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Firefly Imaging’s patented, award-winning scrolling projector was chosen by Sony Pictures Entertainment and its marketing partner, Buzztone, for the Hollywood premiere of Spiderman on 4 May. As celebrities and guest arrived to enter the premiere tent outside the Wadsworth Theatre, images of Spiderman’s web and logo were projected on the tent, which was larger than the size of a football field. "We were thrilled to be a part of the Spiderman premier and contribute in a material way to the look and feel of the evening. Our specialty is creating unique imagery and projecting it in large formats on any type of surface. The Spiderman premier allowed us to do what we do best," said Rachel Wagner, vice-president of events for Firefly.

Voted Product of the Year by Entertainment Design magazine, the Firefly Projector has the ability to project sharp, full colour images of

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A.C. Lighting Ltd is offering comprehensive training on grandMa and Jands lighting consoles, free of charge. Catering for three levels of lighting specialists, A.C. will be offering the choice of operator, programmer and advanced programmer training, tailored to meet the previous experience of those in attendance. Courses will be held over a maximum of three days, either at A.C. Lighting’s headquarters in High Wycombe or at its northern sales office in Leeds.

All delegates will be given the chance to sample the powerful operating system provided by grandMa lighting consoles from the MA lighting range. As a result of the intensive nature of the training, places on each course are limited and dates will be allocated on a ‘first-come’ basis.

For those involved with entertainment lighting that require a more basic level of training, A.C. Lighting is also organizing a se

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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Lighting designer Steve Sommerville has been using an Avolites Sapphire 2000 console for the latest Gomez In Our Gun tour which has just finished its UK leg. It’s the first time he’s toured with an Avo desk, although he’s used Pearls on numerous other occasions.

Sommerville chose a Sapphire over a Pearl for this Gomez tour because of its additional power and capacity: "Everything you need is right here to hand on the Sapphire," he says. "The page selection is great, and there’s plenty of faders so you don’t have to change pages to select individual lamps - it’s all at your fingertips. It’s also a great desk for improvisational moments!"

Steve’s worked for Gomez since day one - initially when they were supporting Embrace who he also designs for - and has grown with the band. This tour around, he went for a tota

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Leading giant video screen manufacturer, Unitek, has added XL Video to its list of event industry customers. The award winning concert video specialists will take delivery of 50sq.m of Unitek MS17 LED video screen in the first week of June. However, XL Video will have little time to admire the latest addition to their hire fleet, as the MS17 system will be in action for the first time less than a week after delivery. The MS17 will be based in the UK and will allow XL Video to further develop their successful UK touring and one-off event business.

With bases in London, Los Angeles and Belgium, XL Video specialise in supplying complete video support services to the concert touring, music and entertainment industries. Despite being one of the most recent entrants, XL’s rise to prominence in the concert touring industry has been nothing short of meteoric and they are now considered b

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Autograph Sound Recording, the theatrical sound design and rental specialists, joined in the cheers and tears on 11 May 2002, when Cats closed its doors exactly 21 years to the day after it first opened. The production found its way into the record books, by becoming the longest running show in the West End.

Unlike any theatre show since, in 1981 Autograph found themselves purchasing - from new - the entire sound and communications system. The main components included a Midas TR series theatre console, seven Micron radio mics, which were moved from performer to performer throughout the show, an RTS communications system, Amcron amps, four Martin bass bins and ten Meyer Sound UPA-1s, the first in Europe. During the course of the show, the sound system went through several overhauls: in 1990 the Micron VHF unlicensed radio mics were replaced with 18 UHF licensed Sennheiser receiv

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Two key music industry trade associations, the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Music Producers Guild (MPG), are set to forge closer links thanks to a new web initiative which allows both organizations access to the MMF’s comprehensive database.

The joint initiative allows MPG producers who are looking for management to exclusively list their details on the MMF website so that they can be viewed by MMF members. The database also allows MMF members who manage producers to list information about their clients. This will assist other MMF members who are seeking a producer for a particular project to track the producer’s recent credits and current availability via the MMF database.

"More and more of our members are now actively managing producers as well as artists," says MMF general manager, James Sellar. "The sharing of news feeds and the provision of servi

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Marquee Audio has recently installed the entire sound system in the basement nightclub area of the new Home Bar and Restaurant in Shoreditch. Covering five zones in total, four F12 Martin Audio Full Range 12" + 1" multi-angled enclosures have been installed in the DJ area, along with an Allen &Heath DJ Mixer and control equipment, which includes a BSS Electronic Crossover. Two F8 Martin Audio Blackline 8" speakers have been mounted in the bar, two in the VIP area and a further two in the lower entrance. Neil Gregory, who runs the venue with partner Des Byrne, said: "Marquee were recommended to me by the people at Canteloupe and we are very happy with what they have done. They put the whole spec together, recommending the Martin Audio speakers, and we are delighted with the overall sound system."

(Ruth Rossington)

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A company specialising in professional audio systems is branching out to provide a training service. Shermann UK is collaborating with Audio Resources Ltd to launch a fully equipped training suite on the Mochdre Enterprise Park, Newtown, Wales, to pass on its expertise.

Established in 1983 by husband and wife team Ken and Pauline Hughes, Shermann designs and manufactures professional loudspeaker systems. Shermann also sells complete PA systems and offers a repair and refurbishment facility for older or well-used models from its range. The company has a wide range of customers throughout the UK, Europe and South East Asia which include PA rental companies, installers, theatres, audio-visual specialists, churches, schools and village halls.

The new training suite will provide instruction and support at all levels, from the complete novice who knows nothing about audio systems to the pr

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Westlife are currently in the middle of a sell-out European arena tour and it’s Star Rigging who have played an integral part in the spectacular show that has the band members flying high over their fans every night. A first for Westlife, the in-the-round production is visiting Europe’s largest arenas. The opening number of the show begins with five 3m-diameter globes rising from the stage and moving out over the audience; each of these then opens to reveal a member of the band inside. The globes track to the five points of a star before the group members fly back to the stage, securely fixed in harnesses provided by Star Rigging.

For the last number of the show, all five members of the band took to the air in flying harnesses. Star Rigging had put the members of Westlife through basic training before the tour began to ensure they were safe and confident in being hoisted 30

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Between 7 June and 27 July, Tim McGraw will visit some of the ‘B’ markets he missed over the past few tours in North America with a rig full of High End Systems products. This rig is ringed with 46 Studio Beam, 42 Studio Spot 575s, six Studio Color 250s, six Studio Spot CMY 575 automated luminaires and a Wholehog II console. Equipment this time is provided by Nashville-based lighting contractor Premier Global Productions. Steven ‘Creech’ Anderson recently decided to get off the road, so he's now at Premier overseeing this touring account and others as VP sales/account manager.

Lighting designer Leroy Bennett designed the last tour, and for this short run, "it's the same basic design," says lighting director Jerome Thompson. "This is somewhat of an extension of that but with a few modifications. I replaced out the Icons with Studio Spot 575s and St

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Dallas-based sound reinforcement company Gemini Sound Inc (GSI) has purchased an entirely new sound system to accommodate Usher’s current Evolution tour. As part of the setup, GSI owner Tim Cain chose to acquire a hefty total of 99 Crown Macro-Tech amplifiers, mostly made up of Crown’s highest-powered MA-5002VZ models.

The MA-5002VZs are primarily called upon to drive the tour’s house system, which is comprised of 60 EAW KF760 Series line array loudspeakers and 44 BH760 subs. MA-5002VZs also power a total of 13 KF761 systems used as side- and front-fills, as well as 16 sub enclosures on stage. Additionally, six MA-36x12s are being used to power EAW SM84 stage wedges for the band, while 16 Crown MA-2402s and four MA-1202s are on hand for various other amplification needs. Notably, the MA-36x12s are all equipped with Crown’s IQ-PIP-USP2 modules, which provi

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As the crews of this year’s Volvo Yacht Race embark from Gothenburg on the final leg of the 2002 challenge, Audio-Technica microphones continue to ensure that the on-line and TV broadcast coverage is kept up to date and crystal clear. Covering a massive 32,700 nautical miles, this year’s competition began in Southampton on 23 September 2001, with eight participating crews all aboard hi-tech Volvo 60 yachts. By the time they cross the finishing line in Kiel, Germany on June 9 the crews will have navigated their way across the worlds most treacherous ocean conditions, calling in at Cape Town, Sydney, Hobart, Auckland, Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Baltimore, La Rochelle and Gothenburg on an incredible 10 month journey.

As part of the entry agreements each vessel carries identical media equipment and event sponsors Volvo called in broadcast specialists BHP to design and specify the

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XTA digital signal processing is featured throughout the audio installation for the Queen-inspired musical We Will Rock You at London’s Dominion Theatre. The system, created by leading theatre sound designer Bobby Aitken, has to capture the power and verve of Queen’s music, with the pristine sound quality that contemporary theatre musical-goers expect. A broad-based audience, from die-hard Queen fans to children and older people, watches the show. Says Aitken: "A balance had to be struck as with all such shows - on the one hand, keeping the Queen fans happy with a big, dynamic sounding show, but with responsibility for the younger and older members of the audience."

Heading the list of sound sources is a nine-piece band including four keyboards, two guitarists, bass, drums and percussion, 30 Sennheiser radio and hand-held microphones and DPA boom mics. A wi

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Edwin Shirley Staging (ESS) has once again returned to the horse racing circuit, this time at Epsom in Surrey, with the broadcast infrastructure specialist ACS to cover the 2002 Derby season at the famous course.

ESS is providing a similar tower configuration to the one used successfully at this year’s Aintree Grand National to allow the host broadcaster to be able to follow the races by flying a television camera across a suspended line held under tension by ESS’ ballasted towers. John Wilson, ESS’ senior project manager tasked with delivering the trackside solution, has been travelling between Epsom and Finsbury Square in the centre of London during the set-up period, whilst also overseeing an ESS building installation in the City for Bloomberg, the blue chip financial information business. Both installations were completed as ESS were putting the finishing touches

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In collaboration with Light & Building 2002 - the world’s biggest lighting and building automation fair - Luminale orchestrated a ‘path of light’ along the streets of Frankfurt, accentuating and enhancing a wide variety of urban settings. Over 50 sites, including buildings, parks, squares, churches and museums, public and private buildings as well as historical and artistic monuments, were illuminated using a variety of lighting technologies, underlining the importance of lighting design as part of the modern fabric of our cities.

Clay Paky, as one of Light & Building’s exhibitors, provided projection equipment to a number of sites. The botanical garden in Frankfurt’s Palmen Garden became ‘Tropicolors’ - the large glasshouse, with its dome, balconies overlooking the garden, numerous paths for visitors and fountain - lit for the occasion by CP C

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The world famous Glyndebourne Opera House in East Sussex, England, recently installed 16 of Selecon’s 12-28 Pacific Zoomspots (supplied by Selecon dealers Stage Electrics of Bristol) in preparation for their 2002 Festival that started on 18 May.

The opera house lighting team, led by lighting manager Keith Benson, has installed them in the advance bridge position in the main opera house. "We chose Selecon after researching a number of similar spots on the market. The Pacific’s build quality and the light it produces were particularly impressive," said Benson. "The light is crisp, white and relatively distortion free." Despite being a luminaire only 24" long, the Pacific delivers a cool beam of light with a range of 12-28 degrees. "It’s handy having those extra degrees - it can make all the difference," Benson concluded. The 2002 Fest

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The new series of Big Brother on Channel 4 is having its sound mix performed on the first Soundcraft MH4 to be deployed out in the field. Supplied by Showcom Audio to Event Technical Support, the desk forms part of a rental package to Roll To Record. The 48 + 4 frame, fitted with eight stereo channels, has gone into Elstree Studios and will remain there for three months, during which time it will be used by a number of sound engineers under the direction of Oliver France. It is backed up by a newly-purchased 48-channel Soundcraft K2, which is acting as a secondary desk.

Co-owned by Malcolm Whittall and John Hooker, Event Technical Support had been seeking a multi-function, highly-specified console, and the arrival of the MH4 meant that they could meet the performance criteria - inside their budget. Already Soundcraft owners, the company previously supplied PA equipment for live audienc

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ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls Inc) has purchased the German lighting company transtechnik Lichtsysteme from its parent company transtechnik GmbH, Holzkirchen.

With headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin, and offices worldwide, ETC is fast becoming a global leader in the lighting industry. Over 15,000 venues, including Broadway shows and high-profile clients like Royal Caribbean cruise lines, London’s Royal Opera House, Hanover’s Staatstheater Opernhaus, SAT1 in Berlin and Legoland in Germany, employ ETC lighting products. According to ETC CEO Fred Foster: "We have long had great respect for transtechnik’s reputation and technology in our industry. The two companies share the same dedication to serving customers. The combination of transtechnik Lichtsysteme with ETC will allow us to increase our range of products and services to the German, as well as global, mar

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Timeless Communications has announced that Pro Production 2003, ‘The Live Event Marketplace’ will take place on January 10-12, 2003, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Building upon 2002’s inaugural show, Pro Production 2003 will offer expanded educational opportunities and social functions, in addition to the trade show portion of the event.

The event is designed to bring together the world of live event production professionals who coordinate, produce and manage major concert tours, sporting events, political conventions, touring Broadway shows, large corporate meetings and tradeshow exhibits. Suppliers and purchasers of services and products used in these environments also attend this annual winter gathering. Over 1,600 attendees from 33 states and 10 foreign countries visited the first Pro Production convention in January last year.

(Ru

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The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations, held over the long weekend of 1-4 June, not only celebrated 50 years of Elizabeth II’s reign, but also had the added bonus of providing a stunning showcase for the UK’s entertainment technology industry, watched by television audiences worldwide. The cream of the UK’s design, production, staging, rigging, lighting, sound and pyrotechnics specialists combined to create a lavish display which has drawn praise from across the world and will be remembered for many years to come.

The BBC-produced Garden Concerts at Buckingham Palace and the surrounding infrastructure through central London included a roll-call of experts that would be familiar to any top-flight rock tour or major spectacular, including Mark Fisher (design), Robbie Williams (production management), Edwin Shirley Staging, XL Video, Screenco, Fourth Phase, VLPS L

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With an exclusive Behind the Scenes tour, PLASA Media is offering a unique opportunity for you to take a privileged technical tour of two of London’s best-known entertainment institutions - the wonderfully atmospheric and newly refurbished Royal Albert Hall, and the fascinating Tussauds Group Studios, the creative heart of the world-famous visitor attraction specialist.

Behind the Scenes will take place on Thursday 12 September, immediately following the PLASA Show at Earls Court - one of the highlights of the entertainment technology industry calendar. As a participant in the tour, you will be transported by coach from Earls Court Exhibition Hall to the Royal Albert Hall, where you will be conducted on a backstage tour encompassing the breadth of the venue’s recently-completed £70 million refurbishment. The tour will take you through front-of-house and the historic audito

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The Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers has informed PLASA Media that there are still a few places available on a two-day course on Basic Acoustics for Sound System Professionals, being presented by Dr Roy Lawrence on Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th June 2002 at the Gardens Hotel, Piccadilly, Manchester. Further information is available from Cathy Mackenzie at the ISCE, tel: 0151 639 5211 Fax: 0151 639 5212, or at the e-mail address below.

(Lee Baldock)

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Nearing the end of an ambitious one billion dollar expansion project, the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, has installed Drawmer gates and compressors at FOH and monitor positions in each of its three venues. The Mohegan Tribe created the casino in 1996. At twice its original size, it is one of the largest casinos in North America, boasting over 360,000 square feet of gaming space, 20 restaurants, 30 shops, a 3,000 square-foot children's space, and its own gas station!

The Mohegan Sun's size and grandeur is complemented by three top-notch performance venues: the existing 350-seat Wolf Den, the new 300-seat Cabaret, and the new 10,000-seat Mohegan Arena. Mohegan Sun attracts national acts of the highest caliber, and everyone from Janet Jackson to Gloria Estefan to Aerosmith to Tony Bennett has graced the Mohegan Sun stage. Lead audio engineer Gene Mulcahy explained that ch

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Lars Wern and his production team from DM Audio in Stockholm produced some inspired sound mapping, using a digital highway and proprietary audio tools, when the new Saku Suurhall in the Estonian capital of Tallinn hosted the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest on May 25. The audience of 6,000 were treated to the first major European installation of the Martin Audio Wavefront Line Array (W8L) - 24 enclosures clustered in rows of six, either side of the stage. This headed an all-digital design, in which DM ran QSC QSControl software and RAVE (Routing Audio Via Ethernet) on a CobraNet network to send audio signals and effect remote control of the Powerlight PL4.0 and PL6.0 amplifiers. The eight audio signals - to the low, mid and high sections of the loudspeakers, both left and right, plus the audience sidefills - were transmitted down just two power cables.

As a failsafe, all the cues, at the F

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