South Africa - New Robe lighting fixtures have been installed in the Cape Town home venue of South Africa's renowned and innovative Zip Zap Circus School.

Zip Zap is a registered non-profit organisation, a circus school, a performance and technical training facility as well as being active in a number of youth outreach programmes, all aimed at taking the magic of circus and performance - together with all the elements involved with its presentation - and encouraging, enhancing and enriching people's lives with the possibilities of confidence, inspiration and self-development.

The new lighting in the Zip Zap Dome has been made possible by Robe and its South African distributor DWR, who have come on-board as technical sponsors.

Robe's CEO Josef Valchar, who is passionate about s

UK - The Beacon Arts Centre, opened in January 2013, is one of the finest new arts venues in the UK. It replaces the Greenock Arts Guild Theatre, which served the area well for more than 65 years.

The Beacon is situated at Customhouse Quay in Greenock, overlooking the River Clyde estuary, with stunning views towards the hills of Argyll and Dunbartonshire. The infrastructure of the new Centre has been carefully designed to accommodate the widest possible variety of uses, comprising as it does, a 500 seat theatre, a black box studio space, three large rehearsal rooms, as well as a bistro and bar.

The main stage itself is one of the largest in Scotland and it is anticipated that The Beacon will become a venue of choice for touring productions of all kinds, as well as providing a first rate facility for local community groups. The first spade in the ground, at the commencement of

USA - This summer's premier North American '90s group tour -- Under The Sun - is aptly named, since the five-band show plays in just about every type of venue 'under the sun' during its marathon 36-city sweep. Travelling on tour buses with limited space and having to quickly set up gear to illuminate stages of all shapes and sizes presented some tricky challenges for Ian Staer of Circuit Six, lighting designer for Smash Mouth, headliner of the show, which also features the Gin Blossoms, Sugar Ray, Vertical Horizon and Fastball.

"We're playing a lot of differently sized venues all over North America, and it's important to me that no matter whether we're on a free-standing outdoor stage or in an amphitheatre, the band looks BIG," said Staer. Although bright, dynamic lights were a must for Smash Mouth's performance, the LD also needed fixtures that were lightweight

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ETC Halcyon Silent

High End Systems Halcyon Silent builds on ETC’s legacy of fanless automated fixtures by incorporating features from the highly sought-after Halcyon family. Halcyon Silent perfectly balances silent operation with brilliant output of 18,400 lumens and high-impact features. 

For more information visit us at www.etcconnect.com

UK - The Science Museum is one of the three major museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The museum is a major London tourist attraction, attracting 3 million visitors annually and is world renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions. As well as its many exhibits, the museum provides educational and outreach resources and science shows for schools and community groups throughout the UK. As a multi award-winning corporate event venue, the Science Museum offers large and small scale facilities for conferences, product launches, meetings and exhibitions. Whilst recently considering improvements to the audio-conferencing provision in its Director's Suite, it was to be expected that the Science Museum's authorities would settle for nothing less than the highest quality possib
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New Touring Series by Gravity – Every Scratch Has A Story

When the stage heats up, you need equipment that can keep up without compromise. The Gravity Touring Series has been specifically designed to meet the highest demands – for rental companies, professional musicians, concert organizers, and large event venues. Premium materials, exceptional durability, and impressive longevity make these products stand out. Whether on tour, in constant use, or under the toughest conditions: the Touring Series delivers maximum reliability and performance – every day, on every stage.
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UK - Now in their 13th year, the Forestry Commission's Forest Live concerts are an established part of the UK's summer outdoor music season. AP Security supplies crowd management and safety services at all seven sites and, this year, their success at these shows saw them specially asked to work at a new event in Northampton.

Paul Weller, Paloma Faith, Blondie, The Charlatans, James, The Script, Elvis Costello, Olly Murs, Jessie J and Jools Holland headlined a total of 23 Forest Live shows through June and July this year, the majority of which were sold out. The nature - both figurative and literal - of the sites hosting combined audiences of over 125,000 presented different challenges to many venues. AP's experience played a major role in ensuring that the family-friendly events enjoyed such a relaxed atmosphere.

"Each site has its own quirks and variables in terms of acc

Belgium - Lighting and visuals designer Luc Peumans from Genk, Belgium based creative practice Painting With Light was commissioned to design lighting for the renowned Summer Opera Alden Biesen's 2013 season

They performed Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto - to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Italian composer's birth - in the beautiful environs of the moated castle of Alden Biesen. The season ran for a month and was, as always, completely sold out.

It was the first time that Peumans had lit a show for the company, which has a great reputation for producing quality works featuring international casts and a leading orchestra. This year's production was directed by the acclaimed Carlos Wagner.

The performance space is covered by an elegant tensile roof with four large vertical king poles, so these and the metal superstructure of the roof to some extent dictates where the

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AZOR® SP2 IP - Compact IP65 Spot Profile Moving Head

Compact design and IP65 protection for indoor and outdoor applications: the new AZOR® SP2 IP is the ideal solution for open-air events and outdoor theatres that require a powerful, weatherproof lighting system. An optimal partner for lighting designers and event service providers looking for a versatile LED show light in a compact housing.

AZOR® SP2 IP – the next generation of robust, weatherproof, and compact lighting for maximum creative freedom, both indoors and outdoors.

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Denmark -Martin's new MAC Viper Beam is a beam fixture with linear zoom system that projects a very narrow pencil beam of high-intensity light. The final fixture in the MAC Viper family, it is available as an easy-to-install front lens replacement kit for any standard MAC Viper AirFX.

Designed for high-impact, big beam effects and longer throws, it houses the same high-quality feature set as Martin's MAC Viper AirFX, including a vibrant colour mixing system and "stunning aerial effects". It has also inherited the same compact form, impressive speed and light quality using the same 1000 W source as the other Viper Family luminaires.

With 80 percent greater intensity than the MAC Viper AirFX, the MAC Viper Beam can cut through all forms of ambient lighting. Its linear zoom creates a tighter beam and the auto-linked focus means that hard-edge effects hold their focus th

The Netherlands - Creative Technology has announced that Edwin de Haan has joined the project management team of Creative Technology working out of CT's Holland operation.

Effective 1 August 2013, de Haan brings with him a wealth of experience in managing large complex video productions on a national and international basis, having spent seven years in a similar position at XL Video in the Netherlands.

Jeroen Jongenelen, general manager of CT's Holland operation commented, "We are delighted that Edwin has agreed to join CT. With his industry experience, I am confident that Edwin will be supporting CT's business development and continued growth. We look forward to his contribution to our Holland operation."

(Jim Evans)

The Netherlands - Aalsmeer, Netherlands based technical solutions and rental company Eventec has recently invested in over 80 new Robe moving lights, including Pointes, LEDWash 300s and MMX WashBeams ... all to keep pace with their busy schedule.

This includes the supply of lighting, video and audio to the Aalsmeer Studio complex for United Broadcast Facilities (UBF) which produces a slew of leading TV shows including So You Think You Can Dance, its junior version The Next Generation, the Dutch Junior Eurovision Song Contest, IQ Test and numerous others.

Eventec's MD Wijnand Mol and his co-director Frans Mulckhuijse also head up the very successful events production operation Liberty Entertainment, for which Eventec is also the principal technical supplier.

In 2012, Eventec purchased 24 Robe LEDWash 300s and six LEDBeam 100s to service that series of

USA - City Theatrical is hosting a series of free webinars on wireless DMX. The first of five webinars in this series is What You Need To Know About Wireless DMX (27 August). In this session you will get a general overview of wireless DMX.

The second webinar in the series is on the SHoW DMX SHoW Baby 5 (24 September) where you will learn how to set up a simple, plug and play wireless DMX system. The third webinar is on City Theatrical's professional SHoW DMX Neo system (29 October). In this session, learn how to set up a complex multi-universe wireless DMX system and to tune it to meet the needs of a professional show.

The fourth webinar is on the SHoW DMX Vero and Vero Net where you will learn how to set up a permanent outdoor architectural wireless DMX system (10 December). The last webinar in the series is Using Specialized Antennas With Wireless DMX

Brazil - For football fans sad at the lack of a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship this summer, the FIFA Confederations Cup provided ample compensation. Hosted by current holders Brazil, the colourful closing ceremony was mixed on a DiGiCo SD8 console.

Seen by many observers as a 'dry run' for Brazil hosting next year's World Cup, the home team emerged victorious on the pitch, beating current World and European champions Spain 3-0 in the tournament final.

Held at Rio's Maracana Stadium, prior to the final's kick off, the closing ceremony demonstrated the city's well-founded reputation for a colourful party. Loudness Sound Rental & Services was tasked with supplying the audio system for the ceremony, choosing a DiGiCo SD8, plus an L-Acoustics PA and Shure wireless microphones and IEMs.

"A big challenge for us was the project only being confirmed very close to t

UK - Yamaha Commercial Audio (UK) has announced the appointment of Stephanie Halstead to the position of commercial audio sales and marketing support.

Previously working for Yamaha's Central Operations division, Halstead's new role includes daily contact with Commercial Audio dealers and customers, as well as logistics, stock management and providing backup to the Commercial Audio sales and technical support teams.

"My previous role involved being in contact with hundreds of Yamaha dealers, whereas in CA I will be working with a smaller network of customers on a more personal level," she says. "It will be good to be able to build closer professional relationships, to properly get to know the people on the end of the phone. I'm here to help them in any way possible.

"I also wanted to expand my knowledge within the company and focus on one product group, so

Europe - Hi energy UK drum 'n' bass duo Chase & Status has taken the European festival circuit by storm this summer, with a lightshow designed by Neil Carson, based on a floor 'specials' rig of over 160 lights - with 60 x Robe LEDBeam 100s at its core!

Forty of the LEDBeams are attached to two custom pre-rigged trussing dollies wheeled onstage for lightning-quick deployment behind the band, forming a retina-burning 'wall-of-death' effect.

The other 20 LEDBeam 100 fixtures are rigged ten each on two 5m high towers positioned either side of the stage flanking the LEDBeam dollies in the middle

The high-impact effects that Carson has created with the LEDBeam 100 wall have impressed everyone, particularly in relation to the miniscule size of the units, which make them ideal for being toured in large quantities whilst taking up very little truck space.

The design also utilises e

China - As part of Creative Technology's (CT) commitment to offer the latest and most innovative equipment, CT's Asia Pacific operation reports that it has just placed an order for Barco HDX W20 Flex Projectors. This investment is a subsequent order following the delivery of the Barco FSN system earlier in the summer.

The Asia market - in particular mainland China - is demanding a similar level of quality of equipment as that in the European and the US markets and CT is aware of a noticeable rise in the amount of incoming events into the region, says the company. With CT's Asia Pacific operation offering full service of video, audio, lighting and rigging, the in-house team of Western and Chinese engineers and project managers provides total solutions to our clients.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Utopium supplied festival lighting rigs for 11 stages at this year's Boomtown Fair held at Matterley Estate near Winchester, 8 - 11 August 2013.

The fifth instalment of Boomtown Fair, a live music and arts festival, attracted audiences of around 30,000 each day to see performances from headlining artists including David Boomah, Dub Inc., Mad Caddies, Babyhead and Slamboree.

For the third consecutive year Utopium supplied lighting and rigging installations for the elaborately themed and creative Boomtown Fair. This year Utopium was approached to provide festival lighting rigs for the large stages, including Lions Den, Town Centre, Devil Kicks Dancehall and Circo Baile.

Will Howie lighting designer and production manager for Utopium commented, "Boomtown Fair was a very unique project for us. The festival was split into 12 districts, each one its own theme to represen

UK - LSi Online has learned the sad news of the death of Derrick Saunders, for many years one of the best-known figures in the UK's professional lighting industry. Derrick passed away on Friday 16 August after a long illness. As sales and marketing director of Pulsar Light of Cambridge, Derrick was a familiar figure from 1970 through until his retirement from the company in 2000. Even in retirement, he remained actively involved with family business Adda Super Cases, alongside his wife Monica.

Derrick's funeral will be on 30 August at St. Andrews Church, Oakington, Cambridgeshire, CB24 3AN. All who knew Derrick are welcome to attend. The family has asked for donations in lieu of flowers to be sent to St. Andrews Church fund.

(Lee Baldock)

UK - Having developed its revolutionary new JT30 and JT40 trusses at the start of 2013, James Thomas Engineering has announced the launch of its complete JT Truss range. The original JT30 and JT40 square configuration has been extended to include triangular and ladder truss options and an ultra-convenient 'out of the box' arched roof system.

JT Truss is a high-capacity, light-weight truss system aimed at the permanent installation market. Unique universal male/female forks allow versatility of connection and are held together by specially designed tapered pins which ensure fast, easy removal and form clean, strong joints.

Off the shelf lengths are available from 0.5m - 5m with a choice of solid corners or gates, 2- to 6-way corner options and a 3-way T-corner connection. Custom lengths are available to order, as are James Thomas Engineeering's (JTE) project consultation servic

Sweden - This year's Eurovision Song Contest production featured a design element requiring very special lighting; an element that demanded "the brightest LED fixture on the market: The Solaris LED Flare".

Flanking the sides of the main stage, extending overhead to meet above centre-stage, were two eight-ton, 46ft tall super-arches. The arches, located midway between up - and down-stage, required internal illumination to achieve proper depth perception. Exterior lighting just wouldn't do. Layers of plexi/acrylic sheets in each arch were toned and darkened for effect, which posed additional problems: the illumination had to be bright enough to blast through the layers with potency, even on camera.

Ola Melzig, Eurovision's technical director for the last 11 years, explains, "The arches were intended to have stand-alone value, independent of external lighting. We t

Sri Lanka - PR Lighting fixtures were out in force at the recent Derana Veet Miss Sri Lanka 2013 pageant in Wadduwa.

Held at the five-star Blue Water Hotel luxury hotel overlooking the Indian Ocean, the ballroom stage was imaginatively lit by technology company, The Lighthouse (Pvt), who handle the lighting each year for this event.

The company's Dinusha Perera based his lighting plot entirely on LED and discharge fixtures from PR Lighting, which form the core of Lighthouse's rental stock, to complement the opulent stage set conceived by Madawa Madawala from Derana TV.

Chosen for their bright output, advanced featureset and good colour referencing, Perera selected 16 XS1200 Spot, with their fast and intense beams, and 13 XR200 Beam, a high output moving beam light - along with some LED washes and par cans. These were used stridently and dynamically, under the control of an A

Europe - Bruno Mars has been out on the road supporting his platinum Unorthodox Jukebox album - one of the fastest selling albums in 2012.

His production design team once again on this arena tour is Cory FitzGerald and LeRoy Bennett, who have worked with the artist since the 2011 Hooligans in Wondaland tour.

Stepping up to larger arenas this time around, production has upscaled accordingly, and Fitzgerald has again turned to GLP's impression LED moving heads. Having had wide experience over a number of years, this time he has built 27 of the impression X4's, supplied by VER of Glendale, into a retro-style set redolent of the '70s & '80s, including a 6ft mirror ball.

The designer has worked through several generations of GLP's premier LED fixtures down the years - starting with the original impression 90 and RZ 120 zoom. The profile of these was raised when they

UK - Calibre UK is celebrating 25 years of success in the electronics design, creation, manufacture and delivery of innovative processing, image scaling, scan conversion and LCD electronics products to market.

Tim Brooksbank, chairman at Calibre UK commented, "Achieving this milestone has been immense fun. We've sold a lot of great products and have built some valued relationships. Here's to the next 25 years."

Founded on 8 August 1988, Calibre UK established itself as a small business in the technology and software sector and quickly built a reputation for electronics excellence.

Calibre UK originally designed and manufactured custom test equipment for CRT monitor and television factories, primarily for automated picture analysis and calibration on production lines. This spun out initial product lines such as I2C-Bus development and associated test tools. In the e

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