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14 March 2016

The Blå Tåget ride already existed but has gone through a total makeover. This ride is a ghost train loaded with new chills, thrills and effects especially designed for visitors' enjoyment. The train passes through several chambers, each filled with skeletons, scarecrows, rats, wolves, fire, lightning, ghosts and more.

The setting inside the ride was designed by artist Magnus Sörman and the entrance to the ride was designed by Joakim Hansén. For the technical making of this scary adventure-ride, Kreativ Teknik was contacted by Gröna Lund. Kreativ Teknik, a Swedish-based company which mainly works with lighting, control systems and effects, selected Medialon to be part of the project.

Kreativ Teknik delivered a total solution including light

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14 March 2016

Children's Favourite - Bristol Old Vic's production of Swallows and Amazons is to play in London's West End for a five-week Christmas run. Based on the classic children's novel by Arthur Ransome, the songs for the musical have been created by The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon. It will be directed by Bristol Old Vic's Tom Morris, co-director of the National Theatre's West End hit War Horse. The show wi

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14 March 2016

Located in Earls Court 2, the feature takes the form of a theatre-in-miniature, complete with 'auditorium', 'stage', 'backstage', 'foyer' and 'box office'. In each area The Theatres Trust will demonstrate proven sustainability techniques, as well as featuring technologies from PLASA 2011 exhibitors.

Tim Atkinson, theatre building services advisor to The Theatres Trust, comments, "The larger space means our stage will be able to accommodate a greater variety of presentations and events. Another key development is that, whereas last year we had only signed up half of

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14 March 2016

The prize was presented by MPG chairman Steve Levine and MPG director Tony Platt during LIPA's annual graduation ceremony, which took place on 29 July. Also present was LIPA lead patron Sir Paul McCartney.

The aim of the Music Producers Guild Prize is to recognise the student who, in the opinion of his or her tutors, has shown the most exceptional talent, initiative, commitment and consideration to the art of music recording and production.

Jon Thornton, who heads LIPA's three year BA (Hons) Sound Technology course, says, "We chose Philip because he has shown enormous dedication, particularly during

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14 March 2016

Colin Lemmings, vice president of corporate solutions commented, "Theresa has been and continues to play an instrumental role in the success of the corporate solutions team. Having worked in both corporate and service solutions, Theresa has a thorough understanding of the business and has played a significant role in the success and growth of the small works business; she will now use this experience to further relationships with key clients across Europe".

Davis has been with Electrosonic for over six years working in various positions. Prior to joining Electrosonic, Davis worked as a senior financial

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14 March 2016

It was the first time that Colour Sound has worked for the event, and it was also the first outing for Colour Sound's new BT12 12 mm pitch LED screen, a new lightweight product that has been designed and manufactured exactly to their spec.

The investment is to cater for the growing demand for visual and scenic display surfaces that are becoming increasingly integrated into 'lighting designs'. For Secret Garden, a total of 210 panels of the BT12 screen wa

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14 March 2016

The outdoor production, staged in the shadows of Worms Cathedral, tells the tale of great friendship between a duke and his adviser Joseph Süß in a moving drama based on love, hatred, prejudice, betrayal and an unprecedented judicial scandal.

"I use Midas consoles primarily because of the sound and their phenomenal cross-fade option, which allows me to create simple global cross fades and also very complex fades by using unique cross-fade-groups," says Grünsfelder. "M

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14 March 2016

In designing the CueCore Solid-State Control, Visual Productions addresses the issue of maintenance in installations.

The CueCore is a lighting controller for permanent installations in museums, themed venues, parks, architectural lighting projects, bars and clubs. The device is completely solid-state, with no moving parts; it is a secure and low-maintenance installation control solution with minimal power consumption.

The hardware connectivity includes 1024 DMX Out, 512 DMX In, MIDI, MTC, SMPTE Real-time

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14 March 2016

Supplied by Philips Entertainment's UK distributor Architainment Lighting, Utopium has reported that they've barely seen the luminaires since they were delivered. This, they say, is because the ColorBlazes only come back into the warehouse long enough to be prepped and tested before they're loaded back onto the truck and sent out on the next event.

Sam Garland, production manager for Utopium says the decision to go with the Selecon PLTR2 RGBAW (ColorBlaze) was based on the ratio of power economy to light output along with the fast rigging time. "Primarily we were looking to replace our existing cyclorama lighting options," Garland explains. "The Philips Selecon PLTR2 RGBAW (ColorBlaze) offers massi

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14 March 2016

When the Dane was appointed to head up the new R&D initiative last year, he recruited members of his old R&D team, tasking them with "developing a groundbreaking portfolio". He then turned his attention to international sales and Ian Kirby.

Kirby's role with SGM will run in parallel to his own company, LED Projects Ltd - the Kent based distribution and installation operation, which will double as SGM's UK sales office.

Kirby has already secured a major breakthrough for the Italian lighting manufacturers, with the installation of quantities of their new LED Balls in Mayfair's prestigious Playboy Club, while another large

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14 March 2016

Based in the north of England, he will take on a twin role, with responsibility for promoting the company's entire Touring & Theatre (TT+) portfolio on the one hand, while serving as regional sales manager (covering Scotland and the North of England) on the other.

Butler formerly worked alongside Davoile at Fuzion plc, where he was area sales manager, and with Price at KV2 (as UK sales director). Most recently he was area manager commercial audio at Shure Distribution (UK).

"In terms of its depth and breadth the RCF portfolio is fantastic; you can hit all market sectors with quality equipment - and that was the prime attraction for joining," says Butler. "I have great admiration for the brand - and when t

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14 March 2016

H4H leases Tedworth House and is currently carrying out a £17m renovation project that will see the first group of personnel using it this month, and by September 2012, it will be operating at full capacity. The personal recovery and assessment centre will provide the facilities to support the two key parts of the recovery process; the holistic life skills course and the activities to get the wounded, sick and injured back out doin

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14 March 2016

Operating as an importer, distributor and retailer, the company - set up by the Greenspoon family 70 years ago - is now in its third generation. They have worked for 20 years with SGM's parent company, RCF, which forms part of a strong portfolio of MI and pro audio brands - all represented on a sole basis.

Stated Halilit's Eitan Glickman, "The arrival of SGM within the RCF Group is timed perfectly with our plans to get into lighting. It is the natural partnership for our professional PA department."

In May, Halilit held a seminar at its facility providing the opportunity for the Italian manufacturers to introduce themselves to the local market and demonstrate their products, and the changes that have given them a competitive edge.

Said SGM area manager, Antonio Parise,

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14 March 2016

According to the Society of London Theatre, more than half of all programmed West End productions are offering sales 15 months in advance in anticipation of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games in the summer of 2012.

Long-running shows that have announced an extended booking period include Disney's The Lion King, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, The Woman in Black, Legally Blonde the Musical, War Horse, Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot the Musical. New musicals for 2011 that have extended their booking into 2012 include The Wizard of Oz, Shrek the Musical and Ghost the Musical

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14 March 2016

With 1206 seats, the Festival Theatre was the first modern theatre in this country to have an open 'thrust' stage with the audience seated around it on three sides, allowing it a close involvement with the actors. The emphasis of the theatre's programme is on the summer festival, which runs from April to September and includes the show Singing in the Rain, which is based on the classic MGM movie.

GDS were commissioned to d

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14 March 2016

Following the speculation across the international press last week that the stage, nicknamed the 'Claw', will be available to buy after the tour, stage design and manufacturer Stageco prepares to welcome the systems back to their US and Belgium headquarters.

Stageco was involved from the earliest stages of the Claw's planning and conception, working closely with U2, show director Willie Williams, set designer Mark Fisher and production manager Jake

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14 March 2016

Hall Stage has designed a specific entry level zero-fleet hoist - the DGZ - with a 350kg load on four lines & 15m travel, moving a stage flybar at 12m per minute - three times the speed of regular chain hoists or standard pilewind units. Designed for service use with lighting and technical equipment or basic scenery moves, the unit comes complete with all necessary drop pulleys and bar, wire ropes and local control for less than £5,000.

Additional options include programmable control, variable speed up to 1.5m/second, flyi

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14 March 2016

The College is very pro music and sports hence their new Canterbury Events Centre caters to both disciplines. The footprint of the building is 75m x 45m with a stage size approximately 24m x 12m plus wing space and side of stage areas. In full seating mode the centre can host 2000 seats.

The building itself is a BER funded project whilst the sound, lighting, audio visual and curtains have been funded by the College via fundraising along with some government funding.

"The Events Centre is used for many presentations such as speech night for senior, middle and junior levels and recently a Disney mjusical Beauty & the Beast with three fully sold

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14 March 2016

Managing director Andy Hayles comments, "This is the fifteenth project that the Charcoalblue team has worked on to win a RIBA Award and the third that's been nominated for a Stirling Prize. From the moment the RST opened it quickly and emphatically showed its strengths. The single-space, thrust stage format is an exciting, intimate and aesthetically enchanting space to inhabit.

"I

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14 March 2016

The studio, on the south bank of London's River Thames, would have windows on three sides, and be facing the iconic St Paul's Cathedral. In winter time, when it first comes on air at 6am, it will be dark, with it gradually getting brighter until there would potentially be full sunlight streaming through the windows by the end of the programme at 9:25am.

Lighting director Matt Carter looked to technology to solve the lighting problems that presented. Employing Stage Electrics, he first had £130,000 worth of dimmable 2.5m high glass windows installed, which, when attached to an ETC Paradigm control system, automatic

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14 March 2016

The extensive system on the Orange stage consisted of 72 K1 cabinets with 24 K1-SB subs, 48 SB28 subs, 26 KUDOs, 28 KARAs and six SB18 subs, all powered by 75 LA8 amplified controllers in LA-RAKs.

"The sound was especially designed for the broad range of artists who visited the Orange Stage," says Nordic Rentals' Thomas Christensen. "It was able to create an almost electronic club sound for artists like Deadmau5, as well as classic stadium rock for artists such as Kings of Leon."

Adds Paul Jensen, from the Stage Section of the Roskilde Festival, &qu

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14 March 2016

Brit Floyd under the musical and creative direction of Damian Darlington boasts a Floydesque style lightshow which is equally as original in its own right, has been co-designed by Dave Hill and Neil Trenell, with Trenell going out on the road operating.

The project is managed for HSL by Mike Oates who says, "Supplying a Pink Floyd show of any description is a lighting company's dream, considering they were such great technical innovators and responsible for evolving the whole concept of integrated visuals into a powerful, emotive, experience. In the process, they put the whole idea of touring and

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14 March 2016

Main Light, which serves all lighting markets from theatrical to touring, has become one of the largest rental houses in the US. After initially purchasing Sharpy fixtures earlier this year, the company has reinforced its Clay Paky offerings by acquiring the Alpha units.

"The features and quality of the Clay Paky fixtures uniquely position them in the market," notes Randy Mullican at Main Light. "We like the speed of the Sharpy - the unit is extremely fast and the beam projects out of the Sharpy incredibly far. They have no problem cutting through 1500-watt fixtures on stage."

Mullican cites the low noise level of the Alpha 700, which enables it to be used in theatre en

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14 March 2016

With a 4kHTI lamp and a beam adjustable from 2-5?, Lancelot is a followspot designed for the largest of venues and biggest of shows, giving a high output and a precise, controllable beam over even the longest of throws. This made it the perfect choice for shows by JLS - which HSL supplied from 12 of their newly purchased units - and Take That, which Neg Earth supplied from their new stock of six Lancelots. Lancelots are also in use on Shrek at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane and on The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium, as part of a rig supplied by White Light.

(Jim Evans)