The set was built by London based, John Frost Scenery, specialists in set and scenery construction for over 40 years. "Le Mark's studiotak studio flooring is one of the best out there, really economical to use and gives a stunning high gloss finish, " comments Gary Parker of John Frost Scenery.
(Jim Evans)
Although only half the delegates were in the main conference area at any one time, Instinctif wanted to make sure that everyone had a clear view of the proceedings. The answer was to construct a self-contained 360° presentation theatre within the 2,773sq.m Madinat Arena.
Dubai-based Unusual Rigging & Engineering was contracted to build a 39m wide octagon which, with a trim height of 12m, was suspended from the roof of the arena. Project manager for Unusual Rigging & Engineering,
The project was managed for Cover It Up by Elliot Stennett, and made use of their extensive stock of different coloured velvets, and was asked onboard after working on many previous projects for the Hospital Group and event producer, Selina Robson.
On this occasion, their brief involved the complete draping of the main room, a gala dinner for 350 VIP guests with two stages hosting speeches, awards, live entertainment, plus a separate casino room and after-party area.
"We had to transform this somewhat prosaic warehouse space into a beautiful and glamorous setting for the occasion," reports Stennett, who create
Sarah Rushton-Read, co-founder of WiSE (Women in Stage Entertainment) says: "This was our first WiSE Monthly. WiSE members are hugely grateful for the support we received from technical manager for the Southbank Complex, Roger Hennigan, GrandMA's Philip Norfolk and Chris West and Martin Professional's Matthew Pittman, who provided a number of fixtures, a load of Pret Sandwiches and some delicious Pizza. We would also like to thank Coral Cooper for furnishing us with a flask of gin and a huge box of chocolates.
"We have wanted to get a regular networking and education group for WiSE members going for some time. The event is open to any member of WiSE (we now have over 350) intereste
Fixed mounts within the Razor Series include models IC32F, IC60F, and IC71F. Capable of accommodating panel sizes ranging from 23 to 71 inches and weights up to 100 pounds, these low-profile mounts complement the slim, contemporary design of today's streamlined displays, placing them just a fraction of an inch away from the wall. Mounting patterns offered among these three models range from 200x100 on up to 800x400, says the company.
(Jim Evans)
As well as his in-depth knowledge of J&C Joel's range of PVC projection screens, Wright also has a wealth of experience in working with flame retardant fabrics.
Wright will be based in North London and will be on hand to assist clients in the capital and around the Home Counties.
"After more than 30 years in the industry it's great to work for a company like J&C Joel. I'm looking forward to getting involved and working with the people and products that have given this firm its superb reputation," says Wright.
"Tomcat is honoured to support the Kennedy Centre American College Theatre festival as this organisation fosters the educational and creative process of university and college theatre," stated Stefano Rossellini, general manager of Tomcat. "Our company has been supplying the entertainment production market for 23 years, serving customers all over the world and we understand the value of fostering and encouraging the talent, creativity
"Well maybe not the longest truss ever, I think Lord Norman Foster might have something to say about that, but certainly the longest truss from standard production industry equipment," says Chris Cronin, the head of Total Solutions Group (TSG) who supplied the truss.
"We have a well established relationship with Staras, Turkey's leading sound and lighting company," continues Cronin. "And we've worked on many a project together since they purchased the
Legally Blonde won three awards including best new musical, while the National Theatre's revival of Terence Rattigan's After the Dance collected four awards. Despite being nominated in seven categories, the Phantom sequel Love Never Dies was left empty-handed.
Best Lighting Design went to Neil Austin forThe White Guard at the NT Lyttelton. Also nominated this year were Mark Henderson for After the Dance at the NT Lyttelton; Hugh Vanstone for Deathtrap at the Noel Coward; and Paule Constable for Love Never Dies at the Adelphi. The Award for Best Sound Design went to Adam Cork for King Lear at the Donmar Warehouse. Also nominated were Gareth
"We went in to the theatre to begin the three week fit-out, installing the mother truss with 40 chain hoists and tracking beams to help get the steelwork into the basement," explains project manager Simon Stone. "But the Royal Variety Show took place half way through, so the production crew for that came in and took possession, laying their show floor over ours for the duration."
The chain hoists and 300ft of truss above the stage enable the set to be flown in and out of place. But, in a theatre as old as the London Palladium, none of the counterweight sets were heavy
New products will include 5 Star's Venue range of general purpose cases. This sees a slight departure for 5 Star, in that the main material used is a lightweight honeycombed polypropylene. This offers significant weight savings over traditional plywood carcass constructed cases, and will be suitable for small to medium sized applications of all types.
A 'nest' of four general purpose carry cases is available, utilising classic 'Russian Doll' methodology, whereby sets of cases in decreasing sizes are placed one inside the other for neat storage when not in use.
Other than the polypropylene panels, the case is furnished with the usual flight case type
ILMC 2011 returned to London's Royal Gardens Hotel, with 1,000 delegates engaging many topics in a packed conference programme, 11-13 March 2011. Showsec was a sponsor of the event and the London office supplied SIA licensed staff to professionally secure the conference, attended by many of the companies' peers and clients.
The Saturday morning Engine Room panel focused on production related issues, chaired by Brian Grant (Britannia Row) and Andy Lenthall (Production Services Association). Showsec managing director Mark Harding accepted the invitation from the ILMC and began proceedings with a presentation which sparked an interactive dialogue with the audience about sa
The traditional Russian festival Maslenitsa, which is held at the beginning of spring, is celebrated across Russia and for the third year running was celebrated in the UK capital's iconic square. With an abundance of food, live music and a televised stage which was streamed live to Russia, Maslenitsa Festival saw a constant stream of visitors throughout the entire day.
Showsec's security operation was managed by senior operations executive Dayo Adelugba, who oversaw all 120 SIA security personnel across the high profile site. He comments, "Ensuring crowd safety across London's prestigious Trafalgar Square requires us to work closely with GLA and Westminster Council, to provide the safest en
A range of companies invited thousands of hospitality guests to join them and enjoy four days of racing in bespoke suites created by Arena.
Building on a close relationship with Cheltenham Festival organisers extending back 27 years through the provision of multi-storey structures, Arena was entrusted to supply a number of temporary structures for the 100th anniversary. All three structures, a double deck Horizon structure (20x30m), a four story Arena Scene structure (10x27m) and a 15m by 100m glass fronted double-deck hospitality suites, were located along the home straight providing uninterrupted views over the course.
Ron Smith, projects director at Arena Structures, has been working with the Cheltenham Festival for the pa
With a brief to create an award ceremony that was bigger, better and more dynamic than ever before, production company Done and Dusted designed a set that comprised several large LED screens, two of which tracked across the stage.
Leon Ingram, project manager for Unusual Rigging & Engineering, comments, "The auditorium at Emirates Palace has no loading capacity from the roof, so in order to track the screens across the stage we had to build a ground support system. With a span of 22m, the system also had to provide support for
Justin Bieber and U2 are among artists who have agreed to contribute songs to an album to raise funds for victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Record label Universal Music said it hoped to release the digital-only album globally by the end of the week. Bon Jovi and Rihanna have also been confirmed for the album, which will also raise money for the Japanese Red Cross. "We are doing it only digitally because it is faster," said a Universal spokesman
The second Rigging School will take place on 8-9 June, with a third event to be held in September (dates still to be confirmed).
The Rigging School is a training partnership between A.C. Rigging, leading trussing and staging manufacturer Prolyte and Backstage Academy, the Wakefield based initiative offering various types of entertainment industry training.
Keeping the same format as last year, the comprehensive two-day training programme is an established course that has been attended by industry practitioners from across Europe.
Eric Porter, experienced independent rigger, trainer, adviser and committee member for the PLASA National Rigging Certificate, will a
"Tomcat is honoured to participate in sound:check expo as it is the most important event of its kind in Mexico and a forum to share solutions with a different perspective to customers of Mexico and Latin America to create spectacular stages. Actually we have being doing so since 1987 in the US and since 1999 in Mexico," stated Tony Vierling, Tomcat sales manager for Mexico and Latin America.
"We have been a part of important projects, like the gigantic screen for the bicentennial festivities in Mexico, the Soda Stereo concerts in Venezuela, several Televisa productions, among many others, and our support systems
The newly created Midlands region will be managed by Richard Church who has worked for the company for 16years. Ieuan Fury moves from his post in Wales to become the area manager for the West Midlands, whilst Joe Milner takes the step up from senior operations executive to role of area manager for the East Midlands.
Replacing Fury in the Wales and South West office will be Martin Lewis who moves up from operations executive. Martin previously was part of Showsec's Management Training Academy and becomes the first graduate to be promote
"We look forward to a successful future with our new business associate and are eager to expand our staging effect product offerings," notes Clive Forrester, CEO of All Access. "We are delighted to have him as a member of the All Access family."
In addition, All Access has acquired equipment previously operated by B & R Scenery, which includes a wide selection of electro-mechanical lifts and effects.
B & R Scenery will be winding down its Camarillo operation within the next two to three months.
(Lee Baldock)
"This is a very challenging standard, focusing on customers," said Clancy president Mike Murphy. "All of the elements are about quality - not just in manufacturing, but the complete customer experience. It's important that all our partners, from specifiers and rigging installers to end users, get a system that is on time, complete, and correct."
Murphy continued, "ISO 9001 is a set of quality management requirements with an emphasis on customer satisfaction. Our ISO 9001:2008 quality management system addresses design, installation, project management, and quality. It requires that top management be actively involved and that
At the same time, the assets of ES Trucking arm of the company were sold to Transam Trucking. All 37 employees of the company have been transferred to either ES Global Limited or to Transam Trucking.
Founded in 1974, Edwin Shirley Group was one of the UK's biggest event suppliers, providing staging and logistics services to music tours and events across the UK and Europe. A succession of problems has been blamed for the failure of ES Group including, most recently, late payment issues relati
New projection screens are also scheduled. The Transmission screen (for diffusion and rear projection) premiered to much acclaim in late 2010, and is followed by Even. This pure white screen offers nearly identical luminance distribution both in front and rear projection applications, making it suitable for soft-edge blending and LED projection.
Another upcoming launch will feature a low-gain screen that minimizes reflected light while also greatly improving soft-edge blending in large-scale applications.
Among the innovations unveiled at ShowTech 2011 in Berlin (7-9 June) is the Cargo line of heavy-duty track systems, which allows smooth maneuvering of m
Standing over 9m tall, three iconic images of the Teacher, the Wife and the Mother are supplied, complete with the mechanics and automation to operate them, inside inflatable skins from Air Artists.
The Teacher and Wife puppets require extensive animation so Brilliant Stages devised a system of cradles and winches to facilitate this. The puppets are suspended by fine steel wire ropes attached to individual electric winches mounted into a compact cradle. The winches move the limbs independently whilst the cradle carrying the winches also slews to enable the puppets to turn 180°.
Brilliant Stages used customised control systems from Andy Cave of Kinesys for the cradles and winches.
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