UK - Success is serving the independently owned, 1,700 cap Electric Brixton well, a two-step refurbishment programme refining the venue’s image and functionality. LED fixtures light the building’s front wall, which has been resealed and repainted, amplifying the Electric’s standing on Brixton Hill. Through the doors to the main space the second room wall has gone, improving sightlines and bringing more flexibility in terms of operating the area. It also makes for a much larger bar stage left and quicker service. An LX console front of house, with additional motors above stage and across the room, and new fixtures, gives LDs easier access to the venue’s lighting equipment and more capacity to shape the image of a performance/club. Production manager, Tom Cull, comments: “This is all brand new, state-of-the-art equipment. It was about improving the
USA - As one of this year’s most anticipated Broadway musicals, Moulin Rouge! The Musical has captured the hearts of critics and audiences alike. Its performances and production design combine to create an extravagant experience thanks to the talent on and off the stage - and, in part, to the power of Eos. “ETC’s products are why we can make this show happen,” says lighting designer Justin Townsend. “There is just so much data - nothing else could have driven the show.” Most people are familiar with the 2001 motion picture, a stylistic spectacle from the mind of Baz Luhrmann, so it was important to the musical’s creative team to make something that both honoured the film and stood out for itself. “We didn’t want to just recreate the movie,” Townsend says, “but try to create a live Moulin Rouge experience.” The over-the-top scenery b
South Africa - A recent technical upgrade at Joburg Theatre includes four Robert Juliat Cyrano 2500W HMI followspots which have been installed for use in the 1000+ seat Mandela Theatre. The complex’s largest auditorium, The Nelson Mandela Theatre, regularly sees over 75% of capacity audiences and remains open a minimum of 50 weeks in each year. In the past decade, it has hosted many hit shows, including William Kentridge’s acclaimed interpretation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the West End and Broadway musicals West Side Story, Chicago, The Color Purple and Spamalot and top-of-the-line global touring shows, such as Le Grand Cirque, Lord of the Dance and Brazouka. Joburg Theatre is also the permanent home to Joburg Ballet, Jill Girard and Keith Smith’s Peoples Theatre Company, and one of the country’s most
Europe - Björk has kicked off the European portion of her critically-acclaimed Cornucopia tour deploying a d&b Soundscape Immersive sound system as the show scales up dramatically from its debut in New York’s new arts centre, The Shed, to a run of largescale arena dates including London’s O2 arena. Cornucopia is Björk’s most elaborate stage production to date, incorporating stunning visuals, intricate stage movements and a fully integrated immersive sound design. Cornucopia’s sound was designed by Björk and FOH sound engineer John Gale, supported by Southby Productions, and Steve Jones from d&b, utilising the d&b En-Scene object-based mixing and En-Space room emulation software, running on the DS100 system processor and a comprehensive d&b KSL speaker system as an integral part of the concert performance design. “Bjö
Germany - Thomas Gottschalk once again gathered a who's who of ‘80s cult stars at the TUI Arena in Hannover for Gottschalk's Big 80s Show. Performances by Kim Wilde, Paul Young, Thomas Anders, Marc Almond and many more could be experienced on the set's four show stages, with the concert broadcast by ZDF. Lighting cameraman / gaffer for the production was Michael Donecker. Frank Hofmann - better known as FH - from Scan Design Berlin was responsible for the show lighting design of a production that lasted for several hours. FH, who developed a penchant for lighting design early in life, today works predominantly for TV productions. He notes: “I wanted to create a vintage look that could be interpreted in a modern way - that is, to imitate the looks of those days but using modern technology.” The set itself was dominated by video elements. A huge LED display
USA - Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln Neal III (Rhett & Link) have been blazing a trail with their mix of music and comic antics. Their routines include ‘rap battles’ that feature unlikely antagonists, such as the Wright Brothers vs the Mario Brothers and Leonardo Da Vinci against The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Lighting this pair of comedic musicians on tour requires a design that is powerful enough to accent punch lines and ballyhoo moments, while still serving up softer, subtle looks that create theatrical moments for sketches. This is precisely what the design team of Rebecca and Bryan Hairston delivered for Rhett & Link when they stopped at the iSaenger Theatre in New Orleans recently. Helping them were a group of Chauvet Professional Maverick, Rogue and Ovation fixtures supplied by See-Hear Productions. “Everything came together for us at th
Australia - On Sunday 6 October, the Canberra Raiders squared off against the Sydney Roosters at the NRL Grand Final in front of 82,922 spectators at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, with millions more watching the broadcast. Impressive numbers - as was the 229 radio microphones active at the ground that Peter Twartz, radio frequency manager for the stadium and the NRL, had to coordinate to work flawlessly with one another. Wayne Mulder, engineering coordinator for production provider JPJ, made Peter’s job that bit easier by using Shure Axient Digital and PSM1000 IEMs across pre-show entertainers OneRepublic, the choir, MCs, hosts, and national anthem performers. All up, 52 channels of Shure’s premium wireless mic and monitor products kept the show running flawlessly in an extremely hostile RF environment. “At JPJ, we wouldn’t use anything else but Shure Axient for th
USA - Garth Brooks wrapped up the 2019 leg of his Stadium Tour with a record-breaking, sold-out show of 85,000 people at The University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium. Knoxville is the tenth city this year to welcome the tour following sold-out performances in St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Eugene, Boise and Regina. The concert at Neyland is his second show there since 2003 and comes on the heels of Brooks winning County Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award for the seventh time. Bandit Lites has provided the lighting for Brooks for more than three decades, and the Grammy-award winning artist once again entrusted his massive vision to the Bandit team. Brooks also gave an impromptu shout out to Bandit Lites during the concert, sharing how he has worked with Bandit “ever since we could afford lights”. He praised t
USA - As Wheel of Fortune begins shooting its 37th season, the popular game show has been replacing its ageing lights with LED fixtures requiring less power, generating less heat and needing little maintenance. Joining the show’s upgraded rig are Ayrton Khamsin compact LED profiles provided by Sony Set Lighting. “LEDs have finally caught up to where they’re able to replace a 1200W arc source,” says lighting director and programmer, William McLachlan. “I’ve used Ayrton fixtures on other shows; they’re building interesting lights that are becoming mainline workhorse fixtures.” It was through McLachlan’s long-time relationship with ACT Lighting, the exclusive distributor of Ayrton fixtures in North America, that he learned about the new Khamsin fixtures. “We wanted to expand the show’s plot with moving key lights, and Khamsin had just come out
USA - A forest of nearly 100 Astera Titan Tubes were used by lighting designer Nook Schoenfeld to create some high impact lighting effects during a sizzle-reel shoot to get player highlights for NHL ice hockey team Minnesota Wild, who are based in the Excel Centre Arena, St Paul, Minneapolis. These are shown when the players’ names flash up onscreen before and during a game and are also used to highlight players on televised ads, interstitials and other promotions through a season. These clips are shot during a designated ‘media day’ about two weeks ahead of the season opening each season. Creative designer Chad Gilmour of the Minnesota Wild worked directly with creatives Mark Hussey and Nook to come up with a new look to produce the footage. Chad brought in DoP Robert Durland who found he needed very little lighting other than four ellipsoidals to shoot through
Finland - The Rantakylä School Centre in Mikkeli has recently undergone a major audio upgrade with two Allen & Heath SQ digital mixing systems. With around 700 students, the renovated school centre prides itself on providing the latest cutting-edge technologies. “When our huge renovation project started, it was clear in our minds that our audio system needed to be as accommodating and up-to-date as possible without compromising on an easy and intuitive user interface,” explains Juha Lindbohm, a music teacher at Rantakylä school. “As we have several event locations within the premises, the key requirements for us were: a reliable audio network, wireless control and integration with lighting and video.” The school turned to Allen & Heath’s Finnish distributor, F-Pro, who recommended two identical systems featuring an SQ-6 equipped with a Dante card a
South Africa - Music lovers gathered for the RMB Starlight Classics at the Country Club Johannesburg in September to experience a harmonious journey that has become a springtime tradition over the past 20 years. The RMB Starlight Classics is hosted twice annually in Johannesburg and at Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West respectively. Sam McGrath and Joanne Jaques from Jam Events have managed the production since its inception in 1998, which is one of the crown jewels in the South African event calendar. “RMB Starlight Classics is an amazing product and has grown beyond anything we thought it would,” explains McGrath. “We have reached a point where the technical team is a family.” Gearhouse South Africa once again provided the dome structure, as well as all lighting requirements. Peter Abrahamse, who has worked on the event since 2005, was appointed as pro
Poland - Singer-songwriter Dawid Podsiadlo found fame by winning the second series of Poland’s X Factor in 2012, securing himself a recording contract with Sony Music. Following the success of his two Diamond certified albums, Podsiadlo embarked on a stadium tour, where FOH engineer Rafal Smolen relied on SSL L300 consoles, supplied by GMB Pro Sound and Polish distributor Audiotech Commercial. “The L300 was the best possible choice for this tour,” says Smolen. “I got comfortable working with it, as it quickly became apparent that whatever I did on this console would always sound exceptional.” One of the Dawid Podsiadlo concerts was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, which Smolen says was always intended to be a 'one of a kind' show. “We wanted it to be a real, one-time event that would really amaze people and make them want more. That was
USA - The Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina, located at the northern tip of Estero Island in the Fort Myers area, has won awards for its amenities and striking beauty. The resort is positioned in a prime location along the Florida shore and boasts premiere beach access, restaurants, a spa and incredible pools. That said, the location also comes with some expected Floridian challenges, such as a recent hurricane that did damage to the resort’s audio system. But, while many would see this as a problem for the destination, Pink Shell saw it as an opportunity to reimagine its entire soundscape and AV experience for guests. And at the heart of the new system sit a number of Ashly Audio solutions. “When I showed them the Ashly offerings, and then the price we could install a complete system at with Ashly, they were immediately on board with adding additional features
Germany - Founded in 1952, the Maxim Gorki Theatre is Berlin's smallest with 440 seats, and regards itself as a contemporary city theatre in a historic setting. In autumn 2019, the Maxim Gorki Theatre (MGT) adopted a new audio infrastructure. Central to this is a Lawo mc²96 production console as FOH console in the main hall, and a Lawo mc²56 console that serves as a backup and a remote console for the preparation of new projects. The mc²56 is also used as a recording console for the venue’s in-house recording studio. A Nova73 compact serves as the setup’s central router with five Dallis units available as stageboxes, two of which can be used mobile in combination with the mc²56, or on stage. Further Dallis units are located where most of the inputs and outputs are needed, in the orchestra pit and in the basement (Amp-City). The ‘local inputs and outputs’ a
South Africa - Robe moving lights were all over the rig designed by Ryan Lombard, H.O.D of show lighting for lighting suppliers Blond Productions, for the latest series of popular Afrikaans language music quiz Noot vir Noot which is broadcast on South Africa’s SABC2 channel. It’s the longest continually-running TV game show in the country - first broadcast in 1991 and presented for the last 28 years by Johan Stemmet. He finally stepped down in January this year to focus on other projects including producing Noot vir Noot through his company Stemmburg Television. Popular actor and singer Emo Adams was revealed as the fresh new face of the perennially popular show in the latest series. Ryan himself and Blond Productions, who delivered lighting, audio and LED screen, had already clocked up at least 10 years on the series. For this series, with al
UK - Creative technical production experts Hawthorn and AVC Live have been appointed as the preferred technical production partner at Wembley Stadium in London. As part of the long-term joint partnership agreement, the companies, which are both part of the PSAV International family, will be the preferred technical production suppliers for events across all eight of Wembley Stadium’s event spaces and 160 pitch-facing corporate suites. With a capacity of 90,000, Wembley is one of the largest stadiums in the UK and offers a flexible set of event spaces. Michael Simmons, business development manager at Wembley Stadium, comments: “We’re delighted to have AVC Live and Hawthorn onboard as we continue to bolster our offering to event organisers. Wembley Stadium is a venue with a fascinating history and with that in mind, it’s vital that we work with highly knowle
Jamaica - Located in Kingston, Main Event Entertainment Group (MEEG) is a multi-level experience agency. Their technical services department recently acquired a large Martin Audio MLA/MLX multicellular array system. Solomon Sharpe, CEO at MEEG, comments: “Main Event is a full-blown experiential marketing company that has grown organically; the company operates as small internal business units, thus allowing us to deliver a holistic brand experience to our clients from the root to the fruit. We work with numerous corporate giants in Jamaica and have supported major campaigns and activations from above-the-line advertising to below-the-line marketing strategies.” Sharpe adds: “Over the years we have produced everything from major festivals to executing multi-level engagements for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Events) market. Jamaica is positioned a
UK - Protec supported its client Optimum for the Jaguar Land Rover Long Service Awards at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on 25-26 October. This event, held over two nights, hosted over 2,400 guests in total celebrating employees who have given 25, 40, and 50 years loyal service to the company. Protec put together a bespoke audio and video package working alongside Christie Lites for this production servicing a corporate presentation, an awards ceremony, the showcasing of two new vehicles, live entertainment including singers, dancers and theatrical performers, and a gala dinner. Production manager for Optimum, Tony Butler reports: “Protec have been fantastic on the most recent production for Optimum at the Ricoh Arena. From early planning and budgeting, all the way through the pre-production process and on-site delivery the whole team have supported me superbly. I can
Slovenia - Over 30 Chroma-Q Inspire XT LED house lights have been installed in the Conservatory of Music and Ballet Ljubljana (KGBL) to provide high quality lighting with minimal noise. Regarded as being instrumental to the development of the Slovenian music and ballet profession, KGBL’s basic music education, secondary music and ballet education, and higher ballet education programmes have earned it numerous awards and recognition on the international stage. As part of an upgrade to KGBL’s main performance auditorium, the project brief was to source a multi-purpose fixture that could be used as a high-quality working light for musicians, a show light for performers, and a house light for the overall room. In addition, the requirement was for a very powerful solution, which could illuminate the large 16m by 16m space using as few fixtures as possible. Howe
Australia - The Australian College of the Arts Pty recently outfitted their new flagship campus with JBL by Harman audio systems for their audio and music production programmes. The Australian College of the Arts Pty (Collarts) is an independent tertiary college specialising in degrees and diplomas in the creative industries, including audio engineering and music production. With four campuses throughout Melbourne, Collarts teaches their students the fundamentals of studio recording, live production, and sound for film. When the college moved its main campus from South Melbourne to Collingwood, they used the opportunity to equip their recording, mastering and post-production studios with JBL by Harman audio systems, including Studio One, Critical Listening and an immersive Dolby Atmos Room. Collarts equipped their primary recording space, Studio One, with soffit
USA - In January 1996, what is now Life.Church was founded as Life Covenant Church in a two-car garage equipped with an overhead projector and two construction lights purchased at Lowes for under $40. The church and its technological prowess have both come a long way since then. Ranked among the largest houses of worship in the US, Life.Church has 34 different campuses stretched out 2,078 miles, from Rio Ranch, New Mexico to Albany, New York. Live stream video has been key to helping the church reach worshippers throughout this far flung network of satellites. Since July of this year, these videos have emanated from a sprawling new broadcast campus, engineered by Summit Integrated Systems, that features equipment, including a lighting rig anchored by a collection of over 100 Chauvet Professional Maverick, Ovation, and Rogue fixtures. The product of a two-year pr
Finland - The University of the Arts recently upgraded some of its AV facilities to improve the student experience. Electro Waves, a local integrator, carried out the work which includes new Christie APS and the GS series laser projectors in a number of lecture theatres and music performance halls. With its combination of disciplines including fine art, music and theatre studies, the new university offers varied education opportunities to students in Finland and overseas. And, with increasing numbers of students attracted to the university through its growing reputation, the in-house AV team were keen to add first-class projection to enhance the teaching and presentation facilities. Kai Tuovinen of Electro Waves organised a trial period to test which projectors would be suited to the university’s requirements. “In partnership with the in-house AV team we decided to
USA - After auditioning nearly every industry standard microphone capsule for multi-platinum recording artist Khalid, production manager and FOH Engineer CJ Blair found that DPA Microphones’ d:facto 4018VL Vocal Microphone “perfectly complemented” the singer’s deep R&B tones. Now out on Khalid’s Free Spirit World Tour, Blair initially sought out a new vocal solution as a means of bringing the singer-songwriter’s studio sound to the live stage. “Khalid, like most artists, doesn’t want a technical explanation of why something does or does not sound great,” says Blair. “He just wants a great sounding solution; and we found that with the d:facto 4018VL.” Blair has used the DPA d:factos for the entirety of the Free Spirit tour and has been impressed with the sound he’s attained. “When Landon (Storey, Khalid’s monitor engineer) and I started u
