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Rigging / Staging

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UK - Having developed its revolutionary new JT30 and JT40 trusses at the start of 2013, James Thomas Engineering has announced the launch of its complete JT Truss range. The original JT30 and JT40 square configuration has been extended to include triangular and ladder truss options and an ultra-convenient 'out of the box' arched roof system.

JT Truss is a high-capacity, light-weight truss system aimed at the permanent installation market. Unique universal male/female forks allow versatility of connection and are held together by specially designed tapered pins which ensure fast, easy removal and form clean, strong joints.

Off the shelf lengths are available from 0.5m - 5m with a choice of solid corners or gates, 2- to 6-way corner options and a 3-way T-corner connection. Custom lengths are available to order, as are James Thomas Engineeering's (JTE) project consultation servic

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UK - Leading European flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases is to re-launche its popular 'Speed Challenge' on Booth K10 at the 2013 PLASA exhibition at ExCeL in October.

5 Star will also have British Touring Car Racing driver, reigning Air Asia Renault Clio Cup Champion and UK motorsport rising star Jack Goff on the stand for three of the four days of the exhibition (He's racing on the Sunday). Jack - sponsored by some of the industry's highest profile companies and brands - will be providing support for the Speed Challenge

The booth features a new stand - designed and built by the 5 Star Group - to showcase their top products and coincide with the exciting move of PLASA - the UK's premier entertainment technology showcase - to a new venue this year.

5 Star's Speed Challenge was initially inaugurated at PLASA back in 2006 to celebrate 5 Star's landmark 25th anniversary. By po

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UK - Entertainment industry training centre Backstage Academy will be launching a new one-year Top Up Degree in Live Events Production at its Wakefield facility in late September (subject to validation).

The Top Up year is focused on management and will provide insight into the key issues involved in the strategic management of large events, festivals and venues.

The course will provide a progression route for students who have successfully completed the Academy's Foundation Degree in Live Events Production, or other related level 5 qualifications.

It will also be suitable for people with industry experience who are looking to enhance and develop their careers, as well as gain a degree qualification.

Said Director of Courses, Robin Watkinson: "Personal and professional development is emphasised and encouraged during the programme along with employability skills and a

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UK - PLASA Events has announced the launch of the 2013 PLASA Awards for Innovation, which will be presented in the new AudioLab Arena during PLASA London at ExCeL on Monday 7 October at 6.00pm.

The PLASA Show is regarded as a major international launch-pad for new products. During its history, it has seen hundreds of product innovations introduced to the market - a trend which we expect to see continued at the 2013 event. The PLASA Awards for Innovation aim to emphasise this focus on true innovation. The procedure for entry ensures that all nominated products are vetted to show that they offer something new to the industry:

"The PLASA Awards for Innovation recognise products which advance the industry by demonstrating a new style of thinking, improving technical practice or taking a key step forward in terms of safety."

All successfully vetted products are judged a

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UK - Named in memory of Tony Gottelier, the industry innovator and commentator who passed away in 2006, the Gottelier Award aims to recognise product developers who have made significant and sustained contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology - whether in audio, lighting, rigging, staging, or any other related field.

The shortlist of nominees is generated from invited suggestions from a panel consisting of PLASA team members, PLASA Regional Board & Governing Body members, regular contributors to LSi and LSA magazines, and past winners of the Gottelier Award.

All PLASA Members and pre-registered visitors to PLASA 2013 are eligible to vote, and will receive an email inviting them to place their vote at the PLASA Show website. Voting closes on Friday 20 September and the winner will be announced at the PLASA Show on Monday 7 Octobe

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UK - The Pet Shop Boys' 2013 tour is a comprehensive journey across the globe, from Singapore, the Philippines and Japan and on to European festival dates via China and Korea before heading to the USA and Canada in the autumn. Venues are as varied as the countries visited and that represents a challenge for the production team headed up by production manager, Thomas Stone.

Stone choose to employ the services of Load Cell Rental to provide him with independently certified weight loads for all the different elements of the show's rig. Load Cell Rental's Colin Luke visited production rehearsals at the Millennium Studios during the initial load in.

Luke explains the process, "The itinerary includes a wide variety of gigs, from arenas and theatres to festival stages. For each type of venue the production team may want to rig a different version of the show so we weigh various

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UK - The 4th annual PLASA Rigging Conference will expand this year to focus on structures as well as rigging issues, bringing in experts from both fields to share their knowledge, experiences and advice. The PLASA Rigging Conference takes place on 7-8 October 2013 at its new home, ExCeL London, and visitors are encouraged to book their tickets before the end of August to take advantage of early booking discounts.

The keynote speech will be given by one of the rigging industry's leading and longest-serving practitioners, Robin Elias of Unusual Rigging, whose light-hearted account of his long career will act as a vehicle to illustrate the challenges and rewards of working as a rigger. Robin has worked on everything from rock and roll to installing works of art, TV stunts and the engineering for some of the largest objects moved in the name of entertainment, and his experiences are

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USA - Do you work in a lead position as a rigger or electrician in the US? Then ETCP Certification might be suitable for you. More and more venues and employers across North America are searching for ETCP Certified Technicians to fill their lead positions. ETCP has issued over 1600 certifications! Don't get left behind, submit your application today.

The ETCP Examinations will be given at LDI 2013 in Las Vegas, NV. All three ETCP examinations will be given in one session the morning of Saturday, 23 November, 2013. Candidates who wish to take more than one exam should contact ETCP. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than 28 October, 2013.

Candidate information, including eligibility requirements, applications and study tactics, is available on the ETCP website (http://etcp.plasa.org/ldi2013.h

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UK - PLASA London 2013, which takes place at ExCeL London from 6-9 October 2013, is proud to reveal the first audio sessions in its hotly anticipated Professional Development Programme. The packed programme offers four days of free sessions that give visitors a glimpse of the technology behind the world's most spectacular live shows and most talked about events and venues.

All sessions in the audio streams are presented by leading experts in audio technology, with separate programmes on Live Sound and Installed Sound in the new AudioLab Theatre, and a pro audio laboratory - AudioLab Interactive - that will push audio technology to its limits - and beyond. Visitors can register their interest in their preferred sessions at www.plasashow.com/education

The AudioLab Theatre features programmes on Live Sound, Installed Sound and The Sound Business. Highlights in this theatre includ

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UK - More industry experts have been confirmed to speak at the 4th annual PLASA Rigging Conference which takes place on 7-8 October 2013 at its new home, ExCeL London. Topics include control system design, truss design criteria and discussing structural collapse. In addition, the popular Riggers' Forum held on 6 October is now open for registration, the annual opportunity promising to provide informal and lively debate.

Scott Nachemann of Thornton Tomasetti managed the investigations into the failures of the supporting structures at the Indiana State Fair in 2011 and in Toronto in 2012. In this session Scott leads a panel of engineers, users and manufacturers in an account of the examination of the Indiana State Fair incident and a discussion of the lessons learned from the tragedy. The session will also look at initiatives involving the development of standards, regulations and

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UK - Bruno Mars' Moonshine Jungle tour required an adaptable performance environment that could convey a variety of visual undertones. Working under the direction of designers, Leroy Bennett and Corey Fitzgerald, and alongside production manager, Joel Forman, Tait was able to create just that.

The complete staging solution features an array of custom elements, including a flying video wall, scenic chevron wall, geometric ceiling panels and a one-of-a-kind mirror ball. Tait project manager, Brian Levine, said: "We were able to offer a fully-customized solution with optimized stock components; maximizing value for the client."

Tait's MagDeck mainstage was treated with a high-gloss finish and features band risers with gold-trim fascia and custom bumpers that house the Chromlech Elidy LED tiles.

A flying video wall, powered by Tait's Navigator Control System and

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UK - The organisers of PLASA London 2013, which takes place at ExCeL London from 6-9 October 2013, have revealed the first entertainment lighting and stage technology sessions in its hotly anticipated Professional Development Programme. The packed programme offers four days of free sessions that give visitors a glimpse of the technology behind the world's most spectacular live shows, and most talked about events and venues.

All sessions in these streams are presented by leading experts in entertainment technology, with two new theatres dealing exclusively in entertainment lighting and stage technologies, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Theatre, and an inside look at the extravaganza that is Eurovision. Visitors can register their interest in their preferred sessions at www.plasashow.com/education/

In a tribute to the National Theatre, which celebra

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USA - With less than a week until the doors open at PLASA Focus: Austin, taking place at the Palmer Events Center, on 10-11 September, 2013, exhibitors have been busy releasing details about the products they will have on display at their booths.

Martin Professional will have two new products on their booth; the MAC Viper Quadray and the Jem Ready 365 Hazer. The MAC Viper Quadray, the latest addition to the award-winning MAC Viper family of moving heads, allows for the projection of one, two, three or four individually-controllable rays of light. The Jem Ready 365 Hazer uses advanced water-based fluid which produces a haze ideal for large venues.

Group One will host a trio of Avolites' top-end consoles: the Titan Touch, Titan Mobile and Sapphire Touch. ElektraLite fixtures, including the eyeBall family of products, Dazer, ML601, eyeKandy, and ElektraFog+, and DiGiCo's SD11 dig

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UK - Kinesys motion control and a Kinesys LibraCELL load monitoring system are both in action on the current Kings of Leon tour which has just finished its UK leg.

The automation elements are an integral part of the eye-catching set, lighting and production design created by show director Paul Normandale, while the load monitoring - including the new LibraRIG product - has been provided by Rigorous Technology to the tour's head rigger, Yose Lawson.

Normandale is known for his innovative and imaginative designs and stage environments and the design incorporates eight irregularly sized panels of 7mm LED screen upstage which move in and out to different positions and formats during the show.

This is achieved using 16 Kinesys-converted half-tonne Liftket motors and Vector control, specified by Normandale and provided by lighting contractors Lite Alternative. The LED screen is su

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USA - PLASA has announced eight finalists in the sixth annual Rock Our World Awards, to be presented at the PLASA Cocktail & Awards Reception at LDI 2013. The Rock Our World Awards were created to honour ground-breaking achievement by PLASA members and to acknowledge the genius of both the creator of the technology and the designer or integrator who applies it in a real world environment.

The finalists for the sixth annual Rock Our World Awards are:

GBLOCK - Gallagher Staging and Productions, Inc.

GCT (Guy Cable Tensioner) - Tomcat USA.

Mbox Extreme Media Server as used on Oblivion - Production Resource Group.

TiMax2 SoundHub and TiMax Tracker - Out Board.

AsteraTouch - Astera LED-Technology.

dmXLAN v4 Software - ELC Lighting.

Royal Opera House Muscat - Theatre Projects Consultants.

London Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

W

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UK - Prolyte Group, a world-leader in the manufacture of trussing, staging and creative structures, reports that this year you'll find an exceptional twist on its usual presence at the annual PLASA show at its new home, ExCeL London, 6-9 October 2013.

Stand Q65 will be dedicated to Prolyte Group's new ProLyft Aetos range. This product line, comprising chain hoists and controls, is fully equipped to meet future demands in lifting equipment. With its clever features and carefully engineered product attributes, Aetos has already received wide acclaim across the globe. Don't miss this opportunity to see the hoists in action for the first time in the UK, and find out firsthand about the features of this ground-breaking range. At the show, representatives from Prolyte HQ will join Prolyte UK crew to offer information and guidance on all Prolyte products including the full range of tru

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Smoke Factory UK, the London based distributor, is exhibiting at PLASA for the fifth time after a very successful show in 2012. Showing the full range of Smoke Factory haze and fog machines, The Smoke Factory range will feature the ever dependable Tourhazer 2, the original industry standard for Haze machines.

Alongside will be the CaptainD, Data2, Scotty2, Spaceball2 and the rest of the Smoke Factory range. Manufactured in Hannover, these machines all have a two year warranty and have been tested by the rigorous VBG (Institute for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention) in Germany. Not only the Machines and the Fluids but also the Fog itself are proven and certified completely safe.

Smoke Factory UK holds stocks of machines, fluids and spare parts in their London warehouse for immediate despatch to any UK address.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Creative & Cultural Skills has announced plans to host a series of one-day masterclasses this autumn for young people embarking on careers in technical theatre.

Supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, the Technical Masterclass Series will be held at The Backstage Centre over three days, with each day accommodating a different age group.

The events will take place on 29, 30 and 31 October, and will be aimed at key stage 4 students, further education students, and higher education students respectively.

The masterclasses are designed to supplement classroom learning for students who have a keen interest in backstage theatre, and to provide a valuable networking and training opportunity for technical theatre students and young professionals.

Attendees will be able to participate in one masterclasses from the following options, and will benefit from practical lea

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UK - Over the past twelve months Pearce Hire has been working on an intricate and very different style of project from what they are most known for. This time last year, the theatre group Shakespeare at The George got in touch to ask for Pearce Hire's expertise in project managing and building a bespoke temporary stage set for their annual performances. But it is no ordinary stage set as the production takes place outdoors in the middle of an olde English Inn in the heart of Huntingdon, Cambs, that dates back to Cromwell's time.

Pearce Hire were charged with producing a solid and reliable temporary stage system for use in an environment akin to how it would have been in Shakespeare's time. With the intricacies and detail of a Jacobean Courtyard to contend with, it was certainly not going to be a simple straightforward installation of standard stage components.

Explains Richard

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UK - A spectacular work of art was installed by event crew specialists, Showforce in the heart of Stratford's cultural quarter as part of the Stratford Rising Festival celebrations.

Commissioned by Stratford Rising, the artwork was designed by local artist, David Allies Curtis to depict the Ring-A-Roses children's game using an existing, metallic ring-shaped structure, ribbons and red nylon strapping. Showforce was appointed to help create the one-off installation, with crew chief, Lawrence Jones working closely with the artist to ensure the final design could be achieved. In just two days, the Ring-A-Roses was erected in the town's Theatre Square including individually affixing each section of strapping via a scissor lift.

Esteban Benedicto, sales and marketing manager at Showforce said, "The artwork for the Stratford Rising Festival was certainly one of our more

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UK - The 4th annual PLASA Rigging Conference is proud to announce that it will be supported by major sponsors for the first time, cementing its growing reputation as an essential event for the industry. Unusual Rigging becomes the Platinum sponsor while Outback Rigging is on board as the Gold sponsor. The PLASA Rigging Conference takes place on 7-8 October 2013 at its new home, ExCeL London.

Unusual's managing director, Alan Jacobi, said, "Rigging is a key element of almost every event, with its ever increasing scale, size, weight and complexity making a considerable impact, but the consequences of getting it wrong can be disastrous. Conferences such as this are vital in ensuring we continue to debate and improve working practices and Unusual is proud to be this year's Platinum sponsor."

Robin Elias of Unusual Rigging, one of the rigging industry's leading and longes

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South Africa - KwaZulu Natal's most respected art festival, the annual Witness Hilton Arts Festival, turns 21 this year and took place on the beautiful grounds of Hilton College this weekend, from 12 - 15 September 2013. Debuting at this year's festival, was the use of Black Coffee's brand new Prolyte Tunnel Roof, the first of its kind in South Africa, which this rental company erected for the first time.

The Witness Hilton Arts Festival produces a programme of cutting-edge drama, comedy, music and music revue, as well as an impressive array of arts and crafts appealing to all who visit.

This year Dave Whitehouse from DWR Distribution presented a talk on stage lighting, aimed at school pupils and teachers. These presentations, along with many other drama productions, were held in Black Coffee's new Tunnel Roof. For those who attended Mediatech a couple of months ago, it's the

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Argentina - Prolyte Group announces that TSD Group has joined its partner network to become its distributing partner for Argentina. The partnership was unofficially engaged at InfoComm, where Daniel Lema, managing director from TSD met Prolyte representatives to discuss the last details of the partnership.

Already having a loyal partner network in a number of Latin-American countries, Prolyte Group is becoming a key brand in the region. Having Buenos Aires-based TSD on-board to represent the Prolyte products, means Prolyte products now are available from stock in Argentina as well.

Lee Brooks, CCO for Prolyte, comments on the partnership with TSD: "The addition of Argentina to our Latin American partner network is a great asset. TSD are known for their expertise and commitment to the brands they represent and have a renowned after-sales service. The quality and support th

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UK - At PLASA London 2013, Harting (Stand B50) is featuring its rugged connectivity solutions for a wide range of audio-visual multimedia installation applications, along with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems for asset management in the theatre and touring environment.

A major new product is Han-Eco Outdoor: a new addition to Hartings's Han-Eco connector family specifically designed for outdoor applications. The Han-Eco Outdoor connector housing is based on robust high-performance plastic material, which gives the added benefit of light weight to the customer. Further weather-resistant features are provided by the specially designed housing profile and the use of flange gaskets in fluorine rubber (FPM).

The Han-Eco connector family is specifically designed for applications that do not require the full range of product features offered by the Harting Han B series o

  1. The National Rigging Advisory Group expands scope and membership
  2. StratCrowd Associates launched
  3. PLASA London 2013: MDG launches e-series
  4. Rigging Conference examines international standards
  5. JT Truss sets an example
  6. J&C Joel opens office in Macau
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