Rigging / Staging

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17 September 2024

UK - The Area Four Direct UK (A4IUK) team enjoyed a busy, productive and successful PLASA Show 2024.

This year saw a new immersive stand design constructed from Milos M520 Quatro truss, incorporating three video walls forming a vibrant backdrop of dynamic rolling video content – showcasing the Area Four Industries brand portfolio represented in the UK including Milos, Litec, Exe Technology, XStage, Tomcat and JTE.

PLASA London is still the most prominent national expo for A4IUK in the live entertainment, technology and rigging sector. It provided an excellent platform to showcase their products, connect with fellow professionals and engage in fruitful conversations on upcoming projects.

Area Four Direct UK, located on stand J20, enjoyed a buzz of busy footfall throughout the event. The stand had been designed to showcase key product lines i

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16 September 2024

UK - Offering considerable hands-on experience and the first steps into a technical career in the arts, applications are open again for Lighthouse Young Technicians, organised by Lighthouse Poole arts complex. It is a nationally recognised training course for young people aged 13-19 eager to get to grips with lighting, sound and stage management in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings.

“Since its launch in 2018, the Young Technicians course has proven to be a valuable, real-world route into a career in technical theatre,” says Charles Shenton, Lighthouse creative engagement producer.

Guided by industry specialists in a structured 12-week course, the budding technicians navigate all elements of technical theatre to gain the experience they need to pursue a future career, working alongside all technical departments in the build up to opening ni

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12 September 2024

USA - Rob Koenig and his team are working with Metallica on the second North American leg of the band’s M72 World Tour.

Elevating the show on this tour “to a new, and even higher level of engagement” is an innovative production design by Dan Braun, supported by an equally original lighting design by Koenig that features 144 Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobe washes supplied by Premier Global Production.

The design’s 360-degree stage brings the band closer to the crowd and affords clear views from anywhere in the big stadium. Those views are also bold, as Koenig pours volumes of bright light on the stage, impressively without having any truss-mounted fixtures, except for a small number around the drum riser.

“This kind of stage was all part of Dan Braun’s vision for the tour from the start,” said Koenig

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12 September 2024

UK - First performed on Broadway in 1964, in a production which won 10 Tony Awards, Hello, Dolly! is the classic Jerry Herman musical about Dolly Levi, a strong-willed matchmaker who travels to New York to find a match for the miserly, unmarried Horace Vandergelder. It has been revived countless times over the years, having first arrived in the West End in 1965.

Now, almost 60 years on, a new production has recently opened at the London Palladium, directed by Dominic Cooke and starring Imelda Staunton. It also features a lighting design by the Olivier Award-winning Jon Clark who approached White Light (WL), a d&b solutions company, to supply his lighting rig.

This latest production of Hello, Dolly! has been several years in the making. Initially intended to open in July 2020, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has

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11 September 2024

Europe - Sixty82 has announced the launch of the latest in its TPM Series of super-strong box truss, the TPM39 Series.

Sharing all the benefits and features of the TPM29 Series, the new TPM39 is up to 25% stronger – yet fully compatible and interchangeable with – M39 box truss, with all the reliability and versatility the industry expects from Sixty82 products.

The TPM Series is known for its universal features of increased strength, stability and support, giving it the ability to withstand more load without deforming. Designed and manufactured in Holland, the extrusion process ensures a precise and uniform shape that is 100% square with a perfect fit which, combined with stronger alloy truss spigots, are key factors in improved strength and endurance. The extruded end frame also makes the TPM Series bounce- and smash-proof.

Sixty82 has i

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11 September 2024

Europe - The HOF team has welcomed a new colleague to its sales team and has gained another experienced industry expert in Milan Ostendorf.

Ostendorf is a trained event technician and has 10 years of experience in the industry. He has worked both in technical sales and as a project manager. Ostendorf will be working as a technical sales representative in the back office with immediate effect.

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06 September 2024

UK - Following a “resounding success and sell-out event” in Bristol earlier this year, Stage Electrics has announced that their showcase is hitting the road. The first destination is Brighton, promising an opportunity for people interested in entertainment technology to connect, explore, and experience the newest products from leading brands.

On confirming the next Showcase location, Dave Coull, Group CEO, said: "We are excited to bring the Stage Electrics Showcase to Brighton. This is a chance to connect with our valued customers and demonstrate many of the market-leading products and services we provide.

“But the Showcase isn't just about the latest technology; it's about building relationships, sharing knowledge, and helping our clients find the right solutions for their performance spaces and venues. Showcasing the innovation and expertise

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04 September 2024

UK - Rigging pioneer Robin Elias was the proud recipient of the 2024 Gottelier Award. Nominated and voted for by his industry peers, Elias collected the award from PLASA MD, Peter Heath and chair, Adam Blaxill at this year’s PLASA Show, which took place 1-3 September at Olympia London.

Named in memory of the renowned industry innovator and commentator, Tony Gottelier, the award celebrates those who have made significant, long-term contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology.

Elias began his career in rock ‘n’ roll, touring with iconic bands such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen and Genesis. He went on to become technical director of Unusual Rigging, where he delivered often complex and challenging rigging solutions across diverse sectors, including film and TV, live events, museums and ar

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03 September 2024

UK - The winners of the 2024 PLASA Awards for Innovation were announced last night at PLASA Show, currently running at Olympia London. The awards, run in association with LSi, are respected industry-wide for celebrating future-focussed technology that improves safety, efficiency and performance through new methods and materials.

44 products were entered this year, with the judges ultimately awarding eight products. And, for the first time in a number of years, the judges were delighted to also award the sustainability award. This year’s judging team comprised 13 independent technical specialists from a wide array of backgrounds, chaired once again by chartered engineer and LSi columnist, James Eade.

The winning products and judges’ comments are listed below:
Glensound for GTM Mobile  
The judges felt that this f

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03 September 2024

Portugal - Europalco leveraged the power of Kuka robot to create a memorable experience at the 36th Deloitte IRGAwards 2024. Held at the Carlos Lopes Pavilion in Lisbon, the event, organised by Desafio Global, welcomed 270 guests.

This year, the IRGAwards focused on technology and artificial intelligence, creating an atmosphere that showcased the harmony between humans and machines. Europalco’s Kuka robot played a prominent role in this narrative. The evening began with a performance where a Kuka robot played the piano alongside a pianist. A highlight of the event was the captivating dance performed by a Kuka robot and a professional dancer. These demonstrations showcased the impressive capabilities of modern robotics.

The IRGAwards 2024 stood out for its innovative use of visual and scenic elements. Of particular note was the 360-degree immersive

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30 August 2024

UK - Serious Stages’ Stellar Stage featured headliners The Prodigy, Sonny Fodera and Skrillex at Leeds and Reading Festivals’ new Chevron Stage earlier this month.

Designed and manufactured in 2024 at Serious Stages Wells HQ, the new 20m wide roof, with 8m screen and PA goalposts, was flanked by 12 6m high scaff towers supporting giant chevron LEDs, supplied by Colour Sound Experiment. Completing a distinctive arena design, a striking LED net curtain roof was suspended over the audience in front of the stage, creating a spectacular light show, supplied by Special Structures Lab and Colour Sound Experiment.

Serious Stages supported Festival Republic’s desire to create a new-look Chevron stage, with the introduction of the Stellar Stage. Its angled sides not only gave the crowd a different aesthetic, but also accommodated the technical production

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28 August 2024

Europe - Neg Earth supremo Dave Ridgway came to the assistance of creative director and lighting designer Terry Cook when he was seeking the kind of raw power from a new-generation washlight that audiences at an AC/DC show might expect.

“It needed to be bright, versatile, bold and strong,” says the designer, one of three partners at Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD). And so Ridgway recommended GLP’s impression X5 IP Maxx, promptly arranging a shoot-out. Terry Cook’s conclusion: “It brought meanness, real character and was unapologetically angry. It was definitely an AC/DC light,” he states. “We have history of embracing new technology on AC/DC tours and the Power Up tour was no different.”

At the same time, he noted a further advantage: the fixture’s IP rating. In fact, its waterproof qualities would prove vital during the tou

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28 August 2024

Singapore - The Star Theatre, the main venue at The Star Performing Arts Centre, has invested in a quantity of Ayrton Huracán Wash fixtures supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the region, Total Solution Marketing.

The Huracán Wash units will become a fixed installation as part of the permanent lighting rig and mark the second investment in Ayrton for the venue.

The Star Theatre is a 5,000-seat capacity theatre that features a traditional horseshoe shape auditorium with plush seating that helps create an intimate ambience. It prides itself in using only high-end professional equipment in its broad programme of events and performances.

40 Huracán Wash fixtures were installed at the request of The Star Theatre's head of lighting, Mohamad Azhar Bin Mazlan, who explains why he chose them: “I specified these particular fixtures be

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23 August 2024

Europe - Mike Leuchter Veranstaltungstechnik has significantly strengthened its audiovisual capabilities with the acquisition of 61 units of DMT Alpha Series A2.6i indoor LED screens. The strategic investment also includes six DMT Double Rigging Bars and two DMT Single Rigging Bars, increasing flexibility and ease of installation for various event setups.

The DMT Alpha Series A2.6i screens are renowned for their high-resolution display capabilities, featuring a dense pixel pitch of 2.6mm, ensuring ultra-clear and vibrant images. This high pixel density makes them particularly well-suited for applications with close viewing distances, such as information displays and boardrooms.

Mike Leuchter, founder of the company, emphasised the strategic choice of these screens, stating: “We have chosen the DMT Alpha Series A2.6i because of its high pixel pitch

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22 August 2024

Germany - Nature One is an established festival for techno, house, trance, hardstyle and all other varieties of electronic dance music. In 2024, tens of thousands of EDM fans again flocked to the Pydna Kastellaun missile base to party for three days with the scene’s best DJs.

Much of the special atmosphere at Nature One is thanks to its main stage. Here, visitors don’t just dance in front of the stage, but in the middle of an elaborate truss construction with numerous light and video elements. Marek Papke from Gerdon Design has been responsible for the stage, lighting and content design for the main stage for many years and once again relied on the IP65 lights from Cameo this year.

“I’m always amazed at how easily the Otos H5 survives an outdoor techno festival lasting several days,” says Marek Papke, impressed by the IP65 beam-spot-wash hy

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13 August 2024

UK/Paris - A UK-based lighting and events company has defied the odds to become Europe’s leading sporting broadcast lighting business as an Official Supporter of Broadcast Lighting and Rigging for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, despite challenges faced from Brexit and the pandemic. 

SLX provided its services to light up 29 outer Paris venues, including the specially built Aquatics Centre throughout the duration of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Such is the scope of this project, SLX has had a dedicated team of 30 people working on the ground in Paris for the last 12 months. It has also opened a 25,000sq.ft space, equivalent to the size of two Olympic swimming pools, to store and supply the multiple venues with lighting, equipment, rigging and cabling to ensure competitors, spectators and media have the best visibility no matter the t

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06 August 2024

Saudi Arabia - The Ultimate Fighting Championship hit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time this summer. On 22 June, UFC Fight Night lit up the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, with Unusual Rigging & Engineering on board to supply the full production rigging.

Richard Hoare, rigger at Unusual commented; “This event wasn’t just a first for Riyadh, but for us at Unusual too. We’ve served as house-riggers for the event when it’s taken place at the Etihad Arena previously, but on this occasion, we won the contract to supply the full scope of production rigging. We worked alongside DLM, the rigging consultants for IMG and Bowie Ebrill who was onsite overseeing the installation and removal.

“Production manager Phil Campbell of IMG, was really pleased with the work and professionalism that our team had supplied as house riggers in Abu Dhabi an

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02 August 2024

UK - It has taken Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express 22 years to return to the stage since it pulled out of the West End in 2002. This time, the production’s new home is at the Troubadour Wembley Park which has been specially adapted to create an immersive performance experience, with Unusual Rigging on board to handle the venue and production’s rigging requirements.

Working for production manager Mark Carey from Shedworks Studio, the Unusual team were asked to install a number of items for the show requirements. Alex Taylor, production rigger at Unusual explained: “As part of our brief, we were asked to provide all of the LX, Sound and Video trusses, the trusses for the sound baffle, three technical working platforms for all the LX racks and to devise a method of lifting up a halo into position, being careful to get the height and angle just ri

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31 July 2024

UK - The stunning backdrop of the historic Ragley Hall in Warwickshire once again played host to the Adventure Bike Rider (ABR) Festival 2024, the UK’s biggest motorcycle festival returning to the estate for its fifth year.

Henley Theatre Services was commissioned by the festival organisers to provide all the stages, technical production support and onsite technical crew to operate the main Bikerhead Stage and five further stages located at various positions across the ABR Festival site. 

Adventure motorcycling enthusiasts from around the globe geared up for a celebration of freedom, exploration and community from 27-30 June 2024. Fifteen thousand bikers descended on the beautiful Ragley Hall estate over a sun-packed weekend, which provided the perfect location for guided test ride events with 29 leading motorcycle manufacturers.

The Milos

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26 July 2024

Europe - Chainmaster has announced a new partnership with menzi ebz, a leading Swiss company specialising in lighting and lighting control systems.

Marco Menzi, CEO of Menzi EBZ, comments, "We have been specialising in lighting and lighting control systems for many years. However, we lacked the right partners to enter the rigging business. We are extremely proud and excited to represent Chainmaster, the number one in Switzerland for chain hoists.

“We are also aware of the high standards Chainmaster and our customers expect in terms of consulting and support. Therefore, it is only logical that we will strengthen our team with product specialists and look forward to welcoming new employees to our team soon."

Benjamin Göldner, vice president stage of the Liftket Group, adds: "This partnership with menzi ebz is a significant step for Chainmast

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15 July 2024

UK - Serious Stages unveiled its new Stellar concert and festival stage at a series of concerts presented by Festival Republic, at Crystal Palace Park, 5-7 July.

The new Stellar stage was designed and manufactured by the experienced team at Serious Stages Wells headquarters,

Serious Stages operations manager Abbey Thomas states: “The concept for the Stellar stage was born out of clients' feedback, who identified their requirements for a medium-range flat-roof version of the Company's larger TZ Tower stages. From initial designs created by our in-house CAD/technical team, components were manufactured in our Wells workshop, before Stellar made its first appearance in London.

“Our investment in this new system, along with the new video towers we produced for Download Festival, underpins our ongoing commitment to help our clients deliver outd

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12 July 2024

UAE - The multi award winning Matilda The Musical paid a flying visit to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena in June. This was the first time that the production, which has won over 101 international awards had ever been staged in an arena venue, so production manager Matt Towell was pleased to have Unusual Rigging & Engineering (URE) on board to ensure everything went according to plan.

“The show is pretty much a carbon copy of the West End production,” explained Matt. “However, due to the difficulties of some of the venues, we chose to put all the scenery on a ground support truss. Emily Egleton, design engineer at Unusual in the UK drew all the ground support plans for us and we also carried out a test build at Unusual’s HQ in Bugbrooke, Northampton. We then liaised with the team in the UAE, and once stage size and location were established

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09 July 2024

USA - One hundred Broadweigh wireless load cells took to the main stage at the Miami Ultra Festival this year when more than 165,000 people attended to watch the likes of David Guetta, Eric Prydz and Calvin Harris perform.

The event, located in the Bayfront Park, Downtown Miami was produced and designed by Technical Arts Group (TAG). Load Cell Rental was brought on board to work alongside Kevin Mignone, CRO, TAG and Matthew Hannon, head rigger with the main task of weighing the rig on the main stage.

Ian Barrett, project manager, Load Cell Rental comments: “Our main task at Ultra was to monitor the weights of various structures during the build and to ensure that the roof beams and hoists were not overloaded. We have worked with TAG and Matt Hannon on other projects and they were already aware of the Broadweigh brand so they were happy for us to us

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09 July 2024

UK - Protec, a full-service rigging and AV company serving the events and conference industries, has significantly improved its operations and reduced equipment damage by investing in Admiral Strong Boy truss dollies from Stage Electrics.

Graham Thomas, a key member of the Protec team, first learnt about the Strong Boy truss dollies from an industry peer after facing persistent issues with damaged truss. Following a consultation with Admiral Staging, Protec was directed to Stage Electrics, who facilitated the initial sale of four Strong Boy truss dollies and spacer bars. Impressed by the product's advantages, Protec has since purchased five additional pairs of dollies.

Before purchasing the Admiral Staging Strong Boy truss dollies, the Protec team were noticing considerable damage and wear and tear on their truss as is typical for companies in the ri