Having recently bought his own Avolites Tiger console, Parry emphasised: "It was great to use a desk that I knew wouldn't fall over and the Tiger was the perfect size, enabling me to go from tent to tent programming the lights, and then leaving it backstage for the evening."
The glamorous wedding organised for over 1000 people
Joining the company's West End roster of shows in January were productions including Jerusalem, transferring from the Royal Court Theatre to the Apollo and lit by Mimi Jordan Sherin, The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick, lit by Jon Clark, and Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic, lit by Jason Taylor.
The long-awaited sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, is also currently previewing at the Adelphi with White Light supplying Paule Constable's complex design; the show is due to open on 9 March. December was also a busy period for new shows, with the openings of The Misanthrope at the Comedy, lit by Peter Mumford, and the RSC's Twelfth Night at the D
"My technical support channels are so dead, I sometimes wonder if anybody is actually using my stuff," says James David Smith, president and product designer at RC4. "Last year I started contacting past customers, to ask them if everything was OK. What a thrill to discover that my systems are not only working well, they are being used constantly. There are numerous repertory companies that purchased an RC4Magic Series 2 system for one particular show, and have incorporated it into every production sin
Culture Matters - The final four cities hoping to be named the UK's first city of culture in 2013 have been revealed. The cities chosen by an independent judging panel are Birmingham, Derry, Norwich and Sheffield, with a winner due to be announced in the summer. The competition aims to
All three ETCP examinations will be offered at USITT in Kansas City, MO. All applications must be submitted to the ETCP office no later than 5pm on 12 March 2010.
The exam dates are: Entertainment Electrical Exam: March 31 (9:00 am); Arena Rigging Exam: April 1 (9:00 am) and Theatre Rigging Exam: April 1, (2:00 pm).
All three exams are available at over 190 testing centres in the US and Canada on most business days. The Arena and Electrical examinations will also be given at InfoComm this summer in Las Vegas.
(Jim Evans)
Technomad has a product warehousing facility in Amsterdam with a wide range of stock available for quick supply to the UK and the rest of Europe.
(Lee Baldock)
This is the first year that Stage Electrics has sponsored the PSA and is delighted that Team PSA are raising money for such an important and beneficial charity. The Charity was first registered in April 2000, on behalf of people who work in the UK Entertainment and Production Industry. The charity is able to offer support in many ways, such as, providing small grants for emergency relief and support towards re-training when an unexpected injury, or illness, prevents an individual from working, or forces an unplanned chang
"Childhood blindness, hearing loss, heart failure, kidney failure, diabetes type two, obesity and many other health problems are caused by this horrible disease," says Staddon. "Providing support and advice to those who have to live with this illness, Alstrom Syndrome UK (ASUK) is a small family-run charity which has been fantastically helpful to my own family and our wonderful daughter Chloe.
"Chloe lost her battle to Alstrom Syndrome last year, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, just after her 16th birt
Pagel, a director of the Belfast based lighting rental and sales company, says: "With health & safety issues increasingly topping all rigging agendas, and our commitment to offering clients the very best and highest quality services, industry driven and recognised qualifications like this are vitally important."
PLASA's National Rigging Certificate demonstrates that individuals have reached a professional standard within their chosen rigging discipline. The NRC is not yet a compulsory scheme, but increasingly major UK venues are requiring it for riggers working in their spaces. PSI undertakes a lot of rigging projects in both Irela
He helped start Disco International magazine in October 1976 at a time when the word 'disco' had scarcely been invented. And when the following month the inaugural meeting of the trade association now known as PLASA took place, David was on the founding committee.
Yet by this time he had already spent several years galvanizing the nascent sound and lighting companies, in pop weekly Record Mirror's burgeoning Disco Mirror supplement ... laying down the cornerstones which helped to shape today's great global industry.
Born in Maidstone, Kent, David went onto become a vigorous campaigner and outspoken commentator - particularly during his second term of office at PLASA (né BADEM), his Sabatier-sharp wit striking fear into fellow committee members.<
PRG Distribution is a leading distributor of high-quality entertainment technology products. With offices around the world, PRG Distribution boasts a reputation for outstanding service and technical ability, both pre and post sales. A dedicated team of regional sales managers and a highly trained team of after-sales service technicians, represent brands including Vari*Lite, Seachanger, Pathway, Lycian and Gekko. PRG Distribution were the ideal choice for GDS to aid expansion of its global distribution network, says the company.
Andy Duffield, European sales manager at GDS commented: "GDS are delighted to welcome PRG on-board, we feel that their already str
The two-day Education & Learning Programme, which runs alongside the sell-out exhibition, proved a major success last year and this year will cover an equally diverse range of topics.
Beginning with The Theatres Trust Annual Conference, this year's debate focuses on the principles of School Theatre Design. That's followed by the Production Managers Forum with the SMA (Stage Management Association) and a session entitled Preparing for the Future with the NSA (National Skills Academy), who, as part of their quest to give people access to careers in the backstage industries, will explore why accreditation in the industry is important. It will also address
As well as the full design and installation of permanent installations, Hawthorn's ServiceSafe team offer full testing and certification of electrical, rigging and AV equipment. Fully documented safety audits are carried out by qualified personnel. From a small school hall to a large scale concert hall Hawthorns can provide a solution and peace of mind, keeping all PAT test and inspection records for future reference.
Hawthorn's ServiceSafe team offers fully tailored annual testing programmes for venues, schools and colleges across the UK and its City & Guilds and NICEIC certified engineers can carry out all aspects of portable appliance and rigging testing. All engineers are CRB checked.
Hawthorn's head of installations, Alan Jackson, comments, "We're delighted to launch Serv
Geldof told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show he would personally sue the Ethiopian government and spend the money on aid if any evidence was produced. He said, "Produce me one shred of evidence and I promise you I will professionally investigate it, I will professionally report it, and if there is any money missing I will sue the Ethiopian government for that money back and I will spend it on aid.
The first contest resulted in 30 entries and five winning patterns submitted by R. Christopher Stokes, Dwayne Thomas, Morgan Landrum, Todd Proffitt, and Gary McGarity. As recognition for being selected, the designer's name is included in the pattern name, the designs are added to Apollo's marketing material
Research carried out by the not-for-profit Forum of Private Business (FPB) also found that business owners expect their efforts will pay off. More than half (56%) of those surveyed expect to increase their turnover in 2010 and 44% believe their business will grow.
The findings are the first of the FPB's new 'economy watch' panel - a body of more than 350 members who are sharing their experiences as the economy heads away from recession. The panel is designed to provide an accurate and timely reflection of what small businesses are experiencing on
Anderson will support the Americas region in his new role, applying his substantial industry experience and strong marketing background to develop and implement marketing strategies for RTS and Telex intercom products. Acting as the focal point for the voice of the customer in this segment, Anderson will report to Daniel Gundlach, VP Marketing - Americas.
(Jim Evans)
Felton, whose extensive experience spans both the commercial and public sectors, said, 'I am extremely pleased to be joining Creative & Cultural Skills when there is so much potential for future development. I have a passionate commitment to skills, training and professional development and believe that there is much more work to be done on this within the creative and cultural industries.
"We will continue to campaign to ensure that education and training genuinely meets the needs of those we represent, and to ensure that the voices of employers across the UK are being heard. I look forward to working with Creative & Cu
It has been confirmed that Joe Graziano will fulfil the new role of market development manager - MicroTiles. He has been closely aligned to the launch preparations for MicroTiles, preparing the EMEA market prior to the recent ISE2010 launch platform. His new role will position him as product champion, enabling him to support the regional sales team across EMEA as well as find and close business directly, says the company.
Graziano states: "I am thrilled with the new role and the amazing opportunity I have to be involved with such a special product as MicroTiles. I am eager to get in amongst the EMEA base and all our partners to help them make the most of their business opportun
Steve Jones is a respected audio consultant having designed numerous large-scale systems including Wembley stadium and Ascot racecourse. In addition he sits on a number of British and European standards committees for voice alarm systems.
James Eade is an experienced project engineer having worked on countless installations and live events. He is consultant to the standar
At a time when the importance of training in the industry is much in the spotlight - with an emphasis not only on those joining the profession but also those with more established careers - this alliance heralds a new phase in each organisation's plans to raise industry standards.
BECTU, with project workers throughout the UK, identified in the ABTT a partner who - as one of the leading training providers - would deliver high quality, industry-recognised training, across the UK, to the benefit of its own and ABTT's members, as well as theatre in general.
The scheme will initially focus on implementing the ABTT's Silv
President Mark Engel and senior sales manager UK, Paul de Ville, each pledged £150 on behalf of Roscolab USA and UK respectively, towards sponsoring the runners.
"When Phil approached us and said he was to attempt a Half Marathon on behalf of the PSA Welfare & Benevolent Fund, I told him that only people over a certain age would know what he was talking about and that I would normally eat the whole thing!" says Paul de Ville. "However, when he explained that he was actually referring to a sponsored run and outlined the work that the Fund does, we felt it was a very worthwhile cause and pledged our support imme
The first Alpha version will be debuted during ProLight&Sound, and the system is already in preliminary specifications for some major upcoming productions, including the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.
After a round of successful demonstrations and high-quality reviews following PLASA and LDI, Coolux, Magna BSPand SAND Network Systems have joined the ranks of the BlackBox current partner network.
Coolux Media Systems, with locations in the USA, Germany and China is the producer of the Pandora's Box media and show control system.
Magna BSP of Israel is the producer of BiScopic Protection, a high performance stereoscopic vision sensory system for the detection of perimeter intrusion.
SAND Network Systems,
