Germany - On the 22 March, D.T.S. held its third D.T.S. Excellence Awards dinner.

The ceremony, which took place at the Tryp hotel in Frankfurt during ProLight&Sound, started with a choreographed rendition of the 'Mission impossible' theme, that ended with the clear statement "Mission accomplished!", whilst highlighting the brand new JACK and NICK NRG high-power compact moving heads, introduced by D.T.S at Prolight&Sound.

Silvano Latteo, D.T.S president, and Franco Zaghini, VP of sales, awarded the Excellence Awards 2012 to the company's most successful dealers and to the best installations, concerts and events staged with D.T.S. products over the last 12 months.

Prizes were awarded to the following categories: Buildings; Theme Parks; Sport Venues; Clubs; Events; Con

UK - Creative & Cultural Skills, Arts Council England, and Nesta have joined forces to commission new, independent research into the influence of the subsidised theatre on commercial theatre, with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the role of public investment in the arts.

The survey will track the careers of people in the industry, and the talent that has emerged from it, in order to better understand the impact that public investment in the theatre sector makes.

The aim is to collect the views of a range of theatre professionals currently or previously working in the sector, as well as those who have aspired to do so, on how their careers have developed. The wider the range of participants, the more valuable the research will be, and the more we will know about the success story of British Theatre.

TBR and BOP Consulting, who developed the survey, will also unde

Mexico - At Bicentennial Park near Silao, Mexico, a sun-drenched, open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict the XVI gathered a sizable crowd that the Associated Press estimated to reach 350,000 people. To ensure everybody could hear words and music clearly and to full effect, more than 375 Meyer Sound loudspeakers converged at the site - including 268 Milo line array loudspeakers, probably the most ever deployed for any single event.

The daunting challenge of audio system design was shouldered by Rodrigo López of Mexico City-based consulting firm Zero Phase. His assignment was to provide uniform coverage across a vast, irregularly-shaped area - over a kilometer wide and a half kilometer deep - comprising uneven hillsides, sloped parking lots and open fields.

To augment the main stage Milo arrays, López plotted a system of 40 delay towers laid out along 12 delay lines. Arrays

Germany - For the second year running, Robert Juliat's Prolight+Sound stand was almost entirely illuminated by LED fixtures, demonstrating how LED sources can simultaneously offer both cost and environmental benefits.

The stand centred on presenting previews of Robert Juliat's two new products, TIBO and ZEP LED profiles, which are due for release later this year.

TIBO and ZEP have evolved from the success of Robert Juliat's award-winning LED profile released at PLASA 2010. Both are the result of a redesigned light source, designed and built entirely in-house, which gives an improved CRI and higher light output.

ZEP is the same size and form factor as the 600SX range and offers a maximum output and a low power consumption. Its 150W LED source gives a light output equivalent to a 1000W tungsten profile. It will be available in two colour temperatures: Warm White 3200K and Cool

Belgium - Barco has added a new member to its RLM family of silent three-chip DLP projectors. Similar to its smaller W6 and W8 cousins, the new RLM-W12 offers WUXGA resolution (1920x1200) combined with low operating cost and power consumption. Thanks to its standard 3D capabilities, low noise level and 11,500 lumens light output, the RLM-W12 is a perfect fit for conference auditoriums, lecture halls, infotainment applications and event venues, says the company.

"By adding a brighter unit to our RLM projector family, we can now cover the entire spectrum of silent projectors for fixed installations, ranging from 6,000 to 11,500 lumens light output," says Alexis Skatchkoff, product manager at Barco. "In this way, we are better able to meet customer demands for more brightness out of compact projector systems."

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases enjoyed its busiest Prolight+Sound exhibition to date in Frankfurt, where the company showcased its latest custom designs and innovations, together with a selection of standard and classic 5 Star case ranges.

UK based 5 Star displayed another flagship VJ console, kitted out with top of the range Pioneer equipment in the form of two DVJ1000 media players hooked up to an SVM1000 AV mixer. 5 Star created two 10.4" TFT monitors in bespoke housings to match the console's CNC machined internal housing.

The two DVJs were angled to the same pitch as the SVM for flexibility and ease of operation. The system also included twin VESA type mounting arms and poles, which fitted into the rear of the main frame.

All this was then built into one of 5 Star's 'Heavy Industrial' specification flight cases - a top-of-the-range product that is r

UK - Designed with feedback from Dirty Rigger's Facebook and international research campaign, the Dirty Rigger development team has just launched the new Comfort Fit workman's glove.

Now offering added durability, the gloves feature a new and improved double synthetic-leather layer, increasing resistance to wear and abrasion whilst retaining outstanding levels of dexterity.

The gloves also retain Dirty Rigger's heavy duty nylon double stitching. Offering all Dirty Rigger users an even more comfortable and reliable form of work wear than ever before, the Comfort Fit range is set to fully replace the 'Original' range later in the year, says the company.

Dirty Rigger product manager Steve Marshall says, "We always get great feedback from our distributors and excellent ideas & suggestions from our social media followers. This sort of information is invaluable, working with

Germany - Milos continued its busy schedule of trade fairs and exhibitions, enjoying a very busy and successful Prolight+Sound Exhibition in Frankfurt.

The company showed many new and innovative products, together with the most popular elements of its extensive standard ranges.

Products highlighted included x.Truss, the MT05 tower system, OV50 ramps, crowd barriers, staging and roofing systems, the T12 modular connection system and a water tank.

The x.Truss attracted much interest. This is a series of very useful and flexible connectors and mounting devices that interface with MILOS popular QuickTruss systems and suited to exhibitions, conferences and trade show applications. The x.Truss extras allow for the mounting of a diverse selection of materials both vertically and horizontally onto the trussing spans, visibly or invisible, quickly and effectively.

The new light loa

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Germany - On the tails of a very successful Prolight + Sound, Wireless Solution Sweden AB is returning to Frankfurt 15-20 April 2012 for Light + Building with new products and some innovative advancements to their W-DMX product range.

The company has been working on a completely new software platform since October 2011 that is prepared for future hardware functions as well as many new features and updated functions.

W-DMX G4S is a completely new platform with the lowest latency in the market under 5ms, available for a software update on all existing Micro F-1, BlackBox, WhiteBox and ProBox units already shipped via the USB Dongle. The new software is patent protected in Europe as well United States. On display will also be the W-DMX BlackBox MK2 and the popular ProBox F-2500, both offering great flexibility for a variety of uses.

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution sa

UK - PLASA focus Leeds will see pioneering rigging designers Rope Assemblies launch a new super lightweight 'Lighting Ladder' aimed at riggers and lighting teams working in venues and on tour.

Distributed by White Light in London and Black Light in Edinburgh, the Lighting Ladder provides a much-needed flexible, space-saving and rugged rigging solution for lighting. Lightweight and extremely strong the Lighting Ladder comprises black, galvanised rope wire and 50mm aluminium rungs, which can be fixed into place at evenly spaced end stops. In addition the Lighting Ladder has been independently tested for weight loading.

"The success of the Lighting Ladder design is in its simplicity," says Siobhan Hitchen of Rope Assemblies. "It's quick to unpack and assemble. In addition the Lighting Ladder's robust versatility ensures it can be used time and time again and in a v

UK - Rycote, the UK-based manufacturer of microphone windshields and shockmount systems, has announced another of its popular open days. On 10 May 10, 2012, the Rycote factory in Stroud, Gloucestershire will be open to the public, who will be encouraged to tour the premises and see where and how the entire Rycote product range is manufactured and assembled.

As ever, Rycote staff and designers will be on hand throughout the day to answer technical questions and demonstrate products. This year, several new broadcast products will be on display, fresh from their debut at April's NAB show in Las Vegas.

"Our open days have proved to be a very popular way for us to keep in touch with our customers," explains sales & marketing director Stefano Pucello. "They're a great opportunity for our users to see and give us instant feedback on our products, and to exchange ideas

Australia - The 2012 Australia Day celebrations saw production and lighting designer Paul Collison create a glittering cityscape in the centre of Sydney's Darling Harbour, using a battery of Clay Paky Sharpys.

On 26 January thousands of spectators flocked to the Darling Harbour precinct to celebrate the founding of the Port Jackson settlement in 1788. The merriment culminated in a multifaceted choreography of lighting, lasers, fire and water, which climaxed in a magnificent fireworks display.

"The Sharpys are awesome," comments Collison. "They're small and extraordinarily bright, which made them absolutely ideal for this project for a number of reasons."

Collison's brief was to build a small cityscape on a barge in the centre of Darling harbour. "We designed a cylindrical video screen surrounded by a number of towers," he explains. "This ga

USA - The Riverside Casino & Golf Resort has positioned itself as a popular Midwest destination, offering Las Vegas-inspired gaming and slot machines in a resort setting featuring luxurious accommodations with panoramic views of its world-class golf course, an indoor/outdoor pool and other amenities.

The resort, located just south of Iowa City, is also home to a multipurpose Events Centre that offers a busy schedule of top name entertainment featuring artists like Big & Rich, Peter Frampton, The Robert Cray Band, and Tony Orlando, as well as hosting corporate, community and private functions.

The resort has recently upgraded their in-house audio capabilities with the installation of four Renkus-Heinz CF101LA modular point source array speakers. As Marvin Smejkal, owner of Sound Concepts, a production sound installation and rental company with offices in Iowa, Missouri and Flor

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light will be showcasing lighting solutions from their exclusive product line at PLASA Focus: Leeds. On display will be the White Light family of products, which will include those from i-Pix, Core Lighting, Prism Projection, Interactive Technologies, Galaxia and CITC FX.

On show from i-Pix will be the Satellite Mk. II. Building upon the success of its highly successful predecessor, the Mk. II Satellite has been completely redesigned. Eight 10W high powered RGB and daylight white light engines provide a high light output whilst saving energy. It is capable of fitting within a 1' square truss for truss toning, or as a wash device. The newest products in the i-Line range will also be on show, featuring linear battens whose configurations include 6x40 watt and 12x40 RGB & White LEDs.

The Point 20& Point 30 fully weatherproofed battery

Australia - When Opera Australia's artistic director Lyndon Terracini announced that they would be staging an open-air opera on Sydney Harbour there was much scepticism from opera buffs who furiously pursed their lips in anticipation of a production disaster.

It was clear from the outset that enormous technical and logistical challenges would have to be overcome to make the event a success - in particular the sound quality with opera purists lining up to criticize an operatic performance that utilised radio microphones and amplification.

Fortunately this open-air production of Verdi's La Traviata has opened to much acclaim by critics and whilst Brian Thomson's open, sloping, diamond-shaped stage with its scene-stealing 9m x 9m crystal chandelier has grabbed initial attention, the sound quality has been universally praised.

Sound designer Tony David Cray, along with th

Germany - At precisely 4pm on Thursday 22 March, in front of a comprehensive collection of the press, a celebratory photo of the MDG team was emailed from the MDG headquarters in Canada to Heinz and Sabine Siller of cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution as they stood on the MDG stand at Prolight+Sound.

The photo showed the staff holding an Inukshuk, a Canadian monument made of unworked stones which represents the energy of stone in a human image, traditionally used by the Inuit for communication and survival. The message read: "MDG is proud and honoured to offer this Inukshuk to cast C. Adolph & RST Distribution for our 20 years of partnership and many more to come!"

That same Inukshuk, having been transported in hand-luggage from Montreal to Frankfurt, was then presented on the stand to Heinz Siller by MDG's Martin Michaud. Michaud explained that, "In modern times,

UK - PLASA Focus will see the introduction of two new products from Doughty Engineering, Stand S-C25.

Being previewed at PLASA Focus is the BetaBar, a bar mounted dimmer unit which integrates Zero 88's Betapack into an internally wired bar (IWB) format and offers up to six channels with DMX control. The result of collaboration with Zero 88, the BetaBar may be specified as an option on custom or standard IWBs and will be ready for shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Also being seen for the first time in the UK is the Baby Quick Trigger clamp. Complementing Doughty's Quick Trigger range of clamps, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp is intended for use on smaller truss sizes and is adjustable to diameters from 25mm up to 38mm. With TUV approval pending, the Baby Quick Trigger clamp will be available in polished aluminium or satin black.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Lighting, dimming and control manufacturer ETC is gearing up for a busy PLASA Focus 2012, in Leeds, 17-18 April.

The company's new Source Four LED fixture is set to receive its first major UK public showing, with demonstrations on the stand (S-C6), allowing visitors to compare its output to incandescent Source Four luminaires.

When the Source Four LED was demonstrated at Prolight +Sound in Frankfurt, it drew large, enthusiastic crowds.

The luminaire will be initially available in three versions: Source Four LED Lustr+, Source Four LED Daylight and Source Four LED Tungsten, bringing bright white light plus brilliant colours and energy-saving efficiency to all types of installations.

The Source Four LED Tungsten and Daylight produce maximum brightness at their respective warm (3000K) and cool white (5600K) colour temperatures. And just like ETC's Selador Desire Lustr+,

Germany - For nearly 20 years, Circus Flic Flac has been synonymous with artistic, highly unusual entertainment and absolutely thrilling live shows. However, last year, Flic Flac ceased touring in order to concentrate on single shows and special events - such as the Christmas circus in Nuremberg.

Between the beginning of last December and end of January, the striking circus Big Top, coloured in yellow and black was raised for more than 60 shows, with over 1,400 people attending each day.

Jens Berthold, CEO of Germany's J&S Music, and Christian Griebel, technical director for the show, set the specifications. "We needed highly reliable fixtures. Due to arctic temperatures, far below zero at night and around 25°C during the shows, condensation was only one of the challenges we needed to face. Furthermore, dust, heavy use of fog machines and constantly changing temperatu

USA - High End Systems, DL.3 Digital Lights and intellaspot automated luminaires helped define the political landscape for The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2012. The week-long event in February drew thousands to the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. for presentations, press conferences, panel sessions and parties.

LD Matt Mills designed the lighting and the set, and programmed and operated the show for CMI Communications. He elected to use three DL.3 Digital Lights and 18 intellaspot LED automated luminaires, provided by Mainlight Industries.

Mills used the DL.3s in Collage mode, using two to create one seamless panoramic image above the podium for the press shots. "The press would get right at the downstage edge of the stage and take an upshot of each of the candidates at the podium. I thought it would be a nice touch if there was something in

Europe - Arguably one of Cuba's most successful exports, The Bar at Buena Vista - The Grandfathers of Cuban Music, is a massively successful show in the midst of a sell-out international smash hit tour. Currently touring throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, German rental specialists Coco Sound based in Freiburg, have supplied a significant Uniline compact line array system from APG supplemented with SMX15s for front-fill for the duration of the European leg.

Written and directed by Toby Gough, the Grandfathers of Cuban Music brings together three masters of Cuban music to celebrate the rich heritage of Havana's Buena Vista neighbourhood. The cast is headed by the venerable 94 year-old Reynaldo Creagh who ignited the flame that started the whole Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon. Probably the world's oldest working singer, he is considered a living legend in h

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