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UK - The ABTT is inviting people to sign up and participate in its Work Life Challenge initiative. It’s a challenge designed to “encourage us to prioritise time for activities that allow us to wind down from the stresses and strains of our working life, while also providing a focus and incentive for raising money for our much-loved industry charities: Backup Tech, The Theatrical Guild and Stagehand”.
The aim of the challenge is to encourage us to consider and promote a better attitude towards achieving a healthy balance between our work and other “life” activities that help us to unwind and get away from the pressures of our career. Consider starting a walking group; get together with others that run; start a weekly yoga practice before shows; baking; crafting; anything you like but make sure it’s fun and that it makes you smile.
There are two options to s

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USA - Las Vegas-based Show & Design Group (SDG) has made its first investment in Ayrton lighting fixtures with the purchase of 24 Diablo S units. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton products in North America.
SDG offers live event production and lighting rentals; a complete trucking division, SDG Logistics, Inc., is targeted at expedited entertainment logistics.
“The purchase of 24 Diablo S fixtures is our introduction to Ayrton, although we have been aware of the brand since they launched MagicPanels,” says project manager, Lew Aronoff. “Our core business is trade shows and corporate theatre, and we’ve seen Diablos become very prevalent in the cross-rental market. Our B2B partners run short of 20K lumen fixtures on a regular basis, so we decided to invest in Diablos since we needed more fixtures of that size. Their size and weight-to-o
ISE 2026 - Banner - Oct 2025

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USA - Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty’s musical comedy Seussical, based on the works of the famed Dr. Seuss, is filled with an abundance of exuberant characters, from Yertle the Turtle and Gertrude McFuzz, to Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham Brothers, The Cat in the Hat, and The Grinch.
Lighting such colourful characters is fun! Ask Christopher Robin, who used layered effects and a variety of light angles to bring them and their imaginative costumes to life at a recent West Hempfield High School production of the play.
“This was just a really enjoyable experience,” said Robin. “The costumes were magnificent, and the set was beautifully painted. Within the set itself, the whole spectrum of colour was used. The giant story book on stage gave me free reign to use any colour to capture the palette on the pages of Dr. Seuss’s many children books.”
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ALC NetworX, developer of the Ravenna Audio-over-IP technology has welcomed Peavey to the Ravenna community. Under its Commercial Audio brand, Peavey offers an entire range of products from the microphone to the loudspeaker, and every link in the signal chain in between.
Under the Ravenna partnership, Peavey has developed sNET - a single IP-based network infrastructure technology which will work at the core of their future MediaMatrix products. sNET is based on Ravenna, the broadcast industry’s de facto AoIP standard, featuring low latency, fully synchronised signal transparency and highest reliability - all while ensuring broad interoperability through its compatibility with AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110 standards.
According to Peavey Commercial Audio general manager, Shayne Thomas, joining the Ravenna community was a natural move. “Adopting Ravenna is part of our vision and

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UK - This year, Black Skull Creative, in collaboration with its sister company Black Skull Studio and Marvin Dietmann, was entrusted with the task of creating nine distinct country performances for this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool.
From content design and choreography to production design and stage direction, Black Skull Creative covered all aspects of creative direction and production from ideation to completion.
"As the co-creative director of nine Eurovision countries, overseeing such a massive task was undeniably challenging,” says Ross Nicholson of Black Skull Creative. “However, it was also an immensely rewarding experience. Eurovision provided a platform for untapped creativity and we, at Black Skull Creative, seized that opportunity to infuse our creatives with a sense of boundless imagination and fun.
“The Eurovision stage became

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UK - Through a mix of live performances and puppetry, The Peter Rabbit Easter Adventure is an immersive theatrical experience that brings to life the stories and characters of Beatrix Potter.
Taking place at London’s Covent Garden, audiences are transported back in time as they help Beatrix herself rescue Jemima Paddle-Duck from the clutches of Mr McGregor, with the help of Benjamin Bunny and Peter Rabbit. The show features a lighting design by Sean Gleason who approached White Light (WL) to supply his lighting equipment.
When it came to lighting the show, Sean comments: “My role on The Peter Rabbit Easter Adventure was mainly to bring found and adapted spaces to life, help set the scene, as well as bring focus to certain moments. The play has a mix of actors interacting with puppets and puppeteers so light needed to play a large role in not only crea

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Canada - AVL Media Groupand Wharfedale Pro have extended their distribution agreement to now include Canada. The change is with immediate effect.
The agreement, which was previously exclusive to the USA, now makes AVL Media Group the authorised distributor for Wharfedale Pro products throughout North America. As a result of this expansion, customers in Canada will now benefit from improved technical support, training, and product availability.
The AVL and Wharfedale Pro teams will showcase their latest offerings at the upcoming InfoComm Show in Orlando, Florida from 14-16 June.

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Europe - As of 1 July 2023, QSC will take over direct distribution for all QSC Pro Audio portfolio in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. This approach will give QSC Pro Audio customers “unrivalled access and support” from the recently opened European Service Centre in the QSC Netherlands office, says the company.
Algam will remain responsible for the distribution of QSC Pro Audio in France and the Nordics. “We would like to thank Algam for their support in distributing the QSC Pro Audio portfolio in Benelux and look forward to our continued partnership in France (including Maghreb) and the Nordics,” says Perry Celia, vice president, global sales and service, QSC Pro Audio.

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USA - Last fall, Darkroom Creative enlisted Elation Smarty Hybrid moving heads on Walker Hayes' Glad You’re Here Tour as a multifunctional workhorse on the country star’s first headlining arena tour. Currently out on his follow-up Duck Buck Tour, the design firm has again turned to the compact moving head as the only hard-edged fixture in the rig.
“It met all the needs and continues to carry far more of a workload than you think a fixture of that size could accomplish,” stated Seth Jackson, partner at Darkroom Creative, of the CMY colour-mixing hybrid moving head. Darkroom Creative is again handling lighting design, set design, video production and content for the 2023 outing with lighting supply by Bandit Lites.
Limited in both crew and truck space on last fall’s tour, the set and lighting rig for Glad You’re Here was understandably restricted. Now, howe

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USA - The ESTA Control Protocols Plugfest, the event where manufacturers and developers test their lighting products for interoperability, is scheduled to take place from 5-8 October 2023 at the Marriott Dallas/Fort Worth in Westlake, Texas. This is the 19th instance of this informal testing laboratory. Attendance is free for both ESTA members and non-members.
In response to feedback from last year’s event, the Control Protocols Working Group (CPWG) and Plugfest organisers have announced that Plugfest 2023 will expand from three days to four days. The CPWG’s task group meeting schedule now provides additional time for evening Plugfest activities.
ESTA’s Plugfest is an opportunity to connect your lighting products with those of other manufacturers to test and resolve compatibility challenges. Attendees from around the world bring controllers, intelligent lights,

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UK - Tim Routledge, lighting designer for Eurovision Song Contest 2023, utilised a large complement of 194 x Claypaky Sharpy-X-Frames, 126 x Scenius Unicos, 40 x Hy B-EYE K25s, 12 x Sharpy Plus Aqua and 12 x ReflectXions to illuminate the set, whose embracing design had special significance this year.
The ESC took place in Liverpool after Ukraine, the winner of the 2022 contest, was unable to meet the demands of hosting the 2023 event. The three live shows, two semi-finals and the grand finale, were presented by British and Ukrainian hosts and featured 37 participating countries.
The stage design by New York set designer Julio Himede was based on “the principles of togetherness, celebration and community”, a sentiment with poignancy considering international solidarity with Ukraine. The stage was 450 sq.m and featured 220sq.m of independently rotating LED screens

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Italy - Following his success in the United States and Europe, Diodato, winner of the Sanremo Festival 2020, returns to Italy for a tour that will take him around Italian clubs for the whole of summer 2023. The singer-songwriter has already performed in famous clubs in Turin, Milan, Padua and Bologna, where his new single If You Want Me, the soundtrack to Diabolik - Ginko all'attack! was hugely successful.
The performances were illuminated by lighting designer Andrea ‘Bobo’ Amadei, who opted for 10 Ayrton Diablo S fixtures, six of which were positioned on vertical trusses as backlight and four positioned on the musicians' platforms.
“After a very interesting meeting in Molpass I was struck by Diablo’s optics and its internal effects and I decided to use them for the first time,” says Amadei.
“The concept of the tour was an imaginary gard

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Australia - Taking place from mid-February to early March, WorldPride is a global LGBTQIA+ festival that has been staged since 2000, with cities vying to be chosen as the host. Licensed by InterPride, this year's WorldPride took place in Sydney, making it the first-ever host city in the Southern Hemisphere.
The event showcased more than 200 celebrations of queerness and diversity on the world stage, which included the popular Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) events. A range of other festival events were also on offer including arts, sports, theatre, concerts, parties, and First Nations programming.
Notable performers such as Kylie Minogue, Kelly Rowland, MUNA, and Charli XCX graced the stage. Novatech Creative Event Technology, one of Australia's leading audio-visual production companies, supported the festival by providing an LED screen setup that was powere

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Australia - Located in Chippendale’s Central Park Mall, Fortress Sydney is a gamer’s haven. The expansive new site now holds the title of largest esports complex in the Southern Hemisphere, drawing crowds as a modern entertainment mecca. Housing a slew of colourful arcades, streaming booths, a themed tavern, sci-fi inspired bar, PC LAN lounge and a colossal custom-designed esports arena, Fortress Sydney has been designed from the ground up as the unparalleled capitol of the city’s gaming community.
Sponsored by high-end PC gaming titan Alienware, Fortress is by nature, a hub for the tech-savvy. Packed with a myriad of elite gaming PCs, peripherals and addressable lighting, the word ‘performance’ was on the lips of every supplier involved in the project. Faced with providing a loudspeaker solution befitting of such a technological pedigree, The Avit Group selected N

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UK - SLX has announced that applications are now open for its 2023/24 Lighting Programme. SLX’s Lighting Programme exists to nurture creativity, drive collaboration, build connections and break down the barriers that prevent new talent from entering into the industry.
Built upon SLX’s Student Bursary scheme, this programme provides hands-on training, exclusive workshops delivered by leading manufacturers and exposure to on-site client projects with industry professionals. Now in its fourth year, the Lighting Programme provides students with an even deeper understanding of the technical aspects around event lighting, production and operations.
As part of the programme, students also gain access to a like-minded community of professionals comprising this year's cohorts, and also established specialists from within the industry. With networking set as a key pillar of

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UAE - Expanding its reach into the Middle East, Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced GSL Professional as its newest distributor in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region as well as Egypt.
“We are thrilled about our partnership with EAW,” says Fouad Fowzi, CEO of GSL Professional. “EAW's combination of innovative design, strong customer relationships, ongoing product development and commitment to quality and performance will be key to its success in this highly competitive market. Together, we will continue to deliver exceptional sound solutions to our clients in the GCC region and Egypt.”
Further investing in EAW’s regional customers, GSL offers a dedicated service centre located in Dubai to support clients and ensure a satisfactory after-sales experience. The centre handles a variety of maintenance, repair and support services. Additional support c

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Columbia - Martin Audio has announced the appointment of Avcom Colombia as its new distributor for that territory. Negotiations with CEO, Camilo Aranguren, first began with Martin Audio - along with sister company Optimal Audio -at the ISE Show in Barcelona at the beginning of this year.
“We were already a partner of [Martin Audio parent company] Focusrite in Colombia, and know the technical advances Martin Audio has made,” stated Mr. Aranguren. “We have a strong position in the entertainment technology industry and knew the brand would be a perfect addition to our distribution portfolio."
The Avcom CEO comments: “Martin Audio is a ‘green field’ as far as Colombia is concerned. The brand is known but the opportunity to develop it is huge. The business model is beneficial for both parties.”
In particular, he predicts Wavefront Precision optimised li

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Australia - At Vivid Sydney 2023, visitors will be able to discover, a whole new way of experiencing immersive, super-sized light and animations with their own personalised cinematic quality audio’.
The Cinewav innovation, means spectators can fully appreciate the aural design of Vivid Sydney artworks from anywhere: on the water, from across the harbour, from the top of a building and more.
Cinewav is a patented technology that allows users to listen to a clear, crisp soundtrack on their smartphone in-sync with a public show.
For Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened 2023 by John Olsen and Curiious at Sydney Opera House, Fabio Nardo, creative director at creative technologist Curiious comments, “Curiious are always exploring new trends in immersive communications. Large-scale animations tend to be purely visual. Cinewav gives us even greater cre

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has expand its AV offering to include converters, rack mount modules and signal processors from Theatrixx Technologies.
While Theatrixx offers a wide range of products, DWR looks forward to selling and promoting its innovative and highly popular hardware based xPressCue media player, their video converters available as ruggedized standalone units or rack mountable modules, and of course working with Erik Guertin, the territory manager for Theatrixx Technologies.
“Given the importance of signal flow, we decided to bring in these units because of their stability, how robust they are, and because a lot relies on them,” commented Bruce Riley, who heads technical support and the workshop at DWR. “This is a very important piece of equipment and one often overlooked. It eliminates the need for unreliable IEC connectors and 12 Volt jack po

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UK - This year’s BRIT Awards featured performances from renowned artists such as Stormzy, Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi, Wet Leg, Sam Smith, and Kim Petras. Hosted by the comedian Mo Gilligan, the event's big winner was undoubtedly Harry Styles, who clinched four major awards, including the coveted Album of the Year, Pop/R&B Act, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year.
DiGiCo consoles, a regular fixture at the BRIT Awards, supplied by Britannia Row Productions (Brit Row) delivered reliability and audio quality, ensuring every performance was heard with crystal clarity.
Brit Row, a Clair Global-owned company was responsible for delivering a comprehensive audio package for the event. Under the direction of Brit Row director, Lez Dwight, and account executive Tom Brown, the team supplied an array of equipment, including a DiGiCo control package, RF management, and a crew

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Argentina - AV equipment supplier Macaio Argentina provided rental company Buenos Aires Live Show (BALS) with 42 Claypaky Scenius Unico and 48 Claypaky Sharpy Plus, which were deployed at the Masters of Rock 2023 heavy metal music festival held at Parque Roca in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 28 April.
Masters of Rock was headlined by KISS, Deep Purple, Scorpions and Helloween, with local act Horcas opening. As Masters of Rock is an international festival, the local adaptation was in the charge of LD Gaspar Potocnik, who was hired by the local production company Ake Music. The technical structure was provided by BALS.
“For this festival the lighting proposals were adapted by unifying the ceiling and stage while adapting to each act,” says Marco Alejandro Fressone from communications and marketing at Macaio. “KISS as the closing main band added their own ceiling pods

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Broadway Bounces Back - Broadway is making "a strong rebound", according to industry body the Broadway League, as it publishes figures that reveal 12.3m people attended shows in the first full year of data since the pandemic. This is 17% down on pre-pandemic levels. The Broadway League also said grosses for the 2022/23 season were $1.6bn and indicated that the figures compare favourably with pre-pandemic levels.
According to its data, the 2022/23 season included 1,474 playing weeks - the overall number of weeks of performance logged by all shows during the season - and 40 new productions.
In a statement explaining the data, the league said tourism was stronger but "not back to pre-pandemic levels", particularly in terms of international tourists for the 2022/23 season. "The season had fewer playing weeks and performances than in the (record-breaking) full seasons that

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Belgium - Run by four generations of the same family, bicycle shop Emrin has been in existence since 1908. Located in Flemish Brabant, the shop has a proud history of delivering exceptional customer service and remains passionate about matching the right bike to the right rider. This principle has seen the business thrive and grow to encompass every aspect of the cycling world, from sales and leasing to repair and maintenance, clothing, accessories and bike-fitting measurement.
Such is the popularity of the shop, that in 2022, Emrin took the decision to move to brand new premises. Designed by architects Mossoux Architecten, the new, high-tech, ultra-modern store has more than 700sqm of floor space and comprises a sales unit, mechanics unit, maintenance unit, high-end race bicycles unit, basement storage and offices.
The importance in a modern retail space, particularly

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Spain - With a career that spans three decades, and having topped the country’s national album chart nine times, Sergio Dalma is one of Spain’s best-selling recording artists. Last year saw him tour his latest album, Alegria (Joy), throughout Spain and South America. Spanish rental company Use Sonido supplied DiGiCo Quantum consoles at both the front of house and monitor positions, purchased from DiGiCo’s Spanish distributor, RMS Pro Audio.
“We started working with Sergio Dalma over 15 years ago,” says Use, Use Sonido’s owner. “We have worked on many tours with him, always using DiGiCo consoles at front of house, and more recently we have them at the monitor world, too.”
Originally, the company had SD7 and SD10 consoles in its inventory, which it relied on for many years, but recently decided to upgrade to an SD Quantum 7, adding the Quan
  1. Shure Axient captures Britain’s Got Talent
  2. Philadelphia’s Lotus blooms with Robe
  3. Gateway Theatre refurbished with JBL
  4. Alfalite appoints Vitech US for Latin America
  5. ARRI Rental opens Toronto office
  6. TDC celebrates the natural world at Vivid Sydney 2023
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