Details
UK - The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre announced the closure of all its venues with immediate effect, following the government’s press conference yesterday afternoon.
An official statement said: “We regret to announce that as of this evening all SOLT and UK Theatre member venues will close this evening (including tonight’s performances) in light of the most recent official government advice. They will remain closed until further notice and will re-open as soon as possible, following government recommendations.”
In the press conference, the prime minister has said he is giving “very strong advice that public venues such as theatres should no longer be visited”.
He stopped short of issuing an outright ban on mass gatherings and said: “As for

Details
Europe - Following the launch of the company late last year, punQtum B.V. has unveiled its first product - the Q110 Beltpack is the first element of a larger networked intercom system that offers up to 32 party lines via standard IP networks and infrastructures. Designed for easy, plug’n’play use on a digital platform that is as easy to use as analogue intercom, the Q110 provides ‘all the features you need to help crews communicate better’.
All functionality is designed to be instantly accessible thanks to ergonomically designed buttons and an easy-to-read colour display. In a stand-alone capacity the Q110 offers instant access to two channels of party line intercom, and besides being powered via standard PoE switches, the Q110 Beltpack offers the option to daisy-chain up to eight units on a single wire. The feature set also allows for any missed comms to be replaye

Details
USA - In a city renowned worldwide for its music, live production companies need something extra special to highlight their status. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, ProductionOne has achieved this with the purchase of two Alcons Audio pro-ribbon systems. As company owner Kiley Butler says, “We love hearing people rave about how beautiful music sounds through them. The power with 90% less distortion than other systems creates a clarity unparalleled in professional audio.”
Having invested in both LR18 compact mid-size line-array and LR16 compact line array systems, the LR18 was quickly put to work on shows by multiple Grammy winner Alison Krauss. “It felt like we were in a studio with 3,000 other people,” says Kiley.
ProductionOne was founded almost 20 years ago, working on youth and non-profit events. The company has grown steadily into a full-service production co
featured content

Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

Details
Germany - Serving as the backdrop to an Emotional Moments performance of ABBA tribute act, ABBA Deluxe, was the facade of the 19th century Westerholt Castle, which was given subtle yet purposeful accentuation by Schallmeister's incorporation of 12 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK1 Spot and 16 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures.
With the large staircase in front of the facade acting as a stage for the four musicians from the UK, the audience was treated to an extraordinary concert setting from which to enjoy Abba's hits. Not wanting to waste the opportunity presented by the location of the show, Schallmeister went about utilising the entire facade as a projection surface upon which to create an all-encompassing visual spectacle.
“Although this was the third year of our involvement with Emotional Moments, the setting itself never ceases to amaze us," said Schallmei

Details
France - Classically trained French musician, DJ and electronic music producer Worakls is renowned for his melodic and experimental sounds. He toured his latest Orchestra album throughout 2019 to a series of 1000-1500 capacity venues and concluded the year by stepping up to three arena-sized shows - Zeniths in Paris and Toulouse and the Salle 3000 concert hall at the Lyon Palais des Congrès - complete a with a 31-piece orchestra.
To light these larger shows plus some additional European dates scheduled for early 2020, lighting designer Nicolas Galloux was asked onboard to add his visual magic into this musical collaboration.
Nicolas specified around 80 Robe moving lights to assist him in the task, including MegaPointes, BMFL Blades, Spiiders and LEDBeam 150s, all supplied by French rental company S Group who also provided the audio.
S Group’s technica

Details
USA - Real-time media playback solutions heavyweight Green Hippo deployed its range of Hippotizer Media Servers to fight for world-class visuals with the season premieres of WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE Friday Night SmackDown television shows.
Fourteen Hippotizer Media Servers braved the WWE road: made up of Karst, Karst+ and Boreal+ machines. In total, more than 20,000 individual clips were processed during each performance, with pre-made content mixed with effects generated within Hippotizer V4.5.
The global entertainment company WWE - known for its audience-grabbing, in-ring energetic theatrical drama - wowed crowds across the US, Middle East and Europe with big name appearances and new staging augmented with mammoth LED screens and visuals.
“The team used a custom 4.5.2 build of the Hippotizer software, the biggest reason being so we could uti

Details
Ireland - Over the last few months of 2019, one of Ireland’s largest technical production companies, PSI in Ireland, invested in a large stock of Elation Professional lighting, a purchase that included Elation’s award-winning Artiste and IP65 Proteus series moving heads among other lighting fixtures.
With offices in Dublin and Belfast, PSI in Ireland provides technical audio, lighting, and rigging solutions for the entertainment and installation sectors across Ireland and Northern Ireland. The company’s lighting inventory, already Ireland’s largest stock of professional lighting equipment, has expanded with the addition of Artiste Picasso LED profile moving heads, Proteus Hybrid IP65-rated moving heads, narrow-beam Dartz 360 LED moving heads, and IP65 Pixel Bar 60IP LED strip lights.
“After looking at many of the manufacturers out there I felt like Elation

Details
USA - Lighting/production designer Jon Eddy is using 38 Claypaky Sharpys to illuminate the Original Misfits reunion shows featuring Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only. He also incorporated his Misfits lighting design into 2019 Psycho Las Vegas, the massive metal/punk rock festival held annually in August. Eddy is marking his fourth year designing for Psycho Las Vegas.
The Original Misfits got back together for a series of gigs last year and continue to play selected venues in 2020. Their next appearance will be headlining Mexico City’s Domination Fest in May.
The reunion shows, which included dates in LA, Denver and Seattle, coincided with the band’s 40th anniversary; they sold out their date at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Eddy designed the shows with a huge fanned out finger rig; six of the long fingers feature 18 Sharpys, bottom hung. A

Details
UK - Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre - the largest theatre in-the-round in the country - has recently upgraded its lighting rig to incorporate SolaFrame fixtures from High End Systems.
The glass-walled space, seats up to 750 people on three levels and is a seven-sided theatre suspended from four large columns. Although most of the theatre’s work is self-produced and bespoke for the space, its current programme requires a luminaire that can meet very different challenges; from straight plays, to musicals and even live music events.
“We were looking to replace our existing moving lights with a high-quality LED unit and had waited a number of years for the right fixture to become available,” says Mark Distin Webster, head of lighting. “Following much consideration, we felt the SolaFrame 1000 was the moving light that gave us the best spectrum of choice whilst

Details
Russia - Audac has partnered with AV-Centre as the new exclusive distributor of their audio solutions in Russia. They will be managing the sales, distribution and service of the complete Audac product line in Russia from their offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow. AVC provides a wide range of audio equipment which will now be supported by Audac’s experience and products.
“We are excited to introduce the Audac family of audio products to the Russian market,” remarks Tatiana Schurova, managing director of AVC. “Their vision has always been focused on providing the right product for the customer.”
“Now Audac can add value to the customer experience in Russia with our complete line of products,” says Bart Vandermot sales executive at Audac. “These high quality products have proved to be a reliable solution around the world, and with this partnership in Ru

Details
UK - ISCEx 2020 (Coombe Abbey Hotel, 17-18 March) is to take place as scheduled this week, with certain modifications to the event schedule and social programme.
“Following the government’s recent announcement, we have made some updates to our coronavirus (Covid-19) statement in relation to ISCEx 2020 and the additional steps we are taking, which is published on our website,” says show organiser ISCE. “As a further measure, and in consultation with the catering team at Coombe Abbey, we have amended the networking dinner arrangements to allow for guests to enjoy a fine meal with drinks with an option to either stay at the dining tables or return to a more private area if they prefer. We will also be changing the usual self-serve buffet to serving a selection of individual hot food bowls for the lunch during the exhibition.
“As we write, there are currently mo

Details
Germany - Prolight+Sound will not be held in 2020. A statement from Messe Frankfurt, the show’s organisers reads: “On 12 March, the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration issued general decrees prohibiting large-scale events expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. At the present time, it cannot be assumed that the current situation will have changed by the time the postponed event was to have been held. Therefore, Messe Frankfurt has decided to cancel the event.”
The event was originally scheduled to take place 31 March - 3 April but was postponed to May due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Detlef Braun, a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, comments: “We did everything we could to hold Prolight+Sound 2020 as soon as possible after the original dates and would like to extend our thanks to the response and support from n

Details
Europe - ACME Lighting and Highlite International are the latest companies to announce that they will no longer be exhibiting at the postponed Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt this May, due to the health risks posed by Coronavirus (COVID-19).
“At this moment, the entire entertainment industry is experiencing huge challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to the virus,” says Marco Galli, EMEA sales director at ACME Lighting. “We take the health of our staff and customers very seriously. Well-being and containment of COVID-19 is our duty and priority, and therefore, regretfully, we are forced to cancel plans to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020.”
Meanwhile, a statement from Highlite reads: “We have decided not to participate in Prolight+Sound 2020. The new dates after the postponement of the fair do not fit within our plans and vision of the industr

Details
USA - Under the direction of New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, Broadway shows in New York City will suspend all performances immediately in support of the health and well-being of the theatre-going public, as well as those who work in the theatre industry, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Performances will commence the week of April 13, 2020.
"Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatregoers and the thousands of people who work in the theatre industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers, and many other dedicated professionals," said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League. "Broadway has the power to inspire, enrich, and entertain, and together we are committed to making that vital spirit a reality. Once our stages are lit again, we will welcome fans back with open arms so th

Details
USA/Canada - Solotech expanded its lighting inventory last summer with the purchase of 150 Ayrton Khamsin-S LED profile luminaires and 108 Ayrton MagicBlade-FX fixtures from ACT Lighting, Inc., Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in North America.
The Khamsin-S units selected by Solotech are designed for scenic applications. The fixture is equipped with a new LED module delivering powerful metallic white light with a record-breaking output of 40,000 lumens and a colour temperature of 6500 K. The MagicBlade-FX is the latest iteration of the popular MagicBlade-R. It features seven next-generation RGBW high-output LEDs than can be individually controlled to create airborne virtual scenery or to illuminate sets and performers.
“Ayrton is a well-known quality brand with impressive fixtures that are industry accepted and requested,” says Lee Moro, vice president of live pro

Details
UK - MBSi has introduced the VFX Wall 20:40, a modular inflatable VFX backdrop and the latest addition to their growing portfolio of creative production solutions.
Having already proved itself on a number of major productions, the VFX Wall 20:40 is the first in a new range of modular, inflatable visual effects backdrop designed specifically for use within the film and television industry.
Exclusively available through, and fully supported by the team at Pinewood MBS Lighting, VFX Wall 20:40 is supplied in a choice of VFX Wall Green or VFX Wall Blue VFX, depending on the requirement. Flexible and adaptable, the system is designed for creating expansive visual effects walls across backlot sets or for creating privacy screens to protect from prying eyes.
Simple to operate and easy to maintain and adapted for studio or location based work, the system requires almost

Details
UK - Silent Conference supported the live-to-vinyl recording event by Record Store Day 2020 ambassadors The Big Moon at Metropolis Studios, London.
Ahead of Record Store Day – which takes place this year on 18 April – The Big Moon recorded their Record Store Day release live in front of an audience at Metropolis Studios on 5 March.
Metropolis Studios recreated the experience of recording live to vinyl, a process that was once used regularly by musicians. The attending audience, comprised of music industry personnel and fans of The Big Moon, used wireless headphones provided by Silent Conference to listen to each individual track as it was performed and recorded live. Through the headphones, attendees also heard conversation between the band members (Juliette Jackson, Soph Nathan, Celia Archer and Fern Ford) and studio engineers throughout the recording process, as

Details
Ukraine – Chinese fixture manufacturer Acme’s Dotline360 LED battens are adding powerful, pixel-mapped colour to some of Ukraine’s biggest shows following an investment by one of the country’s largest rental and lighting production companies, Alight.
The one-metre Dotline360 units, which are equipped with 12x 30W RGBW LEDs, landed in stock at Alight in autumn 2019 and have been out on projects almost continuously ever since.
Most recently, they have been seen in action on the popular Ukraine TV show Dancing with the Stars, and a gig by Ukraine pop duo Vremya i Steklo, who performed to a capacity 10,000 crowd at Kiev’s Palace of Sports arena.
“We discovered Acme’s Dotline360 at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt in 2019 and were immediately impressed by the brightness, colour mixing and smooth output with great linear dimming,” says lighting des

Details
Canada - The French concert version of the hit musical Phantom of the Opera has debuted in Montreal and Quebec City where lighting designer Jean-Francois Couture, of Montreal’s La Boîte à Lumière, utilised grandMA3 full-size console for lighting control.
The new production, featuring 20 singers and a 40-musician orchestra, enchanted audiences at the Théâtre St-Denis in Montreal and the Grand Théâtre de Québec. It was presented by Spectra Musique through a special arrangement with The Really Useful Group.
Couture has used grandMA lighting consoles for the last two decades. Phantom of the Opera was his first experience with the grandMA3, which he ran using grandMA3 software. The system was provided by Francis Giguère of Omnison, Montreal.
During the Christmas holiday Couture taught himself the grandMA3 “using the same process as when I s

Details
Europe - Regular users of GLP solutions, 30 Seconds to Mars, spent last summer playing festivals and indoor arenas across Europe, including two special ‘Mars Island’ shows on a private Croatian Island. Piloting their lighting and visual show was production designer Tom Campbell of MIRRAD, himself a regular user of GLP’s award-winning fixtures over the years.
“The original impression series was one of the fixtures I had used regularly back in the day and it’s great to see how far GLP has evolved ever since,” he says.
Campbell joined the technical team last May after finding himself unexpectedly being contacted by the band’s leader, singer/songwriter and actor, Jared Leto.
“I received a random phone call from him about lights, having already spoken to the production managers, Pete Abbott and Ed Slaney,” he confirmed. And the designer quickly learn

Details
Europe - Lewis Capaldi’s first arena tour in the UK saw design partnership Cassius, Chris ‘Squib’ Swain and Dan Hill taking a stark minimalist stage set and enfolding it in textural layers of video with a mix of roller-drop projection and hi-def LED.
“It’s a fascinating landscape,” said tour video director Mark Davies, “Squib and Dan determined to place the focus squarely on Lewis with a strong imperative on his art and artistry. For me that has meant seeking a far more nuanced and thoughtful perspective for the live camera work that forms such a strong part of the narrative.”
The LED screens, camera package and six 30K Panasonic laser projectors are supplied by Video Design; so too the Disguise gx 2c servers for some stunning content from North House.
“Tom Bairstow and the team at North House have taken what is a technically ambitious show an
Page 650 of 3465

Latest Issue. . .