Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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UK - Blitz, the UK's leading technical staging specialist, will join Phantom of the Opera in celebrating its landmark 20 year anniversary this October. Blitz has worked on the award-winning show, since it opened at Her Majesty's Theatre on 9 October 1986.

Blitz provides a complete sound solution for the stage show. Phantom of the Opera is notable for its pioneering use of Sennheiser radio mics, now a West End standard, as well as sound designer Martin Levan's first use of open Tannoy loudspeaker drivers. Today, as 130 cast, crew and orchestra members are involved with each performance, the show demands a large volume of high technology to work in concert.

Having worked with Phantom of the Opera since its inception, Blitz has adapted with the musical over tim

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Uk - The classical Sondheim musical Follies has returned to the London stage with Robert McWhir's critically acclaimed production at the Landor Theatre in North Clapham. The show was designed for a large Broadway theatre but the Landor is a small fringe venue on the first floor of a South London pub. With a small acting area, a seating capacity of 50 and no financial backing or budget. McWhir's vision was to seat the audience on chairs and tables to be part of the party. The cast of 21 are joined on stage by projected images of their younger days - the synchronisation of all this is done by grandMA.

Andrew Tottle, the production manager explained: "We started looking for solutions ten months ago. The total power capacity for the lighting system is 63A single-phase so we needed very precise solutions designed to work! There would be no spare budget to buy our way out

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UK - For the third year, the Stage Electrics Welsh Trade Show is being held at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff on Wednesday 11 October 2006. Doors open at 11am and the show closes at 5pm.

Leading industry suppliers Apollo, Audio Technica, ETC, Lee, Le Maitre, Mackie, MA Lighting, Martin, Prolyte, Pulsar, RCF, Rosco, Selecon, Sennheiser, Strand, Teclumen and Zero88 will be exhibiting their latest products, offering demos and providing expert advice.

Elaine Peake from Le Maitre will be demonstrating a selection of pyrotechnics at 12 noon and 2pm (weather permitting).

The Stage Electrics Welsh Trade Show is a free event, open to everyone and no tickets are required. The company is recommending you come early to take advantage of the free sandwiches available at lunchtime. Visitors can also take the opportunity to pre-register via the Stage Electrics website

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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Europe - Hard rocking punk metallers Atreyu completed a short European and UK tour with LD Ian Bintliff producing a lightshow to match. The California based 4-piece stormed the UK replete with the screeching guitars, howling vocals and the visceral causticity that initially made them such an underground sensation on the West Coast. When it came to the UK section of the tour, Bintliff asked Blackburn-based HSL to supply crew and kit.

It was a short tour playing a selection of completely different venues - from Brixton Academy to Nottingham Rock City, so Bintliff's design had to be versatile.

He is one of those LD's who has the "ability and talent to make even the smallest rigs look really substantial" says HSL's MD Simon Stuart. Bintliff's style is from the more traditional school of stage lighting design that very much believes in starting with basic PAR washes and b

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USA - Color Kinetics Incorporated and Osram Sylvania today announced an agreement whereby Osram Sylvania will license Color Kinetics' patents for a product to be marketed by Gotham Architectural Downlighting, an Acuity Brands company.

Under the license, Osram Sylvania will create an intelligent, multi-color light-emitting diode (LED) system for Gotham. The global license will apply to sales of this product in all markets covered by Color Kinetics' patent portfolio.

"This is a significant agreement for Color Kinetics," said Bill Sims, President and CEO, Color Kinetics. "Earning the Osram Sylvania stamp of validation sends a strong message to the industry, and reaffirms the value of the innovations protected by our broad patent portfolio."

"The lighting industry is undergoing dramatic change as LED sources influence the design of completely new produc

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

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UK- Community's new VERIS (VERsatile Installation Systems) comprise a range of small-to-medium-sized loudspeakers that are precisely engineered for versatile array construction, while aesthetically styled to meet modern architectural requirements.

A powerful resource for the professional contractor, each VERIS model exhibits linear phase throughout the critical crossover regions and features Community's unique, uniform full-range voicing system to minimise variations in sound quality among the range of models.

Ken DeLoria, Community's product manager says: "VERIS' smooth and intelligible sonic output is the result of patent-pending carbon ring cone technology, coupled with Ferrofluid-cooled and damped MF and HF drivers. This proprietary union of technologies brings low distortion, high-impact sonic capability to a wide range of applications. And because we manufacture the

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New Zealand - One of the leading sound rental companies in New Zealand has snapped up its first Soundcraft Vi6 digital audio console. Concluding his three-year search for the right digital console format, Chris Tate at College Hill Productions considers the Vi6 to be "light years ahead of its competitors at this level in the market".

Based in Auckland, NZ, College Hill has enjoyed a steep trajectory of success since it was founded by Chris Tate in 1996. With a strong presence on the national and international touring scene, working recently with The Rolling Stones and Cher, College Hill also provides high-end systems for corporate events and theatre productions, as well as working with radio and TV broadcasters in NZ.

One of his country's most respected sound engineers, Chris Tate has been evaluating digital consoles for several years, with no single product satisfyi

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Create new traditions – Cameo P6 - High Output Full-Spectrum Ellipsoidal

Cameo's P6 is a future-proof LED profiler with a powerful 600 W RGBACL engine and 16,000 lumens. It’s an energy-efficient replacement for 2.5 kW halogen profile lights in theatres and venues. With excellent light quality and natural colour rendering, it fits perfectly in theatres, musicals, TV studios, congresses, and live events.

With an LED life of 50,000 hours and low power use, the P6 cuts energy costs and supports the EU’s ‘Green Deal’ goals for climate neutrality by 2050. It also meets updated eco-design rules for lighting.

www.cameolight.com/p6profile

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France - Digigram, a leader in PC audio interfaces and innovative networked audio devices, is taking advantage of IBC 2006 to introduce Visiblu, a revolutionary audio processing and networking middleware developed specifically for building network-centric digital radio infrastructures.

Visiblu is a powerful standards-based software services framework that combines audio processing and networking technologies. It unifies Digigram's proven legacy sound cards and audio processing together with EtherSound protocol and professional audio IP streaming into an engine that runs under both Windows and Linux. Visiblu allows broadcast solution providers to easily and rapidly develop IT-based audio and data routing, transport, encoding, and processing systems across both local facilities and wide areas. Using a graph-style application programming interface (API), remote management of distri

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UK - PRG Europe has supplied lighting, truss and mains for the BBC Proms in the Park in Glasgow. Equipment provided for the event celebrating the last night of the Proms included over 55 Vari*Lite luminaires and 50 conventionals, including ETC Source Four Pars and Source Four Zooms, controlled from a Wholehog II plus a Catalyst media server. Lighting director for BBC Scotland was Jim McNamee, while PRG Europe's project manager was John McEvoy.

(Chris Henry)

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UK - Dialight Lumidrives, the UK based LED technology provider, has appointed SimonAldred as sales manager.

Aldred, 35, joins Dialight Lumidrives with over 10 years experience in the lighting and electronics industry. He joins having spent the previous five years selling high power LED technology in the UK and Europe in his role as Lumileds' UK supplier development manager. Aldred will be responsible for increasing significantly Dialight Lumidrive's sales in Europe over the next three years.

Gordon Routledge, managing director at Dialight Lumidrives says: "We are entering a period of rapid growth thanks to an increasing number of customers recognising our wide ranging LED expertise. Simon's role is to help us manage this demand and continue to widen our customer base."

Aldred adds: "Joining Dialight Lumidrives is a fantastic opportunity for me, as the company

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UK - A major government lobbying campaign is about to be initiated to address Ofcom's proposals, as part of the planned TV switchover from analogue to digital, to sell-off the radio frequencies currently used by the UK entertainment industry.

BEIRG - the British Entertainment Industry Radio Group - is fighting to maintain access to a sufficient quantity and quality of radio frequencies to ensure that the UK live events sector can continue to deliver the world-class theatre productions, concerts, festivals and events that it has become known for worldwide.

If BEIRG is not successful in persuading Ofcom to review the situation, the entire RF Spectrum from 470-862MHz will be auctioned to the highest bidder, most likely operators of mobile telecommunications networks, leaving the UK entertainment industry without a licence.

Thanks to a strategy suggested by PLASA and its politic

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USA - Lighting designer Matt Mills recently specified over 50 Chroma-Q Color Block LED fixtures as part of his set lighting for the Three Doors Down US summer co-headline tour with Lynrd Skynyrd.

The 45-date tour for two of the country's biggest southern rock bands was in support of Three Doors Down's smash hit album Seventeen Days - one of the top five selling US rock albums of 2005 - and Lynrd Skynyrd's recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lynrd Skynyrd was already on the road when Three Doors Down joined the tour, so Mills and Lynrd Skynyrd LD Steve Owens co-designed a new rig, doubling the size of it and incorporating the drum riser and backline elements from previous Three Doors Down tours.

As it was a scaled down version of the band's rig and they were reluctant to purchase another backdrop. Mills thought it would be a good opportunity to explore new c

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UK - With only one week to go before the first of this series of Hawthorn@Home events, a 'Pyro Day' on October 13 featuring a demonstration of pyrotechnics by Le Maitre, registrations for the event are doing well, the company reports. "The numbers and quality of the registrations we have already received is encouraging," says Alan Jackson of Hawthorn, "however, we still have capacity at the event to accommodate even more delegates."

Hawthorn regularly organise a series of events, which take place at its base at Old Dalby in Leicestershire. The events run under the heading Hawthorn@Home which give lighting, sound, AV and scenic materials users the opportunity to get hands on with the latest equipment and technology. It is intended the workshops will allow manufacturers, suppliers and users to discuss the products and to gain an insight not normally available o

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UK - Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) has completed the specification, supply and installation of a very elegant white lighting scheme for the Grade 1 listed All Soul's Church on Regent Street, in central London's famous Marylebone district.

Designed by King George IV's favourite architect John Nash, All Souls is a 'Waterloo' church, built in 1823 as part of the nation's thanksgiving for the victory of Wellington over Napoleon. Constructed from Bath stone, the design combines a graceful 160 ft Gothic style spire and a classical rotunda 'body'. It is the last surviving John Nash church.

LTP was contacted by designers LUXX, whose Martin Richman and Dominic Berning have worked with them on numerous other interesting, idiosyncratic and innovative architectural lighting projects. LTP's Terry Reeves says: "It's always a challenge working on Martin's projects - they push the a

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UK - After several years hosting the annual Bay Beats festival, a concentrated exposition of local south-east Asian talent featuring five 'Indie' bands a day for three days, this year a decision was taken by Singapore's Esplanade Theatres on the Bay to purchase a large format line array to cater for the festival's audio needs.

"As the festival's popularity has grown we have experimented with a couple of systems, most recently the Q-Series system from d&b audiotechnik," said Esplanade's head of sound, Robin Shuttleworth. "We use d&b loudspeakers extensively throughout the Esplanade complex, C7 and C4 cabinets as well as the Q, but my decision to purchase a new system for Bay Beats was influenced by several considerations, not just the needs of the festival."

Shuttleworth's responsibilities include the Esplanade Concert Hall, Recital Studios, Theatre, Powerho

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UK - Bandit Lites is supplying full lighting production and crew for LD Dave Lee on the current 7-week Journey South UK theatre tour, produced by Production North.

Bandit's Lester Cobrin was again asked onboard by Production North - the two companies are regular collaborators - after working together on the very successful X-Factor tour earlier in the year, which was also project managed by Cobrin.

Since coming third on the last series of X-Factor, Journey South, brothers Carl and Andy Pemberton from Middlesbrough, have built up a solid UK fan base which has helped spawn their first - and sold out - tour. This is a testament to the wide appeal of their music. The live show is primarily rocky, up-tempo and very dynamic. It kicks off with a scorching rendition of Thin Lizzie's classic The Boys are Back in Town, and also features plenty of their own original material.

Ba

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UK - The ABTT is looking to compile a list of the most useful things the British theatre technician might utilise in their working life, from entries submitted by its members and non-members alike.

Any item is eligible and suggestions so far include: the multi-tool; a 17mm box spanner; the hard hat; knee pads; Pilbrow's Stage Lighting Design; a sound pressure level meter; personalised crew room coffee mug; and, a walkie-talkie that works in the nearest pub.

Submissions should be sent to techequip@catherinecooperevents.co.uk by the end of October and include a contact number. One entry chosen at random after the closing date will receive a year's free ABTT membership subscription.

(Chris Henry)

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UK - In a record-breaking time-frame of just 25 days, Adlib Audio has designed, delivered and installed a full sound reinforcement system at one of Liverpool's cultural landmarks. With the support of Fuzion, the Philharmonic Hall has been equipped with a Nexo Geo D tangent-array system, the first in the world to be specified into an installation.

In actual fact, the Geo D system has been designed by Adlib's Mark Burnley to be moved in and out of the Hall; it can work as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with visiting productions, which may prefer to bring in their own equipment. Kelsey Acoustics has created a bespoke multicore system to facilitate this.

Refurbished in 1995 at a cost of over £10 million, the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall boasts a classic art deco interior. As well as being home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the world's oldest co

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Canada - 102 year old Butchart Gardens in Victoria is one of Canada's top tourist attractions, covering 55 acres and renowned for its themed gardens, floral displays and spectacular views.

With between one and 1.5 million visitors per year, the gardens also host a range of events, including live music and, for 10 Saturday evenings in summer, a spectacular firework display.Being situated on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the gardens are not an acoustically friendly environment, both in terms of physical location and climate. For more than six years, Victoria's DL Sound & Lighting had used Turbosound Flashlights at the venue and this year looked at ways to further improve sound coverage and quality for the weekly firework show.

The challenges that a new system had to overcome included high humidity and direct sunlight all day, the effects of a salt atmosphere - both in terms of

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UK - Northern Light have announced the arrival of Calder Sibbald as their new events manager. Prior to joining the company, Calder was branch manager of Tower Productions South where he worked on glamorous A-List celebrity parties and events.

Calder possesses a degree in Stage Management and Theatre Production gained at Queen Margaret University College. Whilst at university, Calder moonlighted as technical manager for two Edinburgh institutions - The Venue and Liquid Rooms nightclubs.

Calder says: "This is an exciting opportunity for me to develop Northern Light's Events division. Since I was at school, I have worked in various fields of production in Scotland, the UK and Europe. In conjunction with Gregor Murray, our events services manager, I'll be working to build up Northern Light's market share of corporate and celebrity event production."

Northern Light's ma

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Italy / China - During the recent Italian Government mission to China, the Prime Minister - accompanied by four ministers and the Chairman of Confindustria (the Confederation of Italian Industries), and with 600 businessmen in tow - met with top Chinese leaders.

Formal events alternated with festivities on a grand scale, such as the concert to mark the opening in Guangzhou of the Third International Small and Medium Industries Fair/Chinese-Italian Small and Medium Industries Fair. This memorable event was staged in a vast auditorium, where a battery of Coemar iSpots S was well able to handle a show of such gigantic size. This typifyies a market (China) where Coemar's presence is constantly growing, thanks to some dynamic joint ventures. The lighting for the event was provided by Hu Jia (lighting designer), the Guangdong Singing and Dancing Performer Group (lighting contractor) e

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