Lighting

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UK - Robe moving lights took centre stage at the Sundial Theatre at Cirencester College for an ambitious production of Homer's Odyssey, with an innovative lighting and set design by Sundial's technical manager, Andy Webb.

The performance was the end of year production by the Sundial Youth Theatre, and featured a cast of 28 students attending various different courses at the college. It was directed by Adam Fotheringham.

Homer's intense story of the Journey Of Odysseus saw the Sundial Theatre configured into a minimalist stage design. A floor level thrust came out from the centre of the main stage with seats encircling it at 270 degrees, creating an extremely intimate performance area with the performers right in the audience.

The theatre's permanent stage, a set of steps built onto the front of it and the floor level thrust area were all painted in cream. The clearly

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USA - Wybron, Inc. today announced the appointment of Larry Turner as chief executive officer. Turner brings with him more than 25 years of high-technology business experience with companies that include Bell & Howell and Canon.

"Larry has extensive experience successfully building customer-focused teams in fast-paced, highly competitive markets," said Keny Whitright, president and founder of Wybron, Inc. "His marketing and business development experience along with his technology background will be instrumental in building the Wybron brand and developing product solutions. We look forward to drawing on Larry's expertise to continue to deliver innovative lighting systems to our customers."

Turner comes to Wybron from BancTec, a $350 million corporation focused on business process outsourcing and professional services. Turner was responsible for running a $1

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UK - PRG Europe worked with various other PLASA members to provide equipment for Vibes from the Vines, a music festival held in East Sussex in aid of Cancer Research UK on 12 August.

Lighting&Sound International's technical editor James Eade was asked to take care of lighting, and contacted his friends at PRG Europe. Project manager Sarah Cox organised for a truck-load of equipment to be sent from their facilities, and load in started at 9pm Friday finishing at 3am Saturday. Sarah says: "James and I worked till 5.30am on Saturday programming the lighting - but on the day it didn't do it for us, and in the end we lit on the fly! After all, there are no second chances, so we had to get it just right. We had a fantastic time, and were proud to be able to provide the equipment for such a good cause."

Headlining was guitarist Gary Moore, who performed with "a host of

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UK - No, we're not talking about standards of excellence (well, not in the usual sense) and not a length of metal to attach lights to, either. We're talking about a large bar where industry people can meet to socialise and have a drink or two.

Socialising and networking will be very much to the fore at PLASA06: the large Central Bar's opening hours are being extended, for the first time, as it becomes the official PLASA06 After Show Bar, which will remain open until 8pm each night, following the 'soft close' of the show at 6pm.

Sponsoring the PLASA06 After Show Bar will be some of the entertainment industry's major players, including Aviom, Avolites, DiGiCo, Lab:Gruppen, Mobil-Tech, Stardraw and XTA Electronics. Those who visit the sponsors' stands will get complimentary drinks, entry into a free prize draw and the chance to win £1,000.00.

(Lee Baldock)

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UK - For Pearl Jam's 2006 Tour, lighting designer Kille Knobel is using PRG's Virtuoso control console with recently upgraded 5.5 software, which PRG says provides unprecedented capabilities, speed and flexibility.

Although she was new to the Virtuoso system, Knobel says she recognised that it supports playback needs that few - if any - other consoles can handle. "Pearl Jam concerts are not like other touring shows with the same song set every night or a core set with just a few changes. My show is drastically different every time - in the course of 10 days on the tour we might do 80 different songs." With the Virtuoso system though, it's not a problem. "The Virtuoso desk has the ease of use, the quantity of faders and the very flexible playback I need."

With its dedicated palette, the Virtuoso console makes it easy to make a change when playing cue to cue,

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USA - The queen of hip-hop soul is currently touring America with her glam-but-street summer tour, the Breakthrough Experience. The two hour show is full of impassioned singing, dancing and testimonies about old demons and new revelations. It reflects a superstar performance with five costume changes and a lightshow to match.

Lighting designer Daunte Kenner, has created a rig that appears to be huge. It is carefully designed to give that illusion. The PixelLines are instrumental in the scheme, as they are attached to each of the curved pieces accentuating the radial effect. In total there are 12 PixelLine 1044s and 24 PixelArc Rs.

He explains: "The PixelLines are the eye-candy of the rig. They produce all the delicate effects, for example during one song - stars in the sky. But don't under estimate the fixture, I also use them for punchy sequences during the more p

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USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Kimberly Ainge as public relations manager. Ainge will be the primary contact for all advertising enquiries, media relations and general public relations.

Ainge was most recently the marketing manager for D1 sports training, a speed strength and agility training company. There, Ainge oversaw all aspects of marketing coordination and media relations. Other previous employers include SpearHall Advertising and PR in San Diego, CA and First Tech Credit Union in Beaverton.

A Portland, Oregon native, Ainge graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from the University of San Diego.

"I am very excited about the opportunity to join a staff of such impressive people," says Ainge. "Bandit Lites, Inc offers a level of customer service that surpasses all of their competition. It is that dedication to pleasing people that ma

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UK - HSL is supplying a variety of lighting equipment to four separate performance spaces and the bar in the main C venue at the heart of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. C is the largest of four different sites containing a total of 11 venues being run by C venues at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Across the three week Festival period, they will host over 180 different shows representing approximately 10% of the Festival's creative output - a vibrant mix of all types of performance genres including dance, drama, comedy, physical theatre, musicals, film, cabaret, events and workshops.

C stages the biggest of the C venues productions across four floors of its Chambers Street building, which is normally used as an examination hall for Edinburgh University. C +3 on the third floor and C -1 in the basement are used for most of the larger shows and musicals on C venue's busy sched

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UK - The IBC and PLASA 2006 shows will see several major new product releases from ADB Lighting Technologies, as well as an expanded accessory range.

On PLASA stand H19, the company will unveil two new ranges of luminaires in the award winning Warp series - the HMI Warp/Daylight and the cool running, long lamp-life Warp/Ceramic, along with new Warp series accessories. Two new dimmers will also be on show - the Eurodim Sine Wave series and the Erack 50 Plus economy dimmer rack.

On IBC stand 11.539, ADB will show the improved Softlight Rah2502/S and Rap2502/S - the first units were recently supplied to Flemish Television studios - and the Eurodim Sine Wave Dimmer.The new, HMI powered Warp/Daylight automated spot luminaire range, available in both motorised and manual versions, provides the brightest beam in the 575 discharge lamp range. A new fixture range with electronic flicke

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UK - The Martin Mania EFX700 combines some of the features of two of Martin's most popular effect light series - Ego and Mania - to produce a high powered flower effect.

Surprisingly bright for a 150W discharge effect, the Mania EFX700 casts an impressive and widely dispersed display of aerial effects from a rotating parabolic mirror dish. This flower effect features an array of colours, 12 gobo designs, and strobe effects. Its high quality optical system produces clear definition. The Mania brand is very service friendly and the discharge lamp has a long-life of 6000 hours.

Designed primarily for installation use, this versatile effect light includes a number of mounting options yet is durable enough for life on the road. Suitable for any show, club, or party, the compact EFX700 is DMX controllable or operates in music or auto trig. Pre-programmed macros are included for simp

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UK - Stage Electrics says it has identified that it is possible to incorrectly use the Squelly Adaptor, thereby rendering the product dangerous. The earth pin can be inserted correctly yet the neutral pin can be inserted into the live socket of the adaptor, leaving the live pin of the plug exposed.

Although the company says the product is perfectly safe if used correctly, it has taken the decision to withdraw and recall the product from the marketplace, and is asking owners of the units please remove this product from use immediately.

Stage Electrics says it contracted a design and manufacturing company of considerable repute in the UK within the domestic electrical market, and is therefore extremely disappointed to find this issue with a product which they were informed conformed to regulations.

Stage Electrics has set up an information point on their website on how to retu

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UK - Colour-Tramp is a versatile lighting controller for two- and three-dimensional arrays of colour changers. Since its launch, it has become a market leader for large architectural lighting systems with installations worldwide, according to its manufacturer, Artistic Licence.

Colour-Tramp leads the way in the convergence of light and video by allowing the designer to choose their preferred medium. Lighting designers are able to use the free-of-charge 'off-line' version as an authoring tool for the client presentation, with the benefit that once the contract is won, the off-line programming can be re-used for the actual show.

The latest version release (1.45) contains a wealth of new features that have been requested by customers or simply needed for a particular installation. One particularly innovative feature is the concept of visual mapping fixture date. Colour-Tramp uses

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UK - On 31 August and 1 September, the Association of Lighting Designers is holding its first Forum, in collaboration with Rose Bruford College. A two-day event, the Forum is comprised of "Pick and Mix" workshops and discussions based around a central theme, relevant to modern theatre practice to help educate members and share ideas.

The "Pick and Mix" format has been designed to make the event as flexible as possible to those with work commitments. The event is free and food and drink will be provided. This year the theme is Digital Scenography. With the use of video projection and other digital media becoming more widespread in Theatre, the worlds of video and lighting are converging. The aim of the Forum is to raise awareness of this equipment and it's use, and discus how it is going to affect designers in the future.

Workshops throughout both days will

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USA - Gear-Source Inc has launched a new website specifically marketing Martin Professional pre-owned inventory. The site (www.MartinCheckMarked.com) is now online and features a 'Check Marked' program, developed in cooperation with Martin - a sliding scale system in which five Checks designates an item as almost new, with one 'Check' indicating a product that has extensive usage hours. New value-added services are under development to add further value to the program, say GearSource.

The site is the first of its kind, and although designed exclusively to move Martin pre-owned inventory, it is managed and operated through GearSource.com's complex backend site administration system.

As part of this agreement, all existing Martin dealers will have full access to the dealer level of the system, and can also gain access to GearSource dealer prices on other brands, which will appea

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UAE - Production Technology LLC, better known in Dubai as Protec, recently provided full lighting production services to their Dubai-based client, Al Nabooda Automobiles, for the Middle East's largest-ever car launch. The event took place in the iconic Sheikh Rashid Hall of Dubai's International Convention Centre. One grandMA full-size, one grandMA ultra-light and two NSPs controlled the vast variety of lights during the show.

Al Nabooda, the leading Audi distributor in the Middle East, launched the latest top of the range SUV from Audi: the Q7. The event was attended by over a thousand invited guests, including several local VIPs. The set consisted of, among others, eight hydraulic scissor lifts, four of which lifted two cars through the stage, with the other four featuring UK based pyrotechnic performers from Phoenix Productions. Eight cars were flown in from the roof of the v

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USA - Entertainment Technology has announced the release of software version 3.1 for the complete line of Marquee lighting control consoles. "We are very excited to be releasing software version 3.1 for the Marquee lighting control consoles," says Alan Keen, Entertainment Technology product manager. "As the popularity of all Marquee consoles continues to grow, we are dedicated to providing lighting programmers with the latest technology to complete their lighting designs."

Designed by Horizon Control, Marquee software version 3.1 introduces new moving light and intensity effects, independent attribute timing, redundant tracking backup, a new colour picker tool, and astronomical time event control.

Robert Bell, Horizon control product manager, said: "For this release, the most challenging hurdle for the development team was to 'tame' our very powerful e

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USA - Altman Rentals has appointed Sabrina Asquith to its staff as a rental agent. "We are very happy to have Sabrina join our strong team," says Randy Altman, owner of Altman Rentals. "Her focus will be on working with many of our existing clients as well as introducing the services that Altman Rentals can offer to new clients as we continue to expand. Customer service is a main priority for us and I think that Sabrina understands that and will offer first rate support to our customers."

Prior to joining Altman Rentals, Asquith worked in sales and customer service for City Theatrical Inc. Asquith is looking forward to working in the rental shop side of the business; she is a graduate of SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film Design Technology with a Lighting Design focus. "I like being able to work more directly with the customers," sa

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Romania - Mondy's Club - a 1,000 capacity nightclub on the Romanian Black Sea coast - has recently reopened after full redesign and refurbishment, which was completed in just 45 days. The venue leads the way in the country in many ways: it hosts the largest bar (12m long), it is the first to install large beds for the comfort of the night revellers and displays not one but two large fishtanks, one as an eye-catching backdrop to the main bar and one as a most unusual flooring to one of the bedded relaxation areas.

Local company 3 Fingers was responsible for the entire design and installation for club owners Calatis. Although all the furniture was custom-made, the walls were purposely kept bare and white to emphasise the vast LED lighting installation. A total of almost 16m of flexible colour changing Tryka LinkLED systems illuminate the main bar fishtank and the second bar front,

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UK - UK distributor Stagetec has announced the product line-up from Compulite for the PLASA Show. The company's Dlite range was officially launched at PLASA last year and has already been popular in a wide range of applications including TV studios, theatres, arts centres, schools and colleges. This year sees the launch of the largest system in the Dlite family with an integral 48/96 channel manual console.

Also new, CompuPACK is a range of portable digital dimmers being launched at PLASA.Available in either 12 x 2.5kW or 6 x 5kW power ratings, a range of formats will be shown including hard-wired, UK 15A, Ceeform, Schuko, Socapex and Weiland. CompuPACK can be controlled via DMX or Ethernet and incorporates both MCB protection for the incoming mains supply and an MCB per output channel. The built-in LCD display and function buttons allow quick and easy set-up of a whole host of

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France - Located in Vallée de la Maurienne, Savoie in the French Alps is the family-oriented ski area of La Norma. Henri Ratel, La Norma's mayor, and Bruno Garros, managing director of Martin Professional France, met in 2004 to discuss the idea of creating a special one-week event with dynamic lighting during the ski season. Mutual interest was quickly recognised and a plan agreed upon: Martin would provide technical know-how and equipment while La Norma would offer Martin Architectural the opportunity to invite customers to experience the resort dressed in an overall dynamic lighting concept.

The event was a success and ultimately the town's tourist office chose to invest in the lighting to illuminate both the town and the base of the ski area. La Norma wished to associate the dynamic lighting scheme with the resort's new blue and rose-colored logo as well as the town's

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Worldwide - After her last album The Emancipation of Mimi Mariah Carey has launched her World Tour The Adventures of Mimi. Beginning in Tunisia, the journey leads trough the USA, Canada, Japan and ends on 28 October in China. On the road with Mariah are two grandMA full-size consoles and four NSPs.

The MA system was great support to lighting designer Justin Collie and lighting director Michael 'Sparky' Anderson who applied among other things 56 Vari-Lite 3000 Spots, 50 MAC 2000 Wash, 38 Atomic Strobes, six 7K Syncrolites and 44 Color Kinetics Color Blasts for the lighting rig. The task of programming the show was given to programmer Demfis Fyssicopulos. He comments: "As expected for Mariah the production is as big as she is. Everywhere one looks, there's something that just can't be missed."

The performance area consists of two stages - a main stage and

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UK - HSL Group Holdings is exhibiting at PLASA 2006 for the second time in its own right, highlighting its diverse range of products and services. The Blackburn-based company has three divisions - HSL Rental, HSL Rigging and HSL Sales & Distribution.

Recent concert touring projects include Massive Attack's summer festival tour, which saw HSL investing over £100,000 in new Chroma-Q ColorBlock LED fixtures for their distinct 'visuals wall' designed by UVA. They also supplied Robe Robe ColorWash and ColorSpot 1200AT moving lights, PAR cans and scrollers, ZR 33 smokers, two hazers, a technician and a Wholehog II console run by lighting director Rohan Harrison.

HSL also supplied all lighting and rigging to LD Dave Byars for the Beautiful South's Superbi tour, and will be supplying eight arenas, including the main outdoor stage, of lighting for the 2006 Creamfields fest

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UK / USA - New York City-based City Theatrical is launching a new line of CE compliant products at PLASA this year, and for the first time, CTI's most popular products will be fully compliant with the new Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations, as well as having CE certification.

Products that already had CE compliance and are now also RoHS compliant include AutoYoke, EFX Plus2, and all products in the WDS Wireless Data System family. Products gaining CE with full RoHS compliance for the first time include four products in the PDS family of power/data supplies for Color Kinetics products: PDS-750 TR; PDS-375 TR; PDS-375 TRB; and PDS-50, as well as the City Theatrical Projector Dowser and DMX Iris.

CTI's president Gary Fails commented: "The entire world is increasingly aware of the hazards of electronic waste, particularly leaded solder. Since our products

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USA - Ben Harper's music is a unique combination of rock, soul, and blues with roots in reggae. His latest album, Both Sides Of The Gun, is no exception. The singer-songwriter and his band, the Innocent Criminals, will be promoting his eighteen-track album in a twenty-two date U.S. tour.

Ben Harper and management team including tour manager, Scott Cadwallader, production manager, Kenny Nicholson, and lighting designer, Keith Wissmar chose Bandit Lites to supply lighting for the tour.

"Ben [Harper] expressed a very keen desire to add video as a new element to his show- simple, big images. This obviously affected the lighting design from the European tour, which had no video. Keith [Wissmar] took this onboard and came up with a very smooth blending of the lighting and video elements," explained Dizzy Gosnell, of Bandit's San Francisco office.

Bandit's own Shaw

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  2. Bandit and System Of A Down's Ozzfest tour
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