USA - Located in the rural Illinois town of Carlinville, Blackburn College serves six hundred undergraduates. Its work programme keeps costs low and campus community involvement high by employing students in a range of non-traditional student jobs under the direction of professionals, for nine of the campus's 16 buildings.

A recent $3m upgrade to the 430-seat Bothwell Auditorium continued that tradition, with the student construction crew providing much of the labour. Amid a range of new infrastructure is a new sound reinforcement system centred on Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers, which provide exceptional fidelity and pattern control.

"The old system was original to the building, which was constructed in the 1970s," explained Ryan Winstead, sales design

Qatar - W-DMX by Wireless Solution and lighting fixtures by Griven are now on display on one of Qatar's premier five-star hotels - the Sheraton Doha Hotel & Resort. This hotel structure has been a landmark in Doha for more than 30 years, so when it was time for renovation, every detail was considered to bring the building up to the highest technological standards while still maintaining its original look and charm.

In addition to the interior, the upgrade involved the exterior lighting design of the hotel that would not only enhance the waterfront skyline but the three-sided pyramid shape of the hotel as well. The close Al Majlis Congress Centre, a secondary lower building with four-sided pyramidal section, needed a complementary lighting scheme. Its smooth, concrete surface proved to be quite difficult to be evenly lit up as the lighting fixtures could only be installed at a ve

USA - 48 of Robe's LEDWash 1200s are in action on the current Garth Brooks US tour, specified by the country megastar's longstanding LD Dave Butzler, and purchased specially by leading rental house Bandit Lites. Brooks - whose staggering popularity continues to pack out arenas - has released his first studio album in 13 years Man Against Machine to coincide with the tour.

Butzler explained that Brooks was fully involved in creating the stage design, and while he wanted to wow the crowds for this one, he wanted to keep the music - rather than the production - centre stage. To satisfy ticket sale demands and remain close to his audiences - for which he is famous - Brooks elected to play multiple dates in more intimate medium-sized arenas, rather than massive stadiums.

The starting point for Butzler's lighting was a large centre cluster of audio, so he designed around this

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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

Italy - The show Illusion, with several Salamanders from Le Maitre entertained visitors at the Rainbow MagicLand in Valmontone close to Rome throughout the summer 2014.

The attraction combines music, fantasy and projection. With hundreds of lights installed on the fountains and special effects enhancing the show, Illusion had nine dancers interacting with the fountains and the projections.

One of the world's leading companies for aquatic shows and an internationally renowned video designer participated in the realisation of this show.

Mr. Bonsanti, technical representative at MagicLand, commented, "The show went on two to three times a night for a duration of 25-30 minutes and could accommodate 300 people. Thanks to a series of effects, the organisers were able to create true illusions with pirate and jungle themes.

"The stage on the water with the castle built o

Czech Republic - Robe welcomed 13 students and two lecturers - Phil Hughes and Clive Davies - from the University of South Wales, Glamorgan, to its HQ and factory in Valasské Mezirici, Czech Republic, all from the BSc Honours Lighting Design & Technology and Live Event Technology courses.

The trip was co-ordinated by Robe UK's sales director Ian W Brown with USW course leader Stuart Green, and it has become an annual date on the calendar. As usual, it was also completely over-subscribed, so the number of applicants had to be whittled down to those who would be likely to benefit the most.

Ian, whose relationship with the university started a few years ago, commented, "Both courses produce a high proportion of graduates who progress on to very successful industry careers - and that is what first prompted me to look further.

"The courses are based on equipping

UK - Another year has flown by, and it's time to start nominations for the Technical Theatre Awards 2015.

The nomination period is now open on the new website - head to www.technicaltheatreawards.com now to put your colleagues forward.

Says the organisation, "We have a great year planned ahead, including streamlining the voting process and bringing together a committee of industry leaders to finalise our shortlists.

"We are also heading to Europe for Stage|Set|Scenery, as well as our annual visits to PLASA Focus and the ABTT Trade Show.

"Our awards ceremony will be taking place on 5 October 2015, and all our nominees and sponsors will be invited to join us as we announce this year's winners.

To make all this possible we are putting together a bigger team than ever. We are currently looking for more sponsors to support our awards, including some brand new a

Finland - Genelec has announced the promotion of Sami Mäkinen to the role of business manager - AV install. This key segment of the Genelec business will benefit from Sami's previous experience within the company which has given him a comprehensive knowledge of the Genelec product portfolio across the company's various business segments.

Sami joined Genelec in 2007 as domestic sales manager (Finland) and later moved to international sales manager, home audio. His new role will see him use his many years' experience in the company to develop existing customer relationships within the AV market and explore new opportunities. Sami will also be responsible for co-ordinating sales and marketing activities for the AV Install business segment.

"I'm taking up this role at an exciting time," says Sami. "The AV Install business is booming as is demonstrated by the hu

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Strictly FX Highlights

Strictly FX was founded in 1996 by industry veterans Mark Grega and Ted Maccabee. Our expertise and knowledge of the world’s leading pyrotechnic, laser, and flame manufacturers allows us to curate astonishing live events. With over 500+ shows performed a year, there’s good chance you’ve seen some of our work!

UK - XL Video supplied projection, LED screens and a camera / PPU package to the Paolo Nutini UK arena tour which completed a busy year of touring and live performances from the artist following the release of his album Caustic Love.

The show design was originated by a creative team comprising tour director James Monkman, lighting designer Jason Hyne and video producer and co-ordinator Tom Wexler. XL Video's project manager was Paul "Macca" McCauley and their crew chief on the road was Stuart Heaney. Production manager for the tour was Tony Gittins.

There were three distinctive video surface elements which brought a real sense of depth and dimension to the stage - gauzes, which were projected onto a medium resolution LED screen surface and low res LED battens.

A classic widescreen look was the dominant aesthetic for the singer / musician - known for his raw,

Sweden - The opening of AF's new office building in Gothenburg was marked by a spectacular light show, putting the 66m high building on the map. For one evening the façades of AF's new domicile were staged with a combination of colours, graphical patterns and images expressing AF's values in a festive manner.

Being Skanska's third most eco-friendly building in the Gothenburg region, and having received Platinum environmental certification by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), it was important to AF Lighting to further communicate and demonstrate its green values. Selected for this purpose as the newest and most energy efficient LED fixtures on the market were the P-5 wash light and G-Spot moving head from SGM.

"Through lighting calculations in DIALUX, we were able to determine the optimum placement of the fixtures. The combination of the P-5 wash light

Finland - Kullervo, Op. 7, is a suite of symphonic movements by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Although often referred to as a "choral symphony", the work avoids traditional symphonic structure, and its five movements constitute a set of related but independent tone poems.

Based on the character of Kullervo in the epic poem Kalevala and using texts from that poem, the work premiered to critical acclaim on 28 April 1892. Now lighting, screen and set designer Miki Kunttu has given the work, currently being performed at the Finnish National Opera, Helsinki, a completely new look.

Kunttu explained, why the grandMA2 was his favourite choice for the project: "grandMA2 and MA 3D were the perfect tools for the production. All the way from design table to the final cue lists. All lights and media servers were programmed and operated via the grandMA2 light.

The Netherlands - Visual Productions is technology partner of the 2014 Amsterdam Light Festival. For the third year in a row the Visual Productions' Solid State lighting controllers helped visualise the lighting designs of worldwide artists during this 10 week-long festival. The CueCore, IoCore and DIN Rail DMX Splitter were used to control the lighting for 12 exhibits of the festival. Light-works in both the Water Colors route and the Illuminade utilised the Visual Productions control solutions. These consisted of exhibits from around the world including, 'Water Fun' from New Zealand designer Angus Muir; Russian architect Vasili Popov's 'Rebicycledome'; 'House of Cards' designed by Israeli designer Gaston Zahr; and - back to the home territory - Dutch-based Frank Tjepkema's 'Light Bridge'.

For installations 'Intrepid' and 'Campfire' product and programming support was via the V

USA - After struggling with a challenging acoustical environment and a sound-reinforcement system that couldn't distribute sound consistently throughout all areas of their sanctuary, Prescott, Arizona, United Methodist Church decided enough was enough. After all, if the congregation can't hear clearly, the message is lost. To solve the problem, church management upgraded to a line array system drawn from the TrueLine catalogue of Greensboro, North Carolina-based WorxAudio Technologies, a division of PreSonus.

CSD Group was contracted to design and install the church's new sound system. Working in close coordination with the WorxAudio Technologies' engineering team, CSD president Doug Hood and his crew ultimately deployed two WorxAudio X3i-P compact, all-in-one, powered line arrays as the primary loudspeaker system.

"Prescott United Methodist's sanctuary proved to be a cha

Korea - The AmorePacific Beautiful Life Centre in Osan, Korea, has reinvented the factory tour and brand centre with the award-winning Story Garden, an interactive multisensory and multimedia experience, involving sight, sound and touch. BRC Imagination Arts hired Electrosonic to do the initial audio-visual design and provide AV support for the Story Garden on the cosmetic company's expansive campus.

Story Garden will receive a Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement at a black-tie gala on 21 March 2015, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. The Thea Awards honours creative excellence in theme parks, museums and other attractions.

AmorePacific was founded in 1945 in the kitchen of the founder's mother, and has grown to become a global corporation with 30 cosmetics, personal care and health care brands. In 10 scenes on three level

UK - London based events production company PR Live ensured the Warner Music 2015 Brits After-party really rocked for 1,100 guests at the Freemason's Hall in Covent Garden, supplying all elements of the design and technical production - sound, lighting, video, rigging, set and staging, assorted custom built props - complete with lighting and sound design and bespoke video content.

The project - managed for PR Live by Justin Hammond - included spectacular large format projections onto the exterior of the building to welcome the guests, and pixel mapping a wall of LED battens in the main room, as well ensuring the seven different themed areas inside the building each had their own distinctive vibe and style, including private areas for double Award winning Ed Sheeran, Warner executives and VIPs.

PR Live designer Jenny Willard initially took a detailed brief from the client and t

Denmark - Martin Professional has announced the availability of the Rush Gobo Projector 1. The new member of the install-oriented Rush family is now shipping.

The Rush Gobo Projector 1 is suitable for permanent installation in club, bar, restaurant and shopping mall applications. Gobos can be changed quickly easy adjustment of focus, speed and direction make running the static fixture smooth and intuitive. It's also non-intrusive thanks to its silent operation and compact size, measuring 215 x 135 x 152 mm and weighing only 11 lbs. (2 kg).

"We designed the RUSH Gobo Projector 1 with ease-of-use in mind," said Mark Buss, product manager, Rush products. "Speed and direction are controlled by easy-touch buttons and it only takes a few seconds to change gobos with the magnetic gobo holders."

The fixture uses E-sized gobos with a maximum image diameter of 30 m

USA - Industry leaders from around the world descended into Nashville 21 February for the 26th Annual Pollstar Awards, where Bandit Lites received its 22nd Lighting Company of the Year Award.

Hosted by comedian Ralphie May, the Pollstar Awards occur during Pollstar Live and celebrates the music industry's movers and shakers. This year's event took place at the historic Ryman Auditorium, which was also awarded Theatre of the Year.

Bandit chair and founder, Michael T. Strickland accepted the award, crediting Bandit's wildly successful year to both its employees and clients, and dedicating it to the late Bob See of See Factor. The award was presented to Bandit by Cinderella lead singer Tom Kiefer.

Strickland said, "To again be named the best in the business by our peers is too much for words. The entire staff at Bandit Lites works tirelessly to deliver the highest quality

UK - Events production supplier White Light has announced the appointment of Alicia Earls as business development manager for events. Alicia joins White Light after more than seven years as communications manager for the Science Museum Group, where she helped develop the successful #StrictlySW7 event showcase involving the Science Museum and neighbouring venues the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert museum.

Alicia joins the White Light Events team from April 2015. In her new role, she will focus on expanding the company's relationships with corporate clients and strengthening links with key events venues. She brings to the role more than a decade of experience in the events industry working with a broad range of clients including Coca-Cola, EE, Virgin Media Business, Friends of the Earth, Siemens and Condé Nast.

Having worked with White Light over the ye

UK - The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed the quality and standards of provision at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance following its review in November 2014.

A team of QAA reviewers visited Rose Bruford College and judged that its academic standards, the quality and enhancement of its student learning opportunities, and the quality of information about its learning opportunities all meet UK expectations.

The review identified a number of examples of good practice. These include the excellent arrangements for students to engage in professional practice, and the support given to staff in developing reflection and scholarship in their academic practice.

The review also highlighted the development and integration of learning technologies within the curriculum.

The review made a recommendation for improvement: for the College to imp

China - PR Lighting has made an addition to its expanding XRLED series, with the announcement of the XRLED 700 Spot. This is due for shipment this month.

The fixture boasts a number of attributes, embracing all the features you would expect from a moving head spot but with a particularly impressive white light.

It has also been engineered to produce an even beam spread - and also a powerful one, as the output generated from the 320W white LED module equates to more than 700W from a conventional discharge lamp.

Other design criteria that the XRLED 700 Spot meets include light weight (just 24kg), compact and quiet operation. Low power consumption and low heat dissipation are further advantages, as you would expect from an LED source.

Specifiers will also notice that this fixture is fully featured, with a colour wheel incorporating six colours (plus white); fixed and rotating

UK - Lighting designer Louis Oliver of Okulus has used an array of Showline SL NITRO 510C fixtures as part of his colour-rich and punchy lighting design for You Me At Six's UK arena tour.

Specifying 29 of the powerful LED units from Zig Zag Lighting, Oliver rigged 18 on spines of truss in the air. Eleven of the strobes also made up his floor package upstage, where they lined the bottom of the vast video screen.

"I really like the SL NITRO 510C, it's my LED strobe of choice," says Oliver. "My design for this show was very video-heavy, however the units held their own against the 58' wide 20' deep video wall, as well as the other lighting in the rig."

Oliver's design was based on the band's previous touring campaign for the Cavalier Youth album. However he magnified it for the arena run, commissioning the slick video content from Pablo Beckett of Bry

South Africa - Within just six hours of ticket sales opening, the Pretoria leg of the show Afrikaans is Groot was sold out. The Cape Town leg followed suite with its three performances selling out by the end of that day. With artists like Juanita Du Plessis, Theuns Jordaan, Steve Hofmeyr, Bobby van Jaarsveld, Bok van Blerk, Robbie Wessels, Lianie May, Karlien van Jaarsveld, Jay, Riana Nel, Jannie Moolman, Arno Jordaan, Jak de Priester, Corlea Botha, EDEN, Dewald Wasserfall and more, the show promised to be a hit.

Featuring this amount of talent meant that the set and production had to be on point. Designed by Michael Gill and built by Gearhouse SDS, the set was a balance of light and metal finishes. The lighting was conceptualised and programmed by Mauritz Jacobs of Dream Sets. Jacobs thoroughly enjoyed the task. His basic objective was to light for a live show that had f

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