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USA - The hit Broadway musical Sweeney Todd has just finished its Broadway run before going out on tour in the US next year. The award-winning Stephen Sondheim revival starred Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris, with director John Doyle setting the action in a modern lunatic asylum, with a cast of 10 playing the roles of actors and band on stage.

Sound design is by Dan Moses Schreier, who was also responsible for the sound on the last three Stephen Sondheim revivals, with a Cadac J-Type Live Production Console taking a key role at the heart of the show's sound system.

Staged at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the musical involved a delicate balance, featuring an intricate and highly lyrical score delivered at a cracking pace. Dan Moses Shreier explains:"This show poses an

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UK - This year's Security Excellence Awards attracted over 700 of the security industry's key figureheads to the Park Lane Hilton, London.

Following speeches by John Saunders (retiring chief executive of the SIA) and Vernon Coaker (the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for security, policing and community safety at the Home Office), Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine hosted the ceremony, where 14 awards given out to the key achievers over the previous year.

Showsec managing director Mark Harding collected the Event Security Team of the Year award, as the company was recognised for it's achievements in the event sector over the previous year. Harding says: "I'm delighted that the criteria was for the 'best team', and am proud to accept this award for every member of the Showsec team who have contributed to a great year. We are committed to the ongoing improvement of standar

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USA - High End Systems announces the release of version 2.0 software for the Wholehog 3 operating system. This software enhances and improves the popular platform, allowing users to connect Wholehog 3, Hog iPC and/or Hog 3PCs on the same network for total networking compatibility.

The new Wholehog 3 version 2.0 software allows the entire Wholehog 3 family of lighting control products to operate with the same level of functionality, DMX output capabilities and networking abilities. All platforms are now able to connect to each other and/or to DMX Processors (DP2000) and Timecode Processors (IOP). With this connectivity, the Hog iPC and Hog 3PC are now capable of unlimited DMX universes.

Version 2.0 software has undergone extensive testing through the High End Systems Software Testing Programme. Beta testers have been instrumental with this release as they have been able to test

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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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Switzerland / Sweden - ELC have announced that Spectra Stage & Event Technologies AB has been appointed as their exclusive distributor for Sweden.

Mikael Uddh is the ELC product manager, and the full sales team are available for enquiries, from the four point of sales and distribution: in Stockholm, Malmö, Gothenburg and Gävle.

ELC Lighting say that they are "fully confident in the re-organisation of this sales structure,and we will be fully supporting Spectra Stage & Event Technologies AB in their activities".

(Chris Henry)

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France - Nearly fifty years after the film Ben Hur, starring Charlton Heston and winner of eleven Oscars, the epic story of the Jewish Prince has been brought back to life with a spectacular show at the Stade de France in Paris last month. The World Cup stadium at the gates of hosted 400 actors and extras who recreated the naval battle, the gladiatorial combats and the famous chariot race.

The main challenge for lighting designers Christian Bréan and Jacques Rouveyrollis was to cover with light the 11,000 m2 of surface area of the stadium - which was covered in compacted red clay.

"The lighting for this mega-spectacular required detailed study of the placing of the projectors around the entire oval that covers the Stade de France" - the two lighting designers explained. "It needed at least a year's work to plan and implement the lighting design.&qu

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Germany - For its regular live coverage of the German Football League , the Arena channel's Make It Real team use some of the best technology available. 24 Vari-Lite VL500 80V Wash are attached in the mobile studio. Lighting control is done by a grandMA full-size, three MA Digital Dimmer 12 x 2,3 kVA and one NSP.

Seventy tons of equipment are transported every week from one town to another. "Our team consists of 40 people. They need two days to build up the studio," explains Jörg Privsek of Make It Real. "We want to get as close to the people as possible, therefore our system has to be mobile. Our set designer Jürgen Harsler arranges the seats around the studio stage to produce a stadium feeling. The lighting rig with its four pylons also reminds the spectators of this."

Lighting Designer Manuel da Costa adds, "Important for my choice o

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USA - JBL Professional has introduced the Variable LineArray (VLA) Series loudspeakers, designed for permanent installations requiring high-impact sound reinforcement at throw distances beyond the reach of traditional loudspeaker designs.

"With the new JBL VLA Series, the installed sound industry now has a best-in-class line array loudspeaker series that addresses the need for high intelligibility, powerful high-impact sound, yet extraordinarily even coverage on a stadium-level scale, claimed Ted Leamy, vice president of installed sound, JBL Professional. "Systems integrators will benefit from loudspeaker arrays designed specifically for permanent, large-venue installs with the fidelity and performance capabilities of a powerful touring systems."

The VLA Series is based on the same engineering science used in the established Vertec line array product family, but

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Italy/USA - Coemar is showing a range of new products at this year's LDI show including Infinity Wash, PinLite Led, and StripLite Led.

Infinity Wash XL has an innovative new LCD display which can be charged from an external battery in the new Philips fast-fit lamp with variable power from 800 to 1450 W. At narrow angles, it can get up to 30 times brighter than competitors, becoming the most powerful Wash on the market, claims Coemar.

StripLite Led is billed as "the perfect substitute for the popular halogen ribalte". It offers multicolour and white (3200°K) leds that guarantee infinite colours generation, plus the possibility to obtain warm white; the body is light and solid, and the electrical consumption is extremely reduced in spite of the elevated brightness.

PinLite Led comprises 12 multicolour leds designed to provide infinite colour generation, strobo ef

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UK - Northern Stage Services has announced the appointment of David Cusworth as marketing and sales manager. Cusworth has over thirty years experience in the industry with Strand Lighting. When working for Strand he originally managed the Stage Equipment, and Drapes, Department, before being responsible for sales of lighting to the theatre market. He has also been responsible for the design, and sales, of lighting systems to the film, and TV, industry, working with the BBC, ITV companies, and other studios.

In addition to heading up Northern's sales and marketing team Cusworth will be available to customers who require a consultancy service, be it from general advice on an existing theatre, or studio, to the design, and specification, for new installations.

(Jim Evans)

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Australia - One of the most watched television programmes in Australia, the award-winning AFL Footy Show, delighted its audience recently with a flawless live broadcast of its 2006 Grand Final edition with the aid of LED video technology supplied by Lighthouse Technologies.

An estimated national audience of over 1.49 million viewers tuned-in to watch the show's 2006 AFL Grand Final broadcast which aired on Australia's Channel 9 (GTV-9) television network last month.To mark the occasion, the network created a spectacular studio set, located at the Rod Laver Arena in the heart of Melbourne's city centre.

As part of the set design, over 130 Lighthouse LED video panels were strategically deployed around the stage to create a number of R4, R10 and R16i/o high-definition video displays which were used to project vibrant images of the event. This included the showcasing of foo

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UK - Since her first appearance at a Prince's Trust concert in 1996, Imogen Heap's combination of electronica, alternative pop and rock and Euro-pop has gained critical acclaim and a loyal fan base both from her days with band Frou Frou and as a solo artist. For her month-long tour of UK venues during September and October, sound rental company ESS employed part of its new Turbosound Aspect system.

Gary Brookes is the front of house systems engineer for ESS alongside Mike Benson, Imogen's front of house engineer, and Darren Connor who handles the monitor position for ESS.

At the Brighton Dome the system comprised eight TA-890H mid/high cabinets flown two wide by two deep a side, plus five TA-890L vertically ground stacked with two TSW-718 double 18 subwoofers aside. "We're using the older 718s to emphasise the real low end," explains Brookes. "This is a little o

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UK - Adlib Audio supplied Californian hard rockers AFI (A Fire Inside) with a JBL VerTec PA system for the UK leg of their ongoing Decemberunderground tour. The Liverpool-based company, had previously worked with AFI's FOH engineer Pete Keppler on David Bowie's 2003 Reality tour.

With the itinerary covering a host of gigs from Nottingham Rock City to Brixton Academy, the Adlib crew - Hassane Essiahi and Richie Nicholson - knew to be prepared for all eventualities and for the wide discrepancy in venue sizes. The VerTec proved its worth on stages large and small, demonstrating its very flexible and workable floor stacking options on some of the smaller shows.

For Brixton, they utilised 10 flown VT 4889 elements per side, together with eight floor-stacked JBL VerTec 4880 subs. These were run in conjunction with two of Adlib's own FD full range cabinets per side for

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USA - QSC Audio are celebrating a summer season which has seen them take full advantage of the massive construction programme taking place in the fast developing Chinese market.

By being able to offer QSC-based solutions from the Californian company's extensive product range, their territorial distributor, Beijing-based Prime Connections Inc (PCI) has successfully tendered for a number of contracts. In particular, they report that QSC sound reinforcement and network control systems have been supplied to a number of conference centres, sports halls and stadiums.

Founded in 1724, Beijing No. 2 Middle School has become the most prominent school of its type in Beijing. With its concept of all-round education, high-quality staff and advanced facilities it has produced many star pupils.

Asked to participate in the provision of a pro audio system for its newly-constructed sports ha

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USA - JBL Professional is celebrating a double victory after its products came first in both loudspeaker categories at this year's Mix Foundation for Excellence in Audio Awards. Over 750 industry movers and shakers attended the Awards held in San Francisco during the recent AES Convention.

JBL Professional's LSR4300 won the Best Studio Monitor Loudspeaker category, while the company's VRX932LA won the category for Best Sound Reinforcement Loudspeaker.

Martin Seidl, JBL's director of sales, Europe, says: "Everyone at JBL is very proud that our hard work has been reflected in the votes of Mix magazine readers, who have chosen to endorse LSR and VRX as industry-leading successes. We were especially delighted to receive two of the most prestigious Awards in pro audio in front of such an esteemed crowd."

The LSR4300 Studio Monitor is designed to provide accurate mixes i

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UK - Launched at the recent PLASA Show, the long-awaited, fully updated and massively expanded latest edition of White Light's Reference Guide was a huge hit, with hundreds of lighting designers and electricians leaving the show with a copy of the new guide.

For those who haven't yet obtained a 'real' copy, the Reference Guide is now available for download in PDF format from the White Light website. The downloadable Reference Guide complements the ever-growing on-line Knowledge Base which can also be found on the White Light website.

"We were overwhelmed by the demand for our new Reference Guide at PLASA," says White Light's marketing manager, Aubs Tredget. "I hadn't realised quite how much people had been coveting their old catalogues as an invaluable reference guide; hopefully we've managed to retain all of that information and fit lots of useful new informati

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USA - Meyer Sound has appointed Kurt Metzler to the newly created position of Northwest regional sales manager as part of the company's effort to build a stronger sales structure in the Western US region. Metzler's territory will cover Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Metzler's background includes stints as a live sound engineer, sound company owner, founder and owner of a successful professional audio retail store, and manufacturer's representative, as well as positions at Radian Loudspeakers, Sennheiser Electronic, and LOUD Technologies.

"Kurt's background could hardly be better for us," says Helen Meyer, Meyer Sound's executive vice president. "He knows loudspeakers, he's seen the industry from several sides, and he has been very successful both at sales and keeping his customer

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UK - Following the success of last year's new category - Entertainment Lighting - The Lighting Design Awards are again looking for entries from lighting designers within the entertainment sector. This includes concerts, festivals, theatrical productions, corporate events, exhibitions and also temporary or one-off lighting installations intended for an audience.

The judges will be looking for creative use of lighting which commands audience attention and which highlights, complements or is in itself the main focus of the event.

The Award, sponsored by PLASA and Lighting&Sound International, is designed to give lighting designers across the industry recognition for their creative work. Last year's winner - The Storr - provided the backdrop for a subtle and imaginative light and sound installation that the judges described as "an awesome undertaking". They also praised

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UK - The new national tour of Chicago, the Musical starring Jennifer Ellison, opened in September at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre. Having supplied the production in Dubai earlier this year, Stage Electrics is once again providing all lighting & electrics for the musical which is touring the UK for the next 40 weeks.

"This is a particularly busy time for us and with our London Bridge facility now firmly established as a vital resource to London's West End, coupled with our national network of branches supporting touring productions, we are ideally suited to provide a first class level of service to any show we are involved with" says Chris Patton, business development manager for theatre.

The fit up of over 16 tonnes of lighting equipment required for the West End production of The Sound of Music is now under way. Stage Electrics is supplying the ent

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UK - A new breed of Internet search engine, designed to serve the specific needs of b2b users, will target electronics industry professionals as its first market. Developed by Reed Business Search, the Internet search division of Reed Business, Zibb.com aims to deliver a better search experience for b2b users than any other search engine.

Graeme McCracken, COO of RB Search, explained: "Zibb.com is a dedicated b2b search engine, honed to deliver the specific information that business users want. It delivers quicker and better answers for b2b queries than is possible with general search engines. Though still in its test phase, the site is now fully functioning for the electronics industry and this will be our first market.

"It's simply about using the best tool for the job. We challenge the industry's professionals to visit www.zibb.com/electronics, make the comparison

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UK - Daddy Cool is showing at the Shaftesbury Theatre and is set to the music of 70s legends Boney M. This exciting musical is directed by Andy Goldberg and stars Michelle Collins, Harvey from So Solid Crew and Javine. Set design is by Jon Morrell, and the lighting design for the show is by Rob Halliday. The Mirror-ball, and Ma Baker's Bar are just two of the sets featuring lighting supplied by South Woodham Ferrers based LED specialists Chamaeleon Technologies.

Chamaeleon technical director, Adam Knight, says: "Working on Daddy Cool has been exciting experience for Chamaeleon. It's our first musical, and great to be involved with. It's given us a real in-sight and appreciation for the thought and scale that goes into set design." Knight reserved special praise for Simon Needle and the Electrolite team for the installation of the Mirorr-ball, for Ian Moul

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USA - The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson recently completed a total renovation of its set at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. The good news for musical guests visiting Studio 58 is that there is now a larger performance area as well as an improved monitor system, which benefits from a dozen new L-Acoustics 112XT and two 115XT stage wedges, all powered by the manufacturer's LA Series amplifiers.

"I'm definitely liking these monitors," says Late Late Show PA/monitor mixer Chris Maddalone, who has also mixed for The Price Is Right and American Idol and recorded and toured with numerous rock acts over the years. "I've gone through just about every box you can think of and these are right up at the top of the list, which makes sense seeing that I've used V-DOSC(r) and dV-DOSC a bunch of times and loved them."

Maddalone notes that the

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