Zimbabwe - Even before its release, Gwara, the 11th album by award-winning African superstar Jah Prayah, was touched by a sense of mystery. Months ahead of its recording, the singer/songwriter let fans know something important was coming by sharing social media images of a wide-open blue sky, a symbol of hope and boundless opportunity. The very name of the album itself left itself open to many different interpretations, Gwara being a Shona word that could mean anything from frightfulness to a quest for new directions. There is nothing timid about the album however, as the artist obviously chose the latter meaning, conveying as much with cover art that shows a woman walking alone down a beautiful wooded path. More importantly, its 16songs express a dreamy, hopeful sense of opportunities that await those who seek them. Blessing Bero and Tatenta Gaylord Rushw
UK - Andrew Pollard’s traditional Christmas panto, Queen of Hearts, is running at Greenwich Theatre until 2 January 2022. This year’s production is marked by a new sound design from Michael Woods based on a HALO-C compact line array system from EM Acoustics. Woods is now in his fourth year of designing sound for pantomime at Greenwich Theatre and last year received an Offie nomination for Best Sound Design for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which played at Southwark Playhouse in spring 2019. In previous years for Greenwich Theatre’s panto, Woods opted for two point source loudspeakers on the proscenium for main LR and two more on towers in the auditorium as delays to help maintain the desired sound pressure levels from front to back of the auditorium. “Whilst I have found this method generally acceptable, it did compromise sound quality
Estonia - Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu - the country’s oldest and first Estonian language theatre - celebrated the opening of its 152nd season with an elaborate gala event staged in the city’s main square, with a lighting design created by Tõnis Järs featuring Robe moving lights. Not only was it a great historic occasion, but it was a joyous moment for the public and everyone connected to the landmark Theatre representing the ‘hard re-start’ of Vanemuine as a lively cultural melting-pot for art and creativity and a vital community hub after the pandemic period. The event’s main stage performance action included an array of ballet and operetta pieces, culminating in a full orchestral concert and collaboration between the Vanemuine Symphony Orchestra and popular Estonian electro-pop artist, NOËP, (Andres Kõpper). Vanemuine owns a large quantity of Ro
UK - A.C. Entertainment reports that Cromer Pier's Pavilion Theatre has recently added a digital dimension to its stage by installing a Prolights DeltaPix48T LED video wall backdrop. With approximately 450 seats, Cromer Pier Pavilion Theatre audiences are entertained all year round with vocals, specialty acts and a blend of dance, in an intimate venue. The team behind the Cromer Pier Show wanted to add new elements to the production and make a strong comeback following the enforced closure of the theatre due to the global pandemic. Cromer Pier's director, Rory Holburn comments, “Our new Prolights DeltaPix48T screen has added a lot more versatility to the show and what can be achieved from a backdrop. The stage is limited in space, so we needed something that was fairly compact yet robust. We are delighted with how the DeltaPix has been performing and the huge a
UK - Ministry of Sound celebrated 30 years of dance with a concert at O2 Arena, with dance classics reimagined by the 50-piece London Concert Orchestra in company with Paul Oakenfold and other guest DJs. Ministry of Sound Classical presents Three Decades of Dance took clubbers on a journey through the dance anthems of yesteryear. Martin Audio’s signature sound, as featured in Ministry of Sound clubs worldwide, was provided by RG Jones and mixed by Phil Wright - a devotee of Martin Audio’s flagship MLA. Working for promoters Coalition Presents, who produced the event with Raymond Gubbay, RG Jones - who already had a relationship with MoS, having provided equipment for some of their events - fielded 18 MLA a side. This was a similar configuration to that fielded for War of the Worlds at the same venue. Hangs of 12 MLA Compact provided out-fills on each
UK - Following a record-breaking run on Broadway, Pretty Woman: The Musical has gone global with productions in London’s West End, Germany, and a major US tour. The production team has remained faithful to John Shivers’ and David Patridge’s original sound design based on a comprehensive KV2 Audio point source system. The show originally opened at London’s Piccadilly Theatre and had already broken the theatre’s advance box-office records, when the pandemic intervened. A year later, the show has now moved to London’s Savoy Theatre on the Strand and continues to play to record-breaking audiences. David Patridge designed the show at the Piccadilly, and UK associate designer, Greg Pink then modified it for transfer to the Savoy. Nik Dudley engineers the show every night and is delighted with how it sounds. “Greg’s design uses ESR215s as the main L/R p
The Netherlands - AV rental and production company Houben Souren has installed Elation Fuze Profile and Colour 5 Profile luminaires in two auditoriums in the recently refurbished Maastricht Exhibition and Convention Center (MECC). As the audiovisual partner for the biggest convention centres in the southern part of the country, Houben Souren enjoys special insight into the audiovisual needs of the venue and drew upon its close relationship with Elation’s European office to realize a successful installation. The upgrades to the facility, begun in 2019, included investment in new lighting equipment for two newly renovated auditoriums. Under the supervision of theatre consultants Theater Advies bv and the MECC, Houben Souren won the tender and was awarded the contract to deliver and install the new lighting gear. Tijs Verfurth, operations manager at Houben Souren,
Poland - Robe supported the fourth edition of the Stage of Tomorrow (Scena Jutra) conference, staged at the Teatr Wielki Polish National Opera in Warsaw, organised by the Stage of Tomorrow Foundation and its president Rafal Rzeczkowski, with Polish production technology sales specialist Prolight and Teatr Wielki, the latter represented by technical director Malgorzata Szablowska. The one-day event featured over 150 production industry related presentations, seminars, and discussions with a focus on the theme of virtual, extended, augmented, etc. reality and its potential for events and shaping the future. Three main presentation areas - Stage of Inspiration, Stage of Discussion and Stage of Partners - were constantly busy and explored a lively array of topics including sustainability; new technologies and their use in entertainment; art and promotion, education, and f
UK - Coming off the back of a shrewd yet confident reinvention, electronic pop trio London Grammar hit the road in support of their latest album, Californian Soul, with a control package from Britannia Row Productions and a PA system from Eighth Day Sound. This was the first time such a partnership has come to fruition since Eighth Day’s acquisition by Brit Row parent company, Clair Global Group. “I use Brit Row because Tom Brown is an amazing client handler,” declares production manager, Mark Sunderland. “And for this tour, I was worried because Jake [Rudd, FOH engineer] wanted to move to a d&b audiotechnik system. At first I thought it wouldn’t be available to us, but it worked out due to Eighth Day becoming part of Clair. Reassuringly, we could have the kit required and maintain that same level of service. Even though our rider is technically from tw
USA - HBO’s recent broadcast of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place inside Cleveland’s NBA arena. Key to creating a sense of intimacy within the walls of the 152,970sq.ft. Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse was a lighting design by Allen Branton and production design by Bruce Rogers that drew audiences - TV and live - into each performance, while also allowing the stage to stand out against its cavernous surroundings without being overwhelmed. Helping Branton accomplish the latter goal was a collection of 104 Chauvet Professional COLORdash Accent 3 compact washes, which like the rest of the rig, was supplied by 4Wall Entertainment. Positioning the RGBA fixtures along the sides of the stage as well as in the blacked-out seats behind and to either side of it, he used them to define space and maintain consistency between camera shots. “The COLORdash
USA - Located in Marietta, Georgia, North Metro Church is an inclusive house of worship where a dynamic array of music is a key part of its services. Ranging from quiet background ambience to full on praise rock, the installation of a sound reinforcement system that could reproduce music at all volumes with equal high quality was key. AV specialist Austin Sound Design, based in Auburn, Georgia, has installed audio systems in many houses of worship and knew that an Alcons pro-ribbon solution was the best way to cover the large width, depth and height of the North Metro Church auditorium. “I attended a demo hosted by Alcons’ David Rahn and Scott Hough a few years ago,” says Austin Sound founder Chris Austin. “I have always appreciated ribbon technology and was immediately drawn to the superior performance of the Alcons pro-ribbon systems. After years of listening
Denmark - Cirkusrevyen (Circus Review) is the longest-running review performance in Denmark, with a six-month season kicking off every year since 1935 except for 1945 (due to fire) and 2020 (due to Covid). Staged in a purpose-built big top tent in Klampenborg, Dyrehavsbakken north of Copenhagen, the 2021 season was lit for the first time using Robe Esprite moving lights. The lighting spec also included a Robe RoboSpot remote follow spotting solution, LEDWash 300+s and LEDBeam 150s, all supplied by rental specialist Live Company, who were working on their second season as a supplier. Lighting designer Malthe Haugaard was designing his fifth Cirkusrevyen season, which started in May, initially to restricted audiences due to Coronavirus rules. As these were gradually relaxed, ticket sales opened up. A new production design is created for each season, just as a new
Europe - Following nearly three seasons of extensive prototype testing of Audio-Technica’s 8.0 Microphone Concept at MotoGP, the Grand Prix motorcycle racing Championship, commercial rights holder Dorna Sports S.L. has moved to make the 8.0 microphone a core audio component of its future programme broadcasting which includes ambitious plans towards remote production. Located at Dorna Sports’ Barcelona, facility, the extensive remote production suite, which is planned to be phased in through the 2024 Season, will include a custom-built 7.1.4 / 5.1.4 dedicated audio control room to mix immersive audio received from the track in real time. Audio-Technica 8.0 Microphones are to be located at the podium, parc fermé, pit lane and key positions around the racetrack. While the audio control room will remain static, audio acquisition at the track needs to capture the compl
USA - While the COVID pandemic compelled performing arts companies to stretch their horizons to reach audiences, Michigan Opera Theatre went further than many during the period, presenting programmes in the Detroit Opera House parking garage, among other non-traditional venues for opera. Then, for one weekend in September, Blue, a contemporary American opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson, was staged at the city's open-air Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, a mostly pop-music venue where recent shows included performances by Chaka Khan, Machine Gun Kelly, Erykah Badu, and UB40. Awarded Best New Opera of 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America, Blue is about a young Black couple raising a son in modern-day Harlem and their struggles with police brutality. With its all-black cast, the opera is a celebration, tragedy, and timely and highly
World - To support first-time and indie filmmakers through the height of the pandemic, DPA Microphones partnered with Rycote on a Pay-it-Forward giveaway in late 2020 from which three lucky winners acquired a full cinema mics kit from the brands. The contest’s prizes included DPA’s 4097 Micro Shotgun, 4017 Shotgun and 6060 Core Subminiature microphones - along with virtual mentoring sessions, an array of Rycote accessories and other equipment loaners. The recipients, Lijie Cheng of Singapore, Jacob Deming of the United States and Sergey Martynyuk of Austria, have been hard at work putting their new gear, and skills, to the test. Singapore-based production sound mixer Lijie Cheng was excited to upgrade his microphone arsenal upon winning the competition and has already utilised them for an upcoming web mini-series, Maybe Marriage, and a short film, A Man
UK - The Wilberforce Monument, a statue dedicated to 18th / 19th century politician, philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce, which stands on a 31m high Doric column in the grounds of Hull College in the UK, has recently been re-lit using Anolis ArcPar 150 Zoom LED fixtures. Graham Roberts of event technical production company HPSS designed the new lighting scheme which is part of a city-wide urban regeneration initiative driven by Hull Council that includes illuminating key city centre buildings and historical landmarks. The Monument – which is Grade II Listed and near to Wilberforce’s birthplace – was previously lit, but a more robust and weatherised colour-changing LED solution that would offer sustainable, cost-effective, and flexible options was needed. It was important that the new lighting could be integrated and co-ordinated
USA - To provide Barrington Stage Company’s (BSC) production of A Crossing: A Dance Musical with versatile lighting that elevated the show’s lively music and energetic choreography, lighting designer Jason Lyons selected a range of Martin Professional lighting solutions, provided in part by Christie Lites. Founded in 1995, BSC is a non-profit theatre company that is dedicated to developing original and compelling works by diverse voices, such as the Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee among many other productions. A Crossing: A Dance Musical, created in association with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company follows a group of migrants on their journey across the US-Mexican border. As the play covers raw and relevant topics like immigration, sanctuary, fear and hope using little to no spoken dialogue, the production required
Austria - Platinum recording stars Christopher Seiler and Bernhard Speer tell stories of everyday life, offering philosophical observations of situations that everyone has experienced at one time or another. Helping to turn the pages of these musical tales with supportive visuals is the duo’s lighting designer Niklas Fuchs who began lighting Seiler und Speer, using a ChamSys MagicQ MQ100 Pro, in 2015 when they released their inaugural album. His first show with them was at a small (750-capacity) club in the Alpine resort region of Tyrol, a far cry from their more recent appearances, where fans are counted in the tens of thousands, and TV audiences in the millions. Through all the growth and changes, however, Fuchs has maintained a sense of spontaneity in running lights for his clients, which is in keeping with their own approach to music. “I don’t use timecodes
USA - Richmond, Virginia-based Lite-Tek Entertainment, a lighting rental and production company, supplied Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to the recently wrapped fall tour of Gary Clark Jr., best-known for his fusion of blues, rock and soul music with elements of hip hop. Clark kicked off the tour in late August in Austin and played dates across the west, southeast and northeast before a final stop in New Orleans on 17 November. Lite-Tek provided the floor lighting package for the entire tour and added a flown package in select cities. John Adamo is the lighting director for Clark; he has worked with the artist since Clark’s fall 2018 tour. “We bought the first Sharpy Plus fixtures in North America almost three years ago,” says Lite-Tek owner, Darren Lewis. “Since then, we’ve tripled our inventory and are still running out - every one we own was out last week.
Poland - LightsOn, a lighting design and rental company based in Warsaw, relies on an FLX S24 lighting console from Zero 88 to run a full schedule of spectacular event lighting. LightsOn owner, Lukasz Brylski, and his team supply creative lightshows for bands, DJs, smaller concerts, cultural and corporate events, weddings, and parties, with a constantly busy schedule of three or four events per week. They are fully booked with shows and events for the rest of the year, as the industry recovers from the pandemic shut down. A typical lighting set up will feature around 20 fixtures, including moving lights and LED sources, all run on the Zero 88 FLX S24. Lukasz likes many FLX S24 features, starting with its ease of use and logicality. “I can design and plan the show, then set up the console exactly as I like,” he stated. One of the many FLX S24 features he finds mos
USA - Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show is back with a stage design featuring 400 VL800 Eventpar luminaires from Vari-Lite, supplied by concert touring specialists Premier Global Production. Taking conceptual direction from Stapleton himself, creative director Becky Fluke and lighting designer Calvin ‘Mac’ Mosier created film-like lighting, centred around a wall of light, which comprises 388 VL800 Eventpar RGBA and 12 VL800 Eventpar WW. Mac, who has previously worked with Prince, Tina Turner, Madonna, Lady Gaga and James Taylor, explains: “When I first saw the VL800 back in 2019, I thought it was great, so I got one and showed it to Chris and Becky and they both loved it, particularly the colours it produces. Soon after that, Chris came up with the wall of light idea.” The show design, which uses lighting and video in the most integrated way Mac
Israel - Named after Frank Zappa and founded in 2004, Israel’s Zappa Group is a live show chain of clubs with an ethos of respect for music, musicians and listeners. From its first venue in Tel Aviv, it has grown to include clubs and outdoor venues in Herzliya, Jerusalem, Haifa ,Beer Sheba, Zappa Amphi Shuni and Zappa live Park, and hosts top Israeli and international music acts. Following a change of ownership, a new technical manager was appointed to supervise the venues and raise their technical standards. Having worked as technical producer on large-scale concerts, he recognised their ubiquitous use of DiGiCo consoles. This prompted the start of a major move for all Zappa venues to install DiGiCo. Supplied by Israeli distribution company, Gidron Levitan, the main Tel Aviv venue now boasts a DiGiCo Quantum 338, with Herzliya and Haifa upgrading to Quantum 225s, an
Switzerland - In creating his evocative looks for the nine-hour presentation of Goethe’s Faust at the Goetheanum School of Spiritual Science in Dornach, Klaus Suppan drew on the colour rendering and performance features of seven Chauvet Professional Maverick Silens 2 Profile fixtures that were recently added to the theatre’s lighting system. With the new staging of Faust characterized by a simple stage design with clear, minimal lines; light was consciously selected as the main tool with which to draw emphasis upon various scenic elements. Because the stage design only suggests the respective situations and locations, Suppan deftly used light to outline entities of shape and form - a technique that was greatly aided by the framing-shutter mode of his profile fixtures. "My professional colleagues and the directors of this Faust production were t
Belarus - For over a decade, Minsk Arena has been the epicentre for all things sports and culture in the Belarus capital. The venue’s main space is an ice arena dedicated to hockey and skating which can also be converted to host other sports events, as well as concerts, conferences, and forums Minsk Arena hosts some of the most notable sports tournaments, including IIHF World Championship and SU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, as well as musicians like Elton John, Sting, and Shakira. In September this year, the facility completed a large-scale renovation which included a tour-grade audio system from L-Acoustics, installed by BelCultProject. Known for its contemporary design, Minsk Arena also prides itself on implementing the latest technology, including being the first arena to install a cable roof system capable of withstanding loads of up to 120 tonnes,
