USA - The University of California at Berkeley and Ithaca College (NY) have added Robert Juliat Cyrano and Buxie followspots, respectively, to their theatrical lighting inventories.

UC Berkeley has invested in four Cyrano followspots purchased from Musson Theatrical. "They asked for several demos and were excited about the Cyranos," says Musson Theatrical's Dinna Myers. "Robert Juliat is known for high-quality optics in the followspot market - they're rapidly becoming the leader in that sector."

Jeremy Little is an ETCP-certified electrician and master electrician with Cal Performances, the UC Berkeley-based presenting, commissioning and producing organization for world-class music, dance and theater. He recalls working with Cyranos when he toured as a followspot operator. "They were very fun to drive," he says. "The user interface is great,

UK - Avolites top-of-the-range Sapphire Touch lighting console is the control and programming tool of choice for lighting designer Chris Bushell, currently touring with Florence & the Machine.

Bushell, who was this year shortlisted for the Knight of Illumination Award for lighting design, took the Sapphire Touch out on the summer's festival circuit, where he dazzled audiences with his stunning, art deco inspired design.

"I've always used Avolites consoles and the new software just keeps getting better and better," comments Bushell "I started out on a Pearl a fair few years ago. I've tried many other consoles along the way but kept returning to Avo. I then used a Diamond 4. I was particularly thrilled when that platform was effectively put into a Tiger Touch. So much so that I bought a console of my very own!

"Although much more compact, the Tiger Touch st

USA - Numerous grandMA2 lighting consoles were on hand throughout Budweiser's Made in America Festival, which entertained crowds on Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Labor Day Weekend. Jay-Z and Pearl Jam headlined main stage concerts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively; punk rockers, up-and-coming rappers and native Philadelphia artists packed the other stages across the venue.

Nick Whitehouse, the lighting designer for the main stage, was tasked with creating a rig "that pleased everyone and looked different for the two headline acts. It had to be efficient to meet both Jay-Z's and Pearl Jam's wishes for their shows and incorporate the needs of the other performers. The overall design fit the stage/set design based on a huge eagle formed from LED-panels that fitted the Americana theme," and evoked the iconic Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) eagle logo.

A grand

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Sharon Gross as media relations co-ordinator. Gross will be the primary contact for advertising inquiries, social media and general public relations.

Sharon Gross has previously worked with Scripps Networks Interactive and The Knoxville News Sentinel.

Raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Gross graduated with a bachelor's of science in communications with a major in journalism and electronic media from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Gross said. "Bandit has been a pillar in the industry for decades, and to be fortunate enough to be a part of the Bandit family is beyond my biggest dreams. I look forward to growing with the company as it continues into the New Year and beyond."

(Jim Evans)

Japan - Medialon Show Control for the new ride of hit comic series One Piece at Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park in Japan.

Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture, which recreates a Dutch town. The spacious resort is suffused with a European atmosphere with its picturesque canals, iconic windmills, gardens and architecture.

Huis Ten Bosch houses various amusements and rides, including 3D technology theatres, a haunted house, a replica of the Domtoren (Dom Tower) of Utrech, a boat ride related to the hit comic series One Piece and a new indoor ride based on One Piece characters and story.

Tokyo-based TV & Event Lighting company, Fuji Lighting Technology's designer Junichi Nakahara and Kyushyu region-based Tatsuya Ifuku from stage lighting company Kyushyu Stage, selected Medialon Show Control system technology to be part of One Piece - For the new World

UK - JLS headlined the charity concert for The Mall at Cribbs Causeway's Christmas lights switch on in Bristol earlier this month. The UK's hottest boy band was the main feature of the launch of The Mall's ninth Winter Wonderland. The event raised over £20,000 for Bristol Children's Hospital charity, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal.

After switching the Christmas lights on, JLS treated an expectant crowd of over 10,000 people to several of their smash hit singles, including an exclusive performance of their new single Hottest Girl in the World which is set to be the lead single on their fourth Album Evolution.

Technical entertainment specialists, Stage Electrics, were contracted by The Mall at Cribbs Causeway to supply the fully equipped tunnel stage with complete event lighting and audio solution.

In addition Stage Electrics also supplied and insta

UK - West Midlands based technical solutions provider Central Presentations Ltd. (CPL) delivered full technical production - including lighting, sound, cameras / PPU, AV and staging - to the high profile 2012 Gastech Conference & Exhibition at ExCeL in London.

CPL was working directly for Swindon based Live Communications and event organiser's dmg :: events on the exhibition, which is a premier event on the gas industry calendar.

The project involved three artics worth of equipment from CPL and 50 crew deployed over the get-in/out and set-up periods as well as during the show itself.

CPL Project Managers Nick Diacre and Jimmy Smith worked closely with Andy Staley from Live Communications to deliver a slick, efficient production package encompassing all technical disciplines.

This included designing the two main spaces - the main Auditorium for plenary sessions as well as a

USA - Few RF (Radio Frequency) environments are more complex and challenging than a modern American Sports Stadium, where the air is literally saturated with wireless traffic of all kinds, from life safety and security, to sophisticated team communication and anti-terrorism systems, to the latest in state-of-the-art ticketing and concession wireless systems.

So when Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver needed to add wireless lighting control into this heady mix, it opted for LumenRadio. The project was a new effect lighting system retrofit, designed by ME Engineers of Denver to accent Sports Authority's new sponsorship of the stadium.

The lighting concept was successfully implemented with the help of George Lacey Sales (GLS) of Denver. Two distinct lighting elements operate independently within the stadium. First, a colour wash, visible to downtown Denver and Intersta

Denmark - On Saturday, 10 November, lighting designer Kasper Lange turned to a large Martin MAC rig that included Martin Professional's new MAC Viper Profile for the 2012 Danish Music Awards at Forum in Copenhagen.

The event, broadcast live on Danish station TV2, honored Denmark's top musical names of the year with performances from Nephew, Outlandish and many others beneath a mix of Martin LED and HID sources.

The lighting setup, which also included 150 compact MAC 101s used as audience lighting, along with other MAC luminaires, was one of the first shows in Denmark to use Martin's new 1000 W MAC Viper, which Kasper integrated as background light for the presenter podium.

"We needed a small and powerful lamp that could cut through the massive audience light. The problem with such a small and powerful lamp is that the rest of the production tends to look less impressive

Norway - Wireless Solution Sweden AB is getting high praise on a regular basis from the Den Norske Opera and Ballett, also known as the Oslo Opera House, located in Norway's capital city. The venue is home to the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet and is considered one of the landmark modern buildings in Oslo. The technical crew currently has a total of 24 W-DMX BlackBox FLEX-1 G4 Transceiver units that they use on a regular basis for a rigorous schedule. The hall rotates operas, ballets, concerts and other special performances and W-DMX is used to solve a myriad of challenges.

Lighting technician Audun Bull-Hanssen explains, "W-DMX G4 has worked great so far and with no problems. We have 24 W-DMX F-1 G4 units and we use the system on almost every show since they're so flexible. The performances are all very different and change constantly so it is very practical to use W-

UK - Artistic Licence Engineering provided a small but powerful presence at LuxLive 2012, with a stand jam-packed with new technology. Exhibiting for the first time at this London based show, the company's impressive display attracted high numbers of visitors who were both knowledgeable and focused.

dVnet, the company's new digital video-to-network converter, was officially launched at the show. Pre-recorded and live web-cam imagery played out in spectacular style across a wall of Luminous Textile panels, the new LED product from Philips.

"dVnet can render video to a media wall in less than ten mouse clicks, a feature that we took great delight in demonstrating," reports technical director, Wayne Howell.

Designed for architectural or retail applications that require versatile yet simple programming, dVnet is the billed as ideal complement to many types of display m

Variety Celebration - The Royal Variety Performance has marked its 100th anniversary with a show in front of The Queen at London's Royal Albert Hall. Host David Walliams arrived on stage as James Bond, complete with jet pack. Girls Aloud, One Direction, 2012 Britain's Got Talent winners Ashleigh Butler and dog Pudsey, and Sir Bruce Forsyth were among the British artists. Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys, Neil Diamond and Andrea Bocelli were among the international stars.

The sold-out performance is due to be broadcast on ITV1 on 3 December at 19:30 GMT. All proceeds are donated to The Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF), which cares for entertainers throughout the UK who need help.

Theatre News - The Mousetrap has celebrated going into its 60th year on stage with a gala performance featuring stars including Hugh Bonneville and Miranda Hart. The Agatha

UK - The biggest display yet of SGM's LT-100 3D pixel tubes has appeared at Wonderland Norwich, a new nightclub in Norwich. Operation manager Lucy Herlihy and general manager Charlene Nicholson at No Saints, owners of the club, confirm that the lightshow is generating overwhelming response.

The 1870-capacity venue follows the theme of earlier Wonderlands where SGM is also heavily represented - an escapist venue loosely based on the 'Alice' theme, with references to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and the White Rabbit. With a mandate to surprise, it commissioned the sensational SGM centrepiece, made up of 220 x 1-metre long pixel tubes, suspended over the main dance floor.

The effect produces a ceiling of dancing lights in ever changing combinations while colour chases are sent in waves or bars across tubes, designed into a giant rectangle and offering a 2 x 170° viewing angle.

UK - Entertainment lighting specialist White Light was tapped to provide lighting for a special brand experience event - the internal launch of Everything Everywhere, the company that runs T-Mobile and Orange in the UK. With the event, known as EE Live, the digital communications company invited employees from across the UK to the NEC Birmingham for an introduction to the branding and vision of the new mobile and broadband provider.

In the spirit of innovative technologies, the event was an interactive experience, immersing employees in all things 4G - and uniting them under the look, feel, and vision of the new EE brand.

Richard Saunders, project manager at White Light, oversaw the event planning and completion. The event, produced by WRG, was a major undertaking, incorporating several experience zones spread across two halls at the NEC Birmingham - Hall 2 (for the employee b

Switzerland - The Umwelt Arena is a large-scale futuristic structure designed by René Schmid Architects and completed this summer.

The building shows an expressive synergy among external form, construction techniques, ecologic materials and purpose, that's providing a suitable venue for discussion of sustainability issues from multiple standpoints - social, economic, energetic, ecologic.

The Umwelt Arena features a specially shaped array of photovoltaic panels, covering its hood as an envelope.

The multi-faceted shape of the arena displays a crystal-like appearance.

The environmental impact has been kept as low as possible during the construction of the building; also the Arena runs CO2 neutral, thanks to the photovoltaic panels and to its 'thermo-active' structure, including two large water storage tanks accumulating heat and cold under the foundation.

That's why

UK - Lighting designer Yenz Nyholm used his Avolites Tiger Touch to help reignite the memories of Level 42 fans when the band performed at London's Iconic Royal Albert Hall. The concert marked a quarter of a century since the band launched its seminal album Running in the Family.

Nyholm created a dynamic, clubby, retro feeling lighting and video set, which relied heavily on the use of old footage and promo videos from the 1980s. He programmed both the lighting and the video through his Avolites' Tiger Touch 6.1, which now features enhancements and updates that have advanced the console's capability considerably.

This update is very much to Nyholm's liking who says he is extremely impressed by a number of the new features. "The best thing for me is the cue stacking. You can display your cue list and each individual cue's parameters on the screens, but better still y

Australia - The City Recital Hall Angel Place is a purpose built concert venue situated in the heart of Sydney with the capacity for 1230 guests seated over three tiers of raked seating.

This world class concert venue acoustically designed for fine music and spoken word, has an elegant beauty, intimate layout and professional technical services creating a perfect combination for annual general meetings, conferences, meetings and special events.

The time had come to replace their lighting console with a more technically advanced model especially as the venue recently acquired some moving lights.

After a thorough research of the market, technical manager Cally Bartley found herself drawn to the ETC range of lighting control consoles.

"I was interested in the Eos and Ion consoles but I was told there was a new console coming out that sits between them and would be ideal,

USA - Lighting designer Brock Hogan specified 28 Robe LEDWash 600s for the recent US tour by San Francisco rock band, Train.

Hogan has worked for Train for the last three years, and was turned on to the features and functionality of Robe products - specifically the LEDWash 600 - by LMG Touring, a national provider of video, audio and lighting equipment.

LMG Touring added Robe products to their inventory last year, and supplied lighting, video and LED for the recent Train tour.

Hogan first used LMG's initial batch of LEDWash 600 on last year's Good Charlotte tour and followed up by integrating them into his latest design for Train.

Hogan's aesthetic starting point for lighting the tour was to create a 'big rock show' look for the band, with plenty of colour, movement and spectacle - bold and effective!

From the outset, he also had the LEDWash's individual ring control in

South Africa - Joburg Theatre has acquired 20 Robe MMX Spots just in time for Jack and The Beanstalk, an entertaining pantomime which runs from 30 October to 30 December 2012 on The Mandela stage.

Simon James (production manager), Enos Ramoroko (technical manager) and Patrick Mbatha (senior lighting technician) from Joburg Theatre, formerly known as the Civic, were looking for a moving light that was up-to-date with technology and something that would carry them over for the next few years.

"After watching the demo by DWR Distribution's Dave Whitehouse, Duncan Riley and Gareth Chambers, we had no doubt as to which spots we wanted," commented Enos Ramoroko. "Because the MMX has the dual graphics/animation wheel, you can easily create effects that would normally take very long to program in a matter of few strokes. We also have the Robe 700E Wash lights tha

USA - North American entertainment technology reseller, A.C. Lighting Inc. reports that despite the current challenging economic climate, its business is on track to post a record year of trading performance in 2012.

The company is also actively recruiting for a number of key positions to support its current growth level, which has been driven in part by recently signed distribution agreements with leading rigging manufacturer Prolyte Group and visual performance technology developer, ArKaos.

These new distribution appointments highlight the company's commitment to further developing its business to keep pace with the ever changing demands of its customers.

The Chroma-Q, LedGo and Jands brands distributed exclusively in North America by A.C. Lighting Inc. have also delivered strong product lineups in 2012, leading to impressive sales growth, says the company.

A.C. Lighting

UK - A community centre is looking forward to a brighter and greener future after Dartford-based 8point3 donated cost and energy-saving LED lighting.

The new fixtures were installed at Greenhithe Community Centre in Alexander Road, Greenhithe, last weekend, replacing all of the old, traditional lighting fixtures.

"LED lighting uses up to 80 per cent less energy than traditional lighting systems, meaning users see significantly reduced electricity bills," said Ashley Bateup, managing director of 8point3, which has its head office at Suscon in Dartford. "And, of course, the dramatic reduction in energy used means the hall will be significantly lowering the amount of CO2 it is responsible for, reducing its carbon footprint."

The system installed at the centre was designed and manufactured at 8point3's sheet metal factory in Belvedere. The lights slotted dire

Germany - Robe moving lights - including 30 MMX Spots and 44 ColorWash 700E ATs - were in action on the Main Stage at the 2012 Berlin Festival, taking place over two days at the atmospheric Tempelhof Airfield, a former US military base.

20,000 music fans enjoyed a fabulous international line up including The Killers, Sigur Rós, Plan B, Kate Nash, Franz Ferdinand, Orbital and many more, together with some of the best local and national talent.

Lighting for four stages including the Main was supplied by locally based rental company TSE Corp.

Tilman Schumacher, production lighting designer for the Main Stage, specified the Robe fixtures, although the rig here was based heavily on Steven Douglas's festival design for The Killers who played a storming Friday night headline slot.

The MMXs and 38 of the ColorWash 700E ATs were hung on the overhead trusses with the other six Colo

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) Ltd.'s Video division have been officially appointed as the exclusive UK distributor for LedGo's range of modular LED video solutions, recently unveiling the innovative product range on the company's stand at PLASA 2012.

Netherlands based LedGo BV has been providing the theatre and television production industry with a variety of LED video screens and innovative solutions for a number of years. Recent applications include a range of popular TV talent shows, news broadcast studios and large-scale political events.

LedGo's EQ HR range features an asymmetric design suitable for seamless horizontal and vertical applications with no visible wires or frames. The flagship product is the EQ HR Blackface Line, LedGo's ideal solution for creating high contrast and visual depth.

The LedGo EQ Stripline range is a solution for medium-resolutio

Germany - The task of the Municipality of Mannheim, Germany, 125 years after the invention of the automobile by Carl Benz there, was coming up with an event that would do justice to his invention, which changed the world.

Even before it got underway, the autosymphonic was destined to be an event worthy of superlatives. More than 200 vehicles, from which multiple-award-winning composer, Marios Joannou Elia, chose 80 representing all eras, were tested. The noises they made served as the basis for an eight-movement symphony for a large orchestra, automobiles, an adult chorus, and a children's choir.

A group of 120 youths, who received a full-year's free instruction in drumming in order to allow them to elicit sounds from the automobiles on hand at the event, were chosen from those participating in numerous castings held in collaboration with the Baden-Württemberg Popular

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