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UK - Following on from PLASA's backstage tour of Sadler's Wells in March, a visit has been arranged to the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death.

The Royal Shakespeare Company will be welcoming PLASA members on 24th May 2016 to take part in an immersive backstage tour covering the transformation of Elizabeth Scott's iconic 1932 cinema-style Royal Shakespeare Theatre into a definitive new environment for performing the works of Shakespeare.

This was a major construction programme and Stage Electrics were involved on-site in the realisation of this transformation for over four years working to the design brief created by Charcoalblue (theatre consultants), Buro Happold (engineers) and Bennetts Associates (architects).

This project was a

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UK - Following its successful launch in the US in 2015, Marq Lighting, a new player in the entertainment lighting sector, hasannounced the global rollout of its diverse range of innovative professional lighting products.

Marq Lighting is an independent brand owned by music industry heavyweight inMusic. inMusic has a long-standing reputation designing, engineering, manufacturing and marketing twelve different brands of music recording and performance equipment and software from influential lines including Numark, Denon DJ, Akai Professional, M-Audio and Alto Professional.

Marq was born from a long-established pedigree of innovative in-house music/DJ design and engineering, where the needs and requirements of artists and performers are understood and experienced first-hand. This experience offers a unique perspective that directly benefits the design and specification of the

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USA - Elation Professional has added to its family of LED strobes with the new Protron 3K Color, a high-power LED strobe light featuring 240 x CREE XLamp 3W RGBW LEDs and 40,000 lumens of power for an explosion of colour. The Protron 3K Colour not only packs a powerful punch of coloured light - and without thermal issues - it provides a much better ROI compared to conventional 3K Xenon strobes on the market, says the company.

Utilizing special optics and new LED driver technology, the Protron 3K Color includes built-in strobe effect macros like burst, pulse and lightning for different effects possibilities and can even operate full on without causing thermal-out issues (output at full max 10 seconds) thanks to regulated silent cooling fans that keep the strobe from overheating.

The Protron 3K Color uses much less power than Xenon strobes (peak power output is 800W) and is

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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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One of the most highly tipped rock 'n' roll exhibitions of all time - the Rolling Stones' Exhibitionism at the Saatchi Gallery in London - uses technology on a grand scale to create the realism of the band's early history, and enhance the visitor experience through seven separate zones.

Produced and curated by Australian event company IEC (International Entertainment Consulting), the lighting design has been created by another major event company, Woodroffe Bassett Design (WBD). They, in turn, have specified a number of LED fixtures from GLP, who are the nominated exclusive automated lighting partner.

The inventory was supplied and installed through partners White Light, under the project management of Simon Needle. This included 25 GLP impression X4, each featuring 19 high output RGBW LEDs, along with six of the new X4 Bar 20 high performance battens. All appear in the 'P

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UK - Bluebell Opticom, provider of innovative fibre optic solutions for fixed and remote applications, has announced that UK broadcaster ITV has installed a ShaxX Lite SMPTE hybrid alternative connector kit as part of a studio upgrade and relocation. The ShaxX Lite allows ITV to share the refurbished studio with an existing master control room in another part of the building.

"Thanks to Bluebell's ShaxX Lite, we didn't need to design and build a new cable bridge between buildings to reach the gallery from the studio," said Steve Usher, project manager, ITV. "Eliminating those steps saved us time and money."

The refurbished studio, which is used for live broadcasts of This Morning five mornings a week, has been relocated a long distance away from the master control room, and the ducting was too congested to run SMPTE hybrid cable between them. Thanks to the ShaxX Lit

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USA - Located near Oklahoma City, Maple Schools is a K-8 elementary school serving 155 students. Its new Clyde Gene Miller Gymnasium, completed in 2014, is a multi-purpose facility for Maple Eagles sports, band and choir performances, assemblies, graduations and other events. In 2015, the school added a versatile, high-performance audio system designed and installed by Video Reality of Oklahoma City.

Sales manager Cody McDowell knew that the school needed a multi-purpose audio system with good coverage and clear voice intelligibility. And the school added one more requirement, "We want this place to rock!" To meet the school's needs, McDowell designed an exploded cluster system using eight Community V Series V2-3264 three-way, full-range loudspeakers supplemented with two I SeriesIS6-218 dual-18" subwoofers. The loudspeakers are arranged to cover the floor and the home and vis

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USA - Indoor cycling is a fitness activity that has raced into the fast lane. According to one study, the number of dedicated cycling centres in the US increased by over 20 percent last year. A visit to Ride Delray Indoor Cycling Studio makes it easy to understand why this trend has taken off. Guests at the sparkling new facility aren't simply exercising, they're participating in a fitness party, cycling together in choreographed rhythmic moves to the beat of lively music. Contributing to the good feelings is an immersive lightshow created with a collection of Chauvet Professional and Iluminarc LED fixtures.

"Lighting is a key part of the experience at Ride Delray. It helps to set the mood and engages people," said Jay Krause of Sound and Lighting Solutions, who designed the centre's lighting system. "The owners of this centre, Susan Albinder and Linda Besman, recognized the i

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USA - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) recently opened a new exhibit, The Heavens Are Opened, at its Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. The exhibit includes a seven-minute short film that depicts the First Vision, an integral moment in Mormon history when Church founder Joseph Smith prayed out loud within a grove of trees asking for guidance.

In an effort to immerse the audience in the recreation of Smith's original experience in Palmyra, New York, the production team filmed in the area using 14 strategically placed d:dicate 4006A Recording and d:screet 4061 Miniature mics from DPA Microphones.

The d:dicate 4006A microphones were used in a traditional DPA Decca Tree in the grove, to support the nine cameras that were shooting a 360-degree area. Though the video was edited down to only 240 degrees to accommodate the size of the video screen

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USA - Three draft standards have been added to the ESTA public review page at http://tsp.esta.org/tsp/documents/public_review_docs.php. People materially affected by the standards are invited to review them and to offer comments, if they chose, before the reviews end on 27 June. The three draft standards are:

BSR E1.40, Recommendations for the Planning of Theatrical Dust Effects

ANSI E1.40-2011 is being revised to warn against deflagration--deflagration being the technical term for the wave of flame that burned hundreds of people at a water park in Taiwan last year. Other changes include a regrouping of types of dusts and changing MSDS references to SDS references.

BSR E1.41, Recommendations for the Measurement of Entertainment Luminaires Utilizing Solid State Light Sources

ANSI E1.41-2012 is being revised to specify that the Fidelity Index (Rf) rating, as defined

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Macau - Studio City carries the strongest entertainment theming of any resort in Macau and the epic movie theatre vision is carried throughout every part of the building. The fa

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USA - In the 1970s, the Skyway 6 in Minneapolis was one of the biggest downtown multi-cineplexes in the US. Twenty years later, its glory days as a movie theatre gone, it stood worn and neglected, before being reborn as the Skyway Theatre, one of the hottest electronic music venues anywhere. Virtually every major EDM artist has performed at this spacious 2,000-seat Minneapolis icon, but the same cavernous qualities that make this a magical place to take in a concert can also create special challenges for a designer wanting to create big looks on stage.

Being from Minneapolis and having designed for the Skyway Theatre before, lighting designer Ryan Warffuel and VJ/content creator Max Koehler of Antic Studios were familiar with this challenge. They were therefore ready to "fill space" when they created a rig for the red-hot Canadian duo Adventure Club at Skyway, using a collecti

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Columbia - Estereo Picnic is Colombia's biggest live music event - staged in Bogota, the weekend festival is now in its seventh year, and attracted more than 50 national and international artists to perform on its three principal stages.

This year, for the first time, Nexo's flagship STM Series modular line array was in action on the Pepsi stage. In another Latin American first, the new M28 double 8" cabinets were the main modules in the PA arrays, in an extensive Nexo system supplied by a team effort between rental companies Arbol Naranja and Audionexo, supported by the Nexo distributor Sound Logics and field engineer Roberto Tschopp from Nexo itself.

Using Nexo's proprietary NS-1 modelling and prediction software, Roberto Tschopp helped the rental providers to design a main PA with 9x STM M28 main cabinets per side, flown with 6x STM S118 subs per side. With a significan

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UK - Blackburn based lighting specialists Lite Alternatives has been busy beefing up the stunning lighting rig for supergroup Coldplay. The company's MD, Paul Normandale, is the band's lighting designer and Lite Alternative is supplying the worldwide lighting control package and European lighting equipment for the band's latest tour.

For the cabling and assemblies, Lite Alternative's Andy Rhymes turned again to VDC Trading who have supplied the Neutrik Opticalcon MTP Fibre Cables and new custom break out panels. VDC has supplied a further two 150m and one 75m fibre multicores to enable Andy to expand his existing control system to meet the needs of the latest production, linking dimmer positions on stage left, stage right and under the 'B' Stage with FOH control.

VDC's Adam Jafrabadi commented, "Lite Alternative has kept us busy this year. Most of it custom racks, associat

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UK - Old Barn Audio (OBA) has equipped a five-star sushi and fish restaurant in London's Belgravia with Martin Audio's new CDD system, to meet its expanded business model.

Opened two years ago, Salmontini initially brought in OBA to fit a background music system following a referral. But as the business developed, managing director Jason Bassili responded to the demands of his upmarket clientele by requesting a full-blown live music system. Directors Phil Clark and Neil Kavanagh had no hesitation in which brand they would use, and the latter was soon on site specifying a potent CDD system.

CDD's innovative engineering, using patented Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, which guarantees consistency of coverage, is matched by the general aesthetic of these distinctive curved enclosures.

"It was the logical decision for them," says Clark. "They were not only spend

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South Africa - Tickets for South Africa's International Cape Town Jazz Festival invariably sell out in a heartbeat, as aficionados from around the world descend on the city every year to hear the sounds of artists like Herbie Hancock and Jack DeJohnette.

For local residents unable to attend the acclaimed festival, its organizers put on a Free Jazz Concert in Green Market Square. Featuring some of the artists from the festival as well as diverse mix of local talent, the free concert in the heart of old Cape Town also serves up eye-popping visual excitement, which in 2016 took the form of a Jean-Pierre Willson designed lightshow featuring a collection of Rogue R2 Washes from Chauvet Professional.

"The festival promoters do this every year to give back to the city, and allow those that cannot buy -- or missed out on the deadline for -- tickets to attend," said Willson, owner

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USA - The Behind the Scenes Happy Hour, hosted by ESTA, will return for its third year as the biggest pre-LDI party of the year and will take place on Thursday, 20 October from 6pm-8pm at the Westgate Las Vegas. Sponsorship opportunities are now available to LDI exhibitors and attendees, and tickets will go on sale in the Summer.

The Behind the Scenes Happy Hour features an open bar, hors d'oeuvres and music with all proceeds going to benefit the Behind the Scenes charity, the only industry charity that provides grants to ill or injured entertainment technician professionals. Since its inception in 2014, the Behind the Scenes Happy Hour has raised over $120,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales.

ESTA is currently seeking additional sponsorships for the 2016 event. Information on how to become a sponsor is available online at www.esta.org or by emailing btshh@esta.org.

C

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Europe - British alt rock band-of-the-moment The 1975 are touring the UK and Europe with an inspired video screen and light staging concept created by show director Tobias Rylander and augmented by Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330, Mythos and Alpha Profile 1500 fixtures.

In a nod to the light artist James Turrell, the staging is intended to look like 'art pieces' in which the band perform. Four 'monoliths' of LED screens stand proudly on the stage, backed by an even larger video screen. Together, the screens display imagery that plays with the audience's perceptions of depth, colour and light.

To cut through the colourful video, Rylander specified 36 x Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures, which are used as back light. They are rigged in three groups of five on the floor behind the band and the set, with a mirrored truss upstage. The full lighting and video package was supplied by VER.

"

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UK - Dimension, the audio arm of Creative Technology, has unveiled its new identity which is part of a series of changes intended to relaunch the business in the UK and build upon the groups specialist audio services.

In April, Dimension moved to new larger premises in Crawley, allowing for further inventory development, better prep and programming facilities and, ultimately, allowing CT and Dimension to be reunited under one roof.

Mark Boden, director of audio for Creative Technology and heading up Dimension Audio, commented, "Our new logo kicks-off a new chapter for Dimension Audio, retaining the Dimension name whilst providing an immediate and unmistakeable link to Creative Technology. Our clients will be visually aware of that link however, where appropriate, we can maintain separation providing the specialist audio service that Dimension has become known for throughou

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UK - Mark Burnett, former business development manager at Stage Electrics, has joined technical production expert, Hawthorn, to support the ongoing development of its technical equipment Hire service within the touring theatre sector.

Working closely with Hawthorn's Head of Hire, David Slater, Mark will raise the profile of the company's high-quality equipment Hire service to touring, regional & West End theatre productions, bolstering Hawthorn's increasing reputation in the marketplace, in line with its commitment to delivering an excellent customer experience.

He will be representing Hawthorn on Stand R-308 at Plasa Focus in Leeds on 10-11 May 2016.

Mark joins Hawthorn at an exciting time for the Hire service which has seen staggering 90% growth over the last six months, of commissions to supply equipment to touring theatre productions.

Mark said, "This is a real

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) are showcasing the latest product highlights from their extensive brand portfolio at the PLASA Focus Leeds 2016 Show - Royal Armouries, Leeds, UK, stand N-E02, 10-11 May.

A leading one-stop provider of professional equipment to the entertainment industry, AC-ET will be showcasing a selection of the very latest lighting, audio, rigging, video, and film & TV solutions available from their vast portfolio of over 200 leading brands and five specialist sales divisions.

The stand will feature the very latest premium performance entertainment & broadcast LED solutions from Chroma-Q. Designed and built to exacting standards in North America, the award-winning range has been adopted by many leading designers and specifiers for some of today's most demanding and prestigious lighting applications.

Highlights include the innovative new

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UK - The National Museum of Flight just outside Edinburgh is one of the UKs premier museum destinations. Audio Light Systems were chosen to provide the AV technical infrastructure proposed by Redman Design.

Over 25 touch screen kiosk information systems, three Panasonic laser projectors, Bose sound systems, DVS Watchout system and more have provided an experience that is both entertaining and educational.

The AV installation which spans across three aircraft hangers (including the Concord hanger) was part of a £3.6m restoration and brings the museum right up-to-date.

(Jim Evans)

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