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Lighting

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UK - Production Futures exists to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop real careers in production across every area of the live event, music, touring, theatre, TV, broadcast and film industries.
As part of the promotion for its forthcoming Production Futures On Tour autumn events, the organisation will host a seminar at this year’s PLASA Show on the subject of Creating an Inclusive Workforce - How Can the Industry Attract Young Talent?.
Chaired by CEO Hannah Eakins, the panel, which includes Jas Parekh (Production Futures), Koy Neminathan (Sales Director at Avolites), Amy Kerr (field sales support manager at Robe) and Ollie Jeffrey (head of production and technical at Royal Albert Hall), will discuss solutions to the skills shortage in the live sector.
Hannah Eakins explains: “Since the pandemic, live events

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South Africa - Robe’s new IP65 rated iSpiider LED wash moving lights passed some serious jungle tests on the latest edition of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Germany (Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier rau) which was recorded at Blyde River Canyon in Hoedspruit, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Lighting was supplied by Blond Productions and designed by Mauritz Neethling for production company Triosphere who facilitated the series for franchisee ITV. Normally it would have been shot in Australia, but that was not possible this year due to Covid travel restrictions, so instead they chose South Africa as their new production hub.
Previously four Australian and one French versions of the show have been recorded at the same South African location, and Blond has been a production supplier for the last six years, over which time they have refined the lig
ISE 2026 - Banner - Oct 2025

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Canada - Elation Professional has announced that Illumixx - a new distribution company owned by Christie Lites - has been appointed the exclusive distributor for Elation Professional products in Canada. The distribution partnership which also covers the distribution of Obsidian Control Systems and Magmatic atmospheric effects products, went into effect on 1 September, 2022.
Claudia Pfaffinger, CEO of Christie Lites Sales, the sales and integration arm of Christie, stated, “Illumixx brings an understanding of the needs of the professional lighting marketplace. We are confident that this partnership will result in wide product range availability and local stock for quicker deliveries and service.”
Christie Lites provides professional stage lighting systems for a broad range of market sectors and is one of the largest stage lighting companies in North America with lo

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UK - Artistic Licence is to launch railSplit uno, a bidirectional DMX512/RDM isolator and signal booster, with a ‘data fixer’ for dodgy DMX, at PLASA Sow 2022. The product contains prescient technology that addresses new European Electrical Installation regulations that have recently come into force.
Fittingly, railSplit uno is being entered into the Innovation Awards at this year's PLASA Show. Visitors can see the product in the Awards gallery and at the Artistic Licence stand, D15.
railSplit uno was designed in response to the new European Electrical Installation regulations IEC 60364 (BS 7671). The regulations require Surge Protection Devices (SPDs) to be fitted (including to data lines such as DMX512) for many types of lighting installation.
The existing Artistic Licence product, railSplit extreme, has internal SPDs and so provides a partial solution. H

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UK - Prolight Concepts Group has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Flightcase Juice. The addition of this brand ‘enhances the current umbrella of brands, and enables Prolight to continue to stock, supply and develop this popular consumable’.
This label cleaner and permanent market remover is developed and manufactured in the UK and is currently available in 0.75 litre spray bottle. A 5-litre version is also available which is suitable for refills or larger usage requirements. Mini sample bottles of Flightcase Juice will be given away at the upcoming PLASA Show in London.
Managing director Andrew Jeffrey comments, “I am pleased to welcome Flightcase Juice in our group. We will be looking at further expanding the range with the same dedication and passion that we have applied to our other brands over the years.”

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UK - TSL has announced Matthew Quade has been named CEO of the company. Chris Exelby, who was named managing director in 2007, will remain on the company’s board of directors as executive chairman and will continue to work with TSL in a senior advisory role.
Quade steps into his new position after working with TSL on a project basis for over six years, including leading implementation of the company’s M&A strategy. More recently, he held the role of COO and is already a well-respected and valued member of the TSL team. Over the last six months, the TSL Board and Quade have been working on the transition into the new role, and he will focus on continuing the brand’s tradition of developing innovative broadcast solutions.
“With getting to know the TSL team and the broadcast industry over the last few years, the opportunity to lead the business through its nex

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UK - Highlite’s UK sales representative Dave Hartley will be enjoying his well-deserved retirement from 15 September. Jeff Davenport will follow in his footsteps and be the new contact for Highlite-related matters and products in the North of the UK region.
Jeff Davenport will be taking over the UK sales representative position at Highlite from Dave Hartley. Jeff will start on 1 September. During the overlap period, Dave will bring Jeff up to speed on the current state of affairs. Jeff will dive right in at the upcoming PLASA Show at the Olympia London (4-6 September), where he will join the team on stand (B23) to introduce himself to the market and clients.
Jeff is already familiar with the market, as he has previously worked for several businesses that are active in the industry. From his hometown of Burton upon Trent, he can be contacted at Jeff.Davenport@highlite

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UK - The ChamSys team will be at PLASA Show 2022 on stand C-16, where they will expand their popular Connect family of products with the world preview of the MagicQ Compact Connect and MagicQ Compact Mini Connect.
The new MagicQ Compact Connect products are PC / MAC / Linux based programming interfaces that offer programmers, operators, and LDs a convenient, ‘control-on-the-go’ solution. Simply by connecting to a PC or Mac via a USB-C Connector, the user can run up to 64-universe shows on the MagicQ Compact Connect or MagicQ Compact Mini Connect, either of which fits easily within airline carry-on limits.
Sleek and lightweight, the new products feature the same contemporary styling as the MagicQ MQ70 and MQ50 Compact Consoles. Both allow access to the powerful MagicQ software package. The MagicQ Compact Connect also features 10 Playback Faders, eight Attribute Enco

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UK - Robe anticipates a busy and vibrant PLASA 2022 with the industry, shows and events back and working at full speed.
It will be the official launch of Robe’s potent and impressive iForte moving light, an IP65 version of Forte, the brand’s current highest-powered TETM LED luminaire.
Robe’s expanding i-series of weatherised products includes the iSpiider LED wash beam and iBeam 250 which will join the iForte on Stand C20. These fixtures will be integrated into a Robe signature live performance with a specially created lightshow presented in a purpose-built area together with ‘lots of water’.
Other current products will be the new Painte and TetraX – a 360-degree continuous rotation LED bar – plus Robe’s popular LEDBeam 350TM and the ABTT Award-winning T11TM series, a three-into-one generic lighting solution for theatres and venues.
Dedic

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USA - Holy Redeemer Catholic Church near Grand Rapids, Michigan needed more light, more colour, and more control – but didn’t have the budget for a complete overhaul. With ETC’s flexible lighting solutions, they were able to get a whole new look without installing a whole new system.
To add more illumination, David Kolenda of West Michigan Lighting and Controls replaced incandescent fixtures with ETC Desire D22 fixtures featuring a Lustr+ colour LED array in the track surrounding the altar. ColorSource Spots and PARs added accents and highlights.
“They loved the D22’s and ColorSource fixtures – especially with the colour tuning,” says Kolenda. “All the fixtures output automatically calibrated colour so they get an even field from all the fixtures.”
The colour also offers them more possibilities in the space. When children present scripture pl

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Europe - Ed Sheeran kicked off his Mathematics (+–=÷x) tour, his largest to date, on 23 April in Croke Park Stadium, Dublin. Since then, the singer-songwriter has been playing stadiums across the UK and Ireland, with further dates planned across Central Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Australia, Latin America and North America as part of his mammoth 2022 / 2023 world tour.
Continuing its long-term relationship with the artist, Colonel Tom Touring (CTT) is once again supporting the production, supplying over 1100sq.m of a variety of ROE Visual LED panels, all powered by Brompton Technology LED processing.
The spectacular 360-degree stage design incorporates a giant circular ‘halo’ video screen, comprising 462m2 ROE Vanish V8T high transparency outdoor LED panels, fixed over a 90m2 revolving LED stage built from ROE BM5 panels.
The stage is surrounded by six 30-m

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UK - Free registration for this year’s PLASA Show will end at midnight tomorrow (31 August). Taking place in Olympia London’s Grand Hall on 4-6 September, the leading entertainment technology trade show promises to deliver some of the latest technology, brand showcases and product demos. Alongside ample networking opportunities, visitors will also be able to take advantage of the show’s free-to-attend seminar programme of over 60 sessions, taking place across four show floor theatres. Meanwhile, the winners of the 2022 PLASA Awards for Innovation and the Gottelier Award will be announced at the show on Monday 5 September.
Don’t miss out – register for your free ticket by midnight tomorrow: https://registration.gesevent.com/survey/1ibtbcj5j6f10?actioncode=WB14

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UK - Visitors to the upcoming PLASA Show at Olympia in London will have the chance to demo Obsidian Control Systems’ new portable yet full-featured NX1 lighting console. Obsidian invites designers, programmers and operators to Stand E-14 where personnel from Obsidian, as well as UK partner Entedi, will be on hand to demo a host of new Obsidian products.
The newest member of Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx family of lighting consoles, the NX1 offers the complete Onyx experience without compromises in a full-featured yet low-profile design package. A compact, motorized fader wing, the NX P, as well as a small USB-powered control surface for Onyx, the NX K, both ideal companions to the NX1 console, will also be on display.
The Onyx user experience has recently been enhanced with release of Onyx 4.8 Version software. Several other new lighting control products under th

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UK - “What’s new?” Unscientific research has shown those to be the most common words uttered by visitors when they first enter a trade show stand. Those who pose that question to the Chauvet Professional team at PLASA stand C-16 will be treated to some exciting answers, as the company continues to build on its recent impressive string of IP65 rated product introductions, particularly in regard to their class leading weight.
Among the highlights of the booth will be the Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash, the Rogue Outcast 2X Wash, and the Ovation Rêve E-3 IP. Each of these fully-featured outdoor ready fixtures will be making its international trade show debut at PLASA. Thanks to their IP65 rating, the new fixtures are also easy to maintain, as their insides remain dust and debris free.
The Maverick Storm 2 BeamWash is the first in the next generation of Maverick IP65 rat

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UK - Elation is teaming up with technology equipment solutions provider Entedi to present an exceptional line-up of new lighting tools at the PLASA tradeshow at Olympia in West London. Visitors to Elation/Entedi Stand E-14 will be some of the first in the UK to demo the latest luminaires in Elation’s industry leading IP65 Proteus, high-performance/high-value Fuze, and broadcast-optimized KL ranges.
Highlights include the IP65 full-featured beam fixture, Proteus Excalibur, which has already seen service on several high-profile shows, plus the 70,000-lumen Proteus Brutus LED wash. The Proteus Rayzor Blade, a combination linear wash and FX light, and Proteus Rayzor 1960, a compact yet powerful LED wash effects luminaire, will also be available to demo.
Elation’s new Fuze MAX Profile full-colour LED moving head has garnered a lot of attention since debuting at the Pr

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USA - Embarking on their first full-scale tour since the pandemic, the Black Keys were eager to get back to the basics, eliminating all distractions, and turning out rock infused blues with the free-flowing spontaneity that has made the duo from Ohio a powerful force in popular music. Patrick Carney, the band’s drummer described the experience as “feeling like a band’s supposed to feel”.
It was a sentiment that Michael Grant and Eric Cathcart of Bigtime Lighting Design understood well. Tasked with creating the set and lighting design for the band’s 32-date summer Drop Out Boogie tour, the Bigtime team focused on the fundamentals.
“For this design, it all went to back to basics; keeping things streamlined while still being exciting and creating a visual spectacle,” said Grant, who took the lead role in the design. “We believe that is what the band repre

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France - At the recent Dub Camp Festival on the banks of Lake Vioreau in the Loire Valley, minimalist sub-bass sounds and riddims filled the air over five stages supported by the subtle lighting designs created by the team at Ecom-Events.
Internationally acclaimed dub artists like Mighty Jah Observer and Martin Campbell who performed at the seventh edition of this annual festival did not “want much light cast on them” said Mathieu Simon of Ecom-Events. Instead, they preferred to perform in an ambient atmosphere, where light reflected their music in more nuanced, but still powerful, ways.
As production manager, Simon led the design team that created subtly evocative moods on stages ranging in size from 18x18m to 40x40m. Relying on ample use of shadows and dark space, punctuated by back and side lighting projected from off-center angles, the design team created an et

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Czech Republic - The majestic former Vítkovice steelworks in Ostrava again resonated with the music, and animated carnival atmosphere of the Colours of Ostrava festival.
The four-day 2022 event is the largest music festival in the Czech Republic and one of the most popular in Central Europe, presenting multiple stages and a diverse line-up of mixed-genre local and international talent.
Technical production – staging, rigging, lighting, sound, video, audio, stage management and all associated infrastructure – for 18 of the 19 stages was co-ordinated by Prague-based SMART Production, with a team led by Josef ‘Pepa’ Ženíšek, and a Robe moving light rig made impact on the Liberty Stage.
The Liberty Stage was full of Robe moving lights provided by rental specialist AV Media Events, and tech’d and run by Kamil Kruźík and Martin Nakládal.
When

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USA - Verge Aero took Chicago’s famous Lollapalooza festival to new highs in July as 300 of the company’s custom-built drones danced high above the site to elevate the experience.
Acts as diverse as Dua Lipa, Metallica and J. Cole performed over the four-day event, which took place at the city’s Grant Park. It was the first time that drones formed part of the Lollapalooza spectacle, and Dua Lipa’s Friday night slot was the setting for the specially created Verge Aero drone show, which was staged in partnership with cellphone network company T-Mobile and Google Pixel phones.
“We actually launched the drone show over T-Mobile’s 5G network, using a Google Pixel phone,” reveals Verge Aero’s Mason Hayes, who designed the drone show using the company’s unique software and piloted the drones on the night. “We have a Verge Aero-created app that we can load

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Austria - The annual Summer Night Concert (Das Sommernachtskonzert) by the Vienna Philharmonic at the illustrious Schönbrunn Palace is the second biggest show every year in Austria, only outdone by the orchestra’s renowned New Year's Concert. This year, lighting designer and director of photography Jerry Appelt used 280 Elation Proteus series luminaires to light the summer show for 80,000 spectators in the Palace Park plus a worldwide television audience of millions.
Appelt has been part of the event for five years, lighting the entire space for a live audience and camera, which includes the orchestra and stage, the majestic backdrop of Schönbrunn Palace, and the surrounding park. This year, the designer had 124 Proteus Maximus, 92 Proteus Excalibur, and 64 Proteus Rayzor 760 at his disposal.
Over the years, the event has transitioned to more and more IP65-rated

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UK - Artistic Licence is exhibiting at PLASA London, Stand D15. This year the company will be showing products across all its main areas of expertise, including splitters, gateways, control interfaces, test equipment and dimming technology.
Entered for the Innovation Awards is the Micro-Scope 3c upgrade kit - a low-cost item that scores highly in the sustainability category. The kit contains a microprocessor chip that allows any Artistic Licence Micro-Scope DMX tester to be updated to the latest specification – most significantly adding RDM support. Artistic Licence started selling these testers nearly 30 years ago and there are many in active service today. The addition of RDM support (via a simple chip replacement that the customer can carry out) means they should be good for another few decades
On a lighter note, Artistic Licence is holding a competition at the s

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UK - ETC is set to return to Olympia London for the 2022 PLASA Show from the 4-6 September with the latest product innovations and seminars. The team will be on stand B29 to catch up and network with customers and visitors at the tradeshow.
ETC will present a variety of its newest entertainment fixtures and controls including its latest line of consoles: Eos Apex. This powerful, next generation of lighting control offers cutting-edge technology, a variety of new features, award-winning software and more.
The latest High End Systems moving lights will also be showcased at the PLASA Show, including the newly launched SolaPix 19 XT, an exterior rated version of the most popular SolaPix fixture, the compact Lonestar framing fixture, and the silent fanless SolaFrame Studio.
Visitors to ETC’s stand will also be able to explore the X8 array in the new Source Four LED

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South Africa - Noot vir Noot (Note for Note), a long-running popular and successful Afrikaans language TV music-based games show produced by Stemmburg TV and broadcast on SABC 2 has returned to screens after a two-year break due to Covid, with edition 40 featuring a slightly reimagined version of the new set designed by Michael Gill and built by SDS for the fully visually revamped 2019 season.
Lighting is again designed by Ryan Lombard from Blond Productions – the company also supplying the lighting kit – and he specified Robe Esprites for the first time on this show, together with two of his trusty favourite moving lights, the Robe LEDWash 300 and the miniPointe.
The series was filmed at Urban Brew Studios in Johannesburg, and while some features remained constant from the last edition, the set lighting and video are now fully integrated, and Ryan

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UK - Adam King captured the powerful, punchy and uplifting spirit of the musical Legally Blonde when lighting a recent Franny Rafferty directed production of the Olivier Award winning musical at Mountview’s The Mack Theatre.
“Given the nature of the story, vibrant pink was the major colour theme for Elle Woods, so it was important that we be able to transition to it when necessary,” he said. “However, we also had to lean away from this palette when the scenes were not so linked to the character in order to make it more effective.”
At its core, Legally Blonde is a story of transitions. In this Mountview production, Elle’s transformative journey is supported by well-timed and placed lighting changes that King executes with a rig anchored by Chauvet Professional Ovation fixtures.
“There were lots of different locations that we needed to
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  2. Workhorse Proteus Maximus on show at Windsor
  3. ETC launches IP 65-rated SolaPix 19 XT
  4. City Theatrical launches QolorFLEX NuNeon
  5. Skyline Lanes in Decorah refits with Ventola
  6. Cameo lights new Zoom club in Frankfurt
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