USA - There is no denying the immense popularity of esports and video gaming around the world. Entire sports arenas sell out for fans to watch their favourite gaming stars compete. But what if this gaming technology could be used as a purposefully constructive educational tool for the local community? What if the technology and creativity that goes into creating a video game could be transitioned into targeted curriculum disguised as entertainment?
This is the vision of the team behind Whitaker Center in in Harrisburg, PA and Ted Black, president, and CEO of Whitaker Center, for the newly created, 7,000sq.ft PNC Innovation Zone.
Says Black, “We saw an opportunity within gaming for a perfect vehicle into learning.” The PNC Innovation Zone is a first in its category

UK - First announced in 2019 and opening its doors fully later this year, Sky Studios Elstree is a joint project between Sky and NBCUniversal. The 27.5-acre, complex located just north of London houses 13 sound stages, with media operations provider Xytech Systems offering total operational and financial control by streamlining the new film and TV studio’s internal processes across quoting, resource scheduling, cost management and reporting.
“Not long after Sky Studios Elstree was given the go-ahead in 2019, we started searching for a media operations solution that would meet the strict demands of our cutting-edge studios catering for high-end TV shows and films,” said Tom Avison, director of operations at Sky Studios Elstree. “Sky already had an excellent, long-standing relationship with Xytech Systems through its Transmission solutions installed at the Sky facilit

USA - Summer festivals are always full of surprises for anyone working in production, and not all of them have to do with unpredictable weather. Set to light Rolling Loud’s high-profile Snipes Stage where Money Man, Big30, Sleazyworld Go, and Curren$y (who helped start the hip-hop bash back in 2015) would be performing, Abbas Ritscher expected to have spotlights for front lights, but that was not an option.
Undeterred, Ritscher and his team at The Design Oasis, grabbed 12 extra Chauvet Professional Maverick Storm 1 Wash fixtures from their inventory and hung them “as far down the stage as we could” to create a clean front wash.
“We wanted to have a consistent wash throughout the stage, given who was performing here and because we need a camera friendly setting,” said Ritscher. “The Storm I was our work horse.”
Flown on eight rows of overhead truss,
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USA - Jack White –one half of The White Stripes – is back on the road with the topically named “Supply Chain Issues” world tour, currently playing its first US leg. The artist is presenting two critically new albums Fear of the Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive.
Matching this creative excellence on the visual design side is Matthieu Larivee from Montreal-based LUZ Studio.
Matthieu specified over 100 Robe moving lights to help him achieve numerous aesthetic goals, with 63 x BMFL WashBeams, 18 x Spiiders, 36 x MegaPointes and three BMFL Follow Spots running on one RoboSpot system, all supplied by Solotech.
Challenges have included creating a workable and scalable design to deal with both arenas and the smaller more intimate theatre spaces that Jack White loves to play. Also, there is a different setlist each night drawn from a vast catalogue of
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UK - Void Acoustics embraced the energy and vibe of their first major presence at Glastonbury on the 50th Anniversary edition of the festival.
Glastonbury’s long-awaited return to this year’s summer calendar saw the addition of two new stages in the popular Silver Hayes area of the festival. One of these new stages was the Lonely Hearts Club – an arresting addition to this club-goers paradise.
It was from the art deco styled Lonely Hearts Club stage that Void Acoustics made an impressive visual and sonic impact in this part of Glastonbury throughout the long festival weekend.
NSL Productions (long-standing rental and integration partner of Void Acoustics) installed this festival stage for Team Love who were the festival production team behind Silver Hayes this year.
“Although we have worked at Glastonbury previously, this was our first year workin

UK - Martin Audio’s programme of biannual open days - designed to coincide with the busy spring and end of summer exhibition seasons - is set to continue over three days this September (6-8).
This year they have expanded the mix to incorporate three other brands from parent company Focusrite Group showcasing a portfolio of relevant products from Focusrite Pro, along with its start-up commercial audio brand, Optimal Audio and the recently acquired Linea Research.
Each brand will have its own dedicated presentation time, and in the case of Martin Audio visitors will again have the opportunity to hear the design theories behind ranges such as Adorn, CDD, Torus and Wavefront Precision, before getting to listen to them as they are put through their paces.
Another change this time around is that delegates only need to register for a day pass (rather than a session pa

UK - Absen’s versatile Polaris series of rental LED displays supplied visual flair for the recent NWG Innovation Festival, which returned to Newcastle Racecourse (UK) after a two-year hiatus.
Organised by Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), the 2022 NWG Innovation Festival featured live music, comedy, tech demos and wellbeing events, as well as design sprints, hacks, workshops and activities aimed at solving difficult problems around topics such as climate change, cyber-security and water scarcity. The theme for this year’s festival, which took place from 12 to 15 July, was ‘Untapped Potential’ and focused on bringing together untapped talent from different sectors, backgrounds and locations.
For NWG Innovation Festival 2022, Sam Gordon, director of Big Purple Group (Big Purple Productions/Big Purple Events), specified the Polaris LED panels in two configurations:

UAE - Creative Technology has appointed Jemma Joy as head of operations. Over 20 years, Jemma has been involved in many projects including EXPO2020 Dubai, Qasr Al Hosn, Laureus World Sports Awards, Dubai World Cup, and Volvo Ocean Race.
Jemma comments, “I have worked alongside CT on some of the region’s biggest and technically advanced shows in the past and I am delighted to now be part of the CTME team.”
The company has also appointed two new project managers, Croft Clinton and Bhans Sheomangal.
Croft has worked alongside top event and production companies in the UAE as well as having a strong passion to deliver high quality events that exceed a client’s expectation.
Bhans has over 14 years of experience throughout the Middle East and Africa. He has extensive knowledge in production and is responsible for providing AV technical management across

Belgium - The 177th edition of Gentse Feesten drew some 1.6m visitors to the port city of Ghent over 10 days in July.
More than 3,000 different acts, both local and global, representing a wide range of music genres, performed at 14 different city squares at Gentse Feesten. Helping Ghent glitter throughout the festival while also supporting the artists on stage was an impressive collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures and video panels, including the new Color STRIKE M.
At the main stage on Sint-Baafsplein, the Euro P.A. team put together a power-packed rig that featured eight Color STRIKE M fixtures and eight STRIKE 1 blinders, as well as 24 Maverick MK2 Wash and 16 Maverick MK2 Spot units. Run with a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium console, this collection of fixtures delivered searing intense looks with generous servings of audience lighting along with aerial effec

Canada - The Montréal International Jazz Festival roared back to life in 2022, reinforcing its distinction as the largest jazz festival in the world. With 350 concerts scheduled over 10 days - two-thirds of them free - the festival once again drew audiences numbering in the hundreds of thousands to downtown Montréal, where AVL supplier Solotech had equipped eight indoor and outdoor stages - including the Scène TD main stage - with Meyer Sound reinforcement systems.
The resounding success of audio at this year’s festival can be credited to the work of festival technical coordinator Dan Meier and his team from L’Equipe Spectra. Meyer Sound and Solotech worked closely with Meier and his team to develop and deploy the sonic experiences at the festival.
The enthusiastic response came as no surprise to director of R&D and technological solutions David Brazeau, who

Venezuela - Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García visited Caracas, Venezuela, for the first time where she played two shows in the Ríos Reina Hall of the Teresa Carreño Theater. Production manager Jorge ‘Mosquito’ Redondo of Caracas-based OZ Shows selected Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures for the concerts, which were provided by Touch Me Marketing in Caracas.
García, whose songs tell the stories of 21st century women through reflective lyrics and expressive performances, is a five-time Latin Grammy winner. She partnered with AGTE Live Entertainment and Conecciones Entertainment to deliver a show that made such a hit with fans that she plans a return visit to Venezuela this fall.
The initial design for García’s Caracas show came from the artist, her lighting designer Will Rivera of WRDesigner in San Juan, Puerto Rico and the design and technical teams at OZ

USA - It’s been a busy year for lighting and production designer Chris Lisle and his company CLLD. The production design firm recently wrapped up work on Lollapalooza, their sixth major event back-to-back, and turned to an Elation rig, including Proteus series IP65 luminaires, to light the festival’s popular Perry’s Stage.
“Weather is one of the biggest factors we face on a festival and if I can predominately get IP65 fixtures in a rig I have a better guarantee that they’ll be working day after day,” Lisle stated. But, he adds, it’s not all about the IP rating. “I also want something with a feature set that I know LDs will like - solid colours, a good gobo package, nice strobe, fast fixtures - something I know they will be happy with, can clone quickly and then are good to go.”
Flanked by a towering skyline and the shores of Lake Michigan, this year

USA - Recently, the Student Services Department of the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences travelled to southern California on behalf of its current and future students.
“We sent members of our staff to the greater Los Angeles area for the purpose of visiting studios and companies that CRAS has had long standing relationships with, and additionally open up new doors for future students and graduates,” explained Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “These visits help place our students in their mandatory internships prior to graduation, and then open potential graduate job placement opportunities. All of this helps our current and future students get a leg up when positioning themselves near or after graduation in some of the industry’s best available pro audio environments.”
During the visit, CRAS staff met with personnel from Touring Video, VSI TV, Everg

USA - To provide Spring Studios with versatile, high-output lighting for a myriad of events and productions, IMCD Lighting selected and installed Martin MAC Ultra Performance fixtures, provided by Christie Lites.
With studios in both New York City and London, Spring is a 360 agency that provides a variety of communications services for fashion, lifestyle and luxury brands. The New York studio is a multi-level space with a comprehensive backend for photoshoots, video productions and live events, attracting a diverse range of clients - including the Wall Street Journal, New York Fashion Week and the WNBA among others.
When the studio required new light fixtures with modern features and brightness that could compete with the sunlight from the studio’s massive windows, the Martin MAC Ultra Performance was chosen.
“At Spring Studios, we do anything from high-end

Europe - The Rolling Stones Sixty tour is utilising Austrian Audio microphones. On 15 July, The Stones rocked Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. “It was an unbelievable experience,” says Austrian Audio’s CEO, Martin Seidl. “Of course, I’m probably The Stones’ biggest fan, so just seeing them live again was really cool. But hearing our mics on stage - that was unreal.”
That the concert took place in Austrian Audio’s hometown made it an even more unforgettable evening. “It doesn’t get bigger than this,” Seidl says.
For Sixty, Dave Natale, the front of house engineer, is working once again with The Stones to make sure their sound is as excellent as their fans expect. Natale is known for his work with Prince, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Yes, Motley Crue, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, and many more A-list artists.
Natale specifically chose to use the O

UK - The new Matches Sports Bar, located 60 miles south of London, in Elwick Place in Ashford, opened its doors in the summer of 2021, and has been a live sports and entertainment destination hot spot ever since. Critical to the bar's rapid success was a sharp focus on designing and installing a very flexible, high-quality, easy-to-use sound system to deliver audio to Matches' large and small spaces for public and private events. The team developed a comprehensive networked audio system with a set of Dante-connected, multi-channel amplifiers at its core.
Matches owner, Jon Shephard, explained that the concept for the 250-capacity venue is to bring together all the best elements of bars he has visited into a single place, and create the ultimate sports bar experience with excellent AV entertainment that appeals to a wide range of sports enthusiasts. With this goal in mind, au

UK – Events solutions provider Encore collaborated with lighting designer Simon Grant in June to elevate a live-streamed corporate event for global pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Together, they specified 100 Vari-Lite VL5LED WASH luminaires from Signify to create on-brand colours and eye-catching effects.
The high CRI RGBALC Color System with SmartColor Control built-in to the VL5LED WASH was clear to see as a wide range of vivid colour options were used for the corporate event, which was broadcast live to GSK employees and attended in-person by 800 team members at the company’s London HQ.
The video team used a six-camera set-up to capture the seminar with three large LED screens rigged in the space, which were provided by Creative Technology. In the room, the audience sat in the round, with an OB truck standing by to live stream the seminar, supplie

UK - Availing himself of lighting tools that would have been unimaginable in the 1980’s, Ollie Wilkinson, on behalf of Arranpaul Audio, created a continuous flow of evocative and colourful looks reminiscent of the big hair neon era for the recent Music In the Park festival in Leyland. “It was wonderful to be able to evoke ‘80s retro looks with modern LED technology,” he said. “We supported each band visually in a way that reflected the essence of their music.”
Helping Wilkinson create these looks were 22 Maverick MK2 Spot, and 16 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Using various monochromatic palettes, he was able to award each band with their own distinctive ‘80s shimmer.
“Because I knew the music of each band so well, it was very enjoyable to come up with various unique looks for all of them on stage,” commented Wilkinson. “T

UK - This year’s Gottelier Award nominations have been announced, with voting now in process. Named in memory of renowned industry innovator and commentator Tony Gottelier, this special award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products.
LSi readers, registered PLASA Show visitors and PLASA members are eligible to vote for the Gottelier Award. The recipient of which will be announced during the PLASA Awards for Innovation ceremony at PLASA Show on Monday 5 September. The nominees for the 2022 Gottelier Award are:
David Edelstein – Managing Director of Triple E
David Edelstein, founder of Triple E, invented the Loose Pin Hinge in 1984 after spotting a huge gap in the market. The product went on to receive an ABTT Product of the Year award and has since inspired many imitations. David went on to design and launch UniTrack in

Tribute to Olivia - Producers of the West End production of Grease have dedicated the rest of its run to the memory of Olivia Newton-John, who has died aged 73. Newton-John, best known for playing Sandy in the 1978 film Grease, died on 8 August, with a statement from her family saying she passed away “peacefully” at her Ranch in Southern California, surrounded by family and friends. “Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” it said.
A stage production of Grease is currently running at the Dominion Theatre in London, which is produced by Colin Ingram for InTheatre Productions, Donovan Mannato, Playing Field, Gavin Kalin and Curve.
Paying tribute, the producers said: “Olivia Newton-John is an icon who has inspired countless young performers across the world, not least our compa

Zimbabwe - Celebration Ministries is one of the most powerful and far-reaching Christian organisations in Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa. Founded in 1982 by Pastors Tom and Bonnie Deuschle with just six people in their living room, today Celebration Ministries numbers over 80 churches worldwide.
The headquarters of Celebration Church International is a building in Borrowdale, Harare, called Celebration Centre. Finally opened in 2004 after a marathon 14-year build process, Celebration Centre is now a significant Zimbabwean landmark. Stage Audio Works has recently completed a comprehensive audio systems upgrade for the main 3,800-seat auditorium based on a d&b PA system and Yamaha consoles with Dante networking.
The decision to upgrade their audio systems was taken in 2019 just before the COVID pandemic. Pastor Bonnie Deuschle, who leads the praise and worship

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