Germany - Since 1997, Berlin's Stars in Concert at the Estrel Hotel and Convention Centre has brought a wide range of musical theatre acts to over four million spectators, making it one of the most successful live shows in Germany’s history. To provide a permanent wash lighting solution to the long-running series, which features shows such as the Beatles’ All you need is Love and Elvis Das Musical, the Estrel Festival Centre recently added 18 Rogue R2 Wash and 10 COLORado 1 Quad Zoom fixtures from Chauvet Professional, supplied by Fischer. Both the Rogue and COLORado fixtures were positioned on trussing above and to the sides of the stage to add a full spectrum of wash lighting to complement the existing rig. While the Rogue fixtures provide powerful and dynamic wash lighting across the vast 15m- wide elevated stage area, the COLORado fixtures provid
UK - Stage Electrics has supplied over 120 new lights to Liverpool’s Royal Court. The range of lights supplied included a selection of, ETC Lustr Mk2 Spots and Fresnels, ETC ColorSource PAR Deep Blue, ETC Smart Rack power controls, an Interspace Cue Light system, Chauvet Ovation battens as well as Smoke and Haze machines, Green Go comms and GDS Blues system. After this update to their performance lighting rig the Royal Court Liverpool calculated its production lighting energy saving to be in the region of 70%; this is a shining example of the benefits that can come from LED lighting. The entire order was delivered to fit in around the venue’s current re-fit and busy production schedule. The delivery was met on site by the venue crew who set about unpacking and rigging it immediately for their in-house show ‘The Royal’. Rob Beamer of Stage Electr
USA - This summer, the centennial celebration of Cleveland Metroparks featured fireworks, events, and activities honouring the past and celebrating the future of Cleveland’s green urban landscapes. On a July evening, city dignitaries hosted a gala event which included dazzling outdoor lighting, supplied by ILC, and controlled by W-DMX wireless devices. “We utilized our new W-DMX G5 units to drive data for Elation Q5 Volt fixtures,” explains Renee Herbert, business development executive at ILC. “The event took place in the Brookside Reservation and was host to over 500 dignitaries and supporters of the Cleveland Metroparks. Around the event’s entrance area, we utilized 50 fixtures to light trees and foliage in Cleveland Metroparks’ green and gold colors. “The W-DMX units transmitted reliable data over 500 feet and ran consistently for several hours. This p
USA - Paul McCartney’s long-running One on One World Tour has added 21 dates in the US this summer and fall. Claypaky fixtures help showcase the evolution of his music from the 1960s to today. The US leg of the ongoing tour kicked off in Miami in July and will conclude in Detroit in October. Lighting designer LeRoy Bennett is tasked with highlighting “a vast array of musical styles over the decades” during the course of the three-hour show. High-tech AV solutions, including layers of transparent video, LEDs and lasers, form a backdrop for the history of the former Beatle’s music but remain unobrustive to fans. “While we use many aspects of technology you never see them all at once, and they are never overpowering,” notes lighting director Wally Lees. Upstaging provided the tour with 12 Claypaky Scenius Profiles, 12 Scenius Unicos and 96 Sharpys. The
USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Laura McElmurray to its global headquarters. McElmurray will be taking on the role of accounts payable manager. McElmurray received degrees in both accounting and business administration and joins Bandit following working several years in other industries as an accountant. Shay Simpson, Bandit’s controller, comments: “Laura has been such a valuable addition to the accounting team. She not only brings with her 10-plus years of experience in Accounts Payable and general accounting, but a level of detail that is imperative in her role. I look forward to seeing her expand her accounting knowledge with her career at Bandit Lites.” (Jim Evans)
Denmark - Working with the Danish award-winning band Carpark North since 2014, renowned lighting designer Johnny Thinggaard Lydiksen raised the bar on this year’s festival tour, creating a 16m wide LED screen as fuse to mind blowing visuals. The 5,8m long LB-100 LED ball strings complimented the 5 4,5x2m video screens, while creating a flexible stage screen suitable for for different stage sizes on tour. Combining Denmark’s top band within electro rock with one of the most influential lighting designers in the country was a perfect match for spoiling festival audiences with a creative and first-class show. Recently, at Denmark’s second biggest festival Smukfest 2017, Johnny and Carpark North performed in front of 25,000 music fans. “I wanted to create a large background behind our video system, adding an extra dimension. At first, I worked with traditional vide
UK - The CPS Group, based on the south coast, has long had a close relationship with leisure and event venue operator BH Live. Since 1994, CPS has secured a reputation for providing high-end technical services and installations of performance lighting, pro-audio, and AV technology to the entertainment and leisure industries across the south and the UK. So, it came as no surprise that BH Live’s technical stage manager, Simon Bagnall contacted Simon White at CPS in the first instance when he was looking for a new console. “Our choice for another MA Lighting dot2 console from Ambersphere Solutions through CPS was to build on standardising our stock of control surfaces across our venues,” opens Bagnall. “We purchased our first dot2 about 18 months ago. Since then, we have invested in two further consoles along with a fader and button wing. The platform has proved itself
UK - Occupying the same position as for PLASA’s inaugural return to Olympia in 2016, GoboPlus.com, will be exhibiting at the 40th PLASA 2017 on Stand B2 in London Olympia (17-19 September). GoboPlus.com is the one-stop online shop for custom and standard metal, glass and plastic gobos, accessories and Rosco E-Colour filter, It will share a stand with its sister company, Cut Colour Plus, the bespoke filter-cutting and comprehensive scroll-making service supplying the entertainment, educational and architectural markets. GoboPlus.com has recently expanded its inventory to encompass complementary products and will be showing the Rosco Image Spot Projector for indoor and outdoor use, and the Martin Rush Gobo Projector. Both of these gobo projectors can be purchased directly from the GoboPlus.com website at www.goboplus.com. GoboPlus will also show a selection of Suprabeam pro
UK - At 37 years old, MDG knows all about longevity and the value of creating high quality products for its clients. With this in mind, MDG UK will be celebrating PLASA’s milestone 40th Anniversary with a selection of its award-winning and world-renowned haze and fog generators. These rock-solid machines continue to cement MDG’s long-standing reputation for the finest and most reliable atmosphere generators on the market. The ATMe haze generator, the ME2 fog generator and the ICE FOG COMPACK low fog generator will be shown on Stand D50, alongside theONE award-winning dual fog and haze generator, and complemented by theFAN, the indispensible variable speed digital fan. MDG’s ATMe haze generator is a development of the industry standard MDG Atmosphere haze generator. It shares the same compact dimensions, but with increased output and power efficiency, and the add
UK - Since Luminex's soft launch of the super-flexible GigaCore 10 Gigabit switch - at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt earlier this year - it has fast established itself as the manufacturer's most versatile plug-and-play Gigabit Ethernet Switch to date. The GigaCore 10 is specifically designed to address the rigours of the live events and touring industry where effortless set up, flexible use options, compact size and rugged reliability are key. To complement this, Luminex has designed a thoughtful range of accessories to enable easy rigging in all professional environments - including touring trusses, 19 inch rack and wall mountings. Safeguarding the product's industry relevance, Luminex has developed and validated the key features of the GigaCore 10 in collaboration with its dealer network, third party manufacturers and end users. With eight fully pre-configured Et
World - Robe has gone Mega this morning with the global launch of its much anticipated new multi-functional moving light fixture - the MegaPointe. This “reference point” product was revealed worldwide on Robe’s website at midnight. This followed a series of eye-catching and intriguing teaser videos “Now there is MEGA” which have generated much excitement globally throughout lighting and visual communities. Utilizing an exclusive 470W short-arc lightsource, Robe’s diligently crafted MegaPointe optics produce bright parallel beams, spot gobo projections, together with super-quick movement, smooth CMY colour mixing and a multitude of effects available for splitting and shaping the light in Spot, Beam or Wash modes. The zoom ranges from 1.8 to 21 degrees in Beam mode – tight, powerful and punchy, and goes from 3 to 42 degrees in Spot mode with crystal c
UK - When Bat Out of Hell-The Musical co-producer Michael Cohl stood on a make-shift stage outside the London Coliseum at the press launch in November, he declared his latest project, along with fellow producers David Sonenberg, Randy Lennox and Tony Smith, and production manager, Simon Marlow, to be the biggest rock musical to premiere in London since We Will Rock You. Peter Marshall, director of theatre for PRG XL, oversaw the provision of kit to the musical: “The show initially opened for a 12-week run in Manchester at the start of the year, before transferring to the Coliseum for the summer season from June to August. It was brilliant to continue our relationship with producer Michael Cohl and general manager Julian Stoneman again - after supporting them on Rock of Ages, and very exciting to work with Patrick and Finn, providing some of the latest
Australia - IKONIX, the Australian audio-visual production expert, has supplied an Avolites Ai RX8 media server and two Avolites Miami Dongles, to run 960 gigabytes of content for Queensland's largest youth performing arts event, Creative Generation (CGEN) - State Schools on Stage 2017. The event, now in its 13th year, was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland. GCEN aims to mentor the next generation of performers, providing opportunities for them to work with professional artists. More than 1800 students aged between four and seventeen took part in this year's event. Zachary Burton, co-founder of IKONIX alongside business partner Richard Saunders, worked with the CGEN team to manage and coordinate the production's entire lighting and video aspect. "IKONIX has been working with CGEN since 2014," says Burton. "This year we decided
Spain - Multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winning Spanish singer / songwriter and musician Alejandro Sanz performed a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ show at the Vicente Calderón Stadium in Madrid to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his best-selling and landmark fifth studio album, Más, released in 1997. The production team wanted some spectacular visual moments to make what was already going to be an outstanding show even more memorable, so the show’s production manager Borja Gonzales contacted stage automation and engineering specialists WIcreations. WI’s Geert Stockmans headed their team after the introduction, which initially came six months ahead of the gig via Frank Janssens, a Belgian lighting specialist living and working in Spain. Geert and Frank have worked together many times, including on Malu’s 2016 tour. Containing a diverse collectio
Pop-Up Shakespeare - City of York Council has given its approval to plans for a pop-up Shakespearean theatre in the city centre. The council’s executive gave its backing to the plans put forward by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions. The plans are for a 12-sided pop-up theatre, which will be Europe’s first full-scale, pop-up replica of a traditional Shakespearean theatre. If the plans go ahead, the pop-up, which will be modelled on the 16th-century Rose Theatre, will run between May and September next year. The council has negotiated a package with Lunchbox Theatrical Productions that will include educational opportunities, an area to showcase local food and drink, and tickets from £12.50. Under the educational offer, schools in York will be offered material for lessons, discounted tickets and pre-show talks with cast and crew. No Hope - The company beh
Hungary - Four Robert Juliat’s 4000W HTI Lancelot fixtures were the followspots of choice for Frédéric “Aldo” Fayard, the lighting designer behind the opening ceremony of the 17th FINA World Aquatic Championships, which took place in Budapest and Balatonfüred in July this year. The FINA World Championships is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the largest sporting showcase Hungary has ever hosted. With over 2,500 athletes from 180 countries and 200 events over a period of 17 days, this was a massive undertaking. Frederic Fayard, who is founder and designer with Concept K in Paris, created and programmed the lighting for the opening ceremony event, which was conceived and produced by the French production ECA2 Group with MUPA from Hungary. The four 4kW Lancelot followspots were supplied by PRG France and were rigged on two technical towers front of s
Belgium - Spread across four stories and six zoned entertainment areas, the new 6000sq.m Comics Station Antwerp indoor theme park is a colourful celebration of creativity. Located in the city’s central station complex, it offers children and adults alike the opportunity to interact with Belgium’s best loved comic heroes such as Suske en Wiske (Spike and Suzy), Jommeke and the Smurfs. To highlight the zones and multiple interactive elements within the theme park, Belgian creative visual design practice Luc Peumans and his team at Painting with Light drew on their multi-disciplinary experiences working on theatrical shows and attractions to implement a comprehensive lighting concept. Peumans and production lighting designer Kristof Devriese turned their vision into reality with some help from over 200 Chauvet Professional fixtures, which they used to create engaging looks
Europe - Elation Professional has introduced the DiGidot C4, a small and powerful LED controller and pixel tape driver that has use in all kinds of applications. “DiGidot is a powerful, innovative solution for pixel control and is one of the most advanced LED pixel tape drivers on the market today. We are proud to now offer it in our product line up,” stated Elation Professional sales director Eric Loader. “It offers the latest technology for integration into a variety of LED pixel tape projects and runs all pixel tapes on the market, including the Elation Flex Pixel range.” The DiGidot C4 is an in-house development of DiGidot, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It works as a pixel controller, ArtNet node, show recorder and trigger device and can work standalone for smaller setups or collaborate in larger networks with third-party devices. One device can dri
UK - ETC has announced the promotion of Darren Beckley to the role of sales manager for ETC Ltd. In this newly created position, Beckley will oversee all sales activity in the regions covered by ETC Ltd, including the UK and Ireland, northern and southern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He will be based out of ETC’s London office, and will spend time in all territories, providing support to ETC Ltd’s regional sales managers and their dealer and distributor networks. Beckley has more than 15 years of experience working in the industry, including more than a decade with UK-based dealer Stage Electrics. For several years, he was sales manager for installation projects, leading a team responsible for designing and selling integrated lighting, audio, video and stage engineering systems across the EMEA region. He was also responsible for establishing the Dubai branch of
UK - GLP’s award-winning X4 Bar 20s were out in force at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, led by Andi Watson, who had already been lighting Radiohead on tour using 14 of the large X4 L as well as quantities of Bar 20s and Bar 10s. The inventory was supplied by Neg Earth. Speaking of the Bars, he noted, “I love how you can make light move within these fixtures. I am looking for texture, beams and movement and the X4 Bars do that really well.” All are pixel controlled through the grandMA desk. Of the large X4 L he added, “While I’ve always been a big fan of the X4, when we came to do the tour, knowing we would be headlining Coachella and Glastonbury, I knew I wouldn't be able to light the crowd adequately with these. So, on those two front trusses, the lights are mainly X4 L.” Elsewhere, award-winning Tobias Rylander of Seven Design Works used 36 GLP
Australia - South Perth’s Wesley College has been shaping young minds since 1923. Its Goatcher Auditorium, seating more than 300, has been serving the College’s needs since opening in 2008, and after nine years of constant use, it was time to refresh the lighting system and upgrade to LED. Alex Spartalis, head of lighting for the college, helped the school to install four High End Systems SolaSpot Pro 1000s and four Elation Platinum Sevens, giving them their first moving lights and first LED sources. “I’ve used the SolaSpot Pro 1500s and was really happy with them,” said Alex. “They were too big for this use case, as the school needs fixtures that are a one-person lift. I was just as happy with the smaller SolaSpot Pro 1000s – they have good colour mixing, a good zoom, and they run extremely quietly, if not silently. They’ve got the output and colour the Coll
USA - When fans of American singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw arrive at a show of his, they can anticipate the Grammy-nominated artist to play all his hits, albeit with one notable modification: a pared down band. Bandit Lites provided the lighting package for the production, and while previous tours elicited more of a rock show feel, the Gavin DeGraw Tour utilises a three-piece band to give a much more stripped back, intimate feel. “We wanted a classic and intimate look to fit this show,” said production manager Mitch Vanhoose. “Also, going into smaller venues, we wanted to keep it somewhat scalable. What we ended up with is a simple yet elegant look.” Bandit Lites supplied Chauvet Rogue RH1 Hybrids, Chauvet Freedom Par Quad 4 fixtures, Color Kinetics Blaze 72 along with Portman P1 Retro Lamps and a Whole Hog 4 for control. The recently acquired Portman P1
Germany - Beer, food, folk music and a wide variety of other forms of entertainment are a perfect recipe for a good time. The Licher Wiesnfest Beer Festival has been following this formula successfully since 2009. While Munich’s Oktoberfest is Germany’s most internationally famous beer festival export, this summer event, which takes place near Frankfurt am Main, has been gaining traction since its inception, thanks to its beer and varied entertainment programme. Wanting to give Licher Wiesnfest’s main stage a visual look worthy of a much larger festival main stage, local production specialists Flashlight Veranstaltungstechnik supplied light operator Björn Göbel and lighting technician and LD Benjamin Graff with 14 Chauvet DJ Intimidator Hybrid 140SR fixtures, which they skilfully deployed to create some impressive looks. By positioning eight Intimidator units
USA – Eos family control becomes even more versatile with the release of the newly-upgraded iRFR and aRFR iOS and Android mobile applications. Both remote apps boast fully-redesigned user interfaces, more intuitive connectivity and an expanded feature set, including a full-feature keyboard and direct selects. This redesign is available as a free update for anyone who has previously purchased the iRFR or aRFR application. Note that software v2.6 must be installed on the host Eos device (console, RPU, laptop, etc) for these revised applications to work. All app sale proceeds will be donated to charities that support lighting and theatre professionals in need. There are two versions of each app: one supporting Behind the Scenes (BTS), the US-based charity that assists production personnel in need, and one supporting Backup, the UK-based equivalent. The existing apps –