UK - Kave Theatre Services supplied all lighting, sound, AV, set and crew requirements on a large scale production for a dance school client. The show was choreographed around some of the most famous movie soundtracks in history. The set design brief was to deliver something "unusual and exciting" for the dancers to interact with.

Kave project manager Dave Singleton created a dynamic design utilising the company's Alistage Staging System. The visible set frontage was covered with Pulsar Chroma Panels with Thomas Pixelline 1044 battens placed in between them and lined with several strips of Colour Kinetics I-cove.

The client had a requirement for large staircases that could be moved on and off with relative ease. The solution was to once again use the company's Alistage products which produced a lightweight, easy to manoeuvre end result. Each tread was then lined with

Azerbaijan - Resplendent underneath a massive crystal chandelier, the MTN Theatre in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is an intimate 400-seat venue that exudes the luxury of a bygone era, yet it also offers advanced 21st century AV technology, including a discreet Meyer Sound system based around M'elodie line array loudspeakers, custom-painted to match the decor.

Alas, for the casual tourist, this architectural jewel is not open to the public. Built more than a half-century ago during the Soviet era, the deteriorating theatre was painstakingly refurbished before it was turned over to the MTN, Azerbaijan's national intelligence agency. (MTN's closest English alphabet transliteration is Milli Tehlukesizlik Nazirliyi.) MTN now uses the venue for hosting high-level government conferences and for entertaining foreign dignitaries on state visits.

"With such important audiences

UK - At the recent Wakefield district business awards, Litestructures was awarded The Innovation in Business Award 2009. The Awards celebrate the individuals and companies who are helping to make the district one of the most dynamic in the region.

Adrian Brooks, managing director of Litestructures comments: "We are obviously delighted to win and gain recognition for our innovation. We feel that it was well deserved because as a company, we continually strive to move forward and develop new products and ideas."

Brooks invented the world's first aluminium truss system, AstraLite. Since then, many have followed: LiteDeck is now an industry standard staging system, the Litestructures rehearsal arena is the only facility of its kind in Europe, DigiTruss, and LiteSwitch are new lighting developments. Last but not least, the Backstage Academy is well on its way to training

USA - When downtown Charlotte, North Carolina's popular Cosmos restaurant opened a second branch in suburban Ballantyne, the owners were counting on the reputation of their French fusion-style cuisine to jump-start the new location. What they didn't expect was that after the anticipated dinner rush cleared around 9 pm, the new Cosmos Café would get a second wind, transmuting into a wildly popular, energised nightspot.

One reason for Cosmos' spontaneous splash into the area's bar/nightlife scene is its highly animated atmosphere, capped off by colour-changing LED lighting effects from Acclaim Lighting. A local food reviewer was compelled to write: "Even the lighting is neat - the lights fade from green, to blue, to red. When you go to visit, be sure to ask about the décor."

Jack Kelly of Eye Dialogue Lighting & Sound (Charlotte, NC) used 235 Acclaim X-St

Australia - Show Technology, MA Lighting's Australian distributor, recently took the grandMA2 on an Australian tour with special launches held in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. Over 300 industry professionals came to see the new grandMA2.

"We're particularly excited by the new grandMA2 in Australia as grandMA is definitely the preferred control system for serious work here," commented Emmanuel Ziino, managing director of Show Technology. "The commitment and support offered by the team back in Germany is second to none and we are proud to distribute such acclaimed and respected products."

"The actual size of the grandMA2 is what interests me the most as we are often limited by space at events," commented Stavros Hatzipantelis from Pro Light & Sound in Melbourne. "We don't want huge format lighting consoles but we still need to control

UK - After three years and 954 sell out performances at the London Palladium, The Sound of Music is moving from its former West End home to embark on a new national tour. Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply all lighting for the production which starts its run on 26 July at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

The tour once again brings together Stage Electrics with the original creative and production team from the West End version including lighting design by Mark Henderson and production electrician Fraser Hall. Stage Electrics was also the lighting supplier for the original production of The Sound of Music until the show ended its West End run in February this year.

Henderson's lighting design features over 74 moving lights including Martin MAC 700s and VariLite VL1000 arc units, 60 ETC Source Fours and two Ivanhoe follow spots. The complete rig is c

India - Since Dhanashree Electronics took on distribution of HK Audio in India, the German pro audio brand has been gaining in popularity there. As HK product specialist with Dhanashree, Calvin Baker reports that rental firm Aeros Sonic in the coastal city of Goa recently acquired two HK Audio Projector systems and four F.A.S.T. active monitors.

"We were looking for a new system that could be set up in minutes and managed by a crew of just two men," say Oswin Vas and Andre Paul Sousa, the owners of Aeros Sonic. "Dhanashree Electronics suggested the Projector systems and the F.A.S.T. monitors to us, and they were exactly what we were looking for. We're really happy with our new systems, as they have solved all our problems. We can set them up very quickly and the sound is outstanding."

(Jim Evans)

UK - Electronics distributor CPC is throwing open the doors at its Fulwood, Preston, headquarters this coming weekend (Sunday 26 July) and hosting a trade show of its own.

Established in 1967, CPC has over 40 years experience of serving a large and diverse customer base. The company stocks more than 100,000 products from over 1,200 manufacturers. A growing percentage of this stock includes sound and light equipment and this has recently led to the addition of musical instruments

Chris Beesley, product manager for AV and installation, explains, "We pretty much cover all markets, but at the moment we're playing a big role in the sound and light markets and that extends into the musical instrument sector.

The open day/trade show is aimed at the sound and light sector in general. "For us it's about being better known in the industry," notes Beesley. "We cross

The Netherlands - Distributing high quality audio over an outdoor area covering more than 2200m by 118m is a massive challenge, but one which has been made a great deal less problematic by the advent of digital audio. And recently the need to replace the 20 year old audio system at Amsterdam's Bosbaan rowing lake has seen a comprehensive Yamaha installation.

Bosbaan (meaning Woods Course) is the oldest artificial rowing course in the world, built in 1936, enlarged in 1954 and again in 2001. Owned by Amsterdam City Council's Dienst Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling (Social Services department), the facility hosts a wide range of rowing events, from local to international competitions.

Because of its high profile, often involving television and radio broadcasts, Bosbaan's audio system is required to fulfil a wide range of uses, including crowd and commercial announcements, live repo

Portugal - The Casino de Vilamoura on the Algarve has undergone complete refurbishment, including the installation of a spectacular projection feature in its entranceway, created with eight Robe DigitalSpot 7000 DTs - the first DigitalSpots in the country.

The projection onto a domed ceiling was the brainchild of Vilamoura's resident engineer Joel Pais and entertainment technical director Jorge Sousa. The DigitalSpots - all running the new 2.0 version software - were supplied by Robe's Portuguese distributor NAN, for whom the project was co-ordinated by technical specialist Luis Vidigal.

NAN initially arranged a demo of the DigitalSpots to Joel Pais and Jorge Sousa who at the time were deciding between two brands of digital moving light. The DigitalSpot 7000 DT fixture was chosen as the most flexible option, and also because of its two onboard LED modules. Pais & Sousa also wa

USA - D-Tools has announced the seventh annual D-Tools Design Awards call for entries. The 2009 D-Tools Design Awards showcase residential and commercial system integration projects created with D-Tools' System Integrator software. Winners will be announced during D-Tools University, D-Tools & Consumer Technology Publishing Group's first ever virtual training and EXPO event. This blend of online training, networking and a virtual trade show environment is scheduled for 1-3 December 2009.

Winning projects designed by some of most distinguished System Integrators will be selected from the following categories for this year's Design Awards: Best Residential System, Best Commercial System, Most Unique System - residential or commercial - and Best Overall System.

Winners will be selected by the D-Tools product team and D-Tools certified partners. The winning entries will be judged

UK - Midas and Klark Teknik have appointed a new distribution company, Quad Professional, for Singapore and Malaysia, with immediate effect.

"The Singapore market is strategically very important in the Asian concert sound business and it is vital that our distribution channel has the right people in place to service and support our customers there," says Midas and Klark Teknik's sales and marketing director, David Cooper.

"The team which have set up this new company, Vincent Tan, Chung Wah Khiew and their new product manager have over five decades of pro audio experience between them, which includes many years of working with the Midas and KT brands already. I am really happy that these talented people will be working with us to support present and future Midas and Klark Teknik customers in Singapore and Malaysia."

"Quad Professional was set up with

USA - Cooper Controls, a subsidiary of Cooper Industries has entered into a technology and marketing agreement with Electronics Diversified (EDI). Full terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

EDI is a manufacturer of high performance theatrical lighting and controls products including high density dimmer racks, protocol devices, and a complete line of power distribution for live performance, religious and performing arts facilities, and other applications. Under the terms of the agreement, Cooper Controls has acquired various IP and technology assets and will be the exclusive distributor for all EDI products in North America.

The EDI product range will continue to be manufactured at the EDI facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. All sales and marketing will be handled by Cooper Controls from its offices in Peachtree City, Georgia.

"Cooper Controls has provided theatrical sol

UK - XL Video supplied a completely integrated video package to the 2009 Download Festival at Donnington Park, Derby.

This year XL's brief included 72 hours of live internet streaming, a broadcast spec, HD camera system and screens package for Stage 1. Other services facilitated by XL included an HD record for Live Nation TV and VH1, MMS/SMS relay to screen, plus a standard definition camera/PPU package for Stage 2.

XL's project manager Chris Saunders - working on his sixth Download - led the video crew of 34. In recent years, Download's requirement for video/IT entertainment services has expanded voraciously - in line with the demands of its info-hungry audience.

The Live simultaneous web cast was a first for Download. XL's IMAG camera relays from stage 1 flash encoded and sent footage via satellite to the data serverfeeding promoter Live Nation's websi

France - The municipality of Berre l'Étang, 30k northwest of Marseilles, is dominated by a a 155 sqm lake, and was once home to an important naval air station. Occupying the air station site is a contemporary urban park that hosts a lighting project aimed at recreating the area's bygone era. The large public space encompasses the banks of the pond, walking paths, roads and a large open field.

Pierre Nègre of L'Atelier Lumière has created the special lighting concept for the shores of the park. The concept, which proposes various lighting perspectives that are 'readable' from multiple vantage points, is meant to impart a feeling of comfort and guidance. Discrete lighting gently exposes the pathways and road areas while more dynamic illumination washes the esplanade in colour according to the speed and direction of the wind.

At the heart of the new public space is a squ

UK - grandMA lighting consoles continue to make their mark in the UK theatre world, with a grandMA touring on the new version of the musical We Will Rock You, produced by Phil McIntyre Entertainment.

Lighting designer and video director is Willie Williams. The console was specified and programmed for the tour by Dave Sadler and is being operated on the road by chief LX Simon Sherriff. The lighting was initially programmed at Three Mills Studios, London ahead of the first UK date at the Manchester Palace Theatre by Sadler and Associate lighting designer Richard Pacholski using the new grandMA 3D visualiser.

The show utilises over 60 moving lights - a combination of Vari*Lite 500s, Martin Professional fixtures and Digital Light Curtains, plus a large generic and LED rig including Rainbow colour scrollers and Atomic strobes. The grandMA is also triggering two Hippotizer me

USA - Milos QuickTruss showed how to overcome the challenges and engineering requirements of temporary structures for recent roof projects at two major baseball stadiums - Washington DC's Nationals Park and Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yard.

The temporary structures served as television broadcasting booths complete with lighting, a complex map of cabling and electrical wires, and a weather-proof canopy to keep commentators dry during rainy innings.

The bespoke broadcasting booths were designed by Creative Dimensions, a full service exhibition and sign specialist based in Cheshire, Connecticut. Doug Carabillo, their director of business development, needed to cover all bases when assembling experts from many different industries. He was not familiar with Milos products, but had received numerous referrals from other vendors working on the project, and decided to utilise Qu

UK - On Madonna's Sticky and Sweet World Tour which is nearing its one-year anniversary, the superstar and her backing vocalists are all using Sennheiser SKM 5200 wireless mics with ME 5005 super-cardioid heads, all linked through the new Sennheiser EM 3732 receiver, and ew 300 IEM G2 in-ear monitors. In addition, her guitarists and musical director and keyboard player are all employing evolution radio systems and ew 300 IEM G2 in-ear monitors.

"I chose the evolution systems for backline, as their RF is rock-solid, the transmitter units are small and reliable and they are very competitively priced," explained monitor engineer Matt Napier. "And I couldn't imagine giving Madonna another monitor system, she has become so accustomed and comfortable with the IEM G2. And of course, Kristy Jo Winkler in the USA and Mark Saunders and Dave Hawker at Sennheiser UK ar

UK - Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) will host the fourth npower Ashes Test starting on 7 August 2009. All the action will be replayed on Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground's new giant 102m2 digiLED Ld10S screen. The 16m (w) x 6.4m (h) screen replaces the previous scoreboard and is the largest LED video display in a UK sports venue.

The displayLED team completed installation of the digiLED screen just in time for the first Nat West One Day International between England & West Indies earlier this year. Since then, the screen has been in use for professional cricket events in the Liverpool Victoria County Championship, The Friends Provident Trophy, The Twenty20 Cup and the Nat West Pro40. In addition the screen has been used to add value to grass roots cricket events such as the Drax Cup for Under 9's.

The giant screen plays a big part in Headingley Carnegie's ground and Ea

UK - The Manchester International Festival, which ran from 2 to 19 July this year, hailed itself as "the world's first international festival of original, new work and special events". Events included a collaboration between Manchester's symphony orchestra The Hallé, Mancunian composer Joe Duddell and one of the city's favourite rock bands, Elbow.

In keeping with the local talent theme, Elbow front of house engineer Danny Evans worked with Manchester-based sound solutions provider Audio Alliance, who supplied all audio and communications requirements for the show at Bridgewater Hall, as well as for a relay to Manchester's waterside Castlefield area.

"We were asked us to supply orchestra sub mixes and a separate mix for the relay," explains Audio Alliance's Oliver Driver. "The main FOH mixing console was requested by Danny, a Digidesign Profile,

Italy - Proel was among the companies that represented Italy at the G8 summit held at the Guardia di Finanza Military Headquarters in L'Aquila from the 8 - 10 July 2009. This multinational company based in the province of Teramo, in the Abruzzi region, was chosen together with eight other companies as examples of Made in Abruzzo production.

A special section of the exhibition The Art of Italian know how, which will be open until 6 August at L'Aquila's Coppito Military Headquarters, has been dedicated to Abruzzo and to the best handmade and industrial products from this region.

Statesmen, politicians and journalists from all over the world had the chance to be introduced to the most active and successful entrepreneurial endeavours that were born in this area: several screens installed at the summit's venue showed documentaries on their production activities and on

UK - Since its appointment as a Bose Pro-Partner in 2007, PEL Services - through its Music & Media Division - has proved itself to be a valuable and efficient associate, completing numerous Bose Professional installations around the UK for prestigious customers.

Installations completed have included prominent retail outlets such as Marks & Spencer, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nicholls, Harrods and Oakley stores, through to the Sheraton Skyline Hotel, as well as schools, showrooms, new style McDonalds restaurants and even a high end art gallery.

Ken Faulks, managing director of PEL Services, comments, "PEL made a strategic decision to apply to become a Bose Pro-Partner. We were already a leading UK systems company designing, supplying, installing, commissioning and maintaining public address, music and AV systems. We had the experience and reputation in place, which made us a

UK - Following the success of the 2007 Beautiful World tour, Brilliant Stages were again chosen to bring to life the imaginative and dramatic stage designs for Take That's Circus Live Tour 2009.

The combined creative talents of show producer, Kim Gavin and set designer, Es Devlin devised a circus-themed set for which Brilliant Stages created a total of 5 stages, in addition to several pieces of staging wizardry, for the 20 UK stadium dates.

The main Performer stage, 18m wide x 17.8m deep with tech tunnels beneath and access steps on either side, incorporated six lifts: a piano lift, two double band lifts and a puppet lift for the show finale.

Two satellite stages with weather-proof tech bunkers beneath were linked by ramps to the main stage and housed sound kit and instruments. A 6m-deep C stage, also with tech bunkers, was located at the front of the performer

UK - The Yamaha LS9 digital console continues to be a success in regional theatres across Europe. One of the latest UK venues to adopt it is Scotland's Adam Smith Theatre.

Located in Kirkcaldy, on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, the Adam Smith Theatre serves a wide catchment area which ranges as far afield as Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen. Previously a council-run venue, it is now run by the Arts & Theatres Trust Fife, along with the Rothes Halls (Glenrothes), Lochgelly Centre (Lochgelly) and Carnegie Hall (Dunfermline, not New York - although both were founded by the same philanthropist).

"We put on a bit of everything here," says Paul Robertson, the Adam Smith Theatre's head of sound. "From films and stage shows with just a few sound effects, choral performances where we just need a few floor mics and radio mics, through to major musicals with multipl

Latest Issue. . .