom profiles and diffusion accessories are offered. Currently, FloppyTapes are available in Dynamic White, RGBW, RGB, and RGBA, with many more options coming soon. Also, as a very significant bonus - FloppyTapes are backed by TMB’s world famous service and support. At the tradeshow, TMB will display a wide and varied selection of proprietary architec
Germany - ARRI has introduced Orbiter, a new LED luminaire that is “poised to change the way the industry looks at digital lighting”. A bright, tunable, and directional LED fixture, Orbiter is billed as “the most technologically advanced luminaire ever produced for image capture and colour fidelity”. Orbiter’s six-colour light engine promises to deliver a wide colour gamut across all colour temperatures along with smooth dimming from 100 to 0%. With its changeable optics, Orbiter can transform into many different types of lampheads including projection (profile), open face, and soft light. Additional features, such as a fast processor, ample memory, expanded connectivity, a built-in array of sensors, and weatherproof housing, make Orbiter a formidable machine. Orbiter’s state-of-the-art technology and versatile design makes it an optimal lamphead for today and f
UK An accepted technical challenge of London’s outdoor theatre season are the major productions at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which run right through the summer. Working within the existing stage infrastructure, theatre lighting specialist Jon Clark helped interpret director Jamie Lloyd’s stripped back production of Evita, juxtaposing GLP’s new LED moving lights with traditional par cans. GLP’s impression X4 Bar 20 battens have been put to many creative uses since their launch and Clark managed to extend the envelope further, assigning different roles to the 24 fixtures supplied from White Light’s inventory. He also road tested GLP’s new Fusion Stick 10 while giant impression X4 XL RGBW heads took the place of follow spots in what was generally a very monochromatic design, punctuated by cold ice blues to mimic the Argentinian flag. Tim
USA - Towson University in Maryland has created an inclusive learning environment situated near the area’s prominent educational, community and cultural resources. From theatre to dance and music, the university’s performing arts programmes produce over 200 student and professional performances each year. Needing performance venues which can keep up with the busy production schedule, they called up Pennsylvania-based Illuminated Integration to renovate the 500-seat Howard J. Kaplan Concert Hall with a new lighting system including Chalice 70W recessed downlights from Altman Lighting. “We were initially brought onto the project as the antiquated lighting system in the concert hall had failed from a controls perspective, and they had decided to convert the entire space to LED as well,” begins Mike Birardi, lead design creative, Illuminated Integration. “The tar
Canada - RPM Lights is a long-time supporter of AC Lighting. Backed by a partnership between the executives of both companies, RPM Lights owners Jimmy Pappas and Glen Murphy, developed and built their vision for LED lighting in the Canadian marketplace eight years ago. With multiple decades of lighting and rigging industry experience between them, Pappas and Murphy built a reputation for their ability to adapt and utilise technology to achieve outstanding results in the markets and industries their company serves. RPM Lights is a Toronto based rental and sales supplier offering an array of LED lighting products to tradeshows, film, TV and live entertainment industries. Working with well-known trade shows such as the Canadian Auto Show, as well as on popular TV shows and films including Designated Survivor and Big Brother, RPM Lights recently adopted the new Pr
