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UK - Trilogy, Doncaster's latest nightspot, features an interesting lighting scheme, with equipment supplied by Robe UK to installers Willpower to kit out three rooms - The Crest, The Temple and The Chamber - at the new 2,100-capacity venue. The lighting design was created by Robe UK's Nathan Wan, working closely with Trilogy's owner, Gary Hunt of Brook Leisure.

In each room, the lighting needed to complement the room themeing, and also had to be flexible and eye-catching: "It was great to get onboard with and work alongside the interior design team from the early stages," says Wan. The club's overall design was led by Hunt, who adopted a hands-on role throughout the project.

This interesting medieval-styled Chamber is also the main dancefloor. The lighting had to be dynamic to cater for a wide range of musical styles. They took a completely customised approach in t

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Sweden - "It's the 'dinner of the year' throughout Europe - perhaps even the world," says lighting designer Per Sundin. But it's not the menu that matters - it's who is being served. The Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony (covering all awards except the Peace Prize) takes place annually in December at Stockholm City Hall in Sweden to honour those who have achieved distinction in Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Physiology or Medicine.

Afterwards, the real party starts with the 'Table of Honour - the Nobel Banquet' - a banquet for 1,300 people, including the entire Royal Family of Sweden, along with dukes and duchesses, counts, ambassadors, lords, ladies and political figures and even more distinguished guests. Sundin (of Sveriges Television), as LD, has for many years been in charge of enhancing the event for the guests and for Scandinavian TV broadcast. "The goal is t

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UK - When the BBC decided to revamp Top of the Pops, it committed itself to live broadcast and live performances, and the new InnovaSON Sy80 digital console was chosen to handle the highly demanding job of mixing sound for the audience PA system plus fold-back for the performing artists. The live studio sound is provided by SSE.

Sound engineer Chris Trimby, permanently assigned to the show, explains: "Now it's live to air, the show has changed completely. Previously, we would record one band then stop, set-up and record the next. Now of course we have to go directly from one to the next. This meant that we needed more inputs and outputs, because we don't have time to patch, and that's one of the main reasons we decided to use the InnovaSON Sy80."

TOTP used to employ up to five stages to record the show but the new, streamlined, live show uses two, or occasionally t

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USA - Using 27,000 cubes of frozen lake water, Minnesotans are working around the clock to construct the Ice Palace, the spectacular centerpiece of the 2004 St. Paul Winter Carnival. More than one million spectators will flock to the outdoor festival starting on 22 January. The event climaxes on 8 February with the National Hockey League's All Star Game.

The Ice Palace promises to be a feast for the eyes. It measures 240 feet wide, with turrets towering to 75ft high. A wall of ice surrounds the grounds with 20-foot high turrets. Adding to the spectacle is a fountain with a 20ft high flame, two stages for entertainment and an ice rink. The entire five-acre site is enhanced with nearly 500 High End Systems lighting products supplied by HES in Austin, Texas, and TLS of Huntsville, Ala. Lighting design is by Frattalone & Associates Inc of St. Paul, Minnesota. High End's Tim Grivas i

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UK - Audace Ltd, manufacturer of the Intelliplate programmable control system for audio-visual installations, has re-located to larger premises in Somerset, Southwest England. The new offices, in the small village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon near Yeovil, are ideally suited to the next phase of development for the company and the product range, says MD Bryan Waters.

He explained: "This new facility enables us to be far better suited to the growing needs of our clients - we are more accessible, have more space for stock holding and are better placed to supplement our human resources as and when appropriate. The main benefit, however, is the fact that we are a full 150 miles closer to civilization than we were in our previous office in Cornwall!"

Clients, suppliers and prospective clients are invited to visit the new facilities at any time, which are located at 18 North Street

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Germany - Telecommunications giant T-Mobile has installed one of the world's highest resolution LED video screens for the video-conferencing hub of its headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The huge Lighthouse LVP0630 (6mm pixel pitch, 3000 Nits brightness) screen is free-standing at the end of a large (100m by 30m) video-conferencing room, which features advanced AV facilities and an integrated sound system by Pro Video Broadcast und Konferenztechnik GmbH Berlin and Arge Medientechnik of Germany.

The screen was originally specified at 13 by 13 panels in size, but has since been expanded to 16 by 13 panels, for a 16:9 wide screen aspect ratio. The combination of the 51.9sq.m (559sq.ft) screen size and the 6mm pixel pitch gives a screen resolution totalling 1536 pixels (H) by 936 pixels (V). Control is via four Lighthouse LIP-KX processors, running a DVI input fed by an Electrosonic Vec

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians' annual showcase, The ABTT Theatre Show, staged in London's Royal Horticultural Halls on 16-17 June, has expanded into a third hall - the Assembly Hall.

The decision was made by show director Roger Fox, supported by the Show's administrators, Pandemonium Productions Ltd, headed by Simon Garrett. According to the ABTT, the new cost-effective exhibition packages available exclusively in The Assembly Halls are ideal for new exhibitors, particularly key service and educational organizations. Roger Fox says: "ABTT Theatre Show is a unique forum and is a vital technical showcase for professionals in theatre and auditoria. By encouraging new exhibitors from areas such as PA/VA, video and building services, the show broadens its appeal. We're confident that The Assembly Hall will add value to show as a whole."

ABTT reports

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UK - As part of PLASA's ongoing role as a CPD Network Provider for RIBA - the Royal Institute of British Architects - PLASA's Nicky Greet, in conjunction with Andy Brining of Stagepoint (and with input from Chris Higgs of Total Fabrications), has developed a seminar entitled Design Considerations for Buildings used for Corporate or Entertainment Applications, to provide architects with essential information in the design stages. The first will be delivered at PALME in Dubai next month (16-18 Feb), with others to follow.

The RIBA CPD Providers Network exists to provide quality, assessed, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for architects and other construction professionals. Manufacturers and suppliers from practically every sector of the construction industry are now represented on this highly respected Network.

The Association had been looking for an opportunity

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UK - Allen & Heath's Dutch distributor, TM Audio, has provided a 40-channel ML5000 to one of Holland's biggest commercial broadcasters, RTL4. The live sound VCA console has been installed to cover all live elements of the popular Barend & Van Dorp talkshow, which features performances from local Dutch talent to well-known artists such as Norah Jones, Tindersticks, Stereophonics, 16 down and Peter Frampton.

Broadcast daily from Monday to Friday, the well-known journalist duo provide a mix of satirical comment on current affairs and interviews with special guests, supported by writer and ex-professional soccer player, Jan Mulder. "We provide monitor mixes for visiting artists and bands and FOH mixing for the studio," comments Eric Bergsma, head of sound for RTL Netherlands. "The ML5000's versatility, quality, flexibility and compact size are perfect for our

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UK - Swedish rock star Robert Wells was in concert at the Royal Albert Hall recently with his Rhapsody in Rock show. The show was a lavish affair with a full symphony orchestra, an a capella group, dance troupe and even a trapeze artist!

As a backdrop to this visual extravaganza, Massteknik UK staged a 45sq.m Unitek V9 LED screen system - one of the largest screens ever used in the Royal Albert Hall. Behind the scenes, an Electrosonic Vector image processor was in control, driving the mixture of live video, graphics and Catalyst images, which were created by Massteknik's Swedish division. The show was produced by Robert Wells AB of Sweden, and the technical production was jointly achieved by Massteknik's UK and Swedish operations.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - The Annual General Meeting of the Production Services Association (PSA) will be held on 9 February 2004 at the Hammersmith Novotel, and will followed by the PSA Conference and the Total Production Awards Dinner, and the PSA is encouraging all members to attend if possible.

The conference includes the detailed unveiling of the new IOSH / PSA Safety Passport Scheme. A Safety Passport works like any other passport, say the PSA; in this case it identifies the holder as having undertaken basic health and safety awareness training and allows access to "passport controlled" workplaces. Many industries insist that workers hold a Safety Passport before they can gain access to the workplace or even obtain work.

The AGM starts at 10am, and is followed by the Conference beginning at 11am. Lunch is served at 1pm and it is envisaged that the finishing time will be around 2.3

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Germany - The recent Musik Produktiv fair in Ibbenburen saw the official appointment of A audio as the new distributor for KV2 Audio products in Germany. Providing the main PA and monitors for Event Stage Number One, the KV2 system played host to a varied line-up Roland keyboard demonstrations, various live bands, percussion workshops, and a demonstration by Michael Angelo Batio, allegedly the fastest guitarist in the world, who thundered his way through many rock classics.

Representing A audio was Freddy Thalmann, who worked closely with George Krampera and Jonathan Reece-Farren of KV2 to ensure the whole event ran smoothly. Thalmann is no stranger to George Krampera's loudspeaker designs, having come from the stable of EAS, where prior to his appointment with A audio, he provided technical sales and support for RCF and Mackie industrial products.

With offices based in Emmsd

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Germany - As part of complete renovations, both Theatre Heilbronn and Theatre Duisburg in Germany have taken delivery of a DiGiCo D5 56EX. Having first seen the console at Tonmeister 2002, Theatre Heilbronn immediately scheduled an in-house demo, which also took advantage of DiGiCo's German distributor being in the theatre's hometown. One of the theatre's main requests was for a flexible and easy-to-use system, which still covered a comprehensive set of tasks. The analogue feel of the D5's touch-screens, with dedicated hardware built around them and the well-designed snapshot system, made an immediate impression, say the company.

Theatre Heilbronn's D5 configuration includes three racks with 104 inputs and 74 outputs and runs with 96 DSP mixing channels, plus internal effects and output processing channels. The theatre's head of sound, Frank Bürger, says: "Within a matter

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UK - Simple sound-wise, but intensely artistic, the recent performance by the Merce Cunningham dance ensemble in the Turbine Hall of the Tate Modern produced an inverted take on movement and music.

The three musicians up on the gallery, out of sight of the dancers, were required to respond to the dancer's movements, conveyed by CCTV, and play subsequently. This in turn was a live response to the Olafur Eliasson installation 'Weather' (see Lighting&Sound International magazine, November 2003). It's a thin line between cutting-edge art and plain conceit - some may find such a performance fanciful - but most visitors were intrigued.

The Turbine Hall is an unfriendly environment for the sound fraternity. Even before you put sound energy into the room there is a permanent 50Hz hum caused by the National Grid sub-station still resident in the building: added to this are the spacious

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UK / France - Le Maitre has announced the appointment of SFAT, of Chalon-sur-Saône, as its new distributor for France. SFAT, a well-established manufacturer of foam, snow, confetti and wind inflatables, has taken on the distribution of all of Le Maitre smoke products, including smoke machines, hazers, and bubble machines.

SFAT's Christophe de Lora commented: "We are very happy with this deal, we plan to launch the new Le Maitre machines at the SIEL show in Paris. We feel strongly that Le Maitre products fit perfectly well with our existing ranges."

Rick Wilson, Le Maitre's sales director added: "This is a positive move forward for us. I have always viewed the French market as a key constituent for the overall European marketplace. Our current pyro distributor, JP (Pyrofolies), will continue working with pyro, with both companies supplying each other. In all, a

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UK - The smash-hit musical from last Christmas, Trevor Nunn's Royal National Theatre production of Anything Goes, has now transferred to the West End - and DHA Lighting has again been involved with making lighting designer David Hersey's vision for the show a reality.

At the National, DHA's Wyatt Enever and Steve Larkins carried out the careful pre-distortion of the images projected onto the show's cyclorama. The projection - particularly the scrolling image of New York as the ship on which the show is set leaves dock - proved so successful that it was expanded for the West End production.

However, the changes required the DHA team to produce newly pre-distorted images to suit the different shape of cyclorama and projector positions at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane - one of London's largest stages, but here filled with John Gunter's recreation of an Atlantic liner. Gunte

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Germany - This month sees the launch of a new show control systems specialist company, The Fun Company show control systems Ltd - which promises to "put the fun back into the entertainment controls industry". The Fun Company is a developer and manufacturer of professional show control systems that will "bring a new level of sophistication and integration to lighting, video and audio environments".

The company has been formed by industry veterans who are dedicated to show control products that will make a real difference for operators, designers, and the audience. The company's products will incorporate innovative solutions for hardware, software, and networking, as well as what it claims will be unique user interfaces.

The-Fun-Company is a multinational enterprise, with offices in Germany, Scandinavia, North America, and the UK, enabling it to provide re

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Australia - December saw Resolution X install a record nine separate Christmas lighting displays in various locations all over Melbourne. Since its beginnings in 1998, the company has developed a reputation for delivering innovative displays on-time and on-budget has seen the number of Christmas clients steadily grow, with many commissioning multiple installations in separate locations.

2003's installations ranged from the 1km-long Burke Road, Camberwell display to a single tree in Victoria Gardens, Prahran. Many of these shows were run from Enttec's DMXPlayback unit, a compact DMX show recorder, which can be configured to either start a particular show on power-up, and loop through until the power is turned off again, or trigger up to 26 different shows via RS232.

By far the largest installation, the Burke Road, Camberwell show featured giant custom-built panels depicting va

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UK - This year's Olivier Awards nominations have been announced: three musicals lead the way in overall nominations, with Jerry Springer The Opera, Ragtime and Pacific Overtures each receiving eight nominations across a number of categories.

Best Lighting Design nominations are for PLASA member Simon Corder for his design for Hitchcock Blonde at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and the Lyric; Hugh Vanstone for Pacific Overtures at the Donmar Warehouse, and Howard Harrison for Ragtime at the Piccadilly.

For the first time in its 28-year history, the Olivier Awards panel has added a Best Sound Design category to its list of honours, with nominations going to Mike Walker for Jerry Springer - The Opera at the Lyttelton and Cambridge theatres; Nick Lidster for Pacific Overtures; Peter Hylenski for Ragtime and

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UK - It was a royal extravaganza dampened by blustery, rainy weather as Queen Elizabeth II christened the world's largest ocean liner on Thursday 8 January in Southampton. In front of 2,000 invited guests, she launched the £500 million Queen Mary 2 - the first liner for transatlantic and worldwide routes to enter service since the QE2 in 1969.

Although the Queen was protected from the strong winds and downpours by a temporary structure, hundreds of Southampton residents, barred from the dockside by tight security around the Ship, braved the elements to watch the ceremony on large screens in the nearby park. Weather conditions were fierce and health and safety regulations prevented the rigging of the stage and other equipment until the eleventh hour when the winds finally calmed. Despite the weather, the afternoon was a colourful, lively spectacle thanks to an array of imaginat

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UK - White Light Events reports the completion of an extremely busy Christmas period, which has seen it providing lighting to some of London's most prestigious party venues.

For the third consecutive year, the company was invited to design and supply the lighting for the parties and events held at Coram's Fields in north London, managed by European Events. This year's parties were themed around the Winter Solstice: lighting designer Mike Robertson responded by creating a fantasy world using a mixture of lavenders and blues to embellish the themed environment.

European Events were also managing a new marquee structure in the grounds of London Zoo, themed as the Latin Quarter. Here White Light Events used image projection, haze and colour washes of vivid reds, pinks and ambers to create a highly charged atmosphere for the parties' guests. The lighting system was also flexible en

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Norway - Visual act has been awarded the contract to modernize the flying system for the Norwegian Theatre in Oslo. The work involves replacing the drive electronics for 109 fly bars and point hoists. The Visual act Stage Control System to be installed will include three operator desks and redundant servers and positioning computers. One of the operator desks will be wireless for use on the stage during set-up and in the house during rehearsals.

In selecting a supplier, the theatre referred to Visual act's flexibility and forward-looking technical features. The system is open and can easily be expanded to control under stage machinery or other elements. The user inteface will be specially adapted to fit the theatre's working routines.

The current computer system, installed in 1985, is still effective even by modern standards. It allows for the simultaneous operation of any num

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Germany - With origins dating back to the early 17th century and almost 40,000 students, the University of Hamburg is Germany's fifth largest University, and prides itself as Germany's "gateway to the world of Science."

As part of the University's ongoing refurbishment programme, ShowService GmbH, the German distributor for Australian pro audio manufacturer ARX Systems, has now completed the supply and installation of two new audio systems for the University's ESA B and AS auditoriums.

The 5.1 audio system in the cavernous ESA B auditorium comprises five SPL 12 self-powered loudspeakers providing Left-Centre-Right and stereo surround program and a single SPL 18 self-powered subwoofer for low frequency reinforcement. A single SPL 8H compact self-powered loudspeaker was installed in the lecturer's desk as a listen monitor/foldback monitor.

In the not-so-cavernous AS

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Spain - Reed Exhibitions Iberia, the Spanish and Portuguese division of the worldwide exhibition organizer Reed Exhibitions, has decided to postpone Scenotech, the international stage technology and entertainment exhibition, scheduled for 21-23 March 2004 in the Campo de las Naciones Convention Centre, Madrid.

The company says the decision has been taken because, with under three months to go before the event, the organization does not have sufficient critical mass and quality to ensure the fair would be on the same high-quality level as its many other shows. By postponing Scenotech, Reed Exhibitions claims it is also "responding to the demand of major business and institutional agents in the sector, who are complaining that there are too many international events organized for this year."

Reed Exhibitions had previously re-scheduled the event from the original dates

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