USA - Bandit Lites has announced the promotion of Craig Richter to project manager- designer. With more than 14 years at the company, Richter began his touring career at Bandit as a lighting technician on Rascal Flatts, and then progressed as an LD for various artists, including Seether, Miranda Lambert, Chevelle and Halestorm. He’s also acted as crew chief for countless productions such as Bonnaroo’s Main Stage, Firefly Festival Main Stage and Nashville’s NYE Mainstage.
“One of the best things I have always liked about working at Bandit is the stability and ability to grow through the company,” said Richter.
“Craig and I have worked closely during his entire tenure at Bandit,” said Jake Tickle, Bandit’s vice president of business and innovation. “He brings bold ideas, a truck load of passion and well-seasoned knowledge base that will help Bandit to

UAE - The 2023 UAE Union Day Ceremony is one of the highest profile annual spectacular events staged in the United Arab Emirates, created by the event’s creative director, Es Devlin at Dubai’s Expo City.
Lighting was crafted by Bruno Poet working with project co-lighting designer Max Narula, and the event reunited most of the technical and production team that had delivered the highly successful 2022 event.
Bruno and Max decided to run this show, directed by Fransisco Negrin and Gavin Robins, as an all-grandMA3 control system, running mode 3, making use of several features to improve the complete production workflow, from drawing to remote updates on stage.
The system comprised six grandMA3 full-size consoles (three pairs each with fully redundant backup) and three grandMA3 lights which were used for technical desks, running with 11 grandMA3 processing unit

UK - Busking Tom Odell’s Black Friday Tour on a ChamSys MagicQ 250M Stadium console, Joe Beardsmore of Phosphor moved seamlessly in sync with the Brit Award winning singer-songwriter and his seven-piece band, blending shadows and brightness, silhouettes, and distinctive light angles to underscore the heartfelt narrative of this roughly 90-minute show.
Helping him accomplish this was a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado PXL Curve 12, Color STRIKE M and Maverick Storm 4 Profile fixtures, which like the rest of the kit, were supplied by Colour Sound Experiment. (Phosphor supplied two ChamSys consoles.)
Beardsmore positioned 32 of his PXL Curve 12 fixtures around the top of his flared truss. He then arranged 28 additional units on the floor. The fully pixel mappable motorised battens with 12 independently controlled heads helped him achieve his vision

USA - Illuminate Production Services (IPS) once again played an integral role in creating the visual magic that is The Thorn and once more enhanced the drama using a large package of Elation lighting.
The Thorn is a modern-day passion play, a theatrical depiction of the life and death of Jesus, yet with a modern touch. The immersive theatrical show combines modern dance, music, martial arts, aerial acrobatics, and emotionally powerful performances, with lighting and visuals. This year’s spring tour kicked off in early February and travels to venues across the U.S., ending in early May in Miami, Florida.
This year, IPS provided audio, video, lighting, staging and special FX, their 11th year working with this production. Caleb Franke, IPS vice president of design & operations, has been entrusted with lighting the show since he was 14 and again served as lea

Belgium - Ruben Block, frontman for the rock band Triggerfinger, took a temporary pause to record his solo album Looking To Glide. On his recent tour of the same name, supporting his solo performance on stage was a diverse lighting design by Erwin Van Lokeren that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by Splendit.
Van Lokeren’s lighting was varied, engaging audiences throughout the 90-minute show by changing looks and relying now and then on the element of surprise. His navigation between light and shadows, along with the clever use of his rig’s 18 EPIX Strip IP fixtures, helped him achieve this effect.
“The whole idea for this tour was working with shadows and different contrast with lights on the backdrops and on the artist himself,” said Van Lokeren. “There a lot of different effects coming from Ruben and his guitar in the songs, and this

The Netherlands - De Goudse Schouwburg (Gouda Schouwburg) is a busy municipal theatre and hub of the arts community in the city of Gouda.
As part of a recent major technical upgrade on lighting, it has taken delivery of a substantial quantity of over 200 Robe LED luminaires, including 94 x T11 Profiles, 40 x ParFect 150s and 32 x iBar 15s, the latter specifically for cyc lighting, plus 34 x T1 Profiles, 20 x T2 Profiles, 24 x LEDBeam 150s and 32 x LEDBeam 350s.
The new lights have transformed the venue into an all-LED house for stage lighting, and the project was driven by the desire to shift to greener and more sustainable lighting that is more cost-effective to run. It is the first time that Robe products have been in the theatre, and they are already making a massive difference to the quality and potential of the lighting offered to all productions in De Goudse Sch

Germany - With the new L-Series Plus, ARRI has announced ‘a new generation of LED Fresnels’. Up to 90% brighter than the original L-Series, direct network data input and the intuitive onboard control interface known from ARRI SkyPanel, the new L-Series Plus provides additional benefits while retaining appreciated features such as continuous focusability from spot to flood; a smooth, homogenous light field; and complete control over the colour and intensity of light.
Originally introduced in 2011, ARRI L-Series LED luminaires were the first professional alternatives to popular tungsten Fresnels on a like-for-like basis, offering additional LED advantages like independent control of colour temperature and brightness along with instant cost savings through major reductions in power draw and cooling requirements.
Precise light field control can still be achieved with

UK - Stage Electrics has supported the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) in successfully upgrading from tungsten to new, energy-efficient LED lighting, which empowers the next generation of performers.
Lead production technician at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts Matthew Weeks approached the Stage Electrics team about upgrading their existing tungsten lights to LED and enhancing their existing LED rig.
Working closely with Matthew, Matt Jones and Jonathan Thornhill, production technicians at the University, the Stage Electrics team conducted extensive trials with various demo kits from multiple brands. This ensured that the chosen solution would align with LIPA's requirements and performance standards.
LIPA chose an ETC LED lighting rig, consisting of 36 ColorSource V Fresnel lights, 12 ColorSource V Profile 25/50 fixtures, 26 Lustr 2’s, and

USA - Classic rock band Kansas is extending The 50th Anniversary Tour into 2024, commemorating their first year as a band. With the release of their newest box set, Another Fork in the Road, Kansas is bringing even more song selections to their performances, including some deep cuts fans haven’t heard live in decades.
“Kansas is a legendary act and Bandit is honoured to be a part of the team,” said Bandit Lites chair Michael T. Strickland. “Phil Ehart and I are good friends and that adds a great layer to the relationship. An evening with Kansas is a magical experience and their music leaves everyone amazed.”
Lighting designer Scott Pearson has spent a decade working with Kansas, giving him a keen awareness to the band’s preferences and style of performing. The backdrop of every performance features UV elements, making the lighting even more integral.

USA - As the cornerstone of its 50th Anniversary Season, the Orlando Ballet commissioned a spectacular new production of The Nutcracker, which debuted last December.
Billed as “bigger, brighter, and full of surprises” as well as the largest ballet ever created by an Orlando-based performing arts organisation, the production was staged in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Centre for Performing Arts. New choreography, all new sets, costumes, and an updated storyline by Jorden Morris, who also serves as the ballet’s artistic director, brought an exciting edge to a timeless classic, combined with a host of interesting and innovative staging elements including a lighting design by Joseph R. Walls.
Joseph incorporated Robe Forte moving lights and Footsie LED foot lights into his lighting scheme to bring extra vibrance and flair as the onstage action unfolded.<

USA - Elation has announced William Irwin as a new regional sales representative for the U.S. Mountain States region.
William has been involved in production and systems integration since 2006, including as business development director for Clearwing Productions. Prior to joining Elation, he worked at GLP as a brand manager and product developer for Scenex Lighting, the company’s custom LED solutions division. He has also been active with IATSE, specializing in atmospheric and pyrotechnics for film.
William comments, “I’m looking forward to being a driving force behind a company that values cutting-edge excellence and innovation, while building relationships with our clients and end-users.”
John Dunn, director of sales at Elation, adds, “With William’s ambition and know-how, he’s set to play an instrumental part in forging a path of continued succ

Greece - Lighting designer and programmer Kostantinos Ntovas lit a 2.5-hour show by award winning singer Petros Iakovidis at Thessaloniki’s Club Vogue, one of the largest nightclubs in Greece. Ntovas wasn’t relying solely on the lights he controlled with his ChamSys MagicQ Stadium Connect to change perceptions. He also called upon the profound power of dark space.
Using a variety of off-centre light angles and creating distinct fields of bright and dark spaces around his sometimes-silhouetted client, the Greek designer created an engaging narrative that opened new perspectives to fans.
“In general, I really like putting the singer in black space between light beams,” said Ntovas. “In that way, I can create an extraterrestrial look in an infinite environment. These scenes will transport viewers, creating a different experience than what they find in usual show

USA - Country music group Midland is out on the road with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Comprised of Mark Wystrach (lead vocals, guitar), Jess Carson (guitar, vocals), and Cameron Duddy (bass guitar, vocals), Midland’s neotraditional country sound has led to their three studio albums resulting in seven singles landing on the Billboard country chart.
With two years of touring with Midland under his belt, lighting designer Drew Lombana was confident in his ability to both create something that was as unique as the trailblazing country band as well as his aptitude to ascertain their lighting preferences: avoid fixture pixels, pointless eye candy and instead focus on using lights to compliment the story within the music, and not simply the music itself.
“We determined a design that hid itself well was crucial, with the exception of the Circa Scoops,”

Hungary - Máté Lukacsovics and Ale Geszler from Budapest-based lighting design studio Highlight Studios created the design for a high-profile one-off sold out concert by Hungarian artist and pop-rock band Valmar at the 12,500-capacity Budapest Arena.
It was the band’s largest concert to date, and the brief was to create a memorable lighting design that met the occasion and thrilled everyone involved, from the artist and his production team to his enthusiastic and ever-growing fanbase.
Máté and Ale utilised over 150 Robe moving lights – a combination of iFORTES, Pointes and Tarrantulas – to help energise the show.
Their starting point for lighting the show was the production design idea from show director Roland Mák who imagined the stage as a gigantic time machine, with the concert designed as a two-hour gameplay session hosted by an AI character lurk

South Africa - ChamSys has appointed Audiosure to be the exclusive distributor in South Africa of its line of lighting control consoles, software, and networking devices.
“We are very familiar with the excellent level of professionalism and customer service that have become trademarks of Audiosure, given that they are one of the oldest distributors of all Chauvet brands,” said Stéphane Gressier, international sales director of Chauvet and ChamSys. “Over the years, we have witnessed firsthand, how the Audiosure team has gone the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.”
Part of the First Technology group of companies, Audiosure was established over 20 years ago to address the needs of the professional lighting and audio market. The company represents Chauvet lighting, as well as a variety of leading audio brands.
Headquartered in Johannesburg, Audiosur

Germany - At Prolight + Sound 2024, Highlite International, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, took the opportunity to present a number of new products from their brands Infinity, Showtec, DAP, DMT, Showgear and Wentex.
From Infinity, no fewer than four new IP65-rated Raccoon models were introduced: three Pars (P7/7, Junior P4/7 and Junior P7/4) and a strobe/wash combo (S420/4). The P7/7 is a high-quality RGBCALDB Par that features seven custom-made 7-colour LEDs with maximum brightness and maximum colour quality modes offering versatility. The Junior P4/7 is a more compact version of the P7/7 with four custom-made 7-colour LEDs. Then, there is the Junior P7/4; it also has a compact housing and uses seven 4-colour LEDs. All pars share the same sophisticated control software with advanced calibrated xy colour mixing, extreme colour stability with temperature compensa

USA - If you’re looking for a place to hear live country music day or night while enjoying a meal on the Vegas Strip, Ole Red is your ticket. The recently opened restaurant, bar, and live music venue in the heart of Las Vegas features a Clair Global Integration (CGI) and an innovative lighting design by Bryant Woelk, owner/ senior lighting designer of FXLighting LLC, featuring lighting from Elation.
The Blake Shelton inspired Ole Red, operated by Opry Entertainment Group, offers patrons a full experience with live music, delectable dining, and a vibrant bar scene. The first Ole Red opened in Shelton's hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, in 2017 with Las Vegas the entertainment chain’s sixth location.
Clair Global Integration procured audio, lighting and backbone control for the new venue and handled system design, installation and programming. Bradley Cronenwett, se

UK - Welsh ragga-metal band Skindred played their first arena headline show in March at the OVO Arena Wembley, with Claypaky Mythos2 and Sharpy Washes supporting the musicians’ intense, high-energy performance.
Will Furze, the band’s designer/ lighting director, discussed the show with Skindred band members last year while on tour. They wanted to incorporate existing elements of their stage set, which featured artwork from their latest album Smile, and lasers were a must-have as well.
Furze decided to use the existing tour backdrop and four vertical scrim frames for the Wembley show then designed a one-metre high riser to elevate the drum kit with six-meter ‘wings’ on either side to accommodate lighting fixtures. The set riser was also dressed with custom scrims that continued the look and feel of the Smile album’s artwork.
In selecting li

UK - Prolights Smart BatPlus, provided by Luminosity Lighting Services, illuminated the Blue Room and Music Room of Buckingham Palace for an exclusive TV broadcast shooting.
Luminosity Lighting Services strategically positioned the Smart BatPlus lights to ‘enhance the architectural grandeur of Buckingham Palace’. The lighting configuration focused on discreetly accentuating the pillars within both rooms, accentuating the intricate details and timeless elegance of the historic building.
“The innovative use of Prolights lights not only emphasised the beauty of Buckingham Palace but also played a pivotal role in creating a captivating visual experience for viewers,” says the team. “By ingeniously leveraging the reflection of mirrors and strategically placing lights behind the camera, the production team achieved the illusion of a significantly deeper field of vi

UK - This year, ALPD will again be awarding in three categories - Lighting Design, Production Electrics and Programming, with each of the prize bundles being tailored to the specific needs of that speciality.
The Lighting Design Award is by application. The candidates for the Fred Foster Production Electrician Award and the Anne Valentino Award for Excellence in Programming are by nomination. The ALPD encourages lighting professionals who work alongside a production electrician or programmer whom they consider to be exceptional and worthy of recognition, to nominate them. There are full details on the ALPD website (thealpd.org.uk).
The Michael Northen Award is sponsored by the Go Live Theatre Projects (previously the Mousetrap Foundation) Vectorworks and ETC. The winner of this award will receive a £500 voucher prize, a 512 ETC nomad package, a Vectorworks licence f

USA - Elation Professional has introduced the Fuze Teatro, a refined moving head luminaire that can be used to visually craft any scene without drawing attention to itself. Designed for any application where a noiseless, fully-automated framing fixture with full-spectrum colour range and quality is required, the Fuze Teatro is fanless for completely silent operation.
Illuminating the performing arts with automated luminaires has traditionally been a challenge. The technology required to provide the desired lighting levels, colour quality and remote positioning usually creates unwanted noise from fans, mechanical color mixing modules and other components, making their use in carefully-designed acoustical venues less than ideal. The Fuze Teatro has addressed these concerns with a fanless design and soundless color mixing system that makes it ideal for noise-sensitiv

Europe - Czech moving and LED lighting manufacturer Robe celebrated its 30th anniversary at the 2024 Prolight + Sound expo in Frankfurt and looked forward to another 30 years of lighting innovation.
The entertainment technology brand presented the finale of the Power of Imagination show, that entertained packed audiences five times a day and also staged a Rock ‘n’ Robe stand party on the evening of the second day, featuring Queen tribute band Queenie. Additionally, an array of new lighting products was launched and on the eve of the expo, Robe announced the acquisition of LSC Control Systems.
LSC joined the other Robe businesses – sister architectural brand Anolis, console manufacturer Avolites and control solutions provider Artistic Licence
The two public ‘dark demonstration’ rooms on the booth were constantly busy throughout the four days wi

Germany - Under the motto ‘Claypaky: leading through innovation. And Beyond’, Claypaky celebrated its participation in the 2024 edition of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt.
The primary focus was on the latest addition to the ‘Multispectral family’ – Rhapsodya. Claypaky hosted a pre-recorded product presentation, including a short light show lasting about 12 minutes, which ran every hour. Following the demo, the Buddylight automated followspot was showcased in action during a special performance on stage, featuring singer Nevio Passaro.
Claypaky presented some innovative lighting solutions including:
Volero Cube is a compact IP66 fixture that seamlessly merges beam, wash, and strobe effects. This new, multi-function, multi-effect moving head is a real “4-in-1 fusion fixture” boasting 4 powerful 60W RGBW LEDs and plus-shaped cool white LED strips for str

Europe - Throughout February 2024, German rap artist Luciano worked his way across Germany, Switzerland and Austria on his Seductive tour. One of the first German-speaking rappers in the UK drill style, Luciano was Germany’s most streamed artist on Spotify in 2022. For this year’s tour, 80 Ayrton Cobra fixtures were supplied by TDA Clair GmbH.
Cobra is Ayrton’s first IP65 laser-sourced fixture. Designed for rendering a D65 white point that allows perfect colour reproduction, Cobra has an output of 386,000 lux at 20m, a 38x zoom ratio and zoom range of 0.6° to 23°. It also sports a highly innovative colour section, graphics capability and continuous pan and tilt.
The Cobra fixtures were specified by Stop Making Sense’s Timo Martens who created the lighting design for the tour with support and cooperation from Bertil Mark (also from Stop Making Sense), and Raph

Latest Issue. . .