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Rigging / Staging

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Ireland - The annual Galway International Arts Festival is one of Ireland’s largest cultural events. This year’s line-up features musical performances by Dublin’s own Gavin James, England’s Passenger, original Beach Boy Brian Wilson, and many others. Lighting for the eclectic series of nightly concerts in the festival Big Top is provided by Light Source, with data networking by ProPlex.
“We have used ProPlex cable and devices for every show over many years,” says Light Source general manager, Ciaran Donnelly. “This gig has two GBS 10-port switches, four Opto-Splitters including two Minis in the truss, and an IQ Two 1616 16-universe DMX node. Tying the system together are over 200m of ProPlex Fibre, and 200m of ProPlex Cat 5e and DMX cables.” Donnelly added, “Additionally, we are using 200 meters of ProCable Multicable, fanouts, and 16 amp TRS mains cables.

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Hungary - J&C Joel, has appointed Szinpadtechnika Kft as its new bronze dealer in Hungary.
Szinpadtechnika was established in 1998 and is now one of the leading theatre engineering companies in Hungary. They design and produce stage machinery for theatres, cultural centres and film studios as well as providing machinery maintenance services for more than 50 venues all around Hungary and getting involved with scenery design.
The firm is also gaining recognition from the theatres in neighbouring countries and in light of this is aiming to be the leading company on the field of theatre engineering in the Carpathian Basin region.
Norbert Horvath, sales manager at Szinpadtechnika, said: “We are really excited to introduce the innovative solutions of J&C Joel in Hungary. I’m sure our customers will be really interested in the great product range that J&
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UK - When Prolyte received a request for help from a theatre in Scotland, with some doubts as to how to build their new truss structure in a safe way, they jumped to the task. Prolyte organized a one-day on-site training to make sure the technical staff of the company can use their truss safely and efficiently whatever the project.
“Hi there, this is Adam from Scottish Dance Theatre. We have just bought a batch of H30V truss. After using it a couple of times, we now want to use it to build a tower system. I wonder if I could ask some questions…”
This was part of the request that Prolyte received through it’s website in late June this year. The Prolyte team knew this request could not go unanswered and decided to offer the assistance Adam was asking for. Together with distributing partner A.C. Entertainment Technologies, they set out to make an appointment for

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Italy - WIcreations provided StageCo with specialist automation services to move four massive towers onstage at the epic Vasco Rossi concert and spectacle in Modena – the Italian rock superstar’s only scheduled live appearance in 2017 - attended by 250,000 rapturous fans on a blisteringly hot summer’s day in Modena Park.
As well as working closely with StageCo, who provided all the black steel for the event, WI’s project manager Hans Willems liaised with Claudio Santucci from Gioforma, the show’s creative director. WIcreations has a long history of collaboration with IK Projects from Milan who provided automation operators and crew for this project.
The show was also televised live by national broadcaster RAI and streamed live to selected cinemas, extending the reach yet further as well as being recorded for DVD. It was a BIG deal!
The four towers that

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UK - Preparations for the 2017 PLASA Rigging Conference, which takes place on Monday 18 September during the PLASA Show, are well under way. This year’s conference is in a new mould, targeting a broader audience through the addition of topics on both production and safety issues and encourages discussion from a wider range of contributors than before. New additions to the line-up include head of technical operations for the Ambassador Theatre Group Stuart Graham and John Green, European health and safety director for Laing O’Rourke.
Stuart has supported the conference since it began in 2009 and was keen to be a part of this year’s expanded offering.
“I felt that discussing the contracting process of shows would be of great value,” says Stuart. “Establishing a venue’s responsibilities against the show’s responsibilities with regard to rigging and safety

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UK Manufacturer of flame retardant fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions, J&C Joel, has announced a new structure for its projects department.
Ben Richardson-Owen, previously Middle East project manager, has been promoted to head of projects (International) alongside Fraser Davidson, previously UK and Europe project manager, who has now stepped into the role as head of projects (UK and Europe).
Ben has worked for the company for six years and worked in the company’s Dubai office for five years, returning to the UK office last year.
Fraser has worked for the company for 17 years, starting out as an apprentice installing J&C Joel products all over the world - alongside J&C Joel’s CEO James Wheelwright - before eventually moving into the coordination and management side of Project delivery.
Matt Corbett, operations director, said:

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UK - Star Events supplied the cavernous Mayfield Depot with seats in two custom-built arenas for the Manchester International Festival (MIF), which wrapped on Saturday.
The first was for the world premiere of Yael Bartana’s What If Women Ruled The World, the second for choreographer Boris Charmatz's 10,000 Gestures, one of MIF’s final fixtures.
Set opposite Manchester Piccadilly, Mayfield Depot is the under platform area of a semi-derelict Victorian railway station. Boarded up for years there was minimal natural light as Star Events built a single stand of 430 QP Grandstand seats. To accommodate Saygel & Schreiber’s What if Women Ruled The World set design, the system included a 166mm rake onto the existing ‘stage’ plinth and around the venue roof support columns.
The solution for 10,000 Gestures’, ‘thrilling blizzar

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UK - Wireless load monitoring brand BroadWeigh is now an associate member of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), the leading representative body for all those involved in the lifting industry worldwide. The membership is the latest step taken by BroadWeigh as it strives to be the best – not only in the quality of products that it offers, but in the example the company sets within the entertainment industry.
Jonathan Purdue, business development manager at BroadWeigh said: "Becoming members of LEEA is something we are very proud of. We started the ball rolling several months ago, then in May, a representative from the LEEA came to our premises in Exeter for the day and audited all our BroadWeigh processes and calibration machines.
“Applying for membership isn’t something we are obligated to do, but we felt it was the right thing to do – both for

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Europe - One of the most eagerly anticipated and high profile tours to embark on a worldwide journey in 2017 must be Ed Sheeran. The show’s production company, Major Tom Limited has purchased LoadGuard hoists from LTM- Lift Turn Move to fly the entire lighting, sound and AV system. In total, LTM have supplied 68 1t and 36 2t LoadGuard motors all running at four metres/per min. The motor control system is Kinesys throughout and operated by Steve Bliss from LCR.
The fan shaped mothergrid was designed by Jeremy Lloyd of Wonder Works and is lifted by thirty 2t LoadGuard hoists. Rigged within the mothergrid are 50 1t motors from which fly the lighting trusses and AV screens including four moving lighting pods which drop down on three Liftkets on Kinesys control during the show. Unusually, the 1t motors remain pre-rigged within the mothergrid (1m deep truss from Litec) in transi

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USA - ESTA and USITT have announce the New World Rigging Symposium, taking place 13-14 March 2018 in conjunction with the USITT Conference and Stage Expo 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The Symposium will provide an opportunity for riggers and those interested in the live entertainment rigging industry to network, discuss current issues and new technologies, and help shape the future of the industry.
In 10 sessions over two days, participants will be given a wide range of opportunities to further their technical knowledge, keep up to date with codes and standards, and learn what it’s like to work as a rigger in other segments of the entertainment industry. Attendees will also hear from experts in related fields such as structural engineering and risk management. The Symposium will carry ETCP education renewal credits for re-certification.
The New World Rigging Sy

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Iceland - J&C Joel has confirmed a new partnership with Exton who are now their bronze dealer in Iceland.
Exton was established in 1992 and is the market leader in A/V rentals and sales in Iceland; providing rental of audio, lighting, video, stage and rigging equipment from simple systems up to full production packages.
As well as being the premiere rental company in the region Exton also sells audio, video and lighting equipment and offers an integration service which provides design and installation for any kind of broadcast, audio, video or lighting project.
They will offer J&C Joel’s fabrics, drapery and stage engineering solutions along with their bespoke design, manufacturing and installation services as a complimentary solution to their already established products and services.
Exton’s director, Sigurjón Sigurðsson, said: “We look f

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Europe - From 1 July – 30 September, Milos will be focusing on a range of new products launched in 2017. During this spotlight period, Milos will be producing two technical videos about the new Milos MT-PA5030 PA Tower and MILOS MT1 Ballast Base, as well as a product range video about other newly launched Milos products.
The first technical video about the MT1 Ballast Base is now available and can be viewed here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC1wry5laww #truss #trussing #rigger #rigging #milostruss)
Milos is constantly developing new products that provide you with increased flexibility, convenience and usefulness.
(Jim Evans)

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Italy - Nine Litec roof systems ranging from 10 x 8m to 27 x 13m were chosen by Live You Play for their event during the MIR (Music Inside Rimini) exhibition in Fiera Di Rimini, Italy. Seven roofs were provided by AMG International, one roof by Electra Service di Buttarelli R. & C and the largest 27 x 13m MyT Folding Steroid Roof by Massimo Stage.
Live You Play is a concept where lighting, sound, video, rigging equipment and other entertainment technology manufacturers showcase their products with virtual and live shows on physical stages and roof systems. Visitors are then able to experience a full “hands-on” experience with the products, physically controlling and interacting with them. The bands performing at this year’s live events were Pop Deluxe, Roxy Bar and J Bees.
Litec has been the main support structure manufacturer for Live You Play events since

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UK - This summer, the London Palladium will play host to Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad as they tread the boards in a major new musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel, The Wind in the Willows.
Adapted for the stage by Julian Fellowes, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the British musical, toured the UK late last year, playing in Plymouth, Salford and Southampton. But, says Patrick Molony, the show's production manager, the complexities of touring the production pale into insignificance when compared to putting on the show at the London Palladium. Knowing the challenges that lay ahead, Patrick brought Unusual Rigging on the team so that they could work through these challenges together.
"Producers think the Palladium is a big theatre, because of the number of seats and the shows that have been there in the past," said Patrick," but this is certainly n

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UK - Arena Group, the international turnkey event design and delivery business this morning announced they will be listing their shares on the London Stock Exchange. The company is raising a total of approximately £60m from UK and international institutional investors and listing will help fund the future growth plans of the business.
Arena Group provides managed solutions from concept and design through to the construction and delivery of temporary structures, seating and interiors for a host of major sporting, outdoor and leisure events around the world. Contracts range in size and complexity from a simple equipment rental for a local outdoor event, to an integrated solution of multiple structures and interiors for a major international sporting event.
Arena Group is a global business with operations in the UK and Europe, Middle East and Asia and the Americas and c

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USA - Prolyte Group hosted its first North American Campus event on truss training in Orlando last month, just one day prior to the opening of InfoComm.
Organized in cooperation with its North American distributor A.C. Lighting Inc., the event had an impressive list of participants.
The Prolyte Campus event was accredited by both ESTA (ETCP) as well as InfoComm (CTS), offering continuing education credits and interesting and high-standing content that is recognized by industry bodies as well as those who participated.
Lecturer Ruud de Deugd performed an inspiring session on the technical aspects of using truss, from recognizing the different types of loading, calculating cantilevers to slinging methods, connection types and regulations, using his practical experiences to address common and recognizable issues.
“A brilliant way to learn more about the ran

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Ireland – A.C. Entertainment Technologies has announced that they are extending their distribution to include Ireland, for Prolyte Group's prominent range of trussing, staging and structural solutions.
The expansion of territory follows AC-ET's continuing success with the brand in the UK, which for the past two years has culminated in it receiving the Prolyte Group's 'Platinum Award', in recognition of its strong sales performance and support for the StageDex and LiteDeck product ranges.
Matthew Millward, sales manager for the company's specialist rigging sales division, commented: “Prolyte is an extremely important brand amongst our widening customer base, I am pleased by the robust and steady growth we have realised in the UK market in recent months and it is with great enthusiasm that we extend our distribution efforts to include Ireland as well.”
As a U

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Romania - Following continued growth, Prolyte Group has solved its need for additional production capacity by expanding its new production site in Piatra Olt, Romania, which was opened in 2016. With this expansion Prolyte has completed an additional 4400 m2 production space to the already impressive facilities.
Consolidating all its European manufacturing capacity into an approx. 10.000 m2 facility, Prolyte Group can boost to have one of the largest and most modern production facilities for the manufacture of truss systems. And there’s room for further growth with expansion possibilities till 16.000m2.
The new factory involves an investment of 3.5m euros, which was funded partly with support from the European Union and the EximBank.
The complete production facility is accommodated with brand new automated production equipment and state of the art product lines.

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UK - Star Events provided a performance wall for a 12-piece synthesiser ensemble and a standard 1.2m high forestage as New Order rolled back the years and rolled out the production to open Manchester International Festival (MIF).
Playing at Old Granada Studios, home to Joy Division’s first televised performance, on Tony Wilson’s So It Goes programme, and a nascent New Order three years later, Star Events helped develop the supporting structure for artist Liam Gillick’s responsive stage designs.
Star Events’ pods, stacked six on six, sat behind custom mechanical louvres, which served as a screen for visuals, flickering open to reveal 12 dancing synth players.
Largely dispensing with the hits, New Order chose to reinvent or embellish a ‘setlist of surprises’, from Joy Division’s Disorder to Plastic off 2015 LP Music Complete.

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Canada - Automation specialist Kinesys is staging its first product awareness demonstration in Canada - on 8 July for one day only - to make people aware that Kinesys products have ‘officially landed’ in Canada and are available for immediate rental from Drifter Rigging.
The demo day is a collaboration between David Bond, who runs Kinesys’ US operation and Mark “Drifter” Desloges from Drifter Rigging, a new rental operation recently established in Toronto, with a selection of Kinesys kit. It will be held in a warehouse facility at 100 Carson St. Unit A Etobicoke, Toronto, M8W 3R9.
The objectives of the day include introducing people to Kinesys as a brand and highlighting the range of intelligent rigging and automation solutions available generally with particular attention to the newest ground-breaking Kinesys technologies available, the Apex system.

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UK - Glastonbury Festival’s new look Other Stage was designed and manufactured by Serious Stages’, who also installed the system along with the main stages across the site.
Dedicated to improving the festival experience for artists and fans, the organisers long term relationship with Serious Stages made them the obvious choice of contractor to create a new look Other Stage to accommodate the large scale incoming band productions form the likes of Stormzy, Major Lazer and Boy Better Know.
This four tower 25m TZ roof featured a sloped back, to give extra on-stage storage for artists and production, along with clear-span wings creating a much-improved working area with increased space for the incoming productions. An offset leg design on the rear of the goalpost created the space for the side-shed. The main deck, rear shed, side wings, ramps and underworld also offere

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World - Known for their very intricate stadium shows, U2 honours the 30th anniversary of their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, by taking a robust, cinematic set and the albums legacy hits on the road for a stadium tour across North America and Europe.
After reuniting with their fans at iHeartRadio’s Music Festival and Salesforce.com’s Dreamforce conference, the Irish rockers cemented the idea to celebrate the Joshua Tree album with the Joshua Tree Tour, making it the first time the band has ever taken an entire album from their back catalogue on tour.
In a Rolling Stone interview, Bono speaks about tour, stating, "It's so not like us to throw ourselves a birthday party. We didn't know if we could pull off a tour that honours The Joshua Tree without it being nostalgic. That's an oxymoron."
In order to showcase the album to its fullest

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UAE - Dubai Festival City is a 1300 acre, waterfront urban community that has been designed to reflect the 21st century spirit of Dubai. It offers visitors a shopping, dining and entertainment experience but is also home to a residential community, two international schools, hotels and commercial offices.
Deco Emirates LLC was recently brought on board to oversee a complete interior fit out of the Robinsons department store for Al Futtaim Sons. Contracts manager Chris George was responsible for ensuring the works were undertaken according to the design from HMKM London and to successfully hand over within a 10 month period. Chris, in turn, contacted Unusual Rigging and Engineering LLC to help Deco Emirates understand the complexities and challenges of the project.
Chris explained: "We knew from the offset that the installation of an overhead gantry within the escalator

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Italy - A good example of “calm before the storm” can be found on the Rimini beach in Italy, where Litec is constructing a sophisticated Libera series Alusfera II roof for upcoming concerts to be held during the Summer Beach Arena event.
Running from 24 June – 30 July, the Summer Beach Arena concert series features live and DJ sets by national and international artists from sunset until late in the evening.
(Jim Evans)
  1. WIcreations spectaculars for Solidarity Games
  2. Prolyte Campus initiative returns to UK
  3. Star Events stages Stone Roses at Wembley
  4. Triple E branches out for Greenpeace at Glastonbury
  5. New format for PLASA Rigging Conference
  6. Garsington gets Unusual treatment
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