Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

Rigging / Staging

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UK - Liverpool's third HUB Festival - a mix of art, music and extreme sports staged at the Pier Head - expanded and featured several new elements this year.

The event is the brainchild of the Council's Liverpool Culture Company and included music, skateboarding and BMX competitions, graffiti art exhibitions and music performed by many excellent local bands

Kirstie Blakeman, event manager, explained that they had created a new look main stage under the cover of a single king pole, purple membrane tent supplied by Wangos, which was chosen for its aesthetics. She added: "With the event being held at Liverpool's waterfront World Heritage Site we wanted something unique and different looking, something really special and dynamic for the music zone this year - not just another standard stage or marquee."

The same was true for the DJ tent, compared by Spykatcha - which sa

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USA - In June, Tomcat USA completed a custom project for the San Francisco Opera, designing and building a tetrahedral barrier for their production of La Forza del Destino, which is scheduled to run in November. The components of this special barrier are three 37ft legs of custom medium duty spigoted truss (each leg consisting of three sections of custom spigoted MD). These legs are connected with slew rings in the centre of each section, including spring-loaded pins that lock each section into place when they twist. The chords of the truss were constructed with box tube, making it easier to connect the cladding set pieces to be created in house at the Opera.

Custom stage sockets were another part of the project: these allow the barrier's legs to lock into the stage floor, after it is lowered from the grid. The design allows the legs to rotate as it is lowered, revealing

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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UK - For the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II the Ministry of Defence engaged Unusual Services to provide production services for a weeklong programme of events.

The main focus of the week was on Sunday 10 July with an event staged on Horse Guards Parade for 11,000 veterans. Edwin Shirley Staging built a 40m x 25m stage with sound supplied by Wigwam, lighting provided by PRG Europe and a 160m scenic wall from Centrestage. Other key suppliers included Search, Power Logistics, Arena Seating, Unusual Rigging, Screenco, Show & Event, Dobson Sound, Delta Sound, Thorns and National Radio Bank.

During the week leading up to the celebrations, images of previously unseen World War II photographs were projected onto the façade of Buckingham Palace. In addition an 85m x 30m tented Veterans Centre was installed in St. James's Park along with a Living Museum, Press Centre, a BB

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UK - Star Events Group was recently involved with the series of spectacular shows that took place at the Tower of London during July this year. The client, Planit Events approached Star Orbit requiring a 20m five bay flat back Orbit stage structure to be positioned in the moat surrounding the Tower for five nights of grand opera and six nights of jazz.

One of the main stipulations from the client was the need to effectively seat and protect from the elements a 60-piece orchestra without obscuring the onstage artists and disrupting audience sightlines. Mike Goodwin (Star Orbit) and the Star Design team collaborated with Planit to devise an under-stage Orchestra pit that provided the shelter the orchestra members required whilst maintaining the sound quality. This was achieved by extending the front of the stage floor out and over the heads of the musicians. Onstage the stunning c

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UK - Automation designers and engineers Kinesys has expanded its closely knit team with the addition of Martin Honeywill as senior design engineer, who joins founders Dave Weatherhead and Andy Cave at the South London HQ.

Honeywill has worked with Unusual Rigging for the last 12 years and before then, with various lighting companies since his graduation from Keele university in 1985 with a BSc in Electronics and Computer Engineering.

Kinesys' Weatherhead and Honeywill originally met whilst the former was also working at Unusual after leaving University. Honeywill headed up the automation department, and Weatherhead was there for four years before leaving to go freelance and then on to form Kinesys.

"It's great having Martin onboard" says Weatherhead "Apart form his wealth of experience, he's a known quantity - both by me personally and at large in the industry

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PCM was showcasing its extensive range of electric and manual winches as well as the industry standard CM Lodestar hoists, Böcker Alp personnel lifts and the award-winning Unibar system. The focus, however, was on the GIS range of electric chain hoists, boasting a number of innovative features designed to make use and maintenance even easier. The company reports increased growth and profits across all areas of the business since summer 2004.

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UK - Star Orbit provided a 20m two-bay Orbit stage for the recent B-Live event on Clapham Common which was sponsored by Bacardi. The three evening event opened on Friday 1 July with a Latin Splash night, featuring latino dance bands and R&B acts, the second evening featured world class dance DJ's and the event closed on the Sunday with the headlining act Jamiroquai creating a giant party atmosphere across the park.

Along with the impressive stage, Star Events Group provided the two large PA towers that were rigged at 10m, an 11m high follow-spot platform and a large front of house structure.

Star Orbit were called in at the last minute to provide all of the staging structures after the organizers were let down and were left without a stage just three and a half weeks before the event was due to take place. Despite it being one of the busiest weekends in the outdoor event calen

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Hall Stage hosted Visual Act, the Swedish creator of the Advanced Wagon system, which allows for cable-free horizontal movement of any type of stage element. The wagons use a laser locational system to position loads of up to 600kg - to millimetre accuracy - without any tracks or guides on the stage.

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Track systems specialist Triple E, exhibiting at ABTT for the 21st time, announced the successful launch of its 3Way curtain track system. The product scooped the coveted Engineering and Rigging Product of the Year award at the annual gala dinner - its fourth ABTT award to date. Also on display was a Harley Davidson to promote the charity ride across the USA that David Edelstein recently participated in to raise funds for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids charity. "ABTT this year was the best yet," said MD David Edelstein. "The quality of the attendees was a league above previous years, which underlines the growing value of ABTT as a vital showcase for our industry." Triple E also used the show to make the announcement of J&C Joel's appointment as the principal UK distributor of its product line.

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Stage Electrics showed new products from Prolyte, Apollo and Teclumen, plus its own brand, Encore. The company reported a good response to Prolyte's trussing, staging and chain hoist ranges after its appointment as distributor earlier this year. Apollo's colour scrollers are also a new product to Stage LX, as is the wingnut spanner, which incorporates a handy bottle opener and is new to its own Encore range. It's designed to be used on 10, 12, 17, and 19mm wingnuts.

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A European first at ABTT was the Vortek rigging system - a theatrical system designed and manufactured by Hoffend in the USA and represented in the UK by Slingco. The hub of every Vortek system is a patented brake, designed specifically for theatre applications. This continuously applied, variable-load, back-up brake is claimed to eliminate overspeed brake and 'shock-load' problems and operates independently of any electrical or drive-train system. It also features overload and underload protection, and is capable of operating multiple battens, controlling up to 250 Vortek units as a system.

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Having recently opened its own WYSIWYG design studio, Hawthorn took exhibition space for the first time this year to raise awareness of its Hire, Sales and Installation teams and to give staff the opportunity to meet the people they talk to on the phone. Hawthorn was started nearly 20 years ago by MD Martin Hawthorn, hiring equipment out of his garage, and has now grown into an international company with over 85,000sq.ft of warehouse space in Old Dalby, near to Melton Mowbray.The company has also announced further Hawthorn@Home open day dates - including on 2 September Generic Lighting, featuring product representation from Selecon, ETC, Thomas, ADB and Strand, and on 7 October Flash, Bang and Feedback - a demonstration of pyro by Le Maitre plus radio mics from Sennheiser, Sony and Trantec. More details from the website.

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AVW Controls was highlighting the latest software upgrade for its Impressario stage automation control system, currently in use with Billy Elliot: The Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre and The Far Pavilions at the Shaftesbury Theatre. The latest version of the Impressario offers control of up to 255 pieces of scenery and rigging simultaneously.

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Maltbury was promoting the recent sales of its Metrodeck staging systems to 'physical theatre' group DV8, and to Lancing College in Sussex. The company offers a wide range of portable, modular staging systems, as well as seating, trussing and crowd control barriers.

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British Harlequin highlighted recent projects including the new Copenhagen Opera House, the French National Dance Centre (CND) in Paris and Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York. Harlequin manufactures a range of floorings for the performing arts from portable, rollout floors to cushioned, heavy duty permanent floors, plus permanent and touring sprung floor systems.

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Summit Steel was at ABTT for the first time, intending to raise its profile within the theatre industry. In addition to its range of truss, hoists, ground supports and rigging hardware, Summit highlighted its Kinesys Vari-speed System which provides accurate, highly controllable movement combined with high capacity lifting. Further features include its Vector control software for the Elevation 1+ controller which allows variable speed running and full positional control.

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LTM showed the Equipchaine electromechanical chain-lifting device, specifically designed for theatrical applications. Installed in over 130 theatres and multi-purpose spaces, it fits easily into existing structures. This, say LTM, allows service spaces and backstage areas to be freed up from large lifting machinery. Also on show, for more demanding applications, was Ibex's Programmable Hoist Controller Plus, with enhanced control panel and integrated Ethernet port. Up to 10 controllers can be linked together, enabling control of up to 240 hoists; PCs can also be connected for status display and remote control functions.

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UK - Powered access hire company Nationwide Access supplied four telescopic access platforms to support floodlights illuminating the NatWest Series one-day international cricket match at Trent Bridge last month. Each of the four truck-mounted Bronto Skylift machines were fitted with special brackets carrying 15 lamps rated at 6kW each. The Brontos' 44m maximum lift height enabled lighting contractor Musco Lighting, specialists in permanent lighting installations for sports facilities, to obtain the optimum floodlight coverage over the Trent Bridge ground.

Allan Burgess, manager of Musco's mobile services division, says Nationwide Access regularly supplies the company's access hire requirement. The four boom lifts used at Trent Bridge supplemented four lighting towers which are owned and operated by Musco. "We have four cranes but eight sets of lamps and we used all eight se

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White Light made two announcements - firstly its appointment as a Prolyte distributor and secondly as exclusive Arri Theatre Lighting distributor in the UK. Products on show included the Arri Studio Theatre 1k and 2k fresnels, while moving lights included the new tungsten Alpha Wash Halo washlight from Clay Paky. Also highlighted were followspots from Robert Juliat, DMX distribution products from ELC, colour scrollers from Rainbow and smoke and haze machines from Look Solutions.

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UK - Serious Stages have constructed performance platforms and roofs in some interesting and challenging places in their time - including the Sahara Desert, snow-capped Alpine mountains, on floating barges in Belfast Harbour (for BBC Live) and most recently, in the middle of a 5ft deep lake for Birmingham's World War 2 Commemoration Victory Fireworks event at Canon's Hill Park.

The event and entertainment were staged by Birmingham City Council, ending in spectacular style with a massive firework finale. They wanted the stage in this specific position so when fireworks went up at the rear of the structure, the effects would have an ethereal and magical quality as they shimmered in the dark, reflecting back on the lake's glassy surface, giving the audience a visual double-take.

The Serious crew was led by Leo Barcala, and liaised closely with the Council's project manager

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UK - Activity Floors have been installed in the Scottish Youth Theatre's new home in Glasgow.

The floors - one with a maple surface and five with black Harlequin Cascade surfaces - are in the redevelopment and conversion of the Old Sheriff Court located at the heart of Glasgow's Merchant City.

The Scottish Youth Theatre is Scotland's national theatre company 'for and by' young people. The Old Sheriff Court has been designed to provide the Scottish Youth Theatre with a wide range of facilities including five large rehearsal spaces, a fully equipped studio theatre and dance studio.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

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UK - Arena Structures has supplied the temporary structures accommodating the media at this summers G8 Summit. Whilst the most Worlds powerful politicians tried to agree on future global policies in Perth's luxurious Gleneagles Hotel in July, the summits producers, Jack Morton Worldwide, created considerable additional amenities for the event.

Jack Morton Worldwide contracted Arena Structures to supply the temporary media facilities to house the 2,500 reporters covering the event within the secure 'ring of steel' protecting the G8 from protesters. The wide range of structures included Arena's proprietary TFS structure incorporating a mezzanine that bristled with screens and I.T. technology, whilst a separate two storey media restaurant and separate briefing rooms for each country, from where broadcasters communicated the conferences proceedings to TV companies worldwide.

Jack

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UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was recently appointed by London-based events and communications agency Sixth Sense UK to design and supply the production rigging for a multi-media presentation for Unilever UK Foods. Sixth Sense's producer, Sarah Donegan and production manager, Cliff Zenker, along with their appointed set designer, Steve Hicks of Parallel Notion, interpreted Unilever's brief to design a one-day event that would reiterate the vision for the business and generate a feeling of passion and inspiration.

Staged in The Brighton Centre, the Sixth Sense team adhered to Unilever UK Foods corporate guidelines and conveyed Unilever's messages in a celebratory, informative and entertaining way to 650 members of staff from Crawley and factory sites across the UK. The presentation environment was set in the round, which promoted audience interaction and afforded cl

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UK - Lifting, and rigging sales specialists Lift-Turn-Move (LTM) will celebrate their first birthday at PLASA 2005, with a special First Birthday cake on the stand and a press event to kick off the exhibition for LTM at 10.30am on Sunday. LTM was launched last year by a collection of experienced industry individuals to offer a no-nonsense approach to "anything that moves" in the professional entertainment and leisure industries.

John Jones is joined by co-directors David King and Dave Ward with a hand-picked team - all of whom will be at PLASA on Sunday. LTM's tightly focused operation is concentrating on making life simple, friendly, efficient and cost-effective for their clients. Says Jones: "People can call up and speak directly to the person they need to and place their orders or arrange a demo quickly and easily!" He adds that it's great to be working in

  1. Millennium Stadium gets Blackout treatment
  2. Prolyte at PLASA
  3. Elmhurst chooses Harlequin for new school
  4. Total Solution for Madrid bullring
  5. Le Mark shows Setwear at PLASA
  6. New identity for Stage One Creative Services
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