Spain/Italy - Prolights has announced the appointment of Seesound as its new distributor in Spain with immediate effect. Nacho Alberdi, CEO of SeeSound, comments: “To me, working in this kind of industry means to carry on my family legacy, as in 1880 my grandfather started manufacturing pipes for church organs. That’s why we aim to continue doing what we do with passion and in the most professional way, taking care of the quality of the work done by our team. This should allow us to offer the best solutions to our customers and partners. “When I first approached Prolights, I was fascinated by the ambition and dedication I could see throughout the headquarters, from the R&D department, production, logistics right to the sales and managements departments. Prolights boasts a broad portfolio and a one-of-a-kind product design, which will grant us to provide innov
UK - Knight of Illumination Award winning live video director Ben Farrey (previously Miles) sadly passed away last week. Sharing the news, Coldplay – just one of many high-profile bands and artists Ben worked with throughout his career – paid tribute to a ‘beloved’ member of their crew in an emotional post shared across their social media platforms on Thursday 14th May. The message, signed by all members of the band, reads: “We're sad to report that we lost one of our most beloved and talented crew members last night. Ben Farrey was our live visuals director. He was in charge of everything that you saw on the screens at our live shows. If you ever made it to a show, you’ll know that he was ridiculously good at his job. He was also one of the kindest and most generous-spirited people you could ever meet. We love you, Ben.” The message was accompanied by
UK - The charismatic singer/song writer Mika’s Revelation tour in support of his fifth studio album, My Name is Michael Holbrook, may have been postponed midway through due to the current coronavirus crisis, but it wowed audiences from autumn through to this spring. Lighting designer for the tour was Vince Foster who, with an impressive CV which spans well over thirty years, requires little introduction. Foster’s design for Mika’s ‘Revelation’ was clean and uncomplicated: plenty of floor lighting, significant numbers of side fixtures and trusses in the most effective of locations. His choice of fixtures was similarly unambiguous: just four different fixtures and overwhelmingly from Ayrton. Alongside around thirty Ayrton Magic Blade-FX fixtures were approximately one hundred and twenty of one of Ayrton’s newest moving heads, Khamsin-S.
The Netherlands - The Power Of Entertainment, Highlite International’s latest campaign, is well on its way. The campaign contains several product introductions and continues with the presentation of the latest additions to the well-known Performer-series. Showtec adds seven new Performer models to the already successful Performer range. It starts with a house-light, the Performer Pendant Q6. This offers a six-colour RGB ALC LED engine with which a very broad colour spectrum can be achieved, resulting in a very high CRI level of over 90. It is very well equipped to be used in theatres, auditoriums and more. The new models continue with three Performer 1500 units, available as Q6, Tungsten and Daylight luminaires. The Daylight version has a colour temperature range between 4000K and 6500K while the Tungsten version starts at 2700K until 4500K. Controlling each unit c
Europe - As the COVID-19 crisis continues to hit the live music and event industry particularly hard, The Lightpower Collection is determined to continue to donate to organisations dedicated to preserving jobs within the live event industry - organisations that include Crew Nation, Behind the Scenes and Backup. The Lightpower Collection has therefore teamed up with photographer Neal Preston to release a set of more than 25 previously unseen music photographs. Each of these images is being made available in a limited edition run of just 20 per image. The Lightpower Collection is proud to exclusively offer these signed and numbered fine art prints for purchase at the special price of only 950 Euros. The new collection can be viewed at www.lightpower-
USA - Michael Longfellow from NBC TV’s Bring The Funny show at the Drive-In Comedy Night represented the first step in bringing live entertainment back to Phoenix, USA’s fifth largest city. Lighting the stage in the car parking lot where Longfellow and fellow comics Joe Carden and Mike B Dapper performed was a collection of Chauvet Professional Rogue and WELL Fit fixtures supplied by Creative BackStage. John Garberson, who served as the LD for the show, relied on the fixtures to help enliven the stage and create a comedy club feel with deeply saturated colours and a few well-chosen ‘ballyhoo moments’. At the same time, the lighting also ensured that attention was focused on branding material from the evening’s sponsors, Rick Bronson's House of Comedy and the High Street Association. “This was a first, a very different experience,” said
USA - Mars Music Hall in Huntsville is changing the landscape of the music scene in northern Alabama. The latest success in an ongoing expansion project at the multi-purpose Von Braun Centre (VBC), Mars Music Hall debuted its Elation Professional lighting rig in early January, an occasion that set an upbeat tone for the next eight weeks of shows before the venue went into COVID-19 hibernation. The inaugural show, a 3 January sold-out performance featuring Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, highlighted the intimate character of the venue’s broad design with its wrapping balcony overlooking a 50ft wide stage. A variety of events ranging from concerts to comedy acts and everything in between play the new venue. Justin Young, production supervisor at VBC, designed the lighting system for the new space and worked with Freed Sales to secure an Elation lighting package. Having
Germany - Lux Partum (Emission of Light) was a sculpted interactive lighting installation and live stream staged at the Motorwerk event space in Berlin, created by lighting and show designer Chris Moylan and his team. This comprised Lars Musasch, Andreas Schindler, and Matthias Schöffmann together with DJ and music producer Paul van Dyk who composed a special soundtrack and played a three-hour live concert during the first weekend. The work utilised 54 x Robe moving lights including MegaPointes, Pointes plus Tetra2 moving LED battens which were installed in the venue with LED screen elements, and all rigged, programmed and set up to be accessed by the public via the https://lighting.stream website and ‘played’ in real-time. By the end of the 10-day run, over 43,000 visitors from 94 countries had engaged with the art work in 6.355 registered se
France - Robert Juliat has announced the launch of Arthur, its new 800W LED long throw followspot capable of matching the lumen output of a 2500W HMI RJ Aramis followspot and delivering up to 29,000 lumens. This eagerly-anticipated move opens up the use of LED followspots into large venues such as opera houses, musical theatre and live music venues, concert and touring venues, both indoors and out, says the company. Arthur’s powerful LED engine, narrow beam angle (5.5° - 15°) and long-throw capability, ensures “invincible performances with a minimum output of 2000 lux at a distance of 40m (200fc at 130 ft), while offering premium light quality with a high CRI (>90) - an essential feature for a followspot whose main role is to shine a light on performers in the most sublime way possible”. A smooth flat beam with no hot spot is teamed with excellent gob
USA - Elation Professional’s 20 May Elation Hour will feature lighting designers Bradley King, Jeff Croiter, John Froelich and Jason Lyons who join hosts John Dunn and Matthias Hinrichs to share their personal insight, experiences and tricks of the trade in lighting the theatrical stage. Bradley King, is a two-time Tony Award-winner for his work on Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 (2017) and Hadestown (2019); Jeff Croiter is a Tony award-winning lighting designer for Peter and the Starcatcher (2012) with over 25-years of Broadway experience; John Froelich is resident lighting designer at the Metropolitan Opera who oversees all technical and artistic aspects of lighting design for the opera. Jason Lyons, credits include On the Town, Bronx Bombers, Barefoot in the Park and Rock of Ages. The Elati
Germany - Club culture continues to thrive in Germany even amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. The country’s world-famous night spots may be closed to the public, but they are still reaching out to clubbers thanks to United We Stream. Run in alliance with ARTE Concert, United We Stream hosts a series of online shows from event organizers and artists that showcase the rich diversity of German club culture. In addition to streaming live DJ sets, live music and other performances, the initiative serves as a platform for discussion sessions, presentations and club culture-oriented films. The alliance was started to support Berlin’s club culture and expanded internationally. Hamburg was the first city outside of Berlin. It was here that Koyo, the designer behind many Hamburg’s well-known clubs, a group that includes Uebel & Gefährlich, a venue located in an old-World W
Australia - Australian web-based organisation ALIA is expanding its area of activities to cover the wider live production business. For 20 years ALIA has been a resource for the lighting community in Australia. Starting as a simple website, ALIA, it has continued to grow with daily updates on gear, people, projects, productions, business news – basically anything to do with lighting. Now, as Australasian Live Industry Alliance, it plans to offer more. Earlier this year ALIA rallied lighting manufacturers to donate gear to their Fireaid Appeal which raised $61,000 through an online auction. Last month, ALIA organised #lightunite to draw attention to those fighting the battle against Covid-19 and also the production industry that has been decimated. The project reached national news stations and helped to lift spirits of those involved. “Over the years, I have
USA - The largest cast iron statue in the world shines brightly over Birmingham, Alabama, thanks to lighting design by Schuler Shook and lighting design revisions, control system design, and programming by Marc Brickman and Tactical Manoeuvre, Inc. The essence of the 56-foot Vulcan statue overlooking the city is the 124-foot pedestal on which it stands, highlighted and enhanced with seven Solaris Flare IP HR dual-head outdoor fixtures. Lighting for the project was provided by 4Wall Nashville. “The Flare IPs have an incredible amount of firepower and are killer bright,” says 4Wall account executive, Damon Herbert. “We used the dual-head version of the Flare IP outdoor lights, with narrow 8-degree lenses for maximum throw.” Damon adds, “At night, the statue can be seen for miles and Tactical Manoeuvre’s programming is exquisite. Over two years in development,
UK - The Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre (TMAC) is a multipurpose performance space located in Taunton, Somerset, UK, and dedicated to staging an array of shows, events and activities for the whole community embracing music, dance, drama, comedy, spoken word and other genres. Just before the coronavirus pandemic temporarily halted the entire entertainment industry, TMAC took delivery of a brand new Zero 88 FLX lighting control console, complete with two wings, which was specified by technical manager Kevin Stratton. The new console replaces their previous generation Zero 88 consoles which have been there since the venue opened in 2000. Kevin has worked there since 2016, and before then was a busy freelancer, touring theatre technician and production LX who has also worked as a Level 3 instructor in production arts at a leading Somerset further education college.
UK - White Light managing director Bryan Raven has written an open letter asking for support for the supply chain to the live events industry. The London-based supplier, in conjunction with a number of industry colleagues, has outlined a 10 point plan for help needed from the UK Government. “The live events industry - which includes music, theatre, corporate events, festivals and live broadcasts - was amongst the first to be closed down by the COVID-19 pandemic and will be the last to return to normality,” writes Raven. “This is global issue and I would ask you to take the time to watch this video from the Live Events Coalition in the US which graphically represents the issue for the whole world.” He continues: “Both the producers of live events but also the suppliers to live events need help. It is critical to consider the entire ecology of the live events s
USA - Altman Lighting has introduced the Genesis lighting console. The desk combines physical fader and touchscreen control and provides advanced programming functionality with features such as Shape FX, Chases, Fan, and Individual Cue Timing. Additionally, the graphical user interface allows control of luminaire parameters via familiar icons, colour picker, movement targets or touch sliders. For moving light control, pan and tilt are also controlled via the touch pad adding a fine movement control for those critical focus points. The animate feature provides a simple and intuitive way to quickly create chases, sequencing, and patterned attribute control within a single cue. “Focused on giving programmers of all skill levels the operation simplicity of an instinctive console which boasts high-end features, we are very excited to be releasing Genesis,” adds P
South Africa - The first South Africa and Ghana editions of the hit TV game show Family Feud brought to SA and produced by Rapid Blue were recorded in December & January at the Urban Brew Studios in Johannesburg, with lighting designed by Joshua Cutts and supplied by Blond Productions, including 12 Robe Esprite LED profiles newly purchased by Blond and making their African TV production debut. The popular American Family Feud show has been syndicated worldwide to over 50 different countries and is one of the longest-running and most popular TV games shows, having started in 1976. Since 2010, it’s been hosted successfully by Steve Harvey. Blond Productions, based in Midrand, is a busy South African rental company specialising in supplying lighting, video and audio production to the television, film and commercial sectors. They asked Josh to com
UK - Technical entertainment charity Backup will be holding a virtual pub quiz on Friday 15 May to raise money for the charity. Backup provides financial support to industry technical professionals working in live events, theatre, TV and film who have fallen ill, been injured or are suffering from mental health problems. The charity provides a range of services including financial support, advice and re-training, and the organisation is working harder than ever to support those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. Tom Wilkes of Collaborative Creations will be hosting the quiz at 8pm on Friday 15 May, which will be taking place via Zoom, and all industry members, friends and family are welcome to take part and compete for some fantastic prizes. Backup Trustee Lee Dennison said: “Unfortunately due to the coronavirus outbreak our annual fundraising extravaganza
USA - New York City house and EDM DJs come to Norwalk,Connecticut’s ARC Sound Stage and Lighting three times a week to perform livestream shows as part of ARC Live. “We are big on using art to touch the lives of people in a positive way,” says Gene Morrell, owner of ARC. “This is why we are always eager to get involved in community art projects, whether it’s putting on block parties or commissioning local artists for graffiti – and it’s why we do the livestreams.” Morrell and his team got the idea to produce their thrice-weekly live streams “about 10 seconds” after the government’s lockdown order went into effect. “We couldn’t sit idly by,” he recalls. “So, we had to do something to express ourselves.” Once this decision was made, the details for ARC Live fell neatly into place. First was the question of finding a location
UK - Full technical production specialist CPL lit two landmark buildings in central Coventry to commemorate International Nurses Day and the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The action also recognised the central role the nursing profession has played worldwide in fighting the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the World Health Organisation which has designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse. CPL was working for Coventry 2021, the organising committee planning and overseeing events for the upcoming UK City of Culture year. The lit buildings were the original St Michael’s Cathedral and the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum. The original St Michael’s was built in the 14th century and severely bombed in the Second World War. The original spire is still intact, and the building’s haunting shell is still considered one of the most beaut
Italy - Proel SpA has appointed Fabiano Cammoranesi as business unit manager for Sagitter. Cammoranesi can boast 24 years of experience in the communications and lighting sector. His career at Proel began in 2007 and his product and market strategies have contributed to the growth of the Sagitter lighting brand and the creation of a further brand, SDJ. In February this year, Fabiano Cammoranesi was called to fill one of the key roles within the Sagitter Business Unit. “An important professional challenge begins,” he says. “This role stimulates me to pour all my enthusiasm and my determination to make the brand grow on the national and international fronts. My passion for this sector is great and it is a pleasure to share it with the whole team. Communicating and transmitting this passion will be my main goal.”
USA - From a base in producing both original music and remixes a decade ago, Canadian electronic music duo Zeds Dead branched out to explore a range of genres including UK garage, electro house, hip-hop, drum and bass and more. Now a staple on the international touring circuit, such diversity poses many challenges for the lighting team, led by production designer Erik Mahowald (of Bending Lite Productions). Recently, they have been headlining package tours for their record label Deadbeats, a series of ‘one-off’ formatted shows in a varied combination of festival stage ‘takeovers’ and standard concert venue applications at venues ranging from 5,000-50,000 capacities. This demand on scalability, and the random nature of the shows, creates further challenges for Mahowald. GLP fixtures provided the necessary versatility. “The design was originally debuted a
Europe - When COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the remaining dates of Machine Head’s Burn My Eyes European tour, the band were still able to reach its loyal fans by making video-recorded shows available on a subscription basis via Nugs.net. Niklas Fuchs of MartinKames.com ran the tour’s intense but highly nuanced lightshows, which used between six and 10 universes, on his ChamSys MQ100 Pro 2014 with an Extra Wing. “The two months we spent on tour were very memorable,” said Fuchs. “Each show was over three hours and our show file consisted of 314 fixtures. “A special thing about this tour is that three different designers contributed to the look, Thomas 'Church' Christmann, Martin Kames the head of our company, and myself. Each of us had his own creativity flowing. “Robb Flynn and Machine Head are very interested in a complex and sophistica
USA - The Westside Theatre, one of the last remaining commercial Off-Broadway spaces left in New York City, has had an impressive line-up of productions on its marquee over the years, including a 12-year run of I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, a show that lighting designer Bradley King remembers seeing as a child. King, known for his work on Natasha, Pierre, and Hadestown, for which he won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for lighting in 2017 and 2019 respectively, was back at Westside last autumn, this time designing the lighting for the highly anticipated return to Off-Broadway of Little Shop of Horrors. Little Shop of Horrors premiered Off-Broadway in 1982. The intimate new production at Westside opened at the venue’s 270-seat upstairs stage on 17 October and ran until mid-March when Broadway went dark due to the COVID-1
