The Netherlands - The 013 Poppodium in Tilburg, a vibrant live music venue offering a diverse and lively range of shows across its two performances spaces, has recently taken delivery of 30 new Robe Forte moving lights.
These are installed over the stage in the main 3,000 capacity auditorium, which is the biggest such venue in the Netherlands. The new lights are part of a technical upgrade and Robe’s latest LED technology is replacing previous older spot moving lights from another brand!
013 Poppodium lighting technicians Lloyd Janssen and Paul Cox are both delighted with this new investment.
The two of them joined the venue’s technical team in Autumn 2021 as Covid restrictions were being lifted and live shows started ramping up again, and while the decision had already been made to find new LED spot luminaires, they were both involved in the actual choice

USA - Obsidian Control Systems looks forward to welcoming AV, integration and production professionals to Booth 5845 at the InfoComm 2023 show in Orlando. On show will be the latest Onyx software, the ‘world’s first IP65 data distribution range’ plus all new Netron installation solutions
The latest software expansion of the popular Onyx control platform will be available to view and test drive. Featuring NDI Video Input, Realtime audio analysis and Beat Sync, this updated version enhances workflow across Obsidian’s various console and PC solutions, such as the e popular NX1 in combination with the NX-P expansion wing and NX-K portable keypad add-on.
Supporting the growth of exterior lighting productions like stadium tours, special events and outdoor movie sets, Netron will introduce its IP65 product range for entertainment data distribution.
Utilising a

Germany - Thomas Füllengraben is back on the market with HTFmediserv. Trade fair projects - supplemented by the new business area of digital solutions - are now the focus of the new company. At the end of 2022, the company invested in 48 of the new, weatherproof X-PAR 12 Z LED spotlights from Fusion by GLP for both the rental and project business.
It was in early summer 2022, that a visit by GLP drew Thomas Füllengraben’s attention to the weatherproof (IP65) LED fixtures, which were optimised for colour mixing and light quality. Although another device was actually the focus of his interest at the time, Füllengraben says: “We talked for a long time about the JDC1 and especially the impression X5, which I was really excited about.
“Then in the autumn there was a project at the InnoTrans for which I was looking for static LED spots that would offer something mor

Finland - 3LR Design has announced that renowned architectural lighting and controls designer, Karoliina Helin has joined its international team.
"As a consultant based in Finland, Karoliina will allow 3LR to develop, design and support even more customers and clients in the European Union, the UK, and beyond," says Josh Allen, global director of design for 3LR and co-founder of 3LR Group. "We've had the opportunity to work with Karoliina on multiple projects to date, and her work has always been top-notch. Moving forward, it made perfect sense that she join the Group. Her skills in lighting layouts and presenting lighting data are second to none, and we are excited to have her on board."
"Karoliina's work spans many of the sectors and genres we operate in," says Matt Lloyd, co-founder of the 3LR Group. "She brings to the team a wonderful mixture of design concepts,

USA - The ADJ booth at InfoComm 2023 will provide a showcase of both new and recently released products, providing a hands-on opportunity for visitors to explore the company’s latest lighting technology.
Making its official debut at the show will be the new Encore LP12Z IP. This tough and versatile weatherproof IP65-rated zooming LED par fixture is equipped with 12 x 20-Watt 4-in-1 RGBL colour mixing LEDs, offering a massive selection of colours to choose from, including 64 built-in colour macros and tunable white control (2700K to 6500K). The fixture also features motorised zoom, providing the ability to remotely control the lighting coverage, for a variable field angle of between 9 and 50-degrees.
Also taking pride of place on the booth will be the new Focus Spot 7Z. As the latest addition to ADJ’s popular Focus Series of LED-driven moving heads, this recently re

USA - After nearly two decades at Walt Disney World and Disney Live Entertainment, Ryan Stumpp has joined Elation Professional as vertical market manager for themed environments. Ryan has designed and programmed lighting for a variety of marquee shows and spectaculars, including the recent redesign of Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom.
In his role at Elation, Ryan will work to drive Elation product adoption with designers, specifiers and consultants focused on theme parks, cruise ships, hospitality venues, resorts, casinos, museums and other themed spaces.
“Themed environments is a vast and challenging market that spans multiple genres of lighting and applications,” stated Elation director of sales John Dunn. “Ryan’s passion for immersive theatrical shows and storytelling, his years of experience a

USA - Bandit Lites illuminated the 8th Annual Black Music Honours, a star-studded showcase that celebrates back excellence and trailblazers in music, ranging from gospel to R&B, Hip-Hop and more. This year’s honourees included music legend Missy Elliott, vocal trio SWV, disco and R&B star Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, R&B/soul singer Jeffrey Osborne, and gospel trailblazers The Hawkins Family. Hosted by singer and actress LeToya Luckett and actor DeRay Davis, the event was taped at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Friday 19 May.
Lighting designer Mark Carver and production designer Scott Moore sought to utilise a range of fixtures that would offer the flexibility to build a range of looks for all the genres of music represented.
“We wanted fixtures that can look both retro and contemporary, and fixtures that have a vast colour palett

USA - The creatives behind the stage design for Scotty McCreery’s current 31-city North American Damn Strait tour is creating big, bold, dynamic looks on stage, while still meeting practical considerations, like fitting your powerful touring rig into the allotted trailer space.
Helping them make this happen is a design that cleverly uses rolling carts and upstage downlighting, along with well-placed specials to enlarge looks, along with a potent, yet compact, lighting rig that features 24 Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures, owned by the former American Idol winner.
“The big thing about this show is we wanted to be able to create ‘WOW’ moments, but also fit everything into a single semi-truck,” said Drew Hornback, Scotty McCreery’s lighting director. “I feel like we’re doing this very well. In addition to being compact, our rig is designed for qu

Europe - Music & Lights, the brand owner of Prolights, has received the ISO 14001:2015 certification for Environmental Management Systems. This achievement confirms the commitment of the company to the research of new eco-friendly technical innovation. This certificate joins the already ISO 9001:2015 certification for Quality Management Systems.
Music & Lights has been consistently oriented towards a more eco-sustainable production. The 2021 Best Performance Award of Bocconi University (sixth place in the 2023 FT Global MBA Ranking) has declared the company's excellence on a national level according to the criteria of performance, innovation and eco-sustainability.
Music & Lights has directed its technological offer towards a sustainable upgrade of the productive processes. The company's commitment is to develop and promote on a worldwide scale high-effic

South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced Patrick Manicom as the new workshop assistant in Cape Town.
Patrick was introduced to the entertainment industry by his sister, Jade Manicom, a lighting designer. “I first learnt about DWR in 2020 via my sister before she joined the company,” Patrick comments. “She arranged for me to visit their workshop for a week, and that’s where I discovered that I wanted to work with my hands. DWR was happy to have me tinker around and assist with repairs while teaching me about the different equipment. Everyone was so welcoming from the workshop team all the way to the CEOs, and I seemed to have made an impression too as Bruce Riley remembers me from just that week.”
Patrick recently relocated to Cape Town and now works closely with DWR’s Johnny Scholtz and says the experience has been a combination of nerves and excitemen

USA - Alfalite will make its debut at InfoComm with its LED panels for the rental, fixed installation and virtual production markets at the booth of its partner FOR-A.
Alfalite will showcase its Litepix LED panels for rental companies, Modularpix LED panels for fixed installation, as well as the Modularpix Pro VP XR solution for virtual production and extended reality environments.
FOR-A's booth #2023 at InfoComm 2023 will showcase a complete live virtual production ecosystem that will include a four 2.5m Alfalite display with an HDR-compatible FA-9600 multipurpose signal processor, EZtrack camera tracking system, ClassX 3D graphics generator and XR technology, among other solutions.
Satoshi Kanemura, president & COO, FOR-A America, comments: “We’re excited to have joined forces with Alfalite to add virtual studio capabilities to our expanding portfolio.

Romania - The Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest structure in the world, outweighing even the Pyramids of Giza, and second in terms of area covered only to The Pentagon. The downtown Bucharest building’s impressive presence has provided a dramatic backdrop for a host of major films. Recently, the 365,000 m2 landmark served as the setting for an international conference when it hosted the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference.
Although it may have lacked the drama of a Hollywood blockbuster, the three-week long conference had an impact on the way people around the world talk to one another. A specialised agency of the United Nations, the ITU is active in advancing global satellite communication. Underscoring its importance, over 2,000 experts and dignitaries from around the world filed into 25 meeting spaces during the conference.

UK - After 47 years in business, Avolites - a leader in the design and manufacture of lighting and video control products - has announced the company's acquisition by entertainment lighting specialist, Robe Lighting of Roznov in the Czech Republic. The agreement was reached in the UK yesterday.
“The Avolites Leadership team wanted to ensure the best outcome for our employees, customers, suppliers and the brand,” said Avolites MD Paul Wong. “Robe is an ideal home that will enable us to achieve just that, whilst maintaining our core values. Robe is a great fit for everyone associated with Avolites. Robe has a wealth of resources that will aid Avolites to accelerate its ambitious innovation and product development programmes.”
“This is a great acquisition for Robe,” said Josef Valchar, CEO Robe Lighting s.r.o., “Avolites has always been at the pinnacle of li

USA - Lil Wayne, Third Eye Blind, Wu-Tang Clan, Nile Rodgers, Babyface Ray, Maren Morris…. There were plenty of stars at Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival on Virginia Beach, but sadly, there was plenty of water too. High winds and rains along the Atlantic coast battered the superstar’s three-day event; a tornado even touched down nearby. Things got so bad, Friday and Saturday’s shows had to be delayed, while Sunday’s was completely cancelled.
But Evan Kirkendall and his team at Harford Sound, along with their collaborator Steve Tanruther’s Rock the House, were able to handle anything Mother Nature dished out, with help from an all-weather rig anchored by 238 IP-rated Chauvet Professional fixtures.
“Thankfully, all of our Chauvet lights were ready take on the storms,” said lead light tech Gabe Odachowski. “Given the size and scope of t

USA - Country singer Brett Young’s Five, TOUR, Three, Two, One Tour swept into LA’s The Greek Theatre in May with an upbeat, colourful lighting design by Luke Elrod. During the show, he enveloped the audience in starry gobo-effects and bright, rich colours using Vari-Lite VL3600 Profile IP fixtures from Signify.
Elrod, who runs Luke Elrod Designs from his base in Nashville, Tennessee, has been Brett Young’s tour lighting director since mid-2022. The current tour visits a wide range of venue sizes as well as festivals, meaning Elrod required an IP-rated fixture capable of producing bright colours and effects using the full 28-strong VL3600 rig or a scaled down version.
“I’d heard many great things about the VL3600s and they checked off all of the boxes for the design,” says Elrod. “I wanted something that was really punchy and could fill a lot of space, wh

South Africa - Elation Professional's exclusive sales partner in South Africa, The Production Warehouse, took to the road in mid-May to show first-hand to customers an array of its latest lighting products including luminaires from Elation’s popular Proteus, Fuze, and KL series.
While theatre, rental house and broadcast clients took the opportunity to demo products, the tour, which visited Johannesburg 15-16 May and Cape Town 18-19 May, was a chance for the AV distribution company to renew relationships post-pandemic.
Marnus Nieuwoudt, owner of The Production Warehouse, stated: “Being our first major roadshow post-Covid, the roadshow wasn't only about showcasing the latest technology Elation has to offer, it was more about reconnecting and networking with old friends and colleagues, while meeting some new customers along the way.”
Marnus says that, not sur

Mexico - Myst is a colourful cabaret-style musical megamix encapsulating some of Mexico’s rich and vibrant musical culture and history over two hours - split into two acts - staged at the Foro Totalplay in Mexico City.
At the centre of the show’s lighting since it has been at this venue are 60 x Robe Spikies and 30 x Spiider LED wash beam moving lights. These were specified by lighting designer Juan Ignacio Adriano who is also the technical director of música esencial at Foro Totalplay.
This story began back in 2017 when Myst needed a new resident venue after being forced to move from the previous one, Sala Corona, which was damaged in the devasting 2017 earthquake.
Foro Totalplay, inside the upscale Antara Mall in the Polanco district of CDMX, was designed as a 400-capacity club rather than a theatre or even a cabaret venue, explained Juan Ig

USA - Bandit Lites continues its year of growth with the hiring of Tristan Weaver and Gavin Smith to its world headquarters in Knoxville. Weaver steps into the Integration department as the logistics & inventory specialist, while Smith has entered Bandit’s production team as one of its newest lighting technicians.
Prior to joining Bandit, Weaver worked as an inventory manager. As Bandit’s logistics & inventory specialist, he’ll assist in the daily operations of the Knoxville warehouse including general facilities maintenance, assisting with sales preparation and production prep.
Smith has been hired as a lighting technician, having previously worked as a Dollywood tech where he ran the sound system for the singers and dancers.

Europe - The Arolla Aqua is billed as Claypaky's top-of-the-range weather-resistant light.
Claypaky’s R&D department's challenge was principally to design a high-power, high-brightness fixture with top-level performance while at the same time limiting its weight and size.
The Arolla Aqua fits a white 900 W (7000 K) LED light source, capable of a 40,000-lumen output. This means it can compete with both high-power-range lights (given its output) and medium-power-range lights (given its small size and weight).
Its uniform light beam is another key feature. The high quality of the beam, its density, and the total absence of spurious lights can be appreciated with the naked eye, and its zoom can be adjusted over a linear 5.5°-50° range (9:1).
The Arolla Aqua boasts an effects section consisting of two gobo wheels (one of which rotating) with very high-d

USA - The 2023 CMT Music Awards moved from Nashville to Austin this year. The three-hour event, which was broadcast on CBS, radiated a fresh, vibrant energy that instantly captured attention with its distinctive colour schemes, boldly outlined stage, and dramatic catwalks.
Tom Kenny, who created the lighting design for the event at The Moody Centre, credits the change of venue with inspiring him, production designer Ann Brahic, and the rest of their team to reach deep into their creative wells to come up with their bold, and highly original, looks.
“The whole process of moving to the hip city of Austin gave us all a big hit of adrenalin,” said Kenny. “Everyone jumped in to have fun and worked hard at getting the show into a great place. We began the week outdoors, at the stage off Congress, with a big show by Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban that put the whole ci

UK - 3LR Design has announced the addition of consultant Ziggy Jacobs to the team.
"No challenge is too large for Ziggy," says Josh Allen, global director of design for 3LR. "Designer, trainer, programmer, lecturer - Ziggy does it all. Her extensive experience on a global scale, along with her keen eye for detail and unwavering commitment to excellence, make Ziggy a perfect fit for our team.”
“Her CV includes technical systems in hundreds of installations around the world, and she has been an ETC certified and trained programmer and commissioning technician since 2008.”
Based in London, Ziggy will be instrumental in developing systems designs and bespoke training programmes, ensuring that systems programming requirements which 3LR has specified are met during the construction administration and commissioning phase to close out successful projects. Her cred

Germany - Robe will be exhibiting at the two and a half-day 2023 Showtech entertainment expo next week, staged in Halls 1 and 3 at Station in Berlin, at the heart of the German capital adjacent to the Potsdamer Platz.
Robe has participated in the predecessors of this event and was delighted when the DTHG (German Theatre Technical Society) decided to stage it again, this time as an independent organiser. The company’s German subsidiary immediately secured a premium spot with stand 1.19. A selection of the latest technologies will be showcased, focussing on the T Series products, like the recent TX1 PosiProfile and T11 series, plus the popular T and T2 series’ and manual and remote follow spot systems, together with others suited to stage and performance applications.
“With the focus on theatre and performance lighting and production, we expect a very high quality

USA - Las Vegas-based Show & Design Group (SDG) has made its first investment in Ayrton lighting fixtures with the purchase of 24 Diablo S units. ACT Entertainment is the exclusive distributor of Ayrton products in North America.
SDG offers live event production and lighting rentals; a complete trucking division, SDG Logistics, Inc., is targeted at expedited entertainment logistics.
“The purchase of 24 Diablo S fixtures is our introduction to Ayrton, although we have been aware of the brand since they launched MagicPanels,” says project manager, Lew Aronoff. “Our core business is trade shows and corporate theatre, and we’ve seen Diablos become very prevalent in the cross-rental market. Our B2B partners run short of 20K lumen fixtures on a regular basis, so we decided to invest in Diablos since we needed more fixtures of that size. Their size and weight-to-o

USA - Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty’s musical comedy Seussical, based on the works of the famed Dr. Seuss, is filled with an abundance of exuberant characters, from Yertle the Turtle and Gertrude McFuzz, to Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham Brothers, The Cat in the Hat, and The Grinch.
Lighting such colourful characters is fun! Ask Christopher Robin, who used layered effects and a variety of light angles to bring them and their imaginative costumes to life at a recent West Hempfield High School production of the play.
“This was just a really enjoyable experience,” said Robin. “The costumes were magnificent, and the set was beautifully painted. Within the set itself, the whole spectrum of colour was used. The giant story book on stage gave me free reign to use any colour to capture the palette on the pages of Dr. Seuss’s many children books.”
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