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14 March 2016

Jelf Insurance Brokers are part of Jelf ,an independent consultancy that supports both businesses and individuals, giving expert advice on insurance, healthcare, employee benefits and financial planning. Jelf is launching a bespoke insurance package for ABTT Members at the Theatre Show and it represents their first move into the theatre and entertainment sector.

"We're delighted to be able to show our support of the ABTT by sponsoring the 2011 Awards," comments Andy Tedstone, partnerships director (Insurance) at Jelf. "It is the ideal showcase for us to launch our insurance package to ABTT members, which is specially tailored to meet the needs of professionals working in the theatre business. We are also honoured to be part of an Awards scheme that celebr

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14 March 2016

Handling production design for the tour is Rob Sinclair who has created a minimalistic, elegant design that reflects the feel and emotion of the singer herself.

The set is dominated by a series of warm lampshades with Martin Professional MAC 101 washes used as backdrop lighting and Martin MAC 700 Profiles rigged overhead.

Sinclair, who uses the lighting more for mood and performer lighting than effect, says the MAC 101s have performed and held up "really well" and that he chose the compact moving heads for their small size and bright output in an affordable package.

Lighting supply for the spring European leg of the Adele 21 tour was by UK company Neg Earth while Upstaging is handling the North America

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14 March 2016

Swedish distributors Arva Trading AB welcomed many visitors to their stand at the Stockholm Exhibition and Congress Centre and Optocore was well represented right across its product range.

"Optocore is well known in Sweden among pro audio users and has an extremely good reputation," stated Peter Beckman, the company's PA/Live and installation specialist. "We have been representing the brand for a year and this was our first opportunity to really test the market at a trade fair."

Arva Trading received an unexpected boost when theatrical sound engineer, Aaron Beck, assistant head of sound for the latest Cirque du Soleil production in Las Vegas, Viva ELVIS, presented

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14 March 2016

The recording studio itself centres around a 24-channel Audient ASP8024-CS console, complete with Digidesign Command 8 and Protools 9 HD. Designed and installed by Audient's local distributor, Reflexion Arts the high-end equipment list also includes a comprehensive selection of quality microphones and outboard gear.

Sergio Castro, of Reflexion Arts comments, "The Audient desk fits into this set-up perfectly. We have every confidence that its solid, professional appearance along with Audient's well-known sonic clarity will serve VigoSónico very well for many years."

Already attracting the attention of local young artists, the Vigo

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14 March 2016

In its box office data report, the SOLT states that "the big driver" behind business in 2010 was major name actors in plays. They included Knightley and Damian Lewis in The Misanthrope, as well as Sex and the City actress Kim Cattrall and Matthew M

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14 March 2016

"I've been programming on a Maxxyz since 2006 and made the transition over to the M1 on this tour. The M1 is noticeably faster than its predecessor," says Skowron.

"The bulk of my work is overseas, so I'm constantly repatching and cloning shows to accommodate local gear, so for the console to execute these tasks in a timely fashion means hours saved reproducing the show.

"One of its greatest benefits is its size. To have all the capability of a full size console in such a small footprint, and to be able to check it as luggage and travel with it around the world is priceless. I

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14 March 2016

Garsington Opera has moved to the estate of Wormsley in the Chiltern Hills, home of the Getty family, after 22 years at Garsington Manor. Wormsley is located on the Oxfordshire - Buckinghamshire border in a parkland setting of approximately 2,500 acres.

Garsington Opera instructed architect Robin Snell and, following a competitive tendering process, appointed Unusual Rigging, as main contractor, to manage this design and build project, including fabrication and construction of the pavilion. At the end of the opera season, the pavilion will be dismantled and loaded by crane onto some 40 trucks to be taken away for storage, ready for return next year.

Lifted above the ground to give an appearance of 'f

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14 March 2016

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is an arts and crafts festival held each spring at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Originally held for nine days across two weekends, it is now held only one weekend during early April, when the native dogwoods are in bloom.

The Dogwood Festival 2011 was celebrating its 75th years anniversary in the beautiful surroundings of Piedmont Park. With several stages with continuously performances the festival gives many upcoming artists and talents the opportunity to play their music to a wider audience.

On the festival there were performances by Charlie Wayne Watson, Arena Sound, Off the Grid, Frets on Fire, OGYA World Music

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14 March 2016

"Abacus Rentals are a growing rental firm and this latest purchase will take them to new heights," commented Dino Drimakis, business development manager at Melody House. "With this second ConTour Array system in the UAE, HK Audio is gradually building a strong reputation in the live sound market."

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

The Atherton-based lighting specialist was today announced as a finalist in the Existing Performance Improvement category. The winner will be announced at a gala dinner at The Hilton, Manchester, on 23 June 2011.

The awards, now in their second year, are the brainchild of the world-class Energy Innovation Centre, and celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations flying the flag for energy innovation and sustainability.

Entries were received from across the UK and as far afield as Eastern Europe, from a wide range of organisations including start-ups, research centres and multinational organisations.

MHA Lighting managing director Tom Harrison said, "Innovation is paramount to tackling national and global energy dema

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14 March 2016

Currently in its twelfth year, the series of concerts was televised by Kuwaiti TV Network Al-Watan over the course of several nights, starting 3 February 2011.

Once again, ACT Lighting Design of Brussels, Belgium were invited to design the production and given responsibility for the set design, lighting design, and video content. The challenge was how to raise the bar set high from the previous year. ACT principal Koert Vermeulen took on the role of lighting and production designer working alongside ACT set designer Marcos Vinals.

The team proposed a striking design dominated by concentric rings of video arranged in stacks across the stag

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14 March 2016

Part of the Mono brand set up in 1996 by Daniel Kushner, these ranges were secured by DAC's Damon Crisp, who jumped at the chance to acquire the EFX series, including a "really funky and superbly made DJ Controller bag range allowing the user to carry his laptop and DJ Controller in style to his gigs."

In addition to the 365 DJ Pack, the series also includes The Flyby, The Kondensor, The Producer and the Fader.

Damon Crisp comments, "These products use rugged industrial materials with smart details. From musicians and DJ's on tour to business professionals, these products have been clearly thought out, with smart storage areas.

"The 365 DJ backpack in particular, is built for DJ's who are constantly in transition. MONO ha

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14 March 2016

"When I started using them I was blown away by the light output they had and amazed by their physical size and weight," Aue comments. "The low power consumption and the easy cabling due to PowerCon outlets were the final argument to bring them on a small club tour with a low budget and limited transport capabilities."

Aue, who also serves as lighting op for part of the band's Modern Ruin tour that has the band touring Europe throughout the year, is using 24 of the compact wash lights, which he transports in a single Sprinter van. Lighting supply is by Ambion GmbH.

"This is by far the smallest lamp I had on the tour when it c

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14 March 2016

"2010 was a huge success for Barix," said Johannes G. Rietschel, CEO and founder of Barix AG. "We passed a major sales milestone and experienced a substantial revenue increase. Barix contributed more than 1,200 devices to the largest Audio over IP project for live sound ever at a sports event in India, while securing key customer wins in security, transportation, healthcare and other markets."

Barix supplied the 1,200-plus Audio over IP devices for the Commonwealth Games in India last summer, handling IP contribution from all the venues to the control room; and distribution to a large number of broadcast studios. The company also continued to develop technology and business part

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14 March 2016

Blue Microphones has grown to become a major international force in microphone manufacturing, with a product range that now encompasses studio, live, USB and iPod mics.

"In HHB, we've found a partner that shares our vision of providing the highest quality microphones to those with a passion for uncompromised sound," comments Blue VP of sales Dino Virella. "Blue Microphones is excited to expand our availability through the efforts of HHB Canada President Dave Dysart and his team who have a solid track record in supporting audio professionals and recording musicians in Canada."

Located in Toronto, Ontario, HHB Canada was formed in 1997 and is exclusive Canadian distributor for a range of audio technology innovators inc

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14 March 2016

Staged by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and WOMAD, the multi-cultural festival is unusual among international events in being staged in two separate locations. Three stages grace the Abu Dhabi Corniche beach's white sands, while the historic Al Jahili Fort in the desert town of Al Ain provides a picturesque setting for two further stages. In all the festival attracted some 22,000 people a day, a total of 80,000 over the weekend.

Artists included Paloma Faith (United Kingdom), Baaba Maal (Senegal), Toumani Diabaté (Mali), Tarab Al Emarat (United Arab Emirates), Hindi Zahra (France/Morocco), El Tanbura (Egypt), Jimmy Cliff (

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14 March 2016

So far this year, £74,360,207 has been raised, proving that even in a recession, people can still find it in themselves to dig deep and do their bit for others.

Richard Martin Lighting (RML) showed its support by supplying lighting equipment for the Red Nose Day event, which was filmed live at BBC Television Centre (TVC). The show was themed with a bright new bubble-themed set, and once again lighting designer Chris Kempton (and his trusted team) were invited back to design the lighting. Bill Peachment assisted as moving light operator.

Consisting of over 200 lights, a substantial lighting rig illuminated the various stages and catwalks used by the show hosts t

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14 March 2016

Founded in 2001, SoundCrew Live Production provides sound equipment and engineering for small concerts, corporate events, amateur musicals and school functions. When it comes to events such as church concerts and school musicals, where minimum volume on stage is crucial, SoundCrew has come to rely on Aviom, as the company's A-16II Personal Mixers help get a clean front of house mix and keep productions running smoothly by providing users with custom monitor mixes.

"We selected the Aviom equipment because of its low- to no-latency and availability in the Danish professional audio rental market, thanks to Moto Audio Sales,"

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14 March 2016

The new K1 system, which raises BBM's inventory of L-Acoustics cabinets to more than 700, will be busy from May until September on major tours with Sade and Rammstein across Europe as well as North and South America, and will remain in the US for further shows. In the meantime, BBM's original K1 system, purchased in 2009 and the first in Germany, will be used for a Herbert Grönemeyer tour as well as the Hurricane/Southside festivals.

"K1 enjoys a high level of demand and market acceptance, and we were receiving more bookings than we could fulfill," says BBM technician and K System Engineer (KSE) Ulf Oeckel. "K1 is the best full range system on the market, inst

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14 March 2016

"This is a very exciting development" said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of sales and marketing. "We are grateful to PRG Europe Distribution (PRGED) for their years of dedicated service as our European master distributor. We look forward to taking full control of these relationships in order to further solidify the strength of the Philips Vari-Lite brand and significantly grow sales within the greater European market."

In order to

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14 March 2016

Outdoor RGB LED fixtures were chosen by lighting designer Reinhard Traxler to put a splash of colour on an outdoor reflection pond that is centrally located in, and the visual focus of, the area. ArcSouce RGBW LED fixtures from Robe were used to paint the facade of the building in a warm welcoming tone and to highlight the ORF logo and other decorative elements used in the show.

The lighting fixtures are all located on the outside of the building and the control of the fixtures is located inside the building and co

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14 March 2016

Liberty is an audio/visual (AV) supplier of solutions-based products ranging from bulk wire and cable to equipment enclosures and mounts to power distribution products and more.

"Intelix has built a fine reputation among AV professionals over the last decade," John Dace, who leads the Liberty operation within WESCO, remarked following news of the WESCO acquisition. "The company will enable the analogue-to-

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14 March 2016

Managing director Paul Hutton comments, "We have been looking to relocate back to Manchester for some time, and with our lease at the Oldham facility coming to an end, this has proved to be the ideal opportunity. Blitz is proud to be the sole onsite supplier of AV services at Manchester Central, a preferred supplier at The Point (Lancashire County Cricket Club) and Event City. This new location will position us within minutes of all these prestigious venues."

The full address of the new Manchester office is: Blitz Communications Ltd, 5 Littler's Point, Second Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1LT. Telephone: 0161 855 2790.

(Jim Evans)

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14 March 2016

SFL Group chose the system because, according to technical director Mark Payne, "It presents a significant saving for the customer as the boxes don't have fixed touring rigging, which isn't necessary in a fixed installation. As an installation product it looks really neat; I'm very pleased with it and so is the customer, it sounds absolutely phenomenal.

"Being a bi-amped product, KARAi works really well for this installation because it has loads of high frequency headroom, so even when the box is pushed hard it maintains a high degree of clarity. Jesus House is within the contemporary worship/gospel tradition, so their music i