Installation

Details
UK - A new state-of-the-art, 600 seat auditorium at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall opened in October 2015 alongside the new Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) Centre. Both were designed by Glasgow City Council's in-house team of architects led by Kerr Robertson - also responsible for city projects such as the refurbishment of much lauded Glasgow City Halls - and world-renowned acoustic specialists ARUP.

The new auditorium at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall exhibits a number of design features implemented to optimise the acoustic qualities of the venue, for both rehearsal and performance situations. Fixed sound absorption is distributed throughout the hall, controlling excessive loudness whilst also reducing reverberance. The large scale (risers, ceiling and upper wall elements) and small scale (lower side walls) articulation throughout the hall scatters sound at different fre

Details
South Africa - A new auditorium, which will serve as both a theatre and meeting point for assemblies and award evenings, has been built at The American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ). Theatre consultant Denis Hutchinson was on board both architecturally and for the technical specifications.

On the theatre lighting side, DWR Distribution was responsible for the supply of all the cabling and the data network for the equipment which includes an MA Lighting dot2 console, Philips Strand Lighting 6 Pack dimmer, two Strand Relay Racks and 10 Robe Robin DLX Spots. Further, DWR's Rob Young and his team designed and installed a flying system, retractable seating for the Orchestra Pit and two hand operated curtain tracks.

Whilst in the United States on another project, Denis came across something that triggered the idea of making the theatre a completely LED lighting ins

Details
UK - The Rose Theatre Kingston in South West London has added to its rigging inventory four 1t Loadlink Plus units from Straightpoint, which were most recently used during installation of sets for a production of Shakespeare's King John.

The famous play, directed by Trevor Nunn, was performed during a three-week run at the theatre. It required an elaborate set that included a large raised floor with an automated lift, two 9m-high towers and three platforms connected via numerous staircases and walkways. Any remaining empty space between those towers and walkways was finished with wooden cladding. Elsewhere on set, two large sliders concealed a throne.

Wayne Parry, head of production at the Rose Theatre Kingston, explained that the load cells were used only for set installation, not during performances. He said: "Large steel sections were lifted using several motors

Details
UK - As part of their ongoing growth and expansion into new territories, international theatre consultancy practice, Theatreplan, has recently welcomed several new members to the team: practice manager for the London office, Wioletta Ziemba; compliance and training consultant, John Young; and Revit technicians, Paolo Ribichesu and Andrea Martin Gonzalez.

Wioletta Ziemba joined the team earlier this year to replace Paul Connolly who is now managing the Theatreplan's Hong Kong office. An experienced office manager and passionate about the performing arts, Ziemba is also a gifted linguist fluent in six languages. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail are much appreciated in the London office which is home to the biggest of Theatreplan's three teams.

"Keeping track of all the projects we have on the go at any one time and providing the necessary support to our consultants out

Details
Korea - Located in the heart of Seoul, South Korea's Dongshin Presbyterian Church recently installed Allen & Heath's dLive digital mixing system as part of the Church's developing digital-based AV system.

Dongshin Church celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, and the building was named as a 'Seoul Legacy for the Future' by the city in 2014.

Comprising a S5000 Control Surface and a DM48 MixRack, the new system replaces the incumbent GL3800 analogue mixer.

"The relationship between A&H and Dongshin Church started with the GL3800, and we also installed a Qu-32 in the Education Centre last year. Migrating from analogue to digital is a big step but we knew we could trust A&H products," said Seongyeon Won, who is in charge of A/V system at the church.

"We did evaluate other brands for the main FOH console but dLive won hands down on product specifications, such as th

Details
USA - Anyone wanting to take a look inside Al's Beach Club, doesn't have to try too hard. That's because for all practical purposes, this new live music venue has no 'inside'. The only club in Fort Walden Beach, Florida, located directly on the city's famed Emerald Coast beach, Al's is almost all open air, with no walls or barriers separating it from its surroundings.

This breezy configuration makes for good times, but it also creates a challenging environment for a lighting system. Aside from contending with wind and sand, any fixtures installed at this club have to stand up to the rain. (Averaging 69 inches of precipitation a year, Fort Walden is the rainiest city in Florida.).

Sohail e. Najafi and his team at Najafi Design Group (Los Angeles, Las Vegas) were well aware of this challenge, which is why they designed the lighting rig at Al's around a collection of IP-rated

Details
UK - Penn Elcom completed the design and installation of a wiring infrastructure for a new recording studio in Hastings, housed in an old Methodist Church building in the heart of the town. The studio is owned by Paul Godfrey, songwriter / producer and well known as creator of the popular trip hop trio, Morcheeba.

The installation entailed delivering all the multicores, cables, stage boxes, patch bays, wall racks plus associated metalwork, and was overseen by Penn's Leon Whipp who heads the company's specialist wiring division.

Every centimetre of space in the characterful building has been utilised meaningfully in the conversion to serve as a busy and proactive recording environment offering a large control room, main space and mezzanine floor chamber.

Cat 5 connectors have been used throughout. A 48-way line system from the control room connects the recording spaces

Details
USA - Universal Parks & Resorts has entered into a corporate partnership agreement with Christie, which will see Christie delivering the latest projection technologies to Universal Parks & Resorts as the official projection system provider. The agreement includes Universal Parks & Resorts' Theme Parks and CityWalk complexes throughout the United States.

As a Universal Parks & Resorts corporate partner, Christie will be the preferred partner for projectors ordered, purchased, and installed by Universal Parks & Resorts at all domestic controlled venues. Christie will also supply software and professional services in addition to projection technology to Universal Parks & Resorts, helping create customized projection solutions for future attractions.

"Universal Parks & Resorts continues to push the limits of technology and innovation, and Christie is honoured to have this long

Details
UAE - Zero Gravity, a popular beach club, bar and restaurant situated on the perimeter of Skydive Dubai, unveiled its much-anticipated 2,000sq.m expansion in March, including a 39m glass-fronted infinity swimming pool, 75sq.m multi-use stage and one of the world's first permanent installations of L-Acoustics' X Series, along with L-Acoustics K2 and ARCS Wide loudspeaker systems, which is part of an overall audio-visual system that uses the highest quality equipment currently available.

The expansion - which comprises of 50 sun loungers, 30 x 3m diameter day beds, changing facilities, bar and stage - represents a new instalment in the evolution of Dubai's most-talked-about beach-side spot. "Everything has been custom-made to ensure it fitted our very specific brief," says general manager Peter Skudutis. From top-of-the-range Spanish marble, to the 60cm x 60cm rain showers in ou

Details
Australia - The Adelaide Convention Centre has expanded its already impressive fleet of High End Systems consoles with the purchase of two Full Boar 4's and six Road Hog 4's, bringing their inventory to four Full Boar 4's and 10 Road Hog 4's in total.

The purchase is part of the plan for the anticipated mid-2017 opening of their new Plenary Building, a multi-purpose venue built on the site of the original 1987 Convention Centre, with a capacity of up to 3,500 seats. Local production and installation company AJS were selected to fulfil this government tender, and have developed a close working relationship with the ACC.

"This was all part of the Convention Centre's tender process for stock replenishment and the new Plenary Building," relates AJS's Luke Hattam. "We contacted Australian High End Systems distributor Lexair Entertainment for guidance. We were successful in our

Details
USA - The latest addition to the Hakkasan Group, JEWEL Nightclub inside ARIA Resort & Casino, has raised the Las Vegas entertainment bar once again, with an interactive lighting design controlled by a custom Avolites system of integrated control desks and Ai media servers.

JEWEL opened in May with a superstar-studded launch hosted by Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, hip-hop heavyweight Drake, electro turntable stars The Chainsmokers and reality television sensation Kourtney Kardashian. To reinforce the luxury party vibe, Hakkasan Group commissioned international sound, lighting and visual design company AudioTek to "push the boundaries of technology" and create the ultimate nightclub environment for Sin City's elite.

The result is a high-impact, multi-sourced display based around the DJ's moving back wall of Ayrton Dream Panels, with both video and DMX surfaces, and Magic Dot fixt

Details
USA - A recent building makeover for Ride Along 2 turned the second-floor rotunda of Georgia's historic and stately capital building into an edgy Miami nightclub, complete with a well-stocked bar, chic guests, VIP sofas and lavish mood lighting, provided by Freedom Par Quad-5 fixtures from Chauvet DJ.

"You would have had a hard time recognizing the rotunda if you saw it during filming; the transformation was amazing," said Noah Hammer, owner of Full Circle Lighting & Productions (Atlanta), which supplied the club lighting for the Ice Cube and Kevin Hart comedy. "The colourizing that was done with the Freedom Par Quad-5s was instrumental in creating the scene."

Hammer, who has supplied lighting for numerous movie and TV projects, got involved in Ride Along 2 after receiving a phone call from the film's gaffer. "We're known for the work we've done on film, so w

Details
USA - In 2008, when the Iowa River flooded and destroyed Hancher Auditorium and 12 other buildings at the University of Iowa, the loss to the community was far greater than the physical loss of those structures.

Hancher Auditorium was one of the most popular venues for touring groups in the region, and the flood forced the student and traveling groups that normally used the venue to move into nearby facilities.

But this week, with the grand opening of the new Hancher Auditorium, the University of Iowa and the people of Iowa City once again have a magnetic cultural centre to call their own.

Only months after the flood, Theatre Projects began working with the university to determine how they would recover, rebuild, and move forward - not only regarding the 40-plus-year-old Hancher Auditorium, but also the Voxman School of Music and Clapp Recital Hall, which were attached

Details
Denmark - Fermaten is a busy community-based live music and performance venue in Herning, central Denmark, which has a lively entertainment programme encompassing around 140 shows a year and a capacity of 700 - expanded from 500 eight years ago following extensive refurbishment.

The venue has been running for 26 years and recently invested in new Robe moving lights, with four DLS Profiles, eight DL4X Spots, and 16 x LEDBeam 100s, all supplied by Robe's Danish distributor, Light Partner.

Currently one of the top music venues in the country for technical production, Fermaten has also built a reputation as a training ground and inspirational stepping-stone for future industry professionals.

Technical manager Daniel Friis specified the Robe kit together with Light Partner's technical sales specialist Johan Kvartborg, himself an ex-Fermaten volunteer. Dan and venue manager

Details
USA - Describing itself as "a real-life community on the move," Old Fort Church, Old Fort, OH completed its new building in time for Easter services in 2016. The church's 300-seat worship centre features modern video and lighting systems and a high-performance audio system with Community I Series loudspeakers.

Old Fort Church holds two worship services each Sunday. The first is a "blended experience" with a mix of traditional and contemporary worship styles. The second is a "modern experience" featuring videos and contemporary Christian music led by a praise band.

According to worship arts leader Mike Sooy, music plays a very important part in both services, and great sound was therefore a priority for the new facility. "We wanted to take things to the next level," he said. Sooy also emphasized the importance of speech clarity. "If they can't hear the message," he continue

Details
Canada - The landmark stores of leading home furnishings retailer IKEA are located in more than 50 countries worldwide. In Canada, IKEA has 12 stores which are visited by over 25m people every year. The company has just completed a new Distribution Centre warehouse in Mississauga, Ontario to fulfill customer orders from its four Toronto area stores as well as e-commerce purchases. The new facility will also support the growth plans for IKEA Canada in new and existing markets.

At 397,000sq.ft, the Distribution Centre presented an interesting acoustic challenge for the paging system, which covers both warehousing and offices. Now complete, the system was designed by Don Friesen of Stantec and installed by Genesis Integration.

Stantec chose Community R SeriesS to meet its criteria for a robust loudspeaker that could be implemented both indoors and out, providing high intellig

Details
USA - New for AES 2016, Rupert Neve Designs has announced the Shelford Channel.

The Shelford Channel is built around Rupert Neve's first new transformer-gain, class A mic preamp in over 40 years. This new preamp design is complemented by the "best-of-the-classics" 1073- and 1064-inspired inductor EQ section from Rupert Neve Designs' existing Shelford 5051 and 5052 modules, a bold and powerful new diode bridge compressor inspired by the 2254 with additional functionality, a new dual-tap transformer output with high- and low-headroom outputs, variable Silk/Texture transformer saturation, and twice the operating voltage of Rupert Neve's vintage modules.

Says the company, "For decades, Rupert has often been asked to create a new design based around the same mic pre, EQ and compressor technologies that comprised his classic console modules. With the Shelford Channel, he and his

Details
Serious Impacts - Theatre figures have condemned the "catastrophic" reduction of arts education in schools, claiming it is having serious impacts on the diversity of the theatre industry. Curve artistic director Nikolai Foster led criticisms of the shrinking emphasis on creative education, claiming that "pathways" in place several decades ago have now disappeared. "Twenty-five or 30 years ago . . . in schools there were teachers who were encouraged, because of a curriculum, to share these great plays, these great stories. There were drama clubs, dance classes. Drama GCSEs and A Levels, theatre studies - these were subjects that the teachers were able to teach freely and speak about passionately, and have value for the students," Foster said. He was speaking as part of a panel on training opportunities at a diversity conference held in Leicester, at Curve. Foster continued, "It s

Details
UK - Pearce Hire has confirmed that it will be participating at The Showman's Show, taking place at Newbury Showground on 19-20 October.

This follows a week after Pearce Hire's participation at the first Production Futures event, a collaboration between TPI Magazine and Production Park where the event took place.

"Production Futures and the TPI Breakthrough Talent Awards provided an excellent platform to engage with the next generation of technicians and designers for our industry. And we were delighted to have met some students who would be suitable candidates for our intern programme," observes Shaun Pearce, MD Pearce Hire.

"But obviously equally important is nurturing our existing business and making sure we continue to deliver for our current client base, whilst engaging with any new business opportunities for next year. That is what Showman's Show offers us - the

Details
UK - A LED lighting installation - specified and undertaken by Penn Elcom - is saving the White Rock Theatre in Hastings approximately 75 per cent on electricity requirements, plus a further 70 per cent on maintenance costs per year compared to the previous lighting scheme.

The seafront located theatre, a historically significant cultural landmark in the East Sussex region with origins dating back to 1927, is a busy receiving house owned by Hastings Borough Council with the day to day running and management undertaken by HQ Theatres & Hospitality, offering a diverse programme of touring shows embracing many performance genres, including opera, ballet, musicals, comedy and children's shows. The main auditorium capacity is 1066 (referring to the Battle of Hastings!).

A building wide upgrade to LED lighting has been taking place over the last 18 months explained Adam Harkin,

Details
UK - With lighting effects a key part of the drama at any theatre production, Hager's Klik lighting control module (LCM) is ensuring the show does go on at a busy theatre at the Aberdeen City Campus, part of the North East Scotland College.

It was chosen thanks to its ease of installation, flexible use, reliability and cost effectiveness and is now providing enhanced lighting control for both the theatre users and onsite lighting maintenance staff.

With the incumbent lighting control system at the theatre proving increasingly problematic and costly to maintain and repair, the contracted lighting maintenance team led by Daniel Strachan at Mitie, decided to seek out an alternative lighting control solution. Following discussions with electrical wholesaler, Edmundson Electrical, and further liaison with experts at Hager, a suitable LCM answer was identified; one which could b

Details
Argentina - Argentina's national theatre Cervantes National Theatre (also known as National Theatre of Buenos Aires) has recently invested in a grandMA2 ultra-light. Declared a National Historic Monument in 1995, the theatre is located on C

Details
UK - A.C. Special Projects Ltd. (ACSP) has supplied and installed a bespoke entertainment technology system to Reach Academy Feltham - a pioneering, all-through free school for pupils aged four to 18 in Hounslow, west London.

The school approached ACSP with a brief for a fully flexible lighting, video and sound system for its main hall - which is used for a wide array of events, including plays, dance shows, presentations, social functions and workshops. The system had to be user-friendly and intuitive, so that teaching staff and pupils could work it with ease.

In practice, ACSP managed the entire project. As well as devising a bespoke technical solution, the company supplied and installed it - subsequently providing training for school staff and ongoing technical support.

ACSP Director, Lance Bromhead felt that the high-performance ProLights lighting range would offer

Details
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

  1. A Dream Come True
  2. Royal Court Rebuild
  3. Maltbury Completes Refurb
  4. The Cross, London
  5. New Remaster Suite for Abbey Road
  6. Ethos At Royal Opera House
Page 68 of 198

Latest Issue. . .