UK - To mark the centenary of Stephen Joseph’s birth and the 60th anniversary of the founding of ABTT, the ABTT Stephen Joseph Committee has announced an award to commemorate the life and work of the influential theatre practitioner and pioneer of theatre in-the-round. A statement from the ABTT says: “Stephen Joseph was one of the most influential theatre practitioners of the last century. He was one of the founders of the ABTT and the Society of Theatre Consultants, now the Institute of Theatre Consultants. He promoted new writing, architectural standards and technical excellence, and was an inspiring university teacher. His pioneering work has given rise to the use of myriad forms of theatre and open staging in current practice. At the heart of his philosophy was the close and fundamental relationship between performer and audience. Above all, he established theatre-i
USA - The Entertainment Services and Technology Association's (ESTA's) Technical Standards Programme (TSP) has announced the 2020 recipients of the annual Above & Beyond Awards. The TSP exists because hundreds of individuals from across the industry volunteer their expertise and significant amounts of time to write and improve standards that increase safety, provide interoperability between different manufacturers, solve problems, and make life easier. The awards are a chance for volunteers to celebrate those of their peers whom they feel have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the programme. The 2020 Above & Beyond Awards were presented to: Ethan Gilson, Entertainment Rigging Services, LLC (Rigging Working Group). Ethan was praised for his expert knowledge of rigging and his unique approach to both analysing rigging challenges and com
Germany - Built in 1908, the Laeiszhalle concert hall in Hamburg enchants visitors with architectural features, such as the towering organ integrated into the back wall of its stage. This made the historic venue an appropriate setting for Hype, an on-demand Netflix production by and about the award-winning comedian and author Felix Lobrecht. No stranger to German fans, Lobrecht has rapidly risen to become one of the country’s most sought-after stand-up comedians as a result of his television shows and books. Following his first live tour, the highly successful kenn ick, he launched Hype in early 2020. The appearance at Laeiszhalle was a stop on the Hype tour. As things turned out, it also wound up being the site of his stand-up special on Netflix, which was published on the streaming service in November 2020. Supporting this recorded performance
Italy - The industry has been paying tribute to Marco Bartolini, a popular and well-known industry face in Italy and internationally, who passed away on 10 February 2021 following a short battle with cancer. Marco started working with Robe in 2004 when at SR Consulting, and since 2007 he has headed the team at Robe’s Italian distributor, RM Multimedia. Earlier in his career, he had worked with other notable industry brands and companies including SGM, always living and breathing the entertainment technology world that was his passion and in which he became a key figure. His kindness, generosity, affable personality, and laid-back humour touched everyone he met, while his natural charisma and direct, honest approach to business impressed and earned respect, even from competitors! He possessed the wonderful ability and had a big enough heart to see positive attribute
Australia - Lighting designer Hugh Taranto lit a vibrant array of artists performing on the Sydney Stage for the 2020-21 Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)’s New Year’s Eve broadcast. The high-profile event culminated in a pyro spectacular fired off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, stretching right across the harbour and watched by millions across Australia and worldwide. This year, the event was named We Are One following 12 gruelling months that started with raging bushfires and ended with the ongoing pandemic. As the date neared, the tough decision was taken to go ahead without a live audience, due to general Coronavirus concerns, then a fast-spreading local cluster developing in the days immediately prior meant that even plans for a limited capacity ‘local hero’ audience – nominated by communities – had to be dropped. Wanting to fill the gap imm
South Africa - In Pretoria, the State Theatre’s 640-seat Drama Stage hosted the rounds and finale of the 2020 Idols SA, complete with a lighting design by Joshua Cutts of Visual Frontier and technical production delivered by Dream Sets for SIC Entertainment. This sixteenth series was directed by Gavin Wratten. While the show would normally decamp to the 3000-capacity Carnival City Big Top Arena in Johannesburg for the finale, this year everything remained at the State Theatre, and while accommodating a strictly limited audience of 250, the visual elements of the production were also expanded to add some serious WOW factors! Like any LD asked to add more lights, Josh jumped at the chance to seriously pimp up the rig with an additional 120 Robe moving lights for the finale which was broadcast live on the Mzansi Magic CH 161 on DSTV as usual. Josh has li
Denmark - A Copenhagen shopping centre has installed 30 ADJ LED-powered moving head fixtures to provide a flexible lighting system that can be used both for special events and general ambient looks. Mounted to the high ceiling of the mall’s large atrium, which allows their beams to reach all across the main space, the fixtures have proved to be a big hit with the centre’s management who love the versatility that the system provides. Located in Taaastrup, a suburb of the Danish capital city, CITY2 is a large shopping destination that also incorporates an ice-skating rink and nine-screen movie theatre. Originally opened in 1975, it was one of the first modern shopping centres in Europe, inspired by the popularity of the ‘everything under one roof’ malls of the United States. Despite its long history, CITY2 is continuously being updated and renovated, with the latest of
USA - The Palace Theatre in Albany, NY, is Christine Whelan Sharp’s favourite venue to light in and not just for its graceful Art Deco architecture with its gleaming exterior and stylized accents. Nor is it for the theatre’s rich 91-year history that has seen the likes of Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones grace its stage. What Sharp especially likes about this venue is the sense of intimacy performers and crew feel with the crowd. So, it took some getting used to when she stepped inside the Palace on 15 January to light a livestream show by rockers Annie In The Water before 2,900 empty seats. “It was a different kind of feeling working that theatre when it was empty,” said Sharp of High Peaks Presents. “We had the band facing upstage during the livestream, so the downstage apron was really the back of our stage and the empty seats were the backdrop.”
World - Following the recent announcement of Virtual Showlight 2021 which will take place online on 25 May, 2021, Showlight is renewing its Call for Papers from speakers keen to be a part of this inaugural event. Showlight has always centred on its fascinating programme of papers, delivered by lighting practitioners from around the world. Determined to uphold the spirit of the popular quadrennial event despite the global restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Showlight will treat its delegates to a day of talks and networking opportunities online that give a flavour of the full event. Submit your ideas The organisers are therefore issuing a fresh call for papers to anyone involved in lighting - be they lighting designers, lighting directors, directors of photography, architectural lighting designers or associated crafts like programmers and manufac
UK - The team behind Lightware Visual Engineering UK & Ireland has announced the appointment of Craig McQueen as head of business development. “I’m very excited to be joining the Lightware family,” says McQueen who has 26 years’ industry experience. “As a brand that is very well known for its quality and reliability, I look forward to sharing a number of exciting developments with our customers and partners.” McQueen will be responsible for furthering the growth of the brand in the UK and Ireland and will partner with the sales team. “Craig McQueen joins us at an exciting time as we continue to grow the Corporate business,” says Craig Storey, sales director UK & Ireland. “Craig will play an integral role in further strengthening our presence in the UK market. His wealth of industry and product knowledge will serve him well in his positi
UK - Zero 88 has announced a new array of online product training sessions running through February and March 2021, presented in-person by product specialist Edward Smith. Running via Zoom, participants can also request a link to the recording for re-watching ‘and use these assets as a tool for refreshing and reinvigorating their lighting console programming skills’. Most of the training is focussed on Zero 88’s popular and powerful FLX range of lighting control consoles. These first sessions of the year will cover the FLX, FLX S24 and FLX S48, plus the ZerOS Server, and will also be applicable to other Zero 88 consoles running the ZerOS operating system. This follows on from a considerable number of regular training seminars initiated by Zero 88 throughout 2020, taking advantage of the unexpected free time that so many lighting professionals found thems
Germany - The annual New Year's Eve show on broadcaster ZDF (Silvestershow) is a fixture of the German TV calendar. Moderator duo Andrea Kiewel and Johannes B. Kerner welcomed the New Year with numerous musical guests, yet this year everything was different. Instead of the traditional fireworks display, a stage light show with no audience took place. As technical service provider for the event, AMBION was faced with the challenge of setting up and dismantling an open-air TV show in the cold, wet December weather. The show took place in the middle of the capital under the strictest hygiene regulations and used over 800 lighting fixtures. Some 130 weatherproof moving lights from Elation’s Proteus series were an essential part of the solution, supplied by Motion Rental. In addition to the Proteus fixtures, 16 new KL Panels with RGBWLC array were used for white light on
UK - The Grand Brighton hotel, a landmark on the seafront in UK south coast city and resort Brighton, is highlighted by an Anolis LED lighting installation illuminating its majestic front façade. Designed by architect John Whichcord Jr. and built in 1864, originally as a hangout for the smart set of the day, today it offers over 200 rooms, many with spectacular panoramic sea views and full conference facilities while its distinctive Victorian and Italian features remain almost unchanged. The Anolis lighting scheme was installed as part of a wider modernisation programme happening along Brighton’s Kings Road seafront which is a collage of historical and modern architecture. Anolis UK was initially approached by the hotel’s management and asked to specify a suitable, more energy conscious and cost-efficient luminaire to replace their ageing discharge lighting
UK - Originally slated to reopen Leicester’s Curve Theatre as part of a season of socially distanced ‘in-the-round’ shows, Sunset Boulevard in Concert was forced to become a streaming event due to continued lockdowns in the UK (see the full production report in our latest issue, out now). Nevertheless, the technical production continued to be supported by new generation Profile, Spot and Wash lighting from GLP, as originally planned, which now took on an increased role. Theatre lighting designer Ben Cracknell, an associate artist at Curve with a long list of credits behind him, specified a large quantity of the new impression 350 series from GLP. The multi-camera film version - which was scheduled to stream over an 18-day period starting 22 December - brought even more out of the
Belgium - During the pandemic, when so many activities have been cut off, the municipality of Herentals made its magical streets even more inviting to walkers by adorning them, as well as some of their most beautiful landmarks, with richly textured lighting displays created by The Creative Factory (TCF) with Chauvet Professional fixtures. Kristof Van Mensel, lighting designer for TCF, deployed Maverick and COLORdash fixtures, supplied by Studio Haifax, throughout the city of Herentals and the adjacent towns of Morkhoven and Noorderwijk. In the process, he created “an atmospheric walking environment” for locals and visitors alike. Among the highlights of this walking panorama was the illuminated Lakenhal (Cloth Hall) an impressive structure dating back to the 15th century in the city centre. Once the heart of the region’s thriving textile trade, the sandstone and
China - Canton Tower, formerly known as Guangzhou TV and Sightseeing Tower, is a 604m observation tower in Guangzhou, China. It is reportedly the second tallest tower in the country and the fourth tallest freestanding structure in the world. The structure was topped-out in 2009 and became operational in 2010 for the Asian Games. Advanced Communication Equipment Co. Ltd (ACE), MA Lighting’s exclusive distributor in China, recently installed one grandMA3 light, one grandMA3 replay unit, six grandMA3 processing units and 16 grandMA3 8Port Nodes, all using grandMA3 software to run the tower’s architectural lighting, which was previously controlled by a grandMA2 system. “One challenge was the tower’s height,” the company says. “Achieving smooth lighting in real-time and stability were key to the project. The main body of the Canton Tower is 454m high, so the ne
USA - Immersive experience experts PixMob scored with both football and music fans alike at the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show featuring a performance by R&B star The Weeknd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Following on the heels of PixMob’s success lighting up last year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show - which featured Jennifer Lopez and Shakira and drew over 104m viewers - PixMob were tapped once more (their third time overall) to provide an epic game-day experience. Employing over 22,500 LED wristbands for live audience members (and some 30,000 adapted LEDs for the cardboard cut-out ones), 500 ‘flares’ (ultra-powerful LEDs) for the performers on the field, 75 LED masks, and 150 ‘light-up eyes’ (on face shields) for the choir, PixMob demonstrated their ability to turn audiences into part of the show while creating a pulsating, colourful and entranci
UK - Distro Design has been working with long-standing customer BBC Studioworks to upgrade the dimming system for Studio D at BBC Elstree Centre. BBC Studioworks selected Distro Design’s most advanced dimming system for the project, which features GEN VI lighting controls from LSC Control Systems. This technology provides greater flexibility for the user. A permanent 400A Powerlock output panel, with variable and switchable RCD and rotary 400A MCCB, was designed by Distro Design for the initial installation to provide a new, clean power supply to the six dimmer racks on the gantry. Over two kilometres of new cables were supplied, with various connectors, from the incoming supply, via the dimmers right out to the lighting fixtures. The cables were built to BBC Studioworks’ exact specification by Distro Design. The system features 4 x 24 ways of LSC C
Mexico - Lighting designer Delher López harnessed the power of 50 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to create striking spot/beam lighting effects for a TD Bank commercial for the Mexico City region. An industry veteran with more than 19 years’ experience in lighting design, López has many live music credits, including the Juanes’ Mis Planes son Amarte tour, Maria Leon’s El Sargentour and Unbreakabletour and DLD’s Primary and Future tour. For the TD Bank spot, López chose a 50 Sharpy Plus to meet the request of the director and DP for lighting effects that gave depth and spot/beam looks to a minimalist set. He tested Sharpy Plus for their focus and functionality before making his pick. López says he selected Sharpy Plus “for their versatility, speed, solid colors, and uniform projection as well as their constant, stable light temperature. They could wor
New Zealand - Music fans in New Zealand kicked off their 2020-21 summer festival season with the Downtown Shakedown event in Wellington where a diverse line-up included Fat Freddy’s Drop and rising star singer-songwriter Benee who joined popular favourites L.A.B., Ladi6, Sola Rosa and Sunshine Sound System to welcome everyone to Waitangi Park. The new event – which celebrated being able to stage live music shows again due to New Zealand’s containment of Coronavirus – was organised by Precision Live which is run by Andrew Tuck who also produces Homegrown, one the country’s major annual music festivals. Stage lighting, rigging and site power was supplied by Wellington-based rental company Grouse Lighting, project-managed for them by Steve Sanders, and Robe moving lights were at the core of the production lighting system. The 350sq.m of stage space (incl
UK - Artists including Sir Elton John and Radiohead are putting pressure on the government to resolve the problems around post-Brexit EU touring. UK artists will face red tape and fees for visas to play in some EU countries. Sir Elton John told The Guardian: "Either the Brexit negotiators didn't care about musicians, or didn't think about them, or weren't prepared." But Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said the government had "pushed" for a solution and the door was still "open". She told MPs on Monday that the government had put forward a "very straightforward" plan to allow musicians to travel without work permits, drafted "in consultation with experts from the UK to creative sectors". She added: "Quite simply the EU rejected this proposal." Brussels has previously argued the opposite, saying it was in fact the UK that turned down its offer. Mean
UK - LSi is sad to report the passing of respected lighting designer Jon Pope earlier this month. Having worked in rock’n’roll and corporate lighting, in recent years Jon was well-known for his work lighting productions for simultaneous live and TV audiences, including Crufts and the Windsor and Olympia horse shows. He leaves behind wife Barbara, daughter Sam and son Lewis. Jon’s son Lewis has issued the following statement: “Dear friends and colleagues, it is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of my father, Jon Pope. He passed on Wednesday evening after a sudden and catastrophic brain haemorrhage. His family were able to be at his side until he passed. “He was such a big man, not just in terms of stature but kindness and talent too, that there is now a great void left in all of our hearts. We know that he impacted many people
Europe - Creative Technology (CT) UK has announced the formalisation of its new dedicated systems integration team for the UK and European integration market. This long-term planned expansion that CT UK have been working towards over the last few years was accelerated by the rapid growth in customer demand for support in implementing permanent solutions and strengthened with the acquisition of Ion Solutions (now CT Ireland) back in 2019, says the company. Graeme Bunyan and Jack Strong are joining the CT team. As director of technology, Graeme led the design development and technology strategy on major international projects including the UAE Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015 and the Opportunity Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, V&A Dundee (2019) to name just a few. “Joining CT is an opportunity of a lifetime,” says Bunyan. “I am looking forward to working with so
USA - Shoreline City Church (SCC) held a fully social distanced and masked Covid-safe Christmas Eve service and celebration at the American Airlines Center (AAC) in Dallas which featured a diversity of performances by multiple artists and a flurry of different vocalists from the church, all backed by their house band. The church asked Josh Beard and Jacob Vanvlymen from Houston, Texas-based production design specialist Visual Edge to create a memorable production design. They chose Robe BMFL moving lights – a mix of BMFL Blades, BMFL WashBeams and BMFL FollowSpots – to be at the core of the lighting rig. Visual Edge was initially asked to present some design ideas which would incorporate lighting and video by SCC’s technical director Jeremy Hix. Three concepts were presented and one selected in which automation was also central to the design. Taki
