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South Africa - In mid-October 2017, South African audiences enjoyed the return of the celebrated musical production of Evita – seen for the first time on South African stages since the 1980’s. After its premiere at the Montecasino Teatro in Johannesburg the production will be at Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre, before embarking on an Asian tour.
The creative team has striven to create a faithful recreation of the original West End production in all aspects – from the direction, choreography and musical direction to the building and creation of set, wardrobe and props. But while remaining true to the original, there is a great deal that has been updated technically, to make the current production a spectacular theatrical experience.
An extensive lighting rig,

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USA - How many gigs can a 19-piece rockabilly band do in 48 days? The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s 14th Annual Christmas Rocks Tour is on a 35-date tour from 10 November to 28 December, which will be followed by concerts in Japan early next year. Highlighting the set is a 12-foot high marquee featuring 172 IMS Mk2 RGBW lamps.
“The IMS LED lamps are very easy to address,” says Joe Golden of Gallagher Staging. “They are extremely bright, with rich, warm colours and are extremely durable – a must for a rapid-moving tour such as this one. Driven by two IMS Universe Drive DIN Rail units, conveniently mounted in the set, the IMS lamps work seamlessly with incandescent lamps on a 3-channel chase. With so many load-ins and strikes in a short time, the reliability of IMS was as much a consideration as its versatility. The clients are extremely happy with the results. We

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UK - Lighting rental production company Lite Alternative has added the multi award-winning Chroma-Q Color Force II LED batten to its stockholding - using the fixture on a number of high-profile European concert tours and events to date.
The Color Force II was central to lighting designer, Steve Baird's scheme for the 16-date European leg of the Day Breaks tour for nine-time Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter, Norah Jones . Playing to various sized venues and outdoor festivals, Color Force II 48 units were placed on the floor to uplight a huge white voile cyclorama in subtle pastel colours - providing the perfect visual backdrop in texture and mood for each song.
In addition, during an 18-date European tour by American alternative rock band, Interpol to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their acclaimed debut album,Turn on the Bright Lights Color Fo
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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

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USA - Media serving and display technology company 7thSense Design delivered updated video technology for the 2017 production of the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, presented by Chase.
The full system technology upgrade has transformed the world’s largest proscenium theatre and has enabled video content to be displayed on all eight of the venue’s proscenium arches. 7thSense has provided video systems for Radio City since 2011.
A total of 34 7thSense Infinity Media Servers output two channels each of single mode fibre 12G-SDI at 4096 x 2160 60fps 10-bit 4:2:2 resolution, into an Evertz EQX 12G fibre router and EMX multi-viewer system, offering A-B source redundancy with clean switching and monitoring before heading out to facility fibre distribution.
For the first time ever, digital projections extend from the stage to all eight

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Finland - Kenneth Greve’s ballet production Land of Kalevala is currently being staged at the Finnish National Opera, with set, projection and lighting designed by Mikki Kunttu (profiled in LSi November).
The performance focuses on milestones in Finland’s history and incorporates a combination of diverse art forms.
For lighting control, Kunttu used the opera’s grandMA2 system and an MA 3D system for previsualisation.
“I always work with grandMA2 because the console plays a very central role in the process of transforming the production from design to reality,” said Kunttu. “grandMA2 helps me to concentrate on the creative elements of the show, right through from the stage rehearsals to opening ni

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Dominican Republic - Luxury resort Luxury Bahía Príncipe Fantasia needed excellent design skills along with reliable luminaires for a permanent light installation.
Located at the heart of the Caribbean and focused on providing entertainment experiences, the resort turned to Javier Álvarez’ Madrid-based installation company Capicúa to create ‘magical’ lightshows.
“With the Dominican Republic’s challenging weather conditions of constant humidity and severe rain, we had to use SGM luminaires,” said Álvarez.
Faced with a job to transform this luxury resort into a hub for shows and international artists, lighting designer Manuel Vicente chose a mix between architectural fantasy spaces, show lighting, and video mapping. Especially thrilled about the versatile P-5 POI, Vicente and Álvarez were able to mount a magical fairytale light installation for th

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UK - Technical solutions provider Stage Electrics is hosting a theatre and broadcast equipment showcase on Wednesday, 10 January, at the SS Great Britain in Bristol.
Company representatives will be joined by a host of suppliers and manufacturers, including Philips Vari*Lite, Philips Showline, Strand Broadcast Lighting, Sennheiser, Prolyte, DiGiCo, EM Acoustics, Le Maitre, Swisson, Magic FX, GSL Power, Altair, GDS, Roland, RC4 Wireless and Rosco, who will be exhibiting and demonstrating some of their latest products.
On show will be the latest moving, lights, sound desks, speakers, video mixers, radio microphones, house lighting systems, power distribution, talk back equipment and some exclusive prototypes of new products.
The event is open from 2pm until 8pm, with a bar in the evening and a pyrotechnics demonstration at 6pm. Registration is free and if register

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South Africa - The industry has been paying its respects to Richard Blamire, the owner of Cape Staging who died tragically in a motorbike accident on 8 November.
Richard, who lived in Bergvliet, Cape Town, was well-known in the South African events industry having previously worked at Gearhouse, Sound Harmonics and was a close collaborator with Dream Sets. For Sean Hoey of Dream Sets, Richard was one of his best friends. They shared a keen interest in all things mechanical and a love for their craft and family (and Border Collies). With an eye for detail and a creative flair, Richard was able to produce beautiful pieces for events, sometimes even furniture that you would only dream of having in your home.
He was greatly loved by his two sons and his wife, Lynne Poulsen Blamire, a pianist, singer, music composer, songwriter, programmer and arranger.
DWR Distribut

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UK - Allen & Heath has announced the availability of the latest ProFactory channel libraries for its Qu series digital mixers. Following successful collaborations with Shure, Sennheiser and Audio Technica, the new presets cover a range of popular sE Electronics microphones, including the V3, V7, VR, 4400a and RNR1.
ProFactory Mic Presets offer engineers of all abilities an ideal starting point to get the best possible sound quickly and easily. The team at Allen & Heath worked closely with sound engineer Frederik Brandt Jakobsen at sE Electronics who developed the optimal settings for each microphone and instrument combination.
“Convenience is key. On-board effects and snapshots are mandatory characteristics of today’s digital consoles. Allen & Heath have taken this one step further with the addition of ProFactory Presets to their Qu series,” says Toni

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Japan - Martin Audio Japan (MAJ) recently took part in the Inter BEE exhibition at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, launching their premier WPC line array, along with iKON iK42 4-channel power amp and SX218 dual driver subs. The expo, which started in 1960, has increased exhibitors and visitors year-on-year, and this year visitors numbered 40,000 in total, with 1,000 companies taking part.
This time around, MAJ expanded on last year’s booth size, and presented WPC at the SR Line Array Speaker Demo, giving visitors first-hand experience. MAJ also welcomed from the UK Dom Harter, MD of Martin Audio, introducing him to the Japanese market at the same time.
With a new collection that in addition to WPC and iKON amplifiers, also included WPM, along with XE500, XE300 and two of the LE wedge monitors, their booth was packed with visitors throughout the entire three days. A

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UK - Engage Works, the full service creative technology agency, reports that it worked behind the scenes with Landsec, the UK’s largest listed commercial property company and owner of London’s Piccadilly Lights, to create an innovative charitable campaign, #PiccadillyOn, to mark the build up to the switching on of the famous Light’s on 26 October, following nine months of renovation work.
The #PiccadillyOn campaign was devised by Engage Works for Landsec, with the intention of creating a community spirit ahead of the launch, whilst raising money and ‘bringing colour to life’ in aid of Barnardo’s – the UK’s largest children’s charity and Landsec’s national charity partner for 2017.
Launched on 15 September, #PiccadillyOn invited people from around the world to sponsor a unique colour ‘chip’ for a minimum donation of £2. Th

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Europe - Lighting designer James O'Neill and video designer Mark Cunniffe combined their extensive skills with the latest technology from Avolites to provide the production design for the current tour by Irish pop-rock band, Picture This.
With O'Neill controlling his lighting rig with his tried-and-trusted Avolites Arena console, and the video content run through Avolites Ai media server operated by Tim Hornung, the band's European tour is showcasing the cutting edge of light and video control.
O'Neill, who was responsible for both set and lighting design, created a raised performance area backed, flanked and fronted in LED screen. The production's wraparound surfaces featured a mixture of rich video content developed through a close collaboration between the band, Cunniffe and Tom Readdy of Yes Please Productions.
"Looking at the stage head-on or from an angle

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UK - For the second year in succession, AvensysLive provided a Martin Audio MLA Compact PA for the Lingfield Park Resort Fireworks Display in Surrey, marking the beginning of a new three-year contract with the site.
The company’s operations manager, Angus Galloway, confirmed that they had specified MLA Compact as best fit for purpose for the event, and will continue to deploy it at the site in future. Stating his reasons, he said, “It meant we could use the Display software to ensure audio levels outside the audience area were kept to a minimum. We also love the power, sound and clarity that MLA Compact provides.”
The service company fielded 16 x MLA Compact elements and eight WS218X subwoofers, rigged in four stacks, each comprising four MLA Compact and a pair of WS218X. The stacks were placed on LiteDeck decking system at 1.2m in height, evenly spread along th

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UK - Stage Electrics has supplied a custom-built Stage Management desk to The Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton. Located in the heart of the midlands, Wolverhampton’s oldest running theatre, The Grand presents a wide range of major touring productions every year. After their stage management desk of 20 years was no longer suitable for their needs, Ray Tizzard of The Grand, turned to industry experts Stage Electrics for a custom designed replacement.
Stage Electrics’ Paul Lucas, liaised with The Grand to establish the requirements of their new Stage Management desk. Once specifications and drawings were signed off and an inspection of the existing infrastructure was undertaken, the Stage Electrics in-house team then went into production of the desk.
The facilities of the desk are a Theatre Cue 16 channel cue light master station, 12 individually addressable cue light ou

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Austria - In late September, 145 audio professionals from throughout Europe headed for the Austrian Alps, as Yamaha hosted its sixth annual System Designers Conference in the stunning location of the Scalaria Conference Centre, St Wolfgang.
Featuring workshops and lectures on a wide variety of topics, it was a truly international gathering, attracting audio professionals from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE and the UK.
Participants could have been forgiven for being distracted by the stunning views from the conference centre, located on the shores of the picturesque Wolfgangsee. However all of the seminars hosted in the eight conference rooms were delivered to fully attentive

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South Africa - Technical production and rental company CCPP recently made a substantial investment in Robe moving lights for their ongoing production work and for general rental stock.
The latest purchase - for over 100 fixtures - included some of Robe’s newest technology - 24 x Spiiders, 24 x Spikies, 48 x LEDBeam 100s and 24 x CycFX 4s, which join the DLS, DLX and miniPointes already in the rental inventory.
The company was founded by Clint in 2000, then trading as Clint Cawood Professional Productions and focusing on technical consultancy in the corporate presentation world. The first Robe purchases were in 2012, and also delivered by Robe’s South African distributor DWR.
“We really want to help enrich the industry with this latest purchase” commented CEO Clint Cawood. “Robe as a brand is very strong in Sou

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USA - Criss Angel’s Mindfreak Live! at the Luxor Resort & Casino in Las Vegas upends people’s views of magic and awes spectators with a goth-horror vibe mixed with rock ‘n’ roll spectacle.
The production has the largest number of moving lights on the Strip, and combines movers, lasers, video and more into one over-the-top vision. The large number of fixtures and media demands would tax the average console – but not ETC’s Eos Ti. ETC’s latest video follows lighting programmer Josh Selander and gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how he pulled together one of the flashiest, most technically demanding shows on the Strip and demonstrates why the Eos Ti, in the hands of a master programmer, delivers the magic.
Some of the features of Ti that Selander calls out in the video include syncing the console

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UK - Written by Jack Thorne, the Old Vic’s A Christmas Carol is a brand-new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic. It tells the story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve. Over the night, Scrooge is forced to confront his past and is given a final chance to see the error of his ways. The show opened this week to positive reviews and White Light provided the lighting equipment.
A Christmas Carol stars Rhys Ifans and features a lighting design by Hugh Vanstone. Hugh comments: “This is a thoughtful and innovative take on the Dickens classic rather than an expensive, flashy stage production. This is reflected in the staging, which places the action in a specially installed-environment rather than a conventional proscenium production. A giant planked walkway stretches from the back of the stalls all the way into

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UK - Sennheiser will be heading to The Warehouse Sound Services in Glasgow on 6 December (Wednesday) for a seminar to explain the forthcoming changes to the UHF RF spectrum.
Increasing pressure on UHF spectrum means that implementation of wireless system can be challenging. The seminar intends to help users address these issues, as well as providing information on acoustics, RF technology and components. During the seminar participants will work with Sennheiser experts to expand their knowledge of antenna technology, RF technology, in-ear monitoring and more.
The event will also feature a demonstration of the Digital 6000 radio mic system. Designed for demanding live productions, Digital 6000 also addresses the challenges of the shrinking UHF spectrum: The system eliminates intermodulation, enabling more channels to operate in less spectrum space.
The event is fr

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Chile - Funktion-One co-founder John Newsham’s week-long visit to Chile proved an opportunity to inspire fresh minds and fine-tune old favourites
When co-founder John Newsham received an invitation to speak at the Congreso Internacional de Sonido in Santiago, Chile, he naturally grabbed the opportunity.
The conference - organised by INACAP, a non-profit educational institution comprising the Chilean University of Technology, the Centre for Technical Training, and the Professional Institute for technology - ran from 4-5 October. Newsham joined a programme of speakers from Mexico, Argentina and Brazil to deliver a two-hour presentation on the history of audio as it relates to the work of Funktion-One.
According to Cristián Jiménez Rosas, course coordinator at INACAP, talks like these are essential in forging a link between theoretical studies and real-world a

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UK - Sound Technology has been acquired by Midwich Group, becoming the latest wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group.
The pro audio and lighting distributor will continue to operate as an independent company from its Letchworth Garden City base, with no changes to its board members, workforce or market approach.
Sound Technology chairman, Robert Wilson MBE, comments: “After close to 40 years, Sound Technology has grown into a company operating on a large-scale in multiple market sectors. We continue to see exciting growth opportunities within all these markets, and the time is right for the company to enter its next phase in order to facilitate further expansion and success.”
Stephen Fenby, Midwich’s Managing Director, says: “We have watched the success of Sound Technology over recent years and are delighted to have persuaded Bob, David and the
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