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Australia - In Victoria, Drama is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing subjects on the High School curriculum, particularly among VCE (year 11 and 12) students. Caulfield Grammar School recently addressed this trend by investing in two new, identical new Performing Arts Centres - one at its Caulfield Campus and one at its Wheelers Hill campus.

Architects John Gribble Pty Ltd designed a functional space with the assistance of theatre consultants Entertech and electrical engineers Adrian Newman & Associates. With 16 years' experience in the industry, Lightmoves was contracted to provide lighting and audio visual infrastructure throughout both venues. Before work commenced on site, Lightmoves created shop drawings showing cable routes and types for the electrical contractors. This included cables for DMX (consisting of three sets of two universes of input, and 20 DMX outlet

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Switzerland - From 23 July to 6 September this year, Heidi, the Musical premiered against the idyllic backdrop of Lake Walensee, Switzerland. Audio design was handled by sound designer Thomas Strebel, Switzerland's 'Mr. Musical'. As his main rig for the gig, Thomas selected the HK Audio's COHEDRA Compact sound reinforcement system, a system with which he had already grown familiar on several prior occasions.

Christian Kraska from Swiss HK Audio distributor, SDS Music Factory, lent his support to Swiss sound company Hyposound during the planning stage with the CAPS software as well as during installation of the system. In the process, there were several hurdles to overcome, as the very wide stage was located directly on the banks of Lake Walensee. Temperature fluctuations, high humidity, rain and wind had to be taken into consideration throughout the planning stages. As it

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Canary Islands - The Synco Europe Network audio rental franchise has a new member, with the announcement that RS Sonocom SL of Grand Canaria has become the first Synco Network member in the Canary Islands. Sonocom, based near the resort of Maspalomas, provides professional audio, video and lighting sales, installations and rental. The company, run by brothers (all electronics graduates) Eduardo, Paulo and Oliver Armas, has been in business for 15 years and operates throughout the Canary Islands.

Under the agreement Sonocom has already taken delivery of 24 cabinets of Synco W8LC line array cabinets by Martin Audio, along with a complete Synco standard set of processors, flying and rigging hardware, flightcases, cabling and wheel boards. The Synco Network is also providing comprehensive training to Soncom's technicians and sound engineers.

The deal was inspired by a fast growing

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UK - Vieta's DO-5 full-range loudspeakers have been chosen for installation in a unique visitor attraction, the newly-renovated Castle Jail in Lincoln Castle, which is the only surviving Victorian institution of its kind in Europe. Vieta earned its extended stay in prison at the hands of FT-AV, an established AV company based in Harrogate in north Yorkshire, which was asked to design and specify a complete audio system for the Jail prior to its opening as a site of historic interest for tourists, 127 years after the last inmate left the prison.

Castle Jail required an interactive audio-visual system, utilizing multiple projection, audio sources, all within definable as well as combinable zones, to be purpose-designed and built together with a specially programmed computer system for overall control. FT-AV's owner and MD Rick Lawson maintains that "the real challenge was the

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Belgium - EML Productions has used its new Apex IX 48 Intelli-X speaker management systems for a major live event featuring Jean-Michel Jarre, staged in Antwerp to mark the opening of the new Eurocam Media Center. The Eurocam Media Center will form an important cluster of companies involved with High Definition Television (HDTV). Housing several media companies, together with eight television and movie studios on site, the Center will be one of the most important infrastructures for television and movie recording in the Benelux.

At its official inauguration, attended by Belgium's prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, a huge live event was staged in the main television studio owned by Alfacam. Live HDTV feeds were set up all over the world for musical performances by Belgian rock group Novastar and percussion artist Meloritmo. The highlight of the TV show, which was broadcast live on H

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Germany - For the presentation of its latest collection, Swedish fashion company H&M staged a lavish fashion show in New York featuring artists including Kanye West, John Legend and Miri Ben-Ari and an elaborate moving set consisting of three rings of trusses, each a different size, manoeuvred by 19 VarioLifts from ChainMaster. The equipment was supplied by Stone Pro Rigging supported by ChainMaster's North American distribution partner Show Distribution. During the show, the operator at his PC was able to control the movements of the set with millimetre precision as well as continuously monitoring the loads of the VarioLifts. What was particularly important was that the movements (including starts and stops) be performed smoothly without jerking the trussing structure around or producing vibrations.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - The Liverpool Culture Company's lively event to switch on the City's Festive lights was powered by new green generators sourced from locally-based Pyramid Electrics. Event manager Eddy Grant wanted to trial the 100% naturally powered new Bio-Fuel generators, with a view to using them on all their forthcoming events.

Liverpool City Council's Executive Member for Culture, Councillor Warren Bradley, took the opportunity to launch the 'Love Liverpool' recycling campaign to the live audience of 15,000 who packed the plateau in front of the newly refurbished St George's Hall.

Regular LCC supplier, Manchester-based Audile, provided sound and lighting for the show. The lighting brief included the architectural illumination of the front of the Hall, which was achieved by using 12 High End PC beams to shoot up the columns, and eight Studio Due City Colors to wash the wall behind.

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Italy - RockPolitik, written and directed by Adriano Celentano and broadcast on the RAI channel recently. The ICEF television studios in Brugherio (MI) which hosted the transmission, were transformed into an enormous arena, filled with numerous three-dimensional stage settings made of fibreglass: the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline, a Chinatown Pagoda and the remains of ancient temples were placed side-by-side, suggesting and East-meets-West theme.

In lighting this striking set, a number of very important choices had to be made, according to director of photography Franco Ferrari. The first choice was to construct the scenery in black and white, and relying on the lighting system for colour. The second choice, linked to the first, was to use the backdrops as a 'chromatic union' for the various scenic elements. The backdrop is installed all along the arena's perimeter, and

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Switzerland - Swiss acoustic design company Studio Equipment, run by industry veteran Terry Nelson, has been using its extensive Klark Teknik inventory on a number of recent high-profile projects. Promotion for Robbie Williams' new album Intensive Care kicked off with a live cinecast from Berlin. The event was played in over 23 cinemas and venues across Europe, the largest venue being the 4,000-capacity Palladium in Cologne, a converted cable factory which has been converted to a cultural centre.

Studio Equipment was mandated by Shooting Partners UK, who handled the technical organisation of the transmission, to supervise the sound for the Palladium event. Left-Centre-Right signals were created via a TriField decoder from the stereo mix coming from Berlin, then the Left-Centre-Right-Sub bass outputs were fed into a DN9344 Helix slave for system EQ and final adjustments to

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UK - DiGiCo/Soundtracs Limited has won a Queen's Awards for Enterprise for innovation in the design of their D5 Live series of digital mixing consoles. Among the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance, the Queen's Awards recognise outstanding achievement by UK companies in trade, innovation and sustainable development.

The Grant of Appointment and Award was presented to DiGiCo's managing director Bob Doyle at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The award recognizes DiGiCo's commitment to extensive research into the requirements of live audio engineers, culminating in the ground-breaking mixing console design that is now synonymous with the DiGiCo name.

Amongst the key features that clinched the judges' decision were the intuitive user interface, small size and light weight, an almost halving of power consumption compared to its analogue counterparts, as wel

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Korea - Sound Projects reports that its Korean distributor Sound Solution has gained a strong position in the country's PA market by installing its sound systems in several large theatres and churches and by delivering systems for important events.

For the Performing Art Center of Hanbad National University, Sound Solution installed a fixed installation in the Harmony Hall. This 909-seat auditorium can stage performances of virtually any size, including grand opera: the stage can accommodate 200 performers at once. The university decided to install a powered sound system for consistency and reliability, and Sound Projects system was selected by the client "because it combined smooth music reproduction as well as very clear voice production from one and the same system without the need of any intervening equalisation," say Sound Solutions.

The installation consists of

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UK - 5 Star Cases has supplied Leicestershire-based digital signage and display specialist HoloVis International with a bespoke flightcase to transport its new Media-Wall exhibition display system. The system comprises of either the HoloVis 84" or 100" specialist daylight viewable optical projection screens - complete with a bright yellow 5 Star flightcase.

5 Star designed and manufactured the Tour Grade, large-format case which includes removable doors and eight heavy duty castors fitted to an 18mm plinth for maximum manoeuvrability. Protection for the equipment is provided by a fully lined and fitted polyethylene foamed interior, which fits snugly around the screen.

The Media Wall has been designed to be quickly assembled across the corners of exhibition booths, instantly producing a very large screen surface area for displaying any type of media - TV, Video, DVD,

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UK - The UK leg of the White Stripes tour rolled out across the country in November, with the SSE Audio Group providing both FOH engineer Matthew Kettle and monitor engineer Neil Heal with their desk of choice - the Midas XL4 - as it has done for all European shows this year.

The live show is a theatrical blend of vintage equipment and instruments such as marimbas, timpani, push-button bells, mandolin, grand piano, various keyboards and guitar rig which Jack moves between during his performance, while Meg works her way around the drum kit. In such a setting the analogue aesthetic of the XL4 is entirely suited to both the FOH and the onstage mix. Not only does the band not stick to a set list, they can play the same song on a different instrument on any given night.

"I keep a really functional mix, which is why I still use an analogue desk," says Kettle. "It also

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USA - ESTA (North America's Entertainment Services and Technology Association) says its working group meeting in Orlando during the week of the LDI trade show, approved the initiation of six standards projects. ANSI requires that the initiation of projects be announced far and wide to affected parties so that people can be aware of the projects and can participate if they wish or can argue against the projects being undertaken if they are not needed or conflict with existing standards.

People interested in working on a project (besides simply commenting during public review, which is also helpful, say ESTA) need to join the working group for the project. Information about joining working groups and about the need for voting members in under-represented interest categories in the groups is available at he

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UK - Ridgeway Electronics Manufacturing Ltd has acquired the whole of the issued share capital of Andolite Limited, the UK manufacturer of standard and custom products for the installation of lighting and sound systems in entertainment venues.

Alan Good, an engineer at Ridgeway Electronics, will be the managing director of Andolite. His intention is to continue the emphasis on customer service, product quality and on-time delivery. Tony Swayne will stay on for the time being to ensure a smooth transition, say the company.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - Audio Design Services has agreed to contribute a nominal sum for all fixed installations of its Induction Loop and Infrared systems towards the cost of the training and support of a 'Hearing Dog' - a dog trained to provide help for profoundly deaf people - currently around £5,000.

David Hopkins OBE, chairman of Audio Design Services, said that he had been so impressed by a demonstration of a 'Hearing Dog' at his local Rotary Club that the idea of supporting the charity through his company's electronic systems for deaf people was born. Since the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act had compelled companies and authorities to provide such aids there had been a general shift from voluntary support to more of a 'grudge' purchase. It seemed sensible to bring the plight of deaf people to the public's attention and this was one way that Audio Design could help, says Hopkins.

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Italy - By Christmas, the old town centre of Turin, Italy, will have a new illumination system for the Winter Olympics, which GE say will make it possible to save over 235,000kW/h of energy a year. The operation, carried out in a collaboration between General Electric and Aem Torino, will concern 1,400 lights in Piazza Castello, where the medals ceremonies will take place - Piazzetta Reale, Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Carlo Felice, Via Roma and Via Po.

General Electric will supply Aem Torino, which has managed the city's public lighting system since 1986, with 1,100 light bulbs of between 100 and 250W free of charge - CMH Constant colour and ceramic burner, currently considered the best technological solutions on the market, according to GE. It will also provide 300 'electronic reactors' that will make it possible to reduce energy consumption in a major way. "The collaboration

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USA - At this year's LDI Show, Tomcat offered attendees the chance to register to win one of two scholarships: the winner could choose to attend the 2006 Hoist and Rigging Workshop or the Advanced Truss and Motor Workshop. Over 300 people entered the contest - and the lucky winners are: Randall Flaws of Windy City Sound and Lighting and Andrew Cissna of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Andrew was the first name selected and upon being notified, he said that he is "very excited" to be given the opportunity to attend. He's a senior working to complete his BFA in Lighting at NCSA. The training he'll get at Tomcat's workshop will be a great compliment to the education he's receiving at the world renowned school.

Randall Flaws is the President of Windy City Sound and Lighting in Burr Ridge, Illinois. He and his brother John founded the company in 1980 which has producti

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The Netherlands / USA - The CyberHoist/InMotion 3D motion control system made a memorable entry to the North American market at the ETS-LDI show in Orlando recently, with two LDI Awards, headed by the prestigious Rigging Product of the Year Award.

CyberHoist / InMotion 3D was awarded Rigging Product of the Year, while the live demonstration earned system developer XLNT the Best Creative Use of Light Award for its booth, the work of lighting designer Michel Suk and motion control programmer Eric Berends. Both accolades follow the system's PLASA Award for Innovation at its European launch in London last year.

"2006 will be a fantastic year for CyberHoist in North America," says XLNT Advanced Technologies' executive sales manager Marc van der Wel, after the Awards and savouring the enthusiastic attendees' response. "The market is ready for a new and truly accessibl

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Italy - The organizers of SIB, Italy's bi-ennial exhibition for show and event entertainment technology (Rimini Fiera, 11-14 March 2006), have announced new features for its 'SIB Teatro' section, which specializes in technology for theatres, television studios and film sets.

The 'SIB Opera House' will be a 2,000sq.m set put together by by Peroni, L'Opera and Musical!, with scenery by major Italian and European opera theatres and featuring musicals performed live - including pieces from Grease, Studio 54, Moulin Rouge, Charlie's Angels and Mambo Kings. In addition, the event will also feature a delegation of the Austrian theatrical association, OETHG, including the technical directors of Vienna Opera and Innsbruck and Linz theatres.

SIB Opera House will include painted scenery, rear-lit and reflecting backdrops, screens for stage effects and devices for moving sce

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China - Lighthouse Technologies' support of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was reinforced this week with the provision of a turnkey LED video solution for a spectacular gala ceremony held to mark the 1000-day countdown to the opening of the 2008 games in the Chinese capital.

The ceremony, which included the unveiling of the official Beijing Olympic Mascots by Chinese leader Jia Qinglin, was delivered to an audience of over 4,000 spectators via a 16 metre wide x 5.28m high Lighthouse Technologies' screen that took centre stage at the Beijing Worker's Stadium.

Using 275 state-of-the-art Lighthouse R6 panels, laser beam silhouettes of the 2008 Olympic Mascots, including Baibei the Fish, Jingjing the Panda, Huanhuan the Olympic Flame, Yingying the Tibetan Antelope and Nini the Swallow, were projected on the giant LED video screen.

The images were set amidst a running commentary,

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France - As of 15 September 2005, Martin Professional France has been appointed distributor of the entire range of Alu Soudure Diffusion's (A.S.D.) lifting support and metal frame products. Lifting supports and frame products distributed by Martin Professional France are now under the A.S.D. brand and are stocked at the Martin France facility.

The announcement says that the trade agreement will maximize the skills and competencies of both companies: Martin Professional France will make the most of its wide experience in the distribution of frames in order to strongly develop the A.S.D. brand. A.S.D. will now concentrate its resources on manufacturing, as well as on research and development of new products.

Thierry Chenot, A.S.D's sales director, stated: "This agreement is a real opportunity for our companies. A.S.D. will now be able to devote itself fully to the developme

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USA - High End Systems and ESP Vision are joining forces to host two Open House events in December to demonstrate new and debuting products in an intimate atmosphere. As an added bonus, HES says it is is offering free ESP Vision visualization software with all new Wholehog 3 console purchases made between now and 31 December 2005.

The first Open House is Dec. 7-8, from 11am-6pm at the HES Los Angeles office at 8200 Haskell Avenue, Van Nuys, CA 91406, and the second event takes place at ESP Vision's studio on Dec. 15 (1-6pm) and Dec. 16 (11 am-4pm) at 365 Pilot Rd., Suite C, Las Vegas, NV 89119.

Attendees will be able to see High End Systems' Studio Command, Catalyst v4, DL2, DL1 and Hog iPC. ESP Vision will show its lighting simulation through direct integration with the Wholehog 3 line of products as well as real-time integration to Catalyst. ESP Vision provides real-time lig

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UK - In October 2005, the Theatre Royal Bath opened the 'egg' - an innovative and unique theatre facility for children, young people and their families that has at its heart a 120-seat egg-shaped auditorium. The opening night was packed with local dignitaries. Supporters of the egg also include James Dyson, Midge Ure, Peter Gabriel and Bel Mooney.

Martin Professional has contributed to the worthy cause by supplying the latest fixtures free of charge, including MAC250s and MAC300s, DMX cabliing and a controller, while Stage Electrics will be supplying full technical support.

David Caulfield, managing director of Martin Professional attended the opening night. David commented: "Martin's are delighted to be linked with the egg. We provide equipment for some of the biggest theatres and concert venues in Europe but when we heard about the egg we wanted to give young people the

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