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UK - Theatres Trust has announced an Urgent Repairs Scheme, a new fund set up in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation. Theatres in need of immediate repair and maintenance, and which could otherwise face closure, will be able to apply for grants of up to £15,000.

The scheme is open to all theatres operating a year-round programme of live performance. Theatres that are not statutory listed will need to demonstrate the architectural significance of their building. Two funding rounds will take place in 2017, closing on 15 March and on 16 September.

Interim director at Theatres Trust, Rebecca Morland says, "Over the last few years we have become increasingly aware of the challenges facing theatres in terms of maintenance and repair. When budgets are tight, theatres often find it difficult to prioritise adequate spending on repairs and this leaves them vulnerable to un

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Trumped - Sir Elton John will not perform at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, a spokeswoman for the singer has said. Anthony Scaramucci, a member of Trump's transition team, had told BBC HARDtalk that Sir Elton would perform in Washington DC in January. "Elton John is going to be doing our concert on the mall for the inauguration," Mr Scaramucci said. But this was "categorically denied" by Sir Elton's representative in London. "There is no truth in this at all," she told BBC News.

During the election campaign, Sir Elton had expressed support for Mr Trump's opponent, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Performing at a fundraising event for Mrs Clinton in Los Angeles in October, he was reported to have told the crowd, "We need a humanitarian in the White House, not a barbarian."

Mr Trump had used Sir Elton's songs Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer -

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UK - EnTEEtainment's Dick Tee received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Festivals at the UK Festival Awards, London, 28 November 2016.

Over 600 festival professionals headed to The Roundhouse to celebrate the hard work, vision and creativity of the UK festival industry in an award ceremony hosted by DJ and music journalist, Mary Anne Hobbs. Dick Tee was honoured with

The Outstanding Contribution Award which was presented to him by Greenpeace's Bob Wilson, Dick's first client, who said, "This award recognises Dick's consistent high levels of production management across a career spanning three and a half decades in the live events industry. Anyone who has worked with him will recognise he has never been one to rest on his laurels. By always striving for new and better ways to do things, Dick has been bold in introducing a variety of production innovations which hav

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced the appointment of Annalise Hodgson who will lend a helping hand to Duncan Riley as a much-needed assistant.

Annalise previously worked at sound company Tadco before joining Christie Digital Systems as office manager. Her joined DWR Distribution at the start of December. "It's a great team and I will find my feet, once I've done the filing," she says. "I am so excited to be here."

Duncan Riley adds, "It's an honour and a privilege to have Annalise as part of our team. I wish her many happy years. I'm hoping that her input will mean I can spend more time with my family."

(Jim Evans)

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Diplomatic Spat - South Korean pop stars appear to have become pawns in an escalating diplomatic spat between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of an American missile defence system.

Entertainers from the colourful Korean music scene, K-pop, have been mysteriously barred from entering China to perform, Korean TV shows and films have been blocked, and actors replaced by Chinese stars in advertising campaigns, say local press reports.

Wembley Bound - Adele has added two further dates at Wembley Stadium next year, after the initial concerts sold out. Dubbed The Finale, the four shows will see her play to more than 300,000 fans as she wraps up her world tour. The new shows will be on 28 June and 2 July, 2017, with tickets on sale from 7 December to members of her fan club.

Take That hold the record for playing the most dates at Wembley, having staged eight night

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South Africa - DWR is setting up a charity organization aimed at freelancers. When freelancers fall ill, injure themselves or sometimes even pass away, it puts their family under immense pressure.

This charity will hopefully help a few people, on a merit basis, with basic assistance. This can either be in the form of helping to pay for school fees for a few months, maybe cover the rent, or providing grocery hampers. Each case will be submitted to the charity where a board will decide who we can assist and how.

Says DWR, "At the end of each year, DWR Distribution usually take pleasure in giving our clients gifts. This year, instead, we will use the money we would have used to buy presents to kick start the charity. It's something we believe will make a difference to someone who may find themselves in trouble when times are low. DWR will initiate the charity by donating R150

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UK / Australia - Power distribution specialist, ide Systems, is branching out to Australia with its range of British-made power distribution equipment. The equipment includes distribution units, transfer switches and power cables for sectors that need temporary power such as events and exhibitions, construction, healthcare, industrial and offshore.

The company started the expansion with its recent delivery of an Australian order for a range of bespoke 400A power distribution boards. Ide Systems responded with the prompt delivery of the customised product. The client chose ide Systems specifically because of its high-quality products made in Britain and its reputation across the UK.

The company has adapted many of its electrical products destined for the Australian market, such as using the red, white, dark blue and black colours for power cable insulation. With 22 year

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PSL Power Amplification has had to move to larger premises to accommodate the growing demand for the ever popular KA range of professional power amplification. PSL sales can be contacted from the following address: Unit15, Kingswood House, South Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 8JF.

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Earlier this year, PLASA was involved with the making of a BBC Radio 4 documentary series, covering the development of theatre technology from the earliest days to the present. PLASA's managing director, Matthew Griffiths, took part in interviews with the research team, excerpts from which are used in the series. The first episode was broadcast on Tuesday 21st September from 11.30am - 12.00pm, and the eight-part series will continue at the same time each week.

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Leisuretec, distributor of professional sound, lighting and special effects, has published its latest brochure - the listings 2000. The publication includes its unique product/brand cross reference pages along with pricing on the massive product range that it distributes to dealers and installers in the UK worldwide. For a copy call 01525 850085.

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Confirming its position as the world's leading entertainment and leisure technology exhibition, this year's PLASA show had 13,574 visitors (subject to ABC audit). Of this total, nearly a quarter were from overseas. Exhibitors at the show were in a buoyant mood, noting an increase in actual sales during the four-day event with an improved power to buy among visitors. The PLASA show saw the highest ever number of exhibitors bringing the latest innovative products to be launched by the industry.New innovations included feature areas highlighting the expanding market for architectural lighting in a like for like comparison and a new style of display equipment area (sponsored by AV Magazine) which allowed the visitor to compare product in a realistic environment.Also new was the introduction of training workshops, and an expanded seminar and conference programme, which were all a great succes

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Three of the industry's leading event management companies have just announced that they are to merge. Business Pursuits Event Management, The Ultimate Experience and Richard Groves Catering and Events have been in discussions for the last six months with a view to integrating their operations to form a new £10m plus turnover group that will be uniquely positioned in the UK events market.

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3D Productions, the Leeds based company specialising in Lighting Sound and Staging has just taken delivery of six Starlite Mk 5s purchased from Lane Lighting. The units went out immediately on 'Classical Fantasia at the Abbey' an outdoor classical spectacular at Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds with the Northern Ballet Concert Orchestra. On their return they will be used at Harrogate Theatre in ' Jack to a King ' by LD Paul Collie.

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Neville Druce, founding director of Audio Engineering, the London-based manufacturer of Micron radio microphone and communication has died following a long illness. His expertise in broadcast research and development resulted in the original Micron radio microphone, produced in the early 1970s, and he was responsible for a major part of the company's subsequent product designs, including contributions to the recently-launched 100-channel 700 Series.

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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has worked with organisations across the music and events industry to update its guidance on health and safety at pop concerts and other similar events. The Event Safety Guide - A guide to health, safety and welfare at music and similar events (which replaces the Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Pop Concerts and similar events) is aimed at organisers of everything from major outdoor festivals with thousands of visitors to local concerts for just a few hundred people. The main changes cover more advice on the planning and management, and the guide also outlines how to carry out a risk assessment.

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Metallica will be performing in Berlin on the 18th/19th of November. Appearing with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the LD will be John Broderick. The Nine Inch Nails have just announced a five week tour - rehearsals commence late Oct for two weeks, then they're out from the 10th Nov. Roy Bennett designs, Gary Westcott operates. Despite reports in National newspapers that she's having trouble with her voice, Whitney Houston has extended her current tour of Europe until 11th Nov. LSD provide all bar moving lights. Simon Miles designs, Telson James operates. Bryan Adams has also extended due to overwhelming demand. The tour now runs until 10th December. The Pet Shop Boys will open their latest tour in the US at the start of November. Their first in over four years, they have once again employed an architect Zaha Hadid (a female with a reputation to rival Sir Richard Rogers) to design the. L

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Leicestershire-based Hawthorn Theatrical has supplied lighting, sound and projection equipment for a major production which marks the start of a Millennium celebration of 1,000 years of village life. The show, which involves 200 local villagers including a cast of 70, has been two years in the making and has been playing to packed audiences at St. Mary's Church, Goudhurst, Kent. Lighting designer Nick Gale used a mixture of MAC 500s and 600s for Gaudeamus!, along with StageScans, to complement the generic rig which included Selecon's pacific luminaires. One of Hawthorn's Avolites Pearl consoles was used to control the show's 200+ cues. Also supplied was a Martin Audio Wavefront sound system and Denon MiniDisc machines, overseen by an Allen & Heath mixer front-of-house.

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Following a record sales year for BSS Audio, the company is moving from their Linkside House premises in Potters Bar to the neigbouring Cranborne House. While the company's production facilities are already located at Cranborne House, the R&D sales, marketing and administration departments are relocating to the more spacious premises with immediate effect.The company's new address is Cranborne House, Cranborne Road, Cranborne Industrial Estate, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3JN, UK.

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DJ equipment manufacturer Entertainment Technology, part of the Leaf Group, is moving to new premises. By 1st December the company's offices, warehousing and R&D will be situated under one roof at Unit 21, Warner Drive, Springwood Industrial Estate, Braintree, Essex, CM7 2YW, UK.

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Cyril Griffiths died after a short illness on September 30th. He will be known to many in the industry having spent 42 years in the business, starting in 1948 at the Phoenix Theatre, later going on to work as group engineer and subsequently technical director for 13 Stoll Moss Theatres. He also established TSL - one of the key suppliers of lighting and sound equipment to the West End which was bought by the White Light Group in 1991. The funeral takes place on Friday 8th October at Putney Vale Crematorium, London.

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The APRS will act as a sponsor of the Joint Venture with British Trade International for the 108th AES Convention (19-22 February 2000) in Paris. UK exhibitors receive 60% of their space and construction expenses up to a ceiling of £2,300 and are eligible to exhibit with Government funding at AES Europe events twice within any given ten-year period, irrespective of where the exhibition is held. In addition to the Government funding, companies that have never exhibited previously on a UK delegation will receive a complimentary research package from British Trade International giving special pointers as to where to find export-related help, advice and information which should assist with their exporting efforts to the whole of Europe.

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Expansion has forced amplification specialist, C Audio, to vacate its Potters Bar premises at Linkside House in favour of larger capacity at Cranborne House situated opposite on the Cranborne Industrial Estate. While production has been taking place at the larger building for some time, C Audio will now streamline its R&D, sales, marketing and administration departments in the one building with immediate effect. The new address for C Audio is: Cranborne House, Cranborne Road, Cranborne Industrial Estate, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3JN. Tel: (01707) 643643.

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PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association) has introduced two valuable new Membership Services. The first new service, a Business Support Helpline, offers PLASA's UK members useful and relevant advice on a range of topics (including tax and PAYE, VAT, Employment Law, Company and Contract Law, Copyright and Patents, Debt and Debt Recovery) by advisors who are all widely experienced in their respective fields. This helpline will initially be completely free to members of the association, who will have unlimited access to the service.Also new is PLASA's Business Reporting Service: PLASA has negotiated an extremely competitive rate for business risk evaluation reports through Dun & Bradstreet, a company with 150 years of experience in analysing and assessing credit risks. This service is available to all PLASA members.

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Vari-Lite International is embarking on what it describes as "an inventory consolidation strategy". According to a recent statement issued by the company, the Dallas and Atlanta offices are to close and product and personnel from these is to be relocated to other offices within the VLPS regional network. The statement doesn't give any indication of timing, but it is anticipated that the offices will close shortly.
  1. Aids Support
  2. Business as Usual
  3. BBC Work Experience for LIPA Students
  4. GES Exposition Services Teams up with PRG
  5. Best Band on the Net
  6. Internet 2000 Business Conference
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