UK - Award-winning arts and performance venue, Reading Rep Theatre has benefited from an energy and space efficient, high impact lighting solution by choosing to invest in a plethora of the latest Acclaim LED Fresnels from Strand. The fixtures were originally specified by theatre consultancy, Drama by Design, the company responsible for the entire £1m conversion from Salvation Army Hall to 170 seat, technically adaptable, multi-purpose venue. The fixtures have been well received by both the technical department and incoming designers. Head of production for Reading Rep Theatre, Jordan Harris, says: “The project went well, and the theatre is now a creatively welcoming space to work and visit. We love the Strand Acclaims, the dimming curve is great, and the light quality is excellent. In addition, the fixtures are lightweight, small and easy to set up and programme.
Slovenia - Lighting designer Crt Birsa and rental company Event Lighting’s CEO Jernej Gustin thought laterally - with the help of 48 x Astera Titan Tubes - when lighting a livestream event staged at the Cultural Centre of European Space Technologies (KSEVT) in Vitanje. The spectacular award-winning circular building is a concrete monolith comprising two low cylinders that create an impression of levitation and rotation. Inside, the central hall is surrounded by a main exhibition area, and both are connected by a round opening in the middle - a feature that makes it a challenging space to light, and one that Crt also used to his advantage. Forty of the Titan Tubes were hung on steel wires between 1m and 3m in length attached to the ceiling, arcing 270 degrees around the circular space, and rigged utilising the venue’s own exhibition hanging system which made it str
USA - Iration topped the Billboard Reggae Albums chart with their very first recording, No Time for Rest. More than a decade later, the title of that debut LP would serve as an apt metaphor for the band’s appearance at the mammoth Cali Vibes Festival on Long Beach. Given the large number of reggae artists who performed at the three-day event, setup time was very limited. Iration’s production crew had only 15 minutes to get their tour package in place on the 60ft circumference rotating stage, before it swung out and the semi-circle they were labouring on faced the crowd at Marina Green Park. The hectic pace didn’t do anything to dampen the relaxed upbeat vibe of this Hawaiian born group and its ‘sunshine reggae’ sound. Matching them note for note was a Cullen Noon lighting design that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by LIT Lighting.
USA - The Nashville Predators made history in 2022 as part of the first-ever outdoor NHL game in Tennessee. Nearly 70,000 fans joined the festivities as the Predators took on the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nissan Stadium for the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. Bandit Lites provided the lighting system for the three musical stages, which included performances by country music superstars Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley, as well as lighting the hockey player introductions and national anthem. Veteran lighting designer Mark Carver worked to design a system that would strike the balance of providing broadcast quality video for the NHL television broadcast while also having the ability to lay flat on the field to not obstruct the audience view of the hockey rink. “As we began the initial logistics of the cabling and data distribution, we were all a
Canada - Live Dans Ton Salon (Live In Your Living Room), is a livestream entertainment venue that occupies a converted warehouse in the Montreal suburb of Chambly. It was created at the start of the pandemic as a means of providing people with professional quality livestreamed performances they could enjoy at home. Although some might have seen this as a ‘temporary’ solution during a crisis, the overwhelming response to the studio’s wide mix of livestreamed programming indicates that Live Dans Ton Salon is committed to remaining a vibrant force in the entertainment scene long into the future. The level of this commitment is evident in the growth of the busy venue’s lighting rig. In June 2020 this production space was outfitted with 32 fixtures. Today that number is 138, featuring Chauvet Professional Maverick, Rogue, Ovation, and COLORado units supplied by On S
Belgium - Schouwburg is the municipal Theatre in Kortrijk in the West Flanders region and is located right at the heart of this city in Schouwburgplein (Theatre Square). Flanked by several historic buildings, it offers two stage spaces, an 800-seater main hall and a smaller 120 capacity space that is scheduled for a complete rebuild over the next two years. The theatre has recently invested in Robe T1 Profile and LEDBeam 150 moving lights and is now in preparation for - hopefully - being able to return to full post-pandemic programme of live performances. The Schouwburg Kortrijk’s newest Robe moving lights were a recommendation by lighting technician Lander Riemaeker who has worked there for eight years and often lights the venue’s own productions. He also engages in external freelance work as an LD, programmer, and operator. It was Lander who brought the
USA - Harman Professional Solutions has announced that Martin P3 System Controller Software Version 5.3.0 is now available as a free update for the entire family of Martin P3 System Controllers. The update introduces a range of features and improvements that benefit newer products such as the MAC Aura PXL, MAC Ultra and VDO Atomic Bold, as well as classic Martin products including VDO Sceptron, Exterior PixLine and VDO Fatron. Highlights include: Video input: The P3-PC System Controller now supports the industry-standard NDI protocol, allowing P3-PC to receive video-over-IP from various sources such as media servers, webcams and media players; DMX/Art-Net/sACN input: sACN is added as input protocol on all P3 System Controllers, alongside DMX and Art-Net. Support for multi-universe Art-Net Sync and sACN Sync has been added as well. DMX and Motion Patch: DMX &
USA - ETC has released Cyberlight LED, a moving mirror fixture born from industry feedback and built in Austin, Texas. Customers with existing mirror fixtures in the themed entertainment market and elsewhere can retrofit those products with Cyberlight LED for more energy-efficient operation and service, says ETC. The 470W Bright White LED engine and the high-quality optical system delivers 12,750 field lumens with 90+ CRI for superior colour rendering capabilities. A full complement of features are included on Cyberlight LED for creative design possibilities, including colour mixing plus colour wheel, dual rotating pattern wheels, zoom, focus, iris, prism, and diffusion. Automated lighting product manager Matt Stoner comments, “The lighting industry has been approaching us for years regarding an LED version of the Cyberlight. We took this opportunity to bring the
Germany - Cameo will debut the OTOS H5 at Prolight + Sound 2022, a new IP65-rated hybrid moving head suitable for indoor and outdoor use. Developed in Germany, this beam/spot/wash fixture has a wide range of application options and targets the requirements of professional lighting designers as well as rental and installation companies. The multi-functional spot light has a high light output ideal for night clubs and large-capacity locations, whilst its IP65 certification makes it suitable for outdoor areas such as open-air concerts and classical festivals. Due to its versatility, the OTOS H5 can also be utilised for TV and film recordings. The fixture boasts a range of effects and weighs 33 kg, making it the lightest product in its power class according to the manufacturer. Daniel Wrase, Cameo’s product manager light technology, comments: “We are delighted to fin
USA - Chip Self, owner of Logic Systems, likes to follow his own rules. Creativity, he believes, tends to flourish more intensely that way. “The very first thing I do with every fixture is find a way to use it wrong,” he says. “For example, I find that traditional, lighting angles get really predictable and boring - very quickly. So, I strive to be unpredictable. It keeps the audience guessing and interested.” Self put this design philosophy into practice recently at the Pageant Theatre when he deployed a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures in distinctive ways to light St. Louis rockers Pale Divine. The concert marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Pale Devine’s first album. It also saw the band reunite with its former lead guitarist Richard Fortus of Guns’N’Roses fame. Self reflected the personas of the artists on stage by accentuating ea
USA - ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a cheque during USITT for $40,316.27, representing the 2020-21 proceeds from sales of the company’s iRFR and aRFR (Radio Focus Remote) applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have now generated over $440,000 in donations. The iRFR and aRFR mobile apps enable convenient, touchscreen-based remote control for Eos family consoles and controllers. You can learn more about the apps from the ETC website and download them from the iTunes or Google Play stores. David Lincecum, vice president of marketing for ETC, states: “ETC is honoured to play a role in Behind the Scenes, but we are just the vehicle. The money we give comes entirely from the buyers of our iRFR and aRFR apps. The real thank you goes to the many Eos family users for their continued participation and support.” Tracey Co
Canada - The hit series Revolution, airing on TVA and the biggest dance competition ever broadcast by Quebec television, used Claypaky Xtylos to showcase the dynamic moves of the dancers facing off against each other for a $100,000 cash prize. “From a lighting perspective, the idea that we ran with for the show was to be consistent with other contemporary dance shows while also leaning into more variety because contemporary dance doesn’t always lend itself well to mass television audiences,” explains lighting designer Jonathan Barro. “Revolution prides itself on presenting different styles of dance going head-to-head, so we wanted to create a space where all these dancers could express themselves in the best way possible. With that in mind, we got into the specific movements of the dancers and landed on the name Revolution, which stems from
Romania - The Steaua Stadium is a new, multi-purpose stadium located in the Ghencea neighbourhood of Bucharest. With a 31,000-spectator capacity, it’s the home of CSA Steaua Bucuresti and is now the largest sports complex in the country. A replacement for the outdated stadium, the new venue was used by the North Macedonia team during preparations for UEFA Euro 2020, before being officially inaugurated in the summer of 2021 with a football match between Steaua and OFK Beograd. The contractor for the Steaua Stadium chose an LED lighting system from Philips Signify, featuring 252 Arena Vision LED DMX and 152 Uni Flood RGBNW fixtures. The lighting control system comprises an LPC 1 (Lighting Playback Controller 1) and a TPC (Touch Panel Controller) from Pharos Architectural Controls. The LPC 1 offers 512 channels of DMX/eDMX, while the TPC offers 512 channels of eDMX for
UK - Back To The Future, Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard’s popular musical is currently playing London’s Adelphi Theatre, delighting audiences with a spectacular hi-energy production in a show produced by Colin Ingram and his team and directed by John Rando. Award-winning lighting designer Tim Lutkin and lighting consultant Hugh Vanstone worked closely together and specified a zactrack SMART automated follow system for the show, which allows single and multiple lighting fixtures to be selected and to follow actors and dancers using a combination of tag-and-anchor and UWB (Ultra-Wide-Band) real-time radio tracking technology. This package brings considerable flexibility to the production. In addition to enabling specific lights to be used as remote follow spots, activated from the console cues for precise moments, Tim has developed a style and creative treat
UK - The Drumsheds signalled the end of its tenure as a temporary venue in London with a series of sold out 10,000-capacity shows, staged by Method Events for Broadwick Live. The venue, which is situated in Enfield, North London, consists of four lofty warehouses on a previously derelict, 10-acre industrial site. It was procured on a temporary lease in summer 2019 by Broadwick Live, who entrusted the delivery of several high-profile shows and a festival at the venue to Method Events. The lease has now been returned to Enfield Council, which is redeveloping the site as part of its £6bn, 25-year Meridian Water regeneration programme. Over the past three years, Method Events have delivered a number of different shows at The Drumsheds. These included Field Day festival in 2019, and a series of summer festivals in 2021 headlined by Above & Beyond, Defected and Pendulum
UAE - More than 70 Christie laser projectors are helping to inspire visitors in Mission Possible - The Opportunity Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Bringing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) to life, the interactive exhibition journey addresses the most fundamental global challenges of our time and sheds light on what can be achieved when individuals and communities work together. A total of 72 Christie laser projectors were installed to deliver engaging visuals throughout. Guests are greeted by an introductory video that sets the scene for the pavilion and the visitor journey ahead. The pavilion is then divided into three ‘tracks’, each focusing on one of three essential needs: water, food and energy. Visitors are guided by the stories of three individuals (guides) in each track whose actions were implemented with minimal resources yet had a life-changing impact.
Belgium - Robe T1 Profile LED luminaires have been installed at the 1700 capacity Capitole Theatre in Ghent, where they are deployed on the front lighting bridge for key lighting and specials, replacing the previous tungsten fixtures. The T1 Profile investment was part of a drive to update the remaining elements of the house lighting system to LED, making it better, more contemporary and more sustainable. The T1 Profile purchase was overseen by the venue’s technical manager Rui Pinto who takes a distinctly no-nonsense approach to technical production. After discussions with Bart Weyts from rental specialist L&L Stage Services, the venue’s regular technical partner, Rui assessed the various suitable options available for front / key lighting replacement, contacted a selection of manufacturers and evaluated his choices. The T1 Profile popped up many times
USA - Creative Technology supplied Elation broadcast lights to Lighting Design Group for use on sportscast booths and stages in and outside of Sofi Stadium during Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles in February. Dennis Size, executive vice president of design for Lighting Design Group was responsible for the overall lighting design and turned to Elation Fuze Profile CW and KL Panel luminaires for key, fill and wash lighting. Multiple stages scattered around LA provided pre- and post-game coverage while promoting the city and shows for client Comcast. This was the fourth Super Bowl in which LDG has been involved and was Size’s second time working a Super Bowl. Having used conventional fixtures at the Super Bowl in Minneapolis four years ago, he says their inflexibility led him to request more moving lights for this year’s plot. ““That’s what drove the design concept of a
Spain - Follow-Me has announced a partnership with SeeSound for marketing and sales distribution of the Follow-Me systems in the Spanish market. The two companies first came in contact when Isaías (Sasi) García, product manager for lighting, video and rigging at SeeSound was searching for the right auto tracking solution for a customer’s project. Follow-Me’s Zoë Castle comments: “We are excited to be partnering with SeeSound especially recognising their extensive knowledge, capabilities and product range, which is enhanced by the addition of Follow-Me tracking solutions.” Nacho Alberdi, SeeSound director general, adds: “With Follow-Me we are bringing a wonderful solution for our customers’ projects where manual and auto tracking is required. My team and I are looking forward to working with the Follow-Me team. A product range like Follow-Me unites,
UK - Sound Technology, exclusive distributor of Martin Professional in the UK, has appointed Avril Cook as technical sales support in its professional lighting division. Cook comes to Sound Technology with over 14 years of experience as a lighting technician within theatre, touring and live events most recently as deputy head of lighting at The Old Vic, and previously as deputy head of lighting at Hampstead Theatre. Her CV also includes a spell at the ENO, and freelance, design and education work within the lighting industry. Cook will be providing product advice and demonstrations of Martin fixtures to rental companies, dealers, venues and lighting professionals, working alongside Sound Technology’s lighting sales and support teams. “I’m excited to be joining Sound Technology in the role of technical sales support and am eager to get out and promote the
USA - British trio Shpongle were one of the headliners at the Gem and Jam Festival in Tucson. Taking place over three days at the Pima County Fairgrounds, the event served up a rich mix of sounds from an international roster of artists including Lotus, Lab Group and Hallucinogen, all in a peaceful setting that included campsites and art displays. Part of the renowned Tucson Gem Mineral and Fossil Showcase, the festival also mesmerized with some glittering displays of gemstone artwork. Reinforcing this theme, its stages had names like Emerald, Onyx and Quartz. One would expect stages bearing such monikers to be bursting with colour, and this festival didn’t disappoint, thanks to the work of Cody Lisle, who designed the sets and did the programming for the main stage, while also supporting guest LDs like Tiberius Benson, who came with STS9, and Chandler Thomann,
France - The Cadre Noir de Saumur IFCE (Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Equitation) recently took possession of a large number of Zep2 LED luminaires and Robert Juliat followspots as part of the renovation of the stage lighting of the Grand Manège. The Cadre Noir is one of the leading riding schools in the world and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Heir to an illustrious military history and based on an ancestral equestrian culture, it perpetuates its mission of training and showcasing the French equitation tradition for almost two centuries. This prestigious venue will open its 2022 season beneath Robert Juliat's LED luminaires. One hundred and twenty Zep2 360LF2 Fresnel lanterns, six Zep2 660SX2 profiles and two Super Korrigan followspots have just been installed in the Grand Manège by Geste Scénique, Robert Juliat's regional partner. “The c
Europe - Elation Professional has welcomed experienced industry professional Jonas Stenvinkel to its European-based sales team. Jonas, a native Swede who works from a base in London, joined the growing Elation sales department on 1 March and is tasked with overseeing some of the company’s most important growth markets including Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa. Stenvinkel, a 20-year industry veteran, brings with him broad international sales and marketing experience and has a proven track record in leading sales teams to new goals and growth. He comes to Elation from a similar position at Ayrton. His industry journey began at Martin Professional in 2003, which included a three-year assignment in Singapore as managing director for Martin’s APAC office. He later moved to London to work for Harman International in a senior EMEA role.
USA - When working a corporate event, lighting designers usually have to go with the flow, at least as far as colour schemes are concerned. If the company logo relies on a palette that doesn’t translate so well in light, the LD has to figure out how to make the best of the unfortunate hand that was dealt. TJ Harrison on the other hand was grateful when he was called upon to light a dinner event at the Mohegan Sun Casino for JSC Management Group, a major quick service restaurant franchisee. The company’s preferred palette with its deep reds, blues and other hues, gave him excellent colour choices. He took full advantage of the opportunity too. Using the 36 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 BeamWash in his Squeek Lights supplied rig, he created an intimate mood throughout the event space, no small accomplishment give its cavernous 18,500sq.ft size. Relying on subtle colo
