Australia - After 30 years of entertaining the locals, The Ford Theatre at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) recently underwent an extensive makeover thanks to a $3 million grant from Arts Victoria. The theatre re-opened recently as The Playhouse a modern 797 seat venue.

One of the key design concepts was to make the venue much more attractive on the eye than it had been previously. Studio 101 Architects took the dated auditorium and transformed it into a stylish and modern-looking venue, through a combination of green upholstered seats with walnut timber frames, padded rear auditorium walls that accentuate the green of the seats and reference the red of the new house curtain, which is all complemented by a fashionable lighting design.

Lighting design consultancy Electrolight was contracted by Arts Victoria for the architectural lighting design of the auditorium. The r

Australia - In an effort to embrace green technology, The Videoplus Group has been researching more environmentally friendly light sources and this lead to them recently trialling the new Vari*lite VLX LED wash light.

Two of the Vari*lite VLX fixtures were utilised on the Breast Cancer Awareness Gala Dinner hosted by Olivia Newton John and held at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast. The VLX supplied general room wash and effect as well as stage lighting for acts such as James Blundell.

"We're actively trying to become a greener company," remarked James Dee, regional manager Queensland for The Videoplus Group. "The new Varilite VLX moving wash was very impressive. They deliver such richness and variety of colours in the LED - in fact the colour rendering is spectacular, also through the colour correction and skin tone."

Dee adds, "The smooth operation

UK - Light Projects has supplied 18 Lumascape inground 343 uplighters for a refurbishment scheme on the lighting of the Queen Elizabeth Gates in Hyde Park as designed and specified by Light + Design Associates.

These were supplied with both 35w and 70w CDM-T lamps using Lumascape's 'PureOptics' dichroic reflector system which range from 10° to 60° for precise illumination. In addition, different refractors, tilt lenses and prismatic lenses were used to create exact effects and to obtain different light distribution patterns to bring the gates to life.

Lumascape 343 uplighters are specifically designed for this kind of challenging and high performance application. Manufactured from 316 marine grade stainless steel and with an IP68 rating, they come complete with an integral wicking barrier and can house different light sources from 35w to 70w CDM-T lamps, TC-TEL compact

UK - Situated in Hall 1 on stand E33, PRG Distribution will feature new and key products at PLASA 2010, from manufacturing partners including Vari-Lite, Lycian, Seachanger, Pathway, City Theatrical, GDS, Gekko and NILA.

The new OHM Light from PRG will also receive its European premiere, demonstrating the powerful capabilities of LED technology as a replacement for space lights in the film and television market. The OHM Light offers 80% power savings, minimal heat output and DMX control over its traditional counterpart.

An interactive new feature to the stand this year will be PRG Distribution's dedicated demonstration. Visitors will be invited to attend a complimentary range of sessions that introduce new and key products alongside application examples and case studies from each of their manufacturing partners.

Full details of the subjects, timings and how to register for a

UK - ALD, STLD and Clay Paky have announced the nominations for the 3rd Knights of Illumination lighting design awards. The awards will be held on the evening of Sunday 12 September 2010 at the IBIS Hotel London Earls Court.

The awards will provide public recognition for outstanding achievements in lighting design by UK based lighting designers, in a number of professional areas. At the same time, these awards will forge closer ties between the world of lighting design and the lighting Industry as a whole.

The awards for The Knight of the Illumination are nominated and judged by a panel of professional reviewers working in the specific categories, selected and coordinated entirely by STLD and ALD.

Television nominations

Light Entertainment

Mark Smithers for Mission 2110

Martin Kempton for Who Dares Wins

Lee Allen for Blue

The Netherlands - Last month, the Ms Nieuw Amsterdam was launched from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in Venice. It is the fourth Nieuw Amsterdam from Holland America, with the first dating back to 1906. With a capacity of 1380 passengers at a length of 780 feet (238 metres), the luxury cruise ship celebrates the glamour and history of New York City (formerly called New Amsterdam). The ship is also home to five Broadway-style shows, with lighting design and pre-programming completed in wysiwyg R25.

Four new shows debuted at the maiden launch: Avalon, Cantare, It Takes Two and NYC. Another show on board is Garage Band, which is a re-run of a show that was debuted on the Ms Oosterdam last year.

The creative team for all five shows (which will run for approximately five years) includes show director John Charron at the helm

UK - A new 6mm screen - Pixled F-6, is being launched at PLASA 2010 next month. This mega-bright, lightweight surface is billed as the first 6mm LED display that is curvable in all directions. The convex and concave curvability can be on both horizontal and vertical planes.

Being able to curve a screen vertically as well as horizontally is a completely new concept, and for maximum dynamics and effect, the F-6 can be shaped into a combination of both directions on both planes via the integrated mechanics on each module itself, says the company. This can be achieved quickly and simply with no additional tools or rigging apparatus needed.

The F-6's 4000 NIT brightness has high impact, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, with an IP65 rating on the front of the module, and IP54 on the rear.

Each F-6 module measures an expedient 50 x 50 cm in size with a thickness of

UK - Lighting manufacturer GLP reports that it has been one of the founding contributors to the new touring research Moving Arts: Managing the carbon impacts of our touring, published by the UK-based environmental organisation for the creative industries, Julie's Bicycle.

The three volume report which measures the impacts of touring and presents practical solutions to help cut touring emissions is the first of its kind and was recently unveiled at an industry gathering at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The research includes analysis of over 30 tour legs across the globe, and discussion of a number of case studies and 'hot topics' such as biofuels and offsets. The document also tackles some of the perceived barriers head on and identifies a number of priority recommendations aimed at those responsible for all aspects of a tour.

Being an integral part of every touring

UK - Light Tape proved to be a hit when used at the recent Farnborough Air Show on the floor and walls of the BAE pavilion. The simple, geometric design created using Light Tape ran from a central, interactive, touch screen console in all directions throughout the main exhibition pavilion to the various displays of defence equipment, and as part of the lighting effects in the entrance to the registration area.

The overall effect provided not only logical linking of the various exhibits, this could have been done using a white self adhesive tape on the floor, but by using Light Tape as the directional indicator the resulting effect added a whole new dimension to the overall exhibit, says the manufacturer.

The floor, which is usually seen as just something you walk on, came alive and became as much a part of the overall design of the room as the accompanying pictured canvases us

UK - Multiform will be displaying their latest products on the stand of Apollo Design Technology their US distributor at stand 2-R24 at PLASA 2010. They will be represented by Markus Grimm from Adelto Europe who handles their European distributor sales. Products include the following:

The MultiSpot HP uses an array of 9 pcs. of the new 3W MulTriCell LED devices, it delivers 27W of solid state lighting power, while "perfecting Multiform's UCO (uniform colour output) approach, leaving the days of visible red, green and blue LEDs behind". The lens panel with 36 mm Clear Pass lenses has a beam angle of 30 degrees, to suit most applications. The MultiSpot HP uses temperature controlled fan cooling and a silent switch-mode power supply meeting all regulatory approvals as well as the four-channel DMX control.

The MultiBeam HP marks Multiform's top-of the-line model for indo

UK - Belfast-based Production Services Ireland (PSI) supplied lighting for the two main venues of the 2010 West Belfast Festival (August Feile) which is Ireland's biggest community festival.

This followed on from PSI's work for organisers Féile an Phobail for their Spring Festival and Comedy Festivals earlier in the year. PSI's Sean Pagel says, "It was a great pleasure to work on this event and come onboard right at the start. This gave us the chance to demonstrate how investment in production values can really enhance the look and feel of an event."

PSI designed and supplied lighting for The Marquee in Bank Square in central Belfast and for all the action taking place in Andersonstown Leisure Centre as well as for a selection of other one off venues including schools, community centres, youth clubs and a monastery.

The physical challenges of installi

Australia - Wireless Solution Sweden will be showing the newest revolution of Wireless DMX control, W-DMX Generation 4 to Australia during Integrate 2010 in Sydney. The product will be demonstrated with the ULA Group, W-DMX exclusive distributor in Australia, 24-26 August at the Hordern Pavilion and Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park.

Training courses for W-DMX will be available three times daily during Integrate 2010.

Visitors to the ULA booth will learn about how the new G4 product line brings new features to the award-winning W-DMX line of products.

ULA operates not only as the exclusive distributor and importer of W-DMX (along with some of the world's leading entertainment and architectural lighting brands) but in fact as a working partner. Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution says, "ULA has been an extremely strong partner to W-DMX for a long time, and our

UK - At PLASA 2010, Harting is featuring its range of connectivity solutions specially tailored to communication and control applications in lighting, sound and automation systems for the theatre, concert and indoor/outdoor event sectors. In addition to new additions to its industrial connector family, Harting is also featuring a new Ethernet-based switching technology known as Fast Track Switching.

A key product is the Harting Han(R) family of heavy-duty connectors, which are increasingly being used on concert stages and in theatres. At PLASA, two new products within the Han(R) family are being introduced: the Han-Yellock(R) industrial connector series and the Han-Eco(R) range of high-quality plastic connector housings.

The new Han-Yellock(R) connector series incorporates a number of features that make it suited to use in stage automation, concert lighting and power distribut

UK - Stage Electrics were contracted by Bristol based Conference Connections to assist with a launch event for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, which took place in the city.

Stage Electrics video department supplied and installed a 6.9m x 4m (63 Panels) indoor LED video screen. During the event the video screen was used to display a variety of presentations and videos.

Normally LED video screens are vertically flown from trussing or ground stacked. However, this event required the screen to be horizontally displayed, thus showing the video content lying flat projecting towards the different atrium levels.

Assembled carefully in the middle of the ground floor atrium of the building, on specially designed legs, the video screen could be viewed from every angle when looking over the circular first floor balcony. In total 80 legs were attached to the modular screen and levelle

UK - White Light has helped d touring ballet company English National Ballet update the low smoke effect used in many of its productions, supplying three of Look Solutions' Cryo-Fog high-output low-smoke machines to replace the MDG machines ENB previously used.

"We purchased the Cryo-Fogs to replace our previous machines, which were becoming expensive to maintain and keep in peak operating condition," says ENB's Dave Richardson. "We had seen Look's machines on the White Light stand at PLASA last year, were impressed with their performance and with the price; we've now switched over to using them entirely."

Cryo-Fog consists of a fog generator, a fan and a cooling chamber plus space for a five litre fluid container all built into a single, compact flightcase. Cryo-Fog uses liquid CO2 to cool the incoming smoke from the machine, ensuring that no smoke is emit

UK - Blackburn- based lighting rental company HSL has again supplied site-wide lighting equipment for the high profile Global Gathering dance festival, staged at Long Marsden Airfield in Warwickshire.

For the third year running HSL was working for Electric Fly Productions, whose Philip Winward and Nick Jevons created the production lighting, video and show designs for the main stage, four indoor arenas, two terrace lounges and the VIP zone, working for promoters Angel Music.

HSL's Tim Fawkes managed the project, which involved five 45ft trailer loads of kit, including trussing and rigging, which he also co-ordinated on site, in close collaboration with Electric Fly's hand-picked crew of lighting technicians/operators and riggers.

"HSL as always have provided brilliant service, great value and immaculate equipment," comments Jevons, "We could not do a pr

Taiwan / Israel - Oree Inc, the developer of LED planar illumination technology, has secured an investment from Epistar Corporation, Taiwan's largest manufacturer of LED chips.

Oree says it has developed a differentiating technology that brings LED lighting to a new level of efficiency and practicality in terms of energy consumption and cost. Oree's solid-state light source is thin and flat - about the size and shape of a credit card - and is suited for general lighting applications, decorative and architectural lighting, as well as backlighting for LCD panels. Oree is currently working with selected customers in Asia and Europe, and will be in high-volume production by early next year.

As one of the world's leading chip suppliers, Epistar Corporation is dedicated to partnering with companies that have novel and promising technologies. Epistar has been manufacturing chips for

UK - The new i-Pix 2x2 LED fixtures made a major impact at the 2010 Global Gathering dance extravaganza staged at Long Marsden Airfield, Warwickshire.

They were used by the event's production lighting and video designers Philip Winward and Nick Jevons of Electric Fly Productions to illuminate the stage and dancefloor in the VIP tent, and to illuminate the Live Terrace area.

It was the first time that they have had the chance to use this latest i-Pix product, which was launched 'live' at Glastonbury just a few weeks earlier, but Jevons liked the BB 2x2s so much that he even rigged two in the main stage front-of-house mixer area - from where he was operating the lighting for the two-day event. This made it look pretty and exude a warm, inviting ambience to all entering 'lighting world' at the back of the enclosure.

Says Jevons, "i-Pix has always supported us ever s

UK - The early part of 2010 saw part of one of London's busiest thoroughfares, Oxford Street, transformed into the age when dinosaurs ruled the earth, as Dinosaurs Unleashed delighted young and old alike. A key part of the exhibition is a prehistoric aquarium, which has come to life thanks to Adtec media players supplied by UK distributor Pixels.

So successful were the Dinosaurs' appearance in the Capital that the exhibition has now headed for the South West and Bournemouth which is, appropriately, the gateway to Britain's only natural World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast.

Dinosaurs Unleashed features life-size animatronic versions of the land-living Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, Triceratops and many others. One of the key features is, however, a virtual prehistoric aquarium, where marine reptiles like plesiosaurs and cephalopods such as ammonite

UK - Llanelli-based Lighting Technology projects (LTP), was asked by Philips SSL to provide its specialist design, specification and installation services to replace old sodium lighting for eight Cadw Monuments in South Wales.

Cadw, a division of the Welsh Assembly Government, holds responsibility for preserving and promoting the history and heritage of Wales.

LTP was brought on board at the tender stage of the project by Philips' key account manager Richard Williams. The eight sites in which LTP is involved are Tintern Abbey, Chepstow Castle, Caerphilly Castle, Castell Coch, Coity Castle, Llansteffan Castle, Kidwelly Castle and Swansea Castle.

In addition to making significant savings to the amount of electricity needed to run the schemes, the new scheme dramatically reduces the long term maintenance needed and radically enhances the quality of light with a cleaner and more

USA - After 35 years of touring, George Thorogood is still hammering out the gritty rock 'n blues tunes that fans have come to expect at his hard-charging shows. But even though classics from the '70s and '80s like Move It On Over still make up the bulk of his set list, the lighting on his current tour isn't a throwback to that era. Quite the contrary, George Thorogood and the Destroyers' 2010 Tour bears the distinction of being one of the first to use the newest light in the LED Impression series from Elation Professional, the Impression 120RZ Zoom.

Like the original Impression, the Impression 120RZ is a LED moving head with RGB colour mixing and a baseless design that makes it compact and lightweight. Also, the 120RZ version brings a new feature to the mix - a 10° to 26° Automated Linear Zoom, which gives it greater flexibility to be used in more applications. T

UK - Lighting rental company HSL has invested heavily in the last three months in new lighting equipment to facilitate its continuing busy work schedule amidst what's so far been a bumper year for the Blackburn-based operation.

Over 60 Vari*Lite VL3000 and VL3500 Series moving light fixtures have been added to HSL's existing Vari*Lite inventory. The first job for these was as a dry hire to Gearhouse South Africa, boosting the numbers of Vari*Lites used on the Closing Ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg - for which Gearhouse supplied full technical production.

HSL has also purchased 20 of the new Avolites Power Cubes. This first batch will replace all HSL's small dimming systems, and their first shows will be for various C Venues spaces and theatres at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. C Venues offers the largest and most varied theatre an

UK - Chaos Visual Productions has opened an office in London, led by Chaos' newest additions, managing director, Gary White and project director Alex Leinster, Chaos made their grand entry into the UK's concert scene with tours including Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Supertramp and Guns N Roses.

Chaos' London based operation offers full production support, including equipment inventory and technical support.

Former head of European sales for Total Fabrications, Gary White has a broad production background, ranging from theatre, to television, to corporate conferences, to touring and finally founding his own full technical production company, creating live events for blue chip clients.

White comments, "This is a major investment for the company. There is no doubt that the market in the UK and Europe continues to grow. All of the core skills I acquired in the entertainmen

UK - ETC's range of lighting, dimming and control products continues to expand and evolve with an impressive number of software and product updates on display at this year's PLASA show. The company's complete range of control desks will be available for demonstration, along with the PLASA Award winning Selador LED fixture line, Unison Paradigm building control system and SmartSolutions portable dimming.

Featuring the patented x7 Color System, the six different Selador LED models produce a light and colour quality that conventional LED systems cannot duplicate, says the company. The latest addition to the Selador range, which will be on show at PLASA, is Vivid Pearl, producing high output true whites from 3200oK and up and specifically suited for TV, alongside a new and improved Vivid-R, which now produces 50% more light than previous models - while consuming 10% less power.

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