UK - Free Your Mind: The Matrix is the immersive, dance-based reimagining of the ‘90s movie franchise, created specifically as the opening event for Manchester’s impressive new cultural space within Factory International. The brainchild of director Danny Boyle - who teamed up with choreographer Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy, composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante of Boy Blue, designer Es Devlin and writer Sabrina Mahfouz - the epic vision behind the production inevitably pulled the UK’s most creative talent into its orbit.
Sound design is by Gareth Fry, who specified TiMax SoundHub to handle the complex spatial audio requirements of The Warehouse where the event’s main action takes place.
The production moves from the smaller theatre space in Aviva Studios after the interval and significantly scales up into the vast 21m-high Warehouse, with its aircraft hangar proport

France - On 12 November in Paris, 163 Robert Juliat Dalis 862 footlights took part in the Chiroptera show, a collaborative project by JR, Damien Jalet and Thomas Bangalter.
The public gathered at the Place de l'Opéra watched an impressive 20-minute ballet in front of the façade of the Palais Garnier, which was dressed in a huge trompe-l'œil fresco revealing the entrance to a cave, that masked the scaffolding currently covering the façade of the building as it is being restored.
"We worked closely with the three artists behind the project, and came up with a very specific lighting concept," says Antoine D'Halluin, associate director of Concept K, a French company specialising in artistic creation. "We had to use lighting to serve the show while ensuring all the technology required for such a creation remained invisible to the audience. We therefore deliberately deci

UK - As the year draws to a close, Backup Tech warmly acknowledges the exceptional individuals whose unwavering dedication and adventurous spirit have helped to bolster the charity's fundraising efforts.
"We extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has gone above and beyond to support our cause, from the passionate participants to the generous donors and committed supporters,” says Backup’s Jess Allan. “Together, we can truly impact the lives of individuals within our industry."
November saw artistic creation, Black Hole - End of Time, conceived by award-winning lighting designer and musician, Paul Alty, return in spectacular fashion, captivating audiences with its immersive experience. Over three nights, the event raised funds for Backup Tech as well as the host venue, Old Christ Church in Liverpool. Paul's dedication to fundraising resulted in

Malaysia - Architectural lighting control manufacturer Visual Productions has announced a distribution agreement with Acoustic & Lighting Systems, a solution provider with headquarters in Malaysia and local offices in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. This collaboration marks a significant step forward for both companies in delivering lighting control solutions to the system integration market in South East Asia.
"We are thrilled to partner with Acoustic & Lighting Systems, a company with a rich presence in the system integration market in South East Asia. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our vision of providing advanced lighting control solutions to architects, designers, and system integrators in the region," says Maarten Engels, managing director at Visual Productions.
Eugene Yeo, general manager at Acoustic & Lighting says: "Acoustic &

Portugal - World Youth Day was first celebrated in 1985 at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, who organised a gathering in Rome on Palm Sunday to celebrate the Youth Jubilee of the Holy Year of Redemption. Sixty thousand young Catholics were expected, but 250,000 people from different countries came. Today, the event is celebrated every three to four years in a different country.
In 2023, World Youth Day took place over six days in Lisbon, attracting over 1.5m attendees. The largest event ever to be hosted in the city of Lisbon, the expansive, 100-hectare riverside Parque Tejo served as the primary location, with a massive stage and a series of screens and audio systems set up along a 3.5km-long open-air space to accommodate the international audience.
Supporting the event with concert audio capable of serving the massive crowds was an L-Acoustics K Series sound sy

UAE - The Laserworld Group and Pro Lab Trading, one of the region’s largest distribution companies for entertainment technology, have announced a new partnership to distribute laser systems in the Middle East. Pro Lab has a well-established distribution structure all over the region, matching the broad portfolio of laser systems manufactured by the Laserworld Group - from entry-level effects to high-end quality lasers.
“It is great that we found such a strong, well-respected partner in the Middle East region, with offices in many countries with highly trained staff”, states Denis Phoenix, sales director of Laserworld. “It will be a great benefit to have a good stock holding in the region for quicker delivery and support for our customers. Pro Lab has a proven track record in the region, and our products perfectly complement their range of distributed products.”

UK - Ahead of the 2024 PLASA trade events, industry professionals and students are invited to shape their educational experience by sharing ideas via a short survey which closes midnight Monday 8 January 2024.
PLASA Focus Leeds and PLASA Show London - which attract 2,000+ and 6,500+ attendees respectively - are renowned for offering free education programmes that enable individuals to learn from the best in the business and gain insights into the evolution of the live event and entertainment industry.
The bi-annual education programmes are designed to provide deep dive sessions and practical experiences with experts, developing talent and generating fresh ideas. Previous content has included sessions with Ed Sheeran’s production team, this year’s Eurovision lighting designer and Stormzy’s Glastonbury sound engineer.
To ensure that PLASA’s upcoming progra

New Zealand - The recent integration of an Allen & Heath dLive system into Kaylee Bell's Boots 'N All tour brought about a transformation, enhancing the performance experience for both the renowned New Zealand singer-songwriter and her band.
As someone who wears multiple hats during the live show, Kaylee Bell's front-of-house engineer and production manager Joshua Anderson described the arrival of the dLive system supplied by Jansen Pro Audio as a game changer for both him and the performers. "Eliminating the task of maintaining show files for multiple consoles has saved me endless amounts of time and has brought a whole new level of consistency to everything,” said Anderson.
One of the stand-out features of the dLive system is its DEEP processing capabilities, which have left the production team astounded. The ability to use onboard processing like DYN8, a pow

USA - Jackson Browne recently wrapped up another successful tour, including four back-to-back performances at New York’s Beacon Theatre with long time lighting provider, Bandit Lites.
Bandit supplied lighting designer Chris Stuba with a package consisting of Ayrton Ghibli, Chauvet Rogue R2X Washes, Elation Seven Batten 72, Martin MAC Viper Profiles, Robe Robin LEDWash 600 and VL 3600 Spots.
Browne’s long-time production manager Dennis Scrimo gave Stuba carte blanche with the lighting (“as long as it didn’t suck,” Stuba noted.) “I try to set a mood and stay out of the way,” he explained. “It is an old school show with very little movement: there is nothing symmetrical in the rig and I use no gobos on the band.”
With Browne forgoing follow spots, Stuba relies on the VL 3600 Spots for key lighting saying: “They have a nice colour for an LED fix

Italy - Sondrio has been transformed into an enchanting Christmas landscape with a mesmerizing light show, made possible by the Prolights Mosaico range image projectors. The project, managed by communication agency Sviluppo Creativo and rental company Liteo Tech, turned Campello Square into a captivating snowy setting with projections of the Enchanted Forest, created using the Prolights Mosaico and Mosaico L projectors.
In total, 13 units of projectors were utilised, customised with gobos and animation wheels, also crafted by Prolights. These versatile projectors designed for outdoor installations played a crucial role in establishing an immersive Christmas atmosphere in the main square of Sondrio.
The decision to opt for Prolights Mosaico projectors was driven by the pursuit of flexibility and quality. Daniele Licchetta, the lighting designer of the Liteo Tech team, e

UK - Celebro is a global broadcast TV company that rents out production and studio space around the world. All studios are located in prime city centre locations in Washington DC, New York and London - and all boast quality broadcasting equipment, including a wide range of kit from Doughty Engineering.
The London studio recently moved to a new location - from Portland House near Oxford Circus to the old Hospital Club in Covent Garden. And, because the team are such big fans of Doughty, they decided to take all their kit with them.
Wesley Dodd, CEO, Celebro explained; “We have always had Doughty rails as part of our system and in Portland House, the ceilings weren’t particularly high so they did the job. However, in our new location, there was already an amazing Doughty Lighting Rail which was put in by the previous owners. This was essentially made from Doughty sca

South Africa - The Globe is a 2,200sq.m multipurpose event venue at the heart of Durban’s Suncoast entertainment and leisure complex. It’s one of KZN’s and the country’s most popular event spaces and recently took delivery of new Robe Painte and LEDWash 600+ moving lights.
The new fixtures are part of an ongoing upgrade programme that ensures the venue systems stay abreast of the latest and most appropriate production technologies to offer their clients and guests, and were delivered by Robe’s South African distributor, DWR.
At the centre of the drive to get the new kit was Thabo Ntsala, audio visual specialist / manager for Suncoast Casino, Hotels & Entertainment.
As head of the technical department in Durban, Thabo is responsible for the technical teams looking after all the audio and visual infrastructure in the complex, its ongoing technical r

USA - Country-bluegrass band The Turnpike Troubadours are continuing their hit US A Cat in the Rain Tour with Ayrton Zonda 9 FX and Zonda 3 FX LED moving head washes, Bora LED beams and washes, and Khamsin LED profiles dominating the rig.
The tour, which kicked off last summer, follows the August release of the band’s album of the same name. It wraps at Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas just before New Year’s Eve.
Nashville-based independent lighting designer and programmer Joshua Schultz has been working with The Turnpike Troubadours for the last two years. In designing the tour, he wanted to “keep the focus on the band and not go over the top with a gigantic rig. We have to be able to scale to the size of the venue, which ranges from 5,000-seat theatres to 14,000-seat arenas.”
Schultz also wanted “an entire rig of Ayrton fixtures”, a goal he achie

UK - London’s Royal Albert Hall has continued its progressive upgrade to LED with the installation of 80 Martin Professional ELP PAR fixtures. The fixtures were supplied by White Light, via Martin’s UK distributor Sound Technology.
Jon Vivash, lighting operations manager, Royal Albert Hall, confirmed the new fixtures have been installed in six groups of six in the gallery, a further six groups of six in the circle, and an additional four either side of the organ for the choirs. All are predominantly used for the lighting of audience seating areas.
“The Martin ELP PARs have opened up a huge range of looks in the house for both spoken word, when soft audience glows are required, to rock’n’roll ACL looks and strong saturated colours immersing the audience,” Jon explained.
The initial decision to upgrade the existing tungsten fixtures was partly influence

Canada - The Wolf Performance Hall is a concert hall, theatre, and meeting facility in downtown London, Ontario, located within the London Public Library. A fully accessible 369-seat theatre and cultural hub, Wolf Performance Hall’s tiered seating, excellent sightlines and outstanding acoustics make it one of the city’s most sought-after venues for performers and audience members alike.
The venue recently upgraded to a full EM Acoustics sound solution, installed by local integrators, Armor Pro in collaboration with OCTAV Integrated Design and Contact Distribution.
“The venue required a system that would provide even SPL coverage front to back without obstructing sight lines. Due to the multi-use nature of the venue, a left-centre-right configuration with a centre cluster dedicated to lecture and movie applications was also part of the initial brief,” explains V

USA - Four hours and twenty-two minutes is a long time; about an hour longer than it takes to fly from New York to Miami, almost twice as long as the average NBA game, and even longer than Bruce Springsteen’s longest show, a four-hour-and-six-minute performance that took place in Helsinki in 2012.
Yet this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony ran that long without a dull moment. There was plenty to captivate the live audience at Barclays Centre, as well as those who watched the livestream on Disney+, from the touching (Adam Levine singing Faith to honour the late inductee George Michael), to the electrifying, when no one remained seated as Missy Elliot, decked out in a glittering gold suit and backed up by an abundance of dancers, rattled the arena with a fiery medley of her hits.
Supporting the diverse marathon (there were 14 inductees, p

Argentina - UK loudspeaker manufacturer PMC has appointed Planeta Analogico as its distributor in Argentina, with responsibility for its range of professional monitoring products.
Based in Buenos Aires, Planeta Analogico was established in the early 2000’s by CEO and founder Daniel Paracha. The company represents more than 40 high-end pro audio brands including API, Audient, Chandler, Crane Song, Eventide, Maselec, Telefunken and Weiss.
Commenting on the appointment, Daniel Paracha says: “We are delighted to be distributing PMC as we see a huge potential for the brand in Argentina. PMC’s result6 nearfield monitors, along with the PMC6, PMC6-2, PMC8-2 and associated subwoofers, are all products that can open up the market because they are the best professional studio monitors you can buy at this price range. They are perfect ambassadors for the entire PMC profess

USA - ClearOne is strengthening its regional sales rep network with the appointment of Vision2 Marketing to represent the company’s entire line of solutions in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.
According to ClearOne CEO Derek Graham, Vision2 Marketing has the extensive industry experience and in-depth local market knowledge across all channels to best present the ClearOne value proposition to partners and end user customers. “Vision2 has what we need to significantly grow our business throughout the south and southeast of the United States,” Graham said. “Expert product specialists, channel focused sales professionals who understand what each channel needs, and a service and training team that supports the entire sales process.”
Vision2 Marketing CEO Mick Beisel stressed, “We are proud to add ClearOne to our portfolio

Vietnam - Fulcrum Acoustic has appointed Aligned AV as their distribution partner in Vietnam. Based in Ho Chi Minh city, Aligned AV, specialises in delivering AV products, software, and solutions to commercial and corporate clients.
Val Gilbert, director of business development for export at Fulcrum Acoustic, expressed his enthusiasm stating, "Expanding into the APAC region is a strategic goal for Fulcrum Acoustic, and Vietnam holds immense potential for us. Our goal is to bolster support for our existing customers in the country while opening doors for new opportunities.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Aligned AV, a company that shares our dedication to innovation and customer-centric solutions. This partnership aligns with our mission to deliver exceptional audio solutions on a global scale."
Ms Thu Ta, director of Aligned AV, adds, "We are honoured to

UK - Sound Technology, distributor of Harman Professional audio and lighting solutions in the UK, is holding a technology showcase event at Troxy in London on 17 & 18 January 2024.
The event will allow visitors to experience the JBL Professional Performance Audio range, including the VTX A Series line array - A12, A8 and the ultra-compact A6 – as well as the new SRX900 powered line arrays. The showcase also features the smaller format and portable PA systems including the IRX100, EON700 and PRX900 series, as well as the IRX One, EON One Mk2 and PRX One column PA systems.
In 2019, Troxy chose JBL Professional VTX A Series as its house PA system, installing two 12-box arrays of VTX A12 with additional VTX A8 boxes fulfilling front fill duties.
More recently, Troxy replaced its in-house lighting rig with Martin fixtures, consisting of MAC Ultra, ERA 800 Per

USA - The ability to think outside the box is often the lifeblood of a successful production design, even when that “box” is the actual stage itself. Such was the case recently for the team at Events United when they had to come up with a way to light the artists performing at the Hope Fellowship Church’s Hillfest in News Ipswich, NH.
Organisers of this Christian music festival added a thrust to their main stage. This configuration brought their star-studded lineup of artists closer to the audience, but it also necessitated some modifications in front lighting.
“With the stage having a thrust, we needed to position fixtures to light performers farther out, away from the stage than our downstage truss would allow,” explained project manager, Martin Lyons. “We used the Maverick Storm 1 Washes placed up on the hill by FOH to wash the thrust. Their zoom range a

France - A grand, Italian-style theatre dating from 1899, the Casino Grand Cercle Theatre in Aix-les-Bains is considered a masterpiece for both its architecture and its decoration.
As part of a sympathetic renovation of this historic and much-loved venue, operators called in local technical solutions specialists Groupe Elypse to design a sound system that would equip the 830-seat venue for a varied programme of productions ranging from drama and operetta to concerts, without detracting visually from the sumptuous internal decor of a venue with no hanging points for line arrays.
“We have a long-established relationship with the Théâtre d'Aix and considered carefully both the technical requirements and the available budget,” reports Bruno Favre-Martinoz, founder and CEO of Groupe Elypse. “For this project, Nexo proposed to us the ID84 column loudspeaker which im

France - Each July, the southern town of Aix-les-Bains opens its arms to throngs of rock music fans as it hosts the storied pop-rock festival Musilac between the shores of Lac du Bourget and the Alps. This year for its 21st edition, Musilac broke its own attendance record, welcoming a crowd of 110,000 people over the four-day event, which saw internationally recognised acts like Arctic Monkeys, Gojira, Indochine, Phoenix and Franz Ferdinand take to its stages.
The layout of the open air Musilac Festival is designed to take full advantage of its lakeside location, with two main stages situated side by side - one near the water’s edge and the other abutting the mountain. While perfect for the stunning backdrop, this setup requires a sound system that can cover a wide audience with impeccable concert-grade sound for all.
L-Acoustics-certified provider Dushow has provid

UK - Hosted in the Heineken Suite at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate stadium - the Stage Electrics Showcase will feature more than 25 of the leading manufacturers of lighting, audio, rigging, pyrotechnics and special effects. The showcase on 25 January presents an opportunity for visitors to get hands-on experience with the latest products from exhibitors, and to discuss their needs with representatives from all the brands.
The Stage Electrics Showcase is free to attend, registration is now open. Delegates who sign up to attend the Showcase before 20 January, will be eligible for free car parking at the venue (normally £7.50). The showcase is open 2pm-7pm, with a seminar from Prolyte planned for 1pm. A pyrotechnics display will take place during the event, with the opportunity to discuss your pyrotechnic needs with the team from Le Maitre.
Stage Electrics sales director,

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