Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

The aim is to make employers, trainers, youth workers and teachers, and young people themselves, aware of the risks they face in the workplace and what they should be doing to mitigate them. WiseUp2Work is sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and supported by the National Youth Agency and the British Chambers of Commerce.

National WiseUp2Work Day is being staged at a time when many young people are embarking upon their careers or starting work experience placements, and are at the highe

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14 March 2016

The idea was to create a festival style atmosphere with two different stages, but all within an indoor environment. To achieve this, Blackout worked closely with Andy Redhead, the main production manager for SJM Concerts, who was responsible for the overall design and layout. The main area which featured the stages and the catering points was deliberately left open to create an atmosphere where people could sit at the bars and watchthe bands. The event was visited by 26,000 people over the weekend, and among the acts appearing was My Chemical Romance, and Lost Prophets.

Kevin Monks, Blackout's project manager said that attention to detail was important. "We enclosed the stage areas, and

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14 March 2016

Julie McNally of Spitfire Productions has been producing an evening of classical music at Stoneleigh for 11 years and throughout this period has used Star Events Group (formerly Star Hire) as her only staging PA and Power supplier.

McNally says: "I always get terrific support from Jane [Jane Russen - director Star Mobile] and her team throughout the planning process. The whole 'classical show in parkland' type event has taken off so much in recent years, we are competing heavily with similar shows that have sprung up nearby. But we believe the setting at Stoneleigh, and our superior firework displays, are what audiences still appreciate."

This year Spi

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14 March 2016

The £4.5 million project, designed by architects the MEB Partnership from Oxford, has seen the creation of a 343 seat flexible space - which can also be configured in thrust and in-the-round formats - to service the school's own busy Performing Arts Centre department's productions as well as those of visiting companies, assorted local 'am dram' shows plus conferences and events.

Funded by the Seckford Foundation, which is dedicated to the young and the old of Woodbridge, it's a professional

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14 March 2016

This year saw Tez Sheals-Barrett make her debut as Star Events Group project manager for the event. The first show in the series featured the Foo Fighters, who played to an 85,000-strong crowd on 17June. "We arrived in Hyde Park on 10 June to start the main stage build, allowing just five days in advance of production arriving on site!" says Sheals-Barrett.

"We had a lot of involvement with the band's production team due to the specific nature of the numerous structures they required. These included a specially designed thrust to allow Dave Grohl to run from the stage to the front of house towers and we had crew on hand throughout to make sure they got exactly what they want

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14 March 2016

The aim of the event was to recognise staff achievements and successes over the past year. The theme was based on the musical Grease and featured cheerleaders, a Greased Lightnin' Band, and an American style convertible car.

Five halls at the ExCel Conference and Exhibition Centre were completely wrapped in Starcloth from Blackout creating an environment that was transformed into a tribute to the 1950s. 75 motors and 460 metres of lighting, AV and sound trusses were provided along with an 8m diameter truss circle. Four giant projection screens dressed to look like Drive-In Movie theatres were rigged by Blackout along with giant iconographic images from the

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14 March 2016

The simulation includes high quality graphics and sound and the entire system is housed in a custom built 'Super Tour' flight case with racing seat, steering wheel and pedals. The 'Speed Challenge' will take the lap times from each hour of the show, and the visitor with the quickest time walks away with a 5 Star 25th anniversary, limited edition briefcase. More than that, the overall quickest time over the four days will receive a £2,500 voucher to spend at 5 Star Cases.

5 Star will also show a selection of cases from its various ranges, including the recently upd

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14 March 2016

The arrangement was a development of the relationship between LD Bryan Hartley and Flashlight that began on last year's successful tour with Lenny Kravitz. "I was delighted with Flashlight's service," says Hartley, "so I recommended them for the Zappa gig."

The tour - entitled Zappa Plays Zappa, Tour de Frank - included a sold-out night at London's Royal Albert Hall on 2 June in which the venue's refurbished organ was pressed into service for one number, Louie Louie, just as it had been when Zappa Snr. played the venerable hall.

Tour manager Maryjo Spillane and production manager Glynn Wood headed the crew. Woo

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14 March 2016

During the course of the Summit, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) - the body responsible for delivering the new venues and infrastructure for the Games, launched a draft version of its Procurement Policy - which outlines how it will manage the whole procurement process, including its selection and award criteria.

With the UK Government spending £3bn on the physical infrastructure for the Games, PLASA is keen to profile the creative and technical expertise of its membership and is preparing a guidance note for members to help them maximise their chances of winning key contracts. It will also be working with them to ensure they are fully aware

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14 March 2016

The Wickerman was the most recent of a string of high-profile temporary power contracts supplied by Tower including the provision of cable, distribution and lighting (for use by others) to; T-in-the-Park, The Johnny Walker Golf Tournament at Gleneagles, The

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14 March 2016

The initial idea for the ground support came from a sketch from the customer and a photo of the area in which the stage was to be installed. The brief was simple - design a structure that would sit on their newly built stage giving the bands a concert atmosphere in a small venue but also to give cover from the weather, be it rain or shine. "We were supplied with a few site photos and a basic idea of how they would like the structure to function," said Patrick Lockwood, sales engineer for Tomcat UK. It was only when I did the site visit that we found that due to conditions on site, their ideas were not suitable so we red

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14 March 2016

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14 March 2016

Star Events Group director, Pete Holdich said: "The Scottish market has always been incredibly important to us and we have been looking at ways of reducing the financial premium of operating there for some time. Stage Hire Scotland is the only existing Scottish service company we have found that aspires to the same level of service and safety as we do and we are all lookin

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14 March 2016

Harlequin's new publication, Specifying Dance Floors - a Guide for Architects,was launched for the Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (see July-August issue of L&SI). The guide covers the sprung floors in Harlequin's range; giving test results, specifications, and case studies.

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14 March 2016

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14 March 2016

The tour promotes the collaborative album of the same name from the Dire Straits front-man and 11-time Grammy award-winner, Emmylou Harris. The pair have been compiling duets for seven years.

Lighting designer Simon Tutchener was asked to produce a simple look for the stage - with no video production onboard - the visual scenography was all down to lighting - and he in turn again asked Lester Cobrin at Bandit to help realise his design.

The design was based on using two very elegant eight metre diameter A-type interlocking circular trusses - which Bandit had custom fabricated. Tutchener wanted an architectural feel to the stage that defined the space. The circles symbolised the fusion of two of the greatest l

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14 March 2016

With the visit of the religious leader, Morari Bapu, the organisers changed the festival to a more corporate style format including the erection of an enclosed Arena TFT structure 95 metres long, 50 metres wide and 16 metres in height to the apex, accommodating 8000 people.

In order to power the whole site, two pairs of generators were used, one of which was a one megawatt set, which provided all the power to the catering facilities, lighting, sound and the all important air conditioning, given the recent temperatures.

To illuminate the Arena TFT structure and stage both decoratively and safely, over 250KW of lighting was used.

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14 March 2016

The entire Courtyard Theatre project is estimated to have cost in the region of £6m and following careful planning it is envisaged that a large amount of the equipment and materials will subsequently be reused in other RSC theatres and to support its works in London and on tours in the UK and around the world.

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14 March 2016

Pro-audio, specialist lighting and entertainment suppliers from around the world can find a strong and growing market in mainland China. Companies from China, Germany, France, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and the USA have already signed up to be a part of Prolight + Sound Shanghai.

Prolight + Sound Shanghai will feature a Taiwanese Pavilion fo

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14 March 2016

Specialz were commissioned to provide a multifunctional cube for use on the latest Pet Shop Boys 'Live' 2006 tour. The cube, which is internally illuminated, functions as a giant projection screen, a band prop, and dancer platform. The cube subdivides into four (4m x 4m) separate parts which are moved around the stage during the show.

Whilst these unique items look s

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14 March 2016

The single-handed operation of the tri-press means that riggers can produce terminations quickly and easily whenever they need them, including on-site and at the point of application. The press has a number of interchangeable dies, which makes even crimping electrical terminations both quick and easy.

The tri-press has a number of features that add to its versatility - it can be supplied with a range of dies for various applications; the press automatically retracts once the crimping operation is complete; it has a crimping force of 35kN with a cycle time of four seconds and can complete 85 crimps per battery charge. The tri-press also comes with a RAM1 batt

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14 March 2016

The expansion comes as PLASA Show organisers Clarion Events report the highest ever number of pre-registered visitors - up by 13% on 2005, with technical and creative teams from major venues and high-profile projects among the first to register.

The show's track record of hosting major international product launches, and wide interest in this year's new features, have helped drive the pre-registration increases. The new features are led by the new Integrated Systems Area; a greatly expanded PLASA Seminar Programme with a dedicated Technologies for Worship programme; the first PLASA appearance of NEET (National Exhibition of Entertainment Technology); and new features for DJs.

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14 March 2016

Theatrical projects have included West End shows, installations for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and the servicing of ongoing existing touring theatrical shows. Kinesys equipment is increasingly finding its way onto high profile events like the Chanel fashion show at Paris Fashion Week, and work at both the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Opera House.

International shows as diverse as Showboat and War of the Worlds have benefited from the huge flexibility of Kinesys' motor control, and the equipment is regularly working in the USA, France, Belgium and Spain.

Concert touring continues to be a d

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14 March 2016

For the final part of the band's world tour, EFM engaged in meticulous planning to get the band, crew and equipment for Guns N' Roses between four venues in four different countries over a five-day period. Responding to every change of plan, right up to the last minute; EFM handled every element of the logistics for the band and its equipment.

Meeting the tour in Oslo, a charter plane was supplied to carry the band's 25 tonnes of cargo which included backline, lighting, pyrotechnics, staging and PA equipment, whilst another charter flight carried the 47 crew for the tour, and a VIP plane was organised for the band members. These three charters took the band between