UK - Jands Vista's flexible hardware and time-saving user interface provided the right tool to control a cutting-edge lighting design for Bury Court Opera's modern production of Handel's Giulio Cesare.
Loosely based on historic events during the Roman Civil War, Giulio Cesare - translated as Julius Caesar in Egypt - tells the story of feuding family dynasties, revenge, and obsessive lusts of the most powerful figures of the ancient world.
With Bury Court Opera's focus on using a young cast and production team to provide a fresh take on classic operas, the lighting was key to achieving their artistic vision.
To deliver the show's innovative lighting design by Prema Mehta, lighting programmer Robert Price specified the Jands Vista control solution.
He comments: "I use Vista as I love being able to tailor its software and hardware for an

South Africa - The new Steyn City School opened its doors in January 2018. DWR Distribution installed curtains and curtain tracks as well as a lighting, audio and AV in the auditorium which will be used by the Dramatic Arts and Music departments as well as for everyday use like assemblies.
Steyn City School is situated just outside the Steyn City Parkland Residence. Interestingly, what is now a residential estate was once abandoned land which included an old mine quarry.
A tender process saw DWR Distribution sub-contracted to supply the audio visual and lighting in the auditorium. Later, DWR were also awarded another tender, this time for the full curtaining system.
“We were one of the last subcontractors appointed and it was a very tight schedule,” comments Kevin Stannett from DWR. “Working on a brand-new school from scratch and being involved with the co

USA - There’s nothing funny about the comedy business: when everything is riding on the setup and the punch line, the sound has to be absolutely perfect. That’s why the top-earning comics on tour today - names like Amy Schumer and Kevin Hart - have looked to Frederick, Maryland based Showtime Sound LLC and its CEO Scott Tydings to make sure that their audiences “get it”.
That pursuit of clarity, intelligibility, and coverage is exactly why the DC area’s first Certified Provider for rental (CPr) has been steadily acquiring an ever-growing inventory of L-Acoustics sound components for both touring comedians and other productions.
With its already large inventory, Showtime Sound has just added an additional 40 K2, 36 Kara, 20 X8 and 12 LA-RAK II, each housing three LA12X amplified controllers. Showtime Sound has also now sold off all of its previous loudspeaker

UK - Jason Bruges Studio was commissioned to create a series of installations for the closing celebrations for Hull; the 2017 UK City of Culture. The project ran for over two months from December to January and featured multiple SGM products.
“When Jason Bruges Studio approached me to design the lighting for this city wide installation that was to be outdoors during the winter months, I knew we needed SGM onboard,” comments Carlos Valente, the lighting designer behind the installation Where Do We Go from Here? “Asides from the obvious low-power, IP rating, and bright factors, we also found the fixtures provided great lighting for camera with features to calibrate the LEDs Refresh rate.”
The site-specific installation used a specially choreographed interplay of light, shadow, and sound to guide people through three areas around Hull’s Old Town.

Sweden - Rental and production company Tylösand Sound has recently invested in Robe’s new MegaPointe.
The company, based in Halmstad and run by Paul Aladin, specialises in the supply of lighting, audio and video design services and equipment for shows, installations and corporate events. They deliver production for a lot of events at the nearby Tylösand Hotel, owned by pop superstar Per Gessle of Roxette which is located on the beach, with a large, busy and vibrant conference and event facility.
The company has also built up a reputation for working with a collection of inventive digital artists on their installations and shows, bringing a different and more inventive edge to the array of standard lighting projects.
Paul started Tylösand Sound in 1996, and before then, like many in the Swedish entertainment technology industry, he worked hard as a DJ, and t

Australia - Located in Sydney, New South Wales and originally established in 1885, Abbotsleigh is an independent boarding school. The school has been working behind the scenes on an upgrade to its concert and assembly hall lighting systems. Led by the systems integration team at Barbizon Australia, the renovation project most recently undertook the upgrading of the house lighting systems in the concert hall using Chalice LED 150W downlights from Altman Lighting.
“We first came to this project while conducting a review of all the lighting fixtures and systems for the various venues within the school, and then preparing a schedule for renovations over a two to three-year period,” comments Paul Lewis, systems sales director for Barbizon Australia. “The overall scope involved upgrading the fixtures to LED and updating the associated control systems as well.
“Stag

UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has released a guide to the proposed EU 2020 lighting regulations as part of its Save Stage Lighting campaign that aims to secure an exemption for stage lighting from the proposals.
The Proposed 2020 EU Lighting Regulations - A Primer collects relevant information about the existing regulations (EU1194/2012), the regulations proposed for September 2020 as part of the EU’s Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019, and the key differences between them.
The guide highlights how the proposed regulations will not only affect tungsten lighting, but all specialist lighting fixtures used for show lighting, including arc and LED. The document also exposes that manufacturers would stru

Mongolia - ProLights LED fixtures are helping Mongol TV meet the balance between creative and financial needs for their production of talent TV show, The Voice of Mongolia.
Officially syndicated in 62 countries and with a global audience of 650m viewers, The Voice is Mongol TV's follow-up to their successful production of the Got Talent franchise for the past two years.
Mongol TV CEO Nomin Chinbat chose to bring these two talent show franchises to Mongolia as part of a long-term goal to deliver local content which meets international TV standards.
Set inside a Soviet-influenced indoor circus venue, UK lighting designer and consultant Tom Kinane, who had worked on Mongolia's Got Talent, was brought in to oversee the lighting production.
He comments: "Given Mongol TV's long-term goal to focus on producing popular international show

Painting with Light has produced a vibrant, inventive visual solution for Zoo of Life, a production directed by Luc Stevens to celebrate 175 years of Antwerp Zoo, being staged at the new Queen Elizabeth Hall venue in Antwerp.
The team from the Genk based creative practice was led by Luc Peumans. Painting with Light’s project manager, Wouter Verhulst comments: “Normally you might have two weeks to build a production on this scale and ambition, but we had just three days and nights.”
With this time restriction in mind, the set is composed largely of digital scenic elements and was designed in conjunction with Carla Janssen Hofelt.
The Painting with Light brief also included editing special video material shot by Mathieu Marck of Arendsoog (Eagle Eye) from around the Zoo, and combining this with new graphical content produced by Painting with Light’s Sina S

USA - Presented annually by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary during a two-day live event that draws in students and youth leaders from across Tennessee.
Wanting a production design to match the occasion, event organisers worked with Atlanta-based Stacked Heart Productions who brought in designer Justin Kitchenman, Align Design Group, programmer Gavin Lake, and production partner Elite Multimedia who provided an expansive audio, lighting, LED video and live IMAG video design.
Kent Shingleton, YEC executive producer, comments: “Throughout our history, we have produced the event in six different venues and each year we try to bring something new. I have been wanting to implement LED video into our design for a few years now, and when I spoke with Elite Multimedia they put together a grea

USA - More than 3,000 Future Farmers of America (FFA) members gathered at the 90th Annual Tennessee FFA State Convention to compete and receive recognition for their work throughout the year.
Bandit Lites supplied the lighting for the event, including the stage that presented scholarship awards for accomplished FFA members.
“Turning a convention centre ballroom into a theatre is always a challenge,” comments Bandit Lites general manager Giff Swart, “but Bandit has a talented group of folks who can work magic in any situation when given the right tools. John Lucksinger was our LD, and he was the right man to make magic with this rig. Wayne Lotoza was our crew, and he is unmatched when you want something to get done right and in record time.”
Bandit Lites provided 110 minibeam downstage loaded with Bandit’s GRNLite Moving Washes for stage front-light alon

USA - Unlike all but a handful of other venues in Manhattan’s famed theatre district, the Broadway Theatre is actually located on Broadway. However, this is far from the only thing that stands out about this 1,760-seat theatre.
Throughout its 94-year history, it has housed trailblazing productions, including the 1943 premiere of Oscar Hammerstein’s Carmen Jones, one of the first musicals to feature an all African-American cast. Years earlier, before it was dedicated exclusively to theatre, it was the site of the first showing of Walt Disney’s cartoon film Steamboat Willie, which introduced the world to Mickey Mouse.
The theatre’s distinctive tradition continued recently, when it hosted a six-week run of Rocktopia, a concert that explores new artistic dimensions by weaving rock and classical music together and wrapping them around a free-flo

Germany - Robe has reported “a busy and successful” Prolight+Sound 2018. The Czech manufacturer’s live show concept taken to new levels with Cirque Robe, a six-minute performance spectacle and circus style presentation with a cast of 11 designed to highlight the company’s latest lighting technologies.
Another highlight was Robe’s new MegaPointe multi-purpose moving light winning a 2018 PIPA (Prolight + Sound International Press Award) for Best Light, a decision reached by a jury of international trade journalists who meet annually in Frankfurt.
The MegaPointe was one of the primary fixtures featured in the stand show, where Robe continued to raise the bar in presenting live exhibition entertainment, with an ever-rising element of expectation accompanying each one.
CEO Josef Valchar comments: “Our goal was to showcase the products in an entertai

UK - The EU’s proposed Eco-Design Working Plan 2016-2019 will require all stage lighting to meet efficiency targets in line with domestic and office lighting, from the very latest LED lighting fixtures to specialist tungsten bulbs which make up the majority of theatre lighting rigs. At present, there are three sets of lighting regulations for lighting products, but the proposed changes would streamline them into one regulation with no exceptions, taking effect from 2020.

PLASA placed a response with the EU Commission on 26 January; the deadline for response has now been extended to 7 May. “We urge key manufacturers in the industry to join forces with us to present a strong argument against the new proposals. This campaign is too large for one company or association to tackle alone, and time is running out,” the associa

Germany - inoage has returned to Prolight + Sound with the successful range of MADRIX hardware and software products for powerful yet simple LED control.
ORION is the next MADRIX hardware interface made in Germany. As a general-purpose input device, it enables interactive projects with ease.
Eight versatile inputs receive any 0V - 12V analogue input signal in order to connect to a wide range of compatible sensors, potentiometers, switches, and triggers. Sensors for light, temperature, passive infrared, and more can easily be integrated into your next interactive project just like the many well-known systems for building and home automation.
Each input can be separately set as Analogue-IN, Digital-IN, Counter, and other useful functions in the web configuration page. Data is then send over network with Art-Net or Streaming ACN (E1.31). The device also features tw

South Africa - For the second consecutive year, Robe Lighting and DWR Distribution sponsored a team in The Absa Cape Epic, an extreme mountain bike race hosted from 18 to 25 March 2018. Congratulations to South Africans Pierre Griffioen and Robert Izzett of Team MegaPointe.
“Robe is keen to support local, regional and global sporting activities, with mountain biking among our favourites, so we really appreciate this great opportunity in South Africa,” says Josef Valchar, CEO at Robe. “We admire and appreciate the intense efforts, thorough preparation and sheer tenacity and stamina of riders involved in all categories of this invigorating sport. Particularly in meeting the challenges of the Cape Epic the toughest mountain bike competition in the world.”
Covering 658km, to say this eight-day challenge is tough is an underestimate. This year a stomach bug hit man

USA - At the USITT Stage Expo in Ft Lauderdale, ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a cheque for $11,509.55, representing the most recent proceeds from the company’s iRFR and aRFR focus remote applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have generated an unbelievable $334,335 in donations. This generosity has kept families from becoming homeless, kept the heat on in winter, and made sure those who are ill can continue to receive medical treatment. Its effects are incalculable.
The iRFR and aRFR mobile apps enable convenient, touchscreen-based remote control for Eos family consoles and controllers. You can learn more about the apps from the ETC website and download them from the iTunes or Google Play stores.
Nick Gonsman, ETC field project coordinator, presented the check, saying, “Behind the Scenes is a crucial organisation that s

USA - Events United helped Fortune 1000 company Connection create a memorable setting for its annual kick-off meeting in Manchester NH, despite the limited space and unusual room dimensions at the site where the event was held.
The meeting, which was live streamed to Connection offices throughout the US, took place in the Armory, a venue in the Radisson Hotel near the corporation’s headquarters. Although the room presents some striking images with its steel beams and sloping ceilings, it also poses serious design obstacles for anyone hoping to create a professional lighting, video and audio presentation within its confines. Events United met these challenges to create a stunning panorama at the kick-off event with a clever design plan and help from over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures.
“Our client gave us a few initial concept ideas that included projection and

UK - Due to open in January 2019, Illuminate will be a dedicated, purpose-built conference and events venue spread across the top two floors of the Science Museum. It will offer flexible contemporary spaces with state-of-the-art production. White Light has been appointed as Illuminate’s production partner, meaning the company will be tasked with designing, integrating and operating a world-class technical installation within the various spaces.
Ben Lheureux, head of catering and events at the Science Museum Group, states: “We spent a great deal of time developing the identity of our new dedicated events space to ensure we created something that is not only synonymous with the Science Museum Group and our brand values, but that resonates with the forward-thinking events industry. It was therefore essential that we chose trusted partners to help enhance our clients’ expe

USA - Empire of the Sun’s 23 March performance at Ultra Music Festival offered all the visual magic that fans crave from this Australian electronic music duo. But for Davey Taylor, the band’s long-time lighting designer, their appearance on the popular Live Stage represented something of a challenge, since the festival rig did not have his customary complement of colour mixing fixtures.
Taylor was able to meet this challenge, however, with help from his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium. Drawing on his console’s networking features, cue stacking and visualiser, he created a stunning and immersive 32-universe 162-fixture lightshow that enhanced the visually rich Empires of the Sun experience.
“Ultra Miami was a little different from the other shows that we have been doing for Ultra lately,” said Taylor. “The festival rig on our stage had a large percentage of bea

USA - Being located in the heart of Nashville, it’s only natural that The Belonging Church would count quite a few musicians as congregation members. On any given Sunday, the music that resonates through this former-warehouse-turned-house-of-worship rivals an arena concert. The lightshows that accompany these performances are equally impressive.
Andy Rushing, the lighting designer for Grammy Award-winning worship music stars Lauren Daigle and Kari Jobe, is also a member of The Belonging. Rushing’s artistry was on full display recently, as he created a dazzling lightshow anchored by Chauvet Professional fixtures at a special fourth birthday party held for the church at the Tennessee Centre For The Performing Arts.
Marking the fourth anniversary of The Belonging, the two-hour event combined worship services with a commemoration of the church’s accomplishments and a

Germany - The new VL800 BeamLine from Philips Entertainment Lighting is an LED effects luminaire offering dynamic looks which will appeal to lighting designers working in show environments of all kinds, says the company. The first LED effects unit from the Philips Vari-Lite brand, it produces a distinctive, collimated, flat sheet of light in a 3.5° beam with advanced movement, colour control and pixel-mapping capabilities.
A linear strip moving light with 12 RGBW LED emitters, the VL800 BeamLine features a newly-developed optical system which provides a bright, collimated and elongated beam of light, adding extra depth and dimension to lighting designs. Adding further to the dynamic effects possibilities is the option for pixel-mapping control across three zones or, in full pixel mode, across each of its 12 LED emitters individually, allowing for the integration of video in

UK - British metalcore band Architects recently played their biggest show to date at London's 10,400 capacity Alexandra Palace as part of their current European and North American tour. Long-term lighting and show designer, Paul McAdams, designed the production's high-energy 'lunar' lighting and set, selecting the Claypaky Mythos and Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K10 fixtures as key tools in his lighting arsenal.
McAdams has worked alongside the band for four years and for the current tour design drew inspiration from the band's latest album. All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is the seventh studio album from Architects and features ethereal, burnt-out lunar imagery that McAdams brought to the stage through a series of clever light landscapes.
"The band are really involved in the show design and we have a great relationship where we're able to discuss ideas openly," says Mc

Germany - GLP has earmarked Prolight+Sound for the first official showing of its impression S350. Offering a feature set in the mid-range class, visitors will have the opportunity to see it in action at the GLP booth.
The S350’s white light LED-engine with full spectrum creates saturated and pastel colours as well as lively colours and skin tones with optimized colour rendering (CRI of 96), With this core, the impression S350 is delivering bright clarity in the projected beam with less than a 15% drop in output within the zoom range.
The other outstanding feature is the four-blade framing. Each blade of the framing system can be adjusted in angle by ±30° and in position from 0-100% for pointed triangles and complete blackouts. There are no limits in Gobo or Animation wheel framing with real linear framing image. The whole framing unit can be rotated by ±45 degrees

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