USA - My Name’s Not Indian Joe, the Elizabeth A. Davis blues-tinged musical about the unlikely bond formed between a homeless Native American man and a young aspiring Texas beauty queen recently played Manhattan’s Davenport Theatre. Zach Blane’s lighting design utilised over 70 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Working with Emmy Award-winning director Don Scardino and set designer Ann Beyersdorer, Blane used lighting to convey the passage of time and place as well as the current of emotions that run through the play.
“There are actually more than 20 locations in this cinematically written musical,” says Blane. “The story takes place in ‘Grandpa’s South Field’ in Texas, a homeless shelter, under the I-35 bridge, on a park bench, in a ratty dirty motel roo

USA - Church of the Highlands recently updated its main Birmingham, Alabama, facility with a complete lighting package by Harman Professional Solutions comprised entirely of Martin fixtures.
Founded in 2001 by senior pastor Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands is a non-denominational multi-site church with headquarters in Birmingham and 16 additional satellite campuses across Alabama.
With technology playing an integral role in creating meaningful worship experiences for the church’s thousands of members across separate locations, church leaders wanted to ensure high production standards for the video simulcast
Lighting director Patrick Hentz made the decision to upgrade the church’s aging lighting system with a state-of-the-art lighting solution. Hentz selected an extensive range of Martin fixtures to ensure premium image quality for the video simulcast, i

Belgium - Apart held its bi-annual Apart distributor seminar on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 August.
Company representatives and distributors gathered in the Felix Pakhuis in Antwerp, with over 100 people from 42 countries worldwide in attendance.
On day one, main topics were future marketing and product plans. Visitors also received a preview of several Apart products yet to be released. A dinner and casino night followed and highlight of the evening was the Apart awards ceremony.
On the second day of the event, the complete distribution team moved to the Central European office in Schoten, Belgium for several break-out groups. The event ended in the typical Apart way being amongst friends / installers with a Belgian style BBQ.
Kris Vermuyten, sales & marketing director, comments: “I am very happy with this fantastic week and experience. The Apart c

USA - Matrix is supplying their PPU, camera systems and LED to the North American segment of the Phil Collins tour - Phil Collins Not Dead Yet, Live (see LSi September 2017 for a production report).
This is the first tour Phil has performed in the US, in 12 years. The North American region forms part of the Worldwide tour which runs for three weeks from 3-28 October. The concerts commence in Fort Lauderdale, travelling up the west to Canada, into the Mid-West and onto the West Coast – all in all 15 shows in 25 days.
Phil Collins and the band will be supported with a range of Matrix supplied equipment - most notable is the PPU, camera systems and LED inventory.
The Matrix PPU with Ross Carb

Russia - Astera has announced Martin Rus LLC as its new exclusive distributor for Russia.
Martin Rus will be distributing and servicing the German brand’s battery powered entertainment and film lighting, the X-series. The enterprise includes management team, regular stock of different brands in Moscow and the service-centre authorized by international manufacturers.
“We are very happy to start cooperation with Astera and become the first company who will bring these terrific solutions to the Russian market,” comments Mikhail Kuznetsov, CEO of Martin Rus.
“We met at PL+S in Frankfurt this year and have been greatly impressed by Astera products offering so many interesting possibilities. As a company, Astera has already proved to be highly customer-oriented and they have an absolutely correct business approach. They have a very big potential and we are lo

India - On 1 August, Shure Incorporated opened a sales and marketing office in Bengaluru.
The new location is expected to strengthen the company’s position in South Asia, where Shure also has offices in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan. Chicco Hiranandani, country director (pictured), will spearhead the Bengaluru office, with market development manager Devraj Panicker overseeing corporate end-customer engagements, with a focus on Integrated Systems solutions. In the long term, Hiranandani will work closely with channel partners on a growth plan for South Asia.
Mark Humrichouser, vice-president of global sales at Shure, comments: “India has experienced exponential business growth during the past few years and has become a hub for Fortune 500 companies and AV manufacturers alike. The new office presents an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to this

UK - Curtain Call, a network for theatre professionals, is exhibiting jointly with Soulsound, a leading online resource centre for audio engineers, for the first time at PLASA this year. The two companies will be offering a special joint membership offer.
Hailed as ‘LinkedIn meets IMDB, for theatre’, Curtain Call is an online network dedicated to connecting theatre professionals. Members can build profiles, find jobs and collaborate with new and existing connections using the game-changing platform.
Soulsound has been helping sound engineers to improve their skills, find work and be insured since 2011. Members benefit from full public liability insurance as well as training and mentorship from highly successful professionals who share their knowledge and experience.
Together, Curtain Call and Soulsound cover all the needs of theatre and live event technicians

UK - Martin Audio has announced nine new products spread across the spectrum of electronics and loudspeakers. These represent a significant development in the company’s portfolio advancement with increased tools for system integrators, installers and specifiers. Furthermore, they will be on display and demonstration at the company’s UK Open Days, 18-20 September in High Wycombe.
First out of the gate is the new ADORN series of on-wall loudspeakers that bring class-leading performance, reliability and value to a wide range of commercial sound installations. From the retail store to the boardroom, ADORN loudspeakers are designed for distributed sound applications that require high performance from visually-discreet, ultra-compact enclosures. They also provide a seamless sonic transition within a multi-zoned complex using larger Martin Audio systems such as CDD or Blackline
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USA - Lectrosonics has announced the release of the RPS4, a high-reliability universal DC power supply with redundant internal supply modules. The unit is designed as a 12V DC source for low-voltage devices such as wireless microphone receivers, IEM transmitters, IFB transmitters, and audio signal processing equipment.
The 1RU chassis eliminates the need for a separate power strip with individual DC supplies for each device. The RPS4 is ideal for use in broadcast, theatre, touring, houses of worship and many other professional applications.
The RPS4 supplies four 12 V DC thread-locking (LZR type) taps, each providing up to 1.5 Amps. Two internal power supplies and two temperature-controlled fans operate in a failover mode for an automatic backup in the event one of them fails. Individual 2A automotive blade-type fuses protect each 12 V tap from overload or direct short

UK - Holoplot will show its complete audio solution ORION at stand W61 at PLASA 2018. The series consists of the audio module Io, the Eta processing core, and the software interface Orbit.
Holoplot products offer radically new opportunities for applying and controlling audio in various applications, as well as the creation of true immersive sound experiences. The system uses wave field synthesis technology components, but the company has developed its own configuration and approach to making the system scalable and applicable to a large number of use cases, enabling sound engineers to work in new dimensions of sound reinforcement.
Using knowledge from over 10 years of research, this product is able to generate different and more efficient audio wavefronts, ranging from spherical to cylindrical and planar, says the company. This results in the fact, that the system’s

UK - KV2 Audio has announced a dedicated KV2 demonstration facility running for the entire duration of PLASA 2018.
Situated in The Club Room, this facility will offer industry professionals and users the invaluable opportunity to experience a selection of KV2’s exceptional range of products at their leisure throughout the show.
Products from KV2’s Active EX and Passive ESD ranges will be on show as well as larger format Active-Driven Systems from the ESR and SL ranges with the ground-breaking VHD 4.21 2x21” subwoofer system also ready to demonstrate why some of the world’s largest dance clubs have embraced KV2.
Members of KV2 Audio’s UK office and head office will be available to talk through any requirements show-goers might have, and can be found on Stand L10 on the show floor or in the Club Room itself.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Although its moniker may only suggest visual facilities for a specific geographical area, Phoenix-based Video West is a full-service AVL rental and staging company that supports corporate and festival clients across the entire United States.
To best serve its national client base, Video West has invested in a sizable L-Acoustics K2/Kara system, which has been kept busy this summer on a number of events, including the North Dakota State Fair, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and Citadel Country Spirit USA music festival.
The L-Acoustics system - primarily comprising 48 K2 and 24 Kara enclosures, 24 K1-SB and 24 KS28 subs, and a full complement of LA12X and LA8 amplified controllers - joins Video West’s pre-existing inventory of L-Acoustics V-DOSC and Kudo enclosures, which it purchased when Precise Corporate Staging’s David Stern joined the company as vice president

Columbia - Nearly 200 Robe moving lights graced the spectacular lighting scheme devised for the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Central Americana & Caribbean Games, staged in the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, in the key Colombian port city of Barranquilla.
LD John J Orduña Sarmiento was part of a highly talented team involved in the show’s technical production, for which lighting equipment - including all the Robe fixtures - was supplied by leading Colombian rental company, Línea Estratégica based in Medellin.
The vibrant and highly visual OC included stunning projection mapping onto the field-of-play with the images also appearing on a large video wall at the back of a large stage built at one end of the stadium. A cast of several hundred dancers thrilled the crowds along with several special collaborations and music performances by top artists embrac

Germany - Housing 22,000 plant species within its 43-hectare complex, the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum stands out as a verdant oasis in midst of Germany's bustling capital, just as it has for over a century. A highlight of the year at this world-renowned facility is its Summer Festival, which features botanical exhibitions and a specially crafted Botanische Nacht live show.
This year’s show, which featured 160 artists, musicians and other performers, was built around the theme The Light of Nature. Lighting designer Denny Arndt helped to bring their performance to life by using 150 Chauvet Professional Épix Strip IP fixtures, supplied by TLT Event AG, to create a vibrant and flexible lighting panorama at the Botanical Garden’s central greenhouse.
With the performances leading visitors through various botanical themes in the main

UK - Over three days in early August, 22 volunteers from event production specialists Light Fantastic Production Services transformed the outdoor space at Somers Court, a supported home in Edgware, North London.
Managed by Norwood, Somers Court provides assisted living to help children and adults maximise their potential at home, at school and throughout their lives.
Taking a break from their ‘day job’ supplying production services and equipment to the event industry, the LFPS team endured the August heatwave plus severe torrential downpours to create a bright and inspiring garden for residents to enjoy. Handling every aspect of design, build and installation, LFPS also covered the full cost of both time and materials to ensure delivery of the completed project.
Inspired and functional, the revamped gardens now include accessible high-level planters, a shade

UK - Sound system distributor 2B Heard (see company profile in LSi September) has centralised its warehousing and head office at a new site in Shefford, Bedfordshire thanks to a six-figure commercial mortgage from HSBC UK.
The business, which was set up in 2015, is the exclusive distributor in the UK and Ireland for K-Array. The new warehouse and head office has enabled 2B Heard to bring all warehousing facilities in-house and increase its stocking capacity, saving the business eight per cent in yearly spend. 2B Heard previously used a third-party warehouse to stock its products, limiting the company’s ability to grow.
Dave Wooster, director at 2B Heard, comments: “Our new warehouse and expanded range o

Europe - J&C Joel has announced an expansion of its operations in Europe, with the opening of a new office in Romania and establishing J&C Joel Europa.
The UK-based company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions and exports to over 80 countries worldwide.
After implementing channel model of dealers and distributors throughout Europe and Russia, the company is looking to further develop its presence across the continent by making this major investment into its infrastructure.
Roland Rizk, J&C Joel’s regional manager for Europe and Russia, comments: “We are very excited to grow the business into Romania and to provide better strategic support for our clients and partners across Europe and Russia. Their efforts and commitment to market and sell our brand have facilitated the e

Italy/USA - Loud Audio, a Transom Capital Group company, has sold Eastern Acoustics Works (EAW) to Italian pro audio specialist RCF Group.
The deal is said to be the final divestiture by Transom, which will now see Loud focus on its Mackie brand after also parting ways with Martin Audio in July.
Ty Schultz, managing partner at Transom Capital Group, comments: “Simplifying the Loud business to focus on high quality audio delivery from consumers to professionals has always been the focus of our thesis. We are very happy to have found a great new owner for the EAW brand and wish everyone involved much success going forward.”
Alex Nelson, Mackie’s president, adds: “While I have truly enjoyed working with all of the brands in the LOUD legacy, now it’s time for us to turn the page and to be entirely focused on building the Mackie brand. Our companies have lon

Voices Off - U2 frontman Bono says he expects to be "back to full voice" for the rest of the band's tour a day after a Berlin show was cancelled over a vocal issue. "I've seen a great doctor," the singer said in a statement, adding that he was "happy and relieved that anything serious has been ruled out".
In his statement on Sunday, the singer said his "relief" at being able to return to performing was "tempered by the knowledge that the Berlin audience were so inconvenienced".
"There was an amazing atmosphere in the house, it was going to be one of those unforgettable nights but not for this reason. We can't wait to get back there on 13 November," the statement added. It was the second night of the European leg of U2's Experience + Innocence tour, which had kicked off at the same venue on Friday night.
Zero Tolerance - Kevin Hart has split opinion

UK - Data Strategy has announced the first showing of a new product - VeriCal - on stand K10 at this year’s PLASA 2018. The new product, which is available for purchase or hire, verifies that the Out Board PAT-4 testers, an integral part of the QC-Check system, are within their operational specifications.
The QC-Check system provides fast and accurate safety inspections and the robustly packaged PAT-4 tester provides the perfect solution for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), cable (continuity and insulation resistance) inspection and testing of equipment protected by RCDs (distro).
VeriCal consists of a calibrated hardware module that is controlled by a QC-Check style application that guides the user through the verification process and generates a test certificate upon successful completion of the process. A certain amount of adjustment of the PAT-4 calibration set

UK - Robert Juliat will be exhibiting at PLASA 2018 with exclusive UK distributor Ambersphere Solutions on stand K40. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the latest products, ask questions and network.
Robert Juliat has added two new fixtures to its Dalis range. First launched at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt earlier this year, Dalis Access 863 and Dalis 864 Footlight both feature a four-colour mixing system (red, green, royal blue and warm white 2200K).
Dalis Access 863 is a 150W LED batten fixture designed to give small-sized venues or those with smaller budgets the first access to Dalis technology. Sharing all the technology of the original Dalis 860 Cyclorama fixture, Dalis Access 863 has just four colours and 24 of the patented Dalis asymmetrical micro-reflectors, but otherwise all the functionality and quality of the original. Equipped with an advanced fanless

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