Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
LSi 40 - Banner - July-Nov 2025

Lighting

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Europe/USA - The new Philips VL2600 range of LED moving head luminaires from Philips Entertainment Lighting has been designed as a smaller, brighter and lighter LED alternative to the VL2500 Spot and Wash moving heads.
The VL2600 range combines LED light source engineering with the quality, colour palette and performance of the Philips Vari-Lite brand. In terms of light quality, output power, reliability and cost, the three fixtures in the VL2600 range are simply the highest performing luminaires - and the most attractive investment proposition - in their class, says the company.
Having listened to the wishes of customers worldwide, Philips Entertainment Lighting has exceeded the output of the VL2500, while expanding the available package and its potential applications with the addition of a dedicated Profile fixture, plus the added advantage of a beam-shaping system w

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USA - In 1984, the US federal government added the Capitol Theatre to its National Register of Historic Places. When it comes to the history of rock music in the US, few venues have packed more of it into their confines than this 92-year-old former vaudeville/cinema house just north of New York City.
Eric Clapton performed here; so did Bob Dylan, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones. The Grateful Dead played 13 dates here in a one-year span, and Janis Joplin debuted her signature Mercedes Benz song on its stage, much to the surprise of her band, after writing it in a hurry at a local bar.
History wasn’t the only thing glowing at the 1,800-seat theatre on Saturday night 10 February, when Pink Talking Fish paid tribute to some iconic music from Capitol Theatre alumni with a concert that ran through Pink Floyd’s The Wall album, along with some juicy tunes
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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European Theatre - Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) will acquire five new venues in Germany as it confirms a takeover of theatre operator Mehr! Entertainment. The deal, agreed for an undisclosed amount, brings the company’s global portfolio of venues to 51 and ATG’s first major international purchase since the 2016 management change and the stepping down of co-founders and joint chief executives Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire.
ATG’s purchase of Mehr! Entertainment means it will operate the Starlight Express Theatre in Bochum, the purpose-built venue which has been home to the long-running musical since 1988. It will also take over the Mehr! Theatre in Hamburg, the Admiralspalast in Berlin, the Capitol Theatre in Dusseldorf and the Musical Dome in Cologne. ATG chief executive Mark Cornell said: “These major venues across Germany are each unique and captivating in the

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Germany - PR Lighting presented one of its most expansive displays yet at this month’s Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
With a dedicated booth adjacent to their German distributor, Focon Showtechnic, their theme was Water Proof Products in the form of a series of IP65-rated fixtures.
Although they found the attendance generally lower than previous years, according to international sales director, Ernie Armas, due to their inspired and eye-catching water display units, they managed to drive a constant flow of traffic to their stand.
“This allowed attendees to see a series of moving heads perform over the duration of the show under water conditions,” he notes. “Furthermore, the design of our booth allowed visitors to play with our units and get full hands-on experience, by using a simple controller attached to the pedestal.”
PR Lighting displayed

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Indonesia - Multi-platinum and Dove Award-winning recording group Hillsong United have told interviewers that their sixth studio album Wonder was inspired in part by the things they’ve experienced visiting new places. It is fitting, then, that the group recorded some songs on their new record in Bali, home of their church’s first campus in Asia.
Located in a pleasant, low-key new building on a tree-lined street, the recently opened Bali campus embodies the warm, inviting and uplifting spirit that draws over 80,000 people each Sunday to Hillsong churches on five continents. Although the Bali church building itself is relatively simple in its structure, it quickly engages visitors with help from its immersive and colourful lighting, created with Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied and installed by ASIIS.
“The people from Hillsong first saw us at an exhib

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Germany/UK - Data Strategy’s Iain Roche and White Light’s technical director Dave Isherwood shook hands at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt on a deal for a total of four to six QC-Check workstations, incorporating PAT4 and CAB5 PAT and Cable Test Processors from joint-venture partners Out Board. QC-Check’s test database and logging software will be fully integrated into WL’s InspHire asset management system, which will provide real-time tracked test results for the company’s entire hire inventory.
The first single-bay QC-Check workstation - custom-built by SES Entertainment Services - will arrive within weeks. The most complex of the order, the distro department’s QC-Check workstation, is designed for optimal workflow in the quick and efficient checking of multiple power distribution outlets. Heavier-duty distro connectors are positioned conveniently at the front, whi

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UK - Jands Vista's flexible hardware and time-saving user interface provided the right tool to control a cutting-edge lighting design for Bury Court Opera's modern production of Handel's Giulio Cesare.
Loosely based on historic events during the Roman Civil War, Giulio Cesare - translated as Julius Caesar in Egypt - tells the story of feuding family dynasties, revenge, and obsessive lusts of the most powerful figures of the ancient world.
With Bury Court Opera's focus on using a young cast and production team to provide a fresh take on classic operas, the lighting was key to achieving their artistic vision.
To deliver the show's innovative lighting design by Prema Mehta, lighting programmer Robert Price specified the Jands Vista control solution.
He comments: "I use Vista as I love being able to tailor its software and hardware for an

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South Africa - The new Steyn City School opened its doors in January 2018. DWR Distribution installed curtains and curtain tracks as well as a lighting, audio and AV in the auditorium which will be used by the Dramatic Arts and Music departments as well as for everyday use like assemblies.
Steyn City School is situated just outside the Steyn City Parkland Residence. Interestingly, what is now a residential estate was once abandoned land which included an old mine quarry.
A tender process saw DWR Distribution sub-contracted to supply the audio visual and lighting in the auditorium. Later, DWR were also awarded another tender, this time for the full curtaining system.
“We were one of the last subcontractors appointed and it was a very tight schedule,” comments Kevin Stannett from DWR. “Working on a brand-new school from scratch and being involved with the co

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USA - There’s nothing funny about the comedy business: when everything is riding on the setup and the punch line, the sound has to be absolutely perfect. That’s why the top-earning comics on tour today - names like Amy Schumer and Kevin Hart - have looked to Frederick, Maryland based Showtime Sound LLC and its CEO Scott Tydings to make sure that their audiences “get it”.
That pursuit of clarity, intelligibility, and coverage is exactly why the DC area’s first Certified Provider for rental (CPr) has been steadily acquiring an ever-growing inventory of L-Acoustics sound components for both touring comedians and other productions.
With its already large inventory, Showtime Sound has just added an additional 40 K2, 36 Kara, 20 X8 and 12 LA-RAK II, each housing three LA12X amplified controllers. Showtime Sound has also now sold off all of its previous loudspeaker

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UK - Jason Bruges Studio was commissioned to create a series of installations for the closing celebrations for Hull; the 2017 UK City of Culture. The project ran for over two months from December to January and featured multiple SGM products.
“When Jason Bruges Studio approached me to design the lighting for this city wide installation that was to be outdoors during the winter months, I knew we needed SGM onboard,” comments Carlos Valente, the lighting designer behind the installation Where Do We Go from Here? “Asides from the obvious low-power, IP rating, and bright factors, we also found the fixtures provided great lighting for camera with features to calibrate the LEDs Refresh rate.”
The site-specific installation used a specially choreographed interplay of light, shadow, and sound to guide people through three areas around Hull’s Old Town.

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Sweden - Rental and production company Tylösand Sound has recently invested in Robe’s new MegaPointe.
The company, based in Halmstad and run by Paul Aladin, specialises in the supply of lighting, audio and video design services and equipment for shows, installations and corporate events. They deliver production for a lot of events at the nearby Tylösand Hotel, owned by pop superstar Per Gessle of Roxette which is located on the beach, with a large, busy and vibrant conference and event facility.
The company has also built up a reputation for working with a collection of inventive digital artists on their installations and shows, bringing a different and more inventive edge to the array of standard lighting projects.
Paul started Tylösand Sound in 1996, and before then, like many in the Swedish entertainment technology industry, he worked hard as a DJ, and t

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Australia - Located in Sydney, New South Wales and originally established in 1885, Abbotsleigh is an independent boarding school. The school has been working behind the scenes on an upgrade to its concert and assembly hall lighting systems. Led by the systems integration team at Barbizon Australia, the renovation project most recently undertook the upgrading of the house lighting systems in the concert hall using Chalice LED 150W downlights from Altman Lighting.
“We first came to this project while conducting a review of all the lighting fixtures and systems for the various venues within the school, and then preparing a schedule for renovations over a two to three-year period,” comments Paul Lewis, systems sales director for Barbizon Australia. “The overall scope involved upgrading the fixtures to LED and updating the associated control systems as well.
“Stag

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UK - The Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) has released a guide to the proposed EU 2020 lighting regulations as part of its Save Stage Lighting campaign that aims to secure an exemption for stage lighting from the proposals.
The Proposed 2020 EU Lighting Regulations - A Primer collects relevant information about the existing regulations (EU1194/2012), the regulations proposed for September 2020 as part of the EU’s Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019, and the key differences between them.
The guide highlights how the proposed regulations will not only affect tungsten lighting, but all specialist lighting fixtures used for show lighting, including arc and LED. The document also exposes that manufacturers would stru

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Mongolia - ProLights LED fixtures are helping Mongol TV meet the balance between creative and financial needs for their production of talent TV show, The Voice of Mongolia.
Officially syndicated in 62 countries and with a global audience of 650m viewers, The Voice is Mongol TV's follow-up to their successful production of the Got Talent franchise for the past two years.
Mongol TV CEO Nomin Chinbat chose to bring these two talent show franchises to Mongolia as part of a long-term goal to deliver local content which meets international TV standards.
Set inside a Soviet-influenced indoor circus venue, UK lighting designer and consultant Tom Kinane, who had worked on Mongolia's Got Talent, was brought in to oversee the lighting production.
He comments: "Given Mongol TV's long-term goal to focus on producing popular international show

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Painting with Light has produced a vibrant, inventive visual solution for Zoo of Life, a production directed by Luc Stevens to celebrate 175 years of Antwerp Zoo, being staged at the new Queen Elizabeth Hall venue in Antwerp.
The team from the Genk based creative practice was led by Luc Peumans. Painting with Light’s project manager, Wouter Verhulst comments: “Normally you might have two weeks to build a production on this scale and ambition, but we had just three days and nights.”
With this time restriction in mind, the set is composed largely of digital scenic elements and was designed in conjunction with Carla Janssen Hofelt.
The Painting with Light brief also included editing special video material shot by Mathieu Marck of Arendsoog (Eagle Eye) from around the Zoo, and combining this with new graphical content produced by Painting with Light’s Sina S

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USA - Presented annually by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, the Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary during a two-day live event that draws in students and youth leaders from across Tennessee.
Wanting a production design to match the occasion, event organisers worked with Atlanta-based Stacked Heart Productions who brought in designer Justin Kitchenman, Align Design Group, programmer Gavin Lake, and production partner Elite Multimedia who provided an expansive audio, lighting, LED video and live IMAG video design.
Kent Shingleton, YEC executive producer, comments: “Throughout our history, we have produced the event in six different venues and each year we try to bring something new. I have been wanting to implement LED video into our design for a few years now, and when I spoke with Elite Multimedia they put together a grea

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USA - More than 3,000 Future Farmers of America (FFA) members gathered at the 90th Annual Tennessee FFA State Convention to compete and receive recognition for their work throughout the year.
Bandit Lites supplied the lighting for the event, including the stage that presented scholarship awards for accomplished FFA members.
“Turning a convention centre ballroom into a theatre is always a challenge,” comments Bandit Lites general manager Giff Swart, “but Bandit has a talented group of folks who can work magic in any situation when given the right tools. John Lucksinger was our LD, and he was the right man to make magic with this rig. Wayne Lotoza was our crew, and he is unmatched when you want something to get done right and in record time.”
Bandit Lites provided 110 minibeam downstage loaded with Bandit’s GRNLite Moving Washes for stage front-light alon

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USA - Unlike all but a handful of other venues in Manhattan’s famed theatre district, the Broadway Theatre is actually located on Broadway. However, this is far from the only thing that stands out about this 1,760-seat theatre.
Throughout its 94-year history, it has housed trailblazing productions, including the 1943 premiere of Oscar Hammerstein’s Carmen Jones, one of the first musicals to feature an all African-American cast. Years earlier, before it was dedicated exclusively to theatre, it was the site of the first showing of Walt Disney’s cartoon film Steamboat Willie, which introduced the world to Mickey Mouse.
The theatre’s distinctive tradition continued recently, when it hosted a six-week run of Rocktopia, a concert that explores new artistic dimensions by weaving rock and classical music together and wrapping them around a free-flo

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Germany - Robe has reported “a busy and successful” Prolight+Sound 2018. The Czech manufacturer’s live show concept taken to new levels with Cirque Robe, a six-minute performance spectacle and circus style presentation with a cast of 11 designed to highlight the company’s latest lighting technologies.
Another highlight was Robe’s new MegaPointe multi-purpose moving light winning a 2018 PIPA (Prolight + Sound International Press Award) for Best Light, a decision reached by a jury of international trade journalists who meet annually in Frankfurt.
The MegaPointe was one of the primary fixtures featured in the stand show, where Robe continued to raise the bar in presenting live exhibition entertainment, with an ever-rising element of expectation accompanying each one.
CEO Josef Valchar comments: “Our goal was to showcase the products in an entertai

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UK - The EU’s proposed Eco-Design Working Plan 2016-2019 will require all stage lighting to meet efficiency targets in line with domestic and office lighting, from the very latest LED lighting fixtures to specialist tungsten bulbs which make up the majority of theatre lighting rigs. At present, there are three sets of lighting regulations for lighting products, but the proposed changes would streamline them into one regulation with no exceptions, taking effect from 2020.

PLASA placed a response with the EU Commission on 26 January; the deadline for response has now been extended to 7 May. “We urge key manufacturers in the industry to join forces with us to present a strong argument against the new proposals. This campaign is too large for one company or association to tackle alone, and time is running out,” the associa

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Germany - inoage has returned to Prolight + Sound with the successful range of MADRIX hardware and software products for powerful yet simple LED control.
ORION is the next MADRIX hardware interface made in Germany. As a general-purpose input device, it enables interactive projects with ease.
Eight versatile inputs receive any 0V - 12V analogue input signal in order to connect to a wide range of compatible sensors, potentiometers, switches, and triggers. Sensors for light, temperature, passive infrared, and more can easily be integrated into your next interactive project just like the many well-known systems for building and home automation.
Each input can be separately set as Analogue-IN, Digital-IN, Counter, and other useful functions in the web configuration page. Data is then send over network with Art-Net or Streaming ACN (E1.31). The device also features tw

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South Africa - For the second consecutive year, Robe Lighting and DWR Distribution sponsored a team in The Absa Cape Epic, an extreme mountain bike race hosted from 18 to 25 March 2018. Congratulations to South Africans Pierre Griffioen and Robert Izzett of Team MegaPointe.
“Robe is keen to support local, regional and global sporting activities, with mountain biking among our favourites, so we really appreciate this great opportunity in South Africa,” says Josef Valchar, CEO at Robe. “We admire and appreciate the intense efforts, thorough preparation and sheer tenacity and stamina of riders involved in all categories of this invigorating sport. Particularly in meeting the challenges of the Cape Epic the toughest mountain bike competition in the world.”
Covering 658km, to say this eight-day challenge is tough is an underestimate. This year a stomach bug hit man

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USA - At the USITT Stage Expo in Ft Lauderdale, ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a cheque for $11,509.55, representing the most recent proceeds from the company’s iRFR and aRFR focus remote applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have generated an unbelievable $334,335 in donations. This generosity has kept families from becoming homeless, kept the heat on in winter, and made sure those who are ill can continue to receive medical treatment. Its effects are incalculable.
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.
Nick Gonsman, ETC field project coordinator, presented the check, saying, “Behind the Scenes is a crucial organisation that s

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USA - Events United helped Fortune 1000 company Connection create a memorable setting for its annual kick-off meeting in Manchester NH, despite the limited space and unusual room dimensions at the site where the event was held.
The meeting, which was live streamed to Connection offices throughout the US, took place in the Armory, a venue in the Radisson Hotel near the corporation’s headquarters. Although the room presents some striking images with its steel beams and sloping ceilings, it also poses serious design obstacles for anyone hoping to create a professional lighting, video and audio presentation within its confines. Events United met these challenges to create a stunning panorama at the kick-off event with a clever design plan and help from over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures.
“Our client gave us a few initial concept ideas that included projection and
  1. White Light appointed production partner at Illuminate
  2. ChamSys runs Ultra rig for Empire of The Sun
  3. Chauvet lights The Belonging birthday party
  4. PL+S 2018: Philips Vari-Lite launches LED effects unit
  5. Claypaky lights Architects' Alexandra Palace show
  6. PL+S 2018: GLP impression S350 launched
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LSi 40th sponsors - Large MPU - July-Aug

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