USA - San Antonio's (Texas) new Tobin Centre for the Performing Arts will open in September with a complement of grandMA2 consoles dedicated to both the H-E-B Performance Hall and the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre.

Rising behind the façade of the former San Antonio Municipal Auditorium along downtown's famed River Walk, the 1,750-seat multi-purpose venue will be the home of the San Antonio Symphony and other resident companies. It also plans to offer a diverse array of entertainment from comedy legend Bill Cosby and radio icon Garrison Keillor and The Prairie Home Companion to the Scottish Ballet's production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

The four-level H-E-B Performance Hall is the largest of the centre's performance spaces; the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre is a black box-style space with multiple seating options. Dealer Texas Scenic and rep Roy Harline are pro

UK - Keith Williams has re-joined Impact Products (Europe) Ltd as general manager, strengthening the highly successful Northampton based team. Williams had been instrumental in the early growth of Impact in 2008, one the leading businesses in the pro audio and lighting distribution sectors.

Williams grew sales of the LANTA LED lighting range and was instrumental in the development of Brooke audio products INH range, both now prolific in the installation markets. He championed Impact's own brand of flight cases, Rhino - now one of the best selling flight cases in the UK. Earlier this year Prolyte European distributor of the year award was awarded to Impact for outstanding sales and customer service to truss and staging customers.

Group managing director Grant Lester said, "Keith is one of the most popular and charismatic characters in the industry. He brings an incredibly

UK - Crestron has announced the latest enhancements to its line of LED fixtures, with the new, condensed range of six fixtures now available to order across the EMEA region. Crestron originally entered the luminaire market with an extensive range of fixtures in early 2013. All Crestron LEDs (CLEDs) replicate the smooth dimming curve, colour temperature and lumen output of traditional halogen fixtures, with a 70,000-hour lamp that exceeds most comparable low energy fittings, the company says.

"The new condensed line of CLEDs came about from the feedback we noted from our dealers." says Mark Tallent, international product manager for Crestron Lighting and Building Controls. "By condensing the range, we have simplified the line for authorised Crestron dealers whilst adding extra features and functionality. This makes it easier to select the right fixtures for their p

International - When it came to creating a high impact floor package for the Queen + Adam Lambert world tour, lighting designer Rob Sinclair turned to the high output beam of the Clay Paky Sharpy. Using 23 of the luminaires provided by US hire company Upstaging, Sinclair created a dynamic floor package that matched the high-energy showmanship of the band.

"The lighting design on this tour had to start big and get even bigger," explains Sinclair. "It needed to do justice to Queen's extensive and wonderful production heritage. I needed lights that could deliver huge looks and which had the capacity and versatility to make those looks go even bigger."

The gold-painted set, designed by UK show architects Stufish, featured a 30ft square of WinVision 9 LED screens from VER and a giant automated 'Q' whose tail flipped down to create the show's B-Stage.

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UK - For their recent production of Swallows and Amazons, Theatre by the Lake sought to trial a new energy-efficient solution for cyclorama lighting, and lighting designer and technical manager Andrew J Lindsay turned to entertainment lighting specialist White Light for options and advice.

White Light's Jonathan Haynes worked with Andrew to find the right fit for the production and the venue as a whole. Like most performance venues, Theatre by the Lake is taking energy consumption into consideration when deciding on future lighting fixtures. For Swallows and Amazons, Andrew was looking for an LED fixture that could deliver on energy efficiency without compromising on brightness or colour.

After surveying the choices, Andrew employed three Spectra Cyc 200s and four Spectra Cyc 100s for the production. "Having seen the Altman units on demo, I was excited to se

USA- The newest member of Chauvet Professional's 'unplugged' WELL Series, the WELL FLEX utilizes an internal lightweight Lithium ion battery that will last through an entire event, while recharging in under eight hours - no power cords required. This IP44-rated go-anywhere unit also comes with a pre-installed W-DMX wireless DMX receiver so that data cables can be eliminated too, for completely cord-free operation, says the company.

The WELL FLEX is not only flexible in terms of the wireless freedom it offers, but also in its versatile design possibilities. Containing four 10-watt Quad-Colour LEDs (red, green, blue, white), it is capable of producing vibrant, shadow-free blended colors in a vast palette that ranges from rich jewel tones, to delicate pastels, to variable whites, ensuring it will set just the right tone - or even match the colour themes - at any event.

The WELL F

Sri Lanka - PR Lighting fixtures were used extensively to provide a dynamic backdrop for a major concert by Bengali Bollywood/Bhangra star, Mika Singh in Sri Lanka recently. The Punjabi star is a prolific songwriter, singer, performer and composer, who since releasing his first album 17 years ago has produced numerous chart hits - either taken from his film scores or privately recorded albums.

Local production company The Lighthouse (Pvt) Ltd provided a real tour de force, decorating the main hall at the MICH (Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall) in Colombo with 30 XS1200 (1200W) discharge spots, 30 XR200 Beams, and six XL1200 Spots.

The design was handled by Lighthouse's Dinusha Perera, who credited the fixtures' "excellent reliability and high brightness." At the command of the Avolites Pearl Expert, he confirmed that they fulfilled all the function

UK - Avolites and Avolites Media continued their strong association with Glastonbury Festival with an impressive array of equipment and an eager team out in force to support friends and colleagues alike.

With no less than three headline acts on the main stages controlled by Avolites, as well as numerous other acts and stages, the festival proved an excellent opportunity to showcase the power and versatility of the range.

The first of those headliners, Arcade Fire, brought the Pyramid stage to a climactic close for day one with a set list spanning their four albums. The band put on a compelling show, performing in elaborate costumes and face paint against a myriad of moving mirrors, fireworks, and an outstanding use of lighting skillfully conducted by Chris Bushell from a Sapphire Touch.

Meanwhile, Kaiser Chiefs ended the day one festivities on the John Peel stage, with Ali P

Italy - Clay Paky, the Italian manufacturer of professional show lighting, has today announced that it is preparing for a new phase in its history, with the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of the company by OSRAM, one of the world's leading light source manufacturers.

Following the acquisition, which is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities, Clay Paky will continue to operate from its production and administrative head office in Bergamo, Italy. Key positions will remain in place, ensuring continuity in management, the company says.

"Integration with OSRAM, which has a great wealth of technological competence and an in-depth knowledge of the lighting market, is an ideal opportunity for the further development of Clay Paky," says Pasquale Quadri, founder and current president of Clay Paky. "After 40 years crowned by success, I am de

The Netherlands - It's been nearly a year since over 80 Robe lighting fixtures were supplied and installed at the charismatic Energiehuis, a former power station at the confluence of the Wantij and Beneden Merwede Rivers on the outskirts of Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Energiehuis was transformed into a new multi-venue cultural centre by Jonkman Klinkhamer Architects - a stylish and cool integration of majestic civil engineering with contemporary industrial design and modern performance facilities offering the very highest production values.

The once thriving power station was closed in the 1970s and lay derelict and neglected before the three year regeneration plan commenced in 2010. The Energiehuis project was instigated and driven by Dordrecht Town Council and the performance elements developed in conjunction with theatre consultants, PB Theateradviseurs, who produced the te

UK - The Eagles brought their History of the Eagles tour to London's O2 Arena in June in a worthy celebration of a lifetime of work. Performing classics and songs from their top-selling documentary, the concert is an exploration of one of the world's biggest-selling and culturally significant American bands.

Butch Allen, in collaboration with lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe and the band, designed the set and show. PRG provided lighting & rigging and worked alongside PRG Nocturne UK, who supplied video and a live camera package for the show.

Lighting director Dave Hill and his entourage of Stateside Lighting crew, led by Jason 'Atta Boy' Statler, crossed the Atlantic with production to reproduce the success of the North American run. Jason was joined by his team of professionals, including Russel Lyons, Greg Gore, Brian Monahan, Errol Reinhart, Matt Schnieder and UK

Italy - Italy - Vasco was back this summer, 2014, with seven sell-out concerts at stadiums. The tour consisted of three dates at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome and four at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan. Vasco became the first artist ever to do three consecutive nights at the Stadio Olimpico, and set a new record total number of 21 performances at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

The show itself was fit for breaking records: an exceptional, extremely impressive production. Clay Paky's lights were a must for the stage. The new A.Leda B-EYE K20s stood out in particular among the 'special lights' in the lighting design. There were 38 on stage and 15 on the large external structure.

"In order to use these lights," Vasco's lighting designer Giovanni Pinna explained, "I got great support from Clay Paky, because we are not talking about traditional lights... we are talkin

UK - Respected production technician Andy 'Fraggle' Porter ensured the Pyramid Stage at this year's Glastonbury was a dazzling display of bright and frenzied strobe effects by rigging 33 Showline SL Nitro 510 luminaires in an arch array.

Heavy metal headliners Metallica were one of the many acts that took advantage of the SL Nitro 510 strobes, which were supplied to Glastonbury by Neg Earth. Throughout the weekend, the strobes exhibited their versatility and offered the various lighting designers endless creative possibilities as the plethora of acts performed.

"Last year we used the SL Nitro 510 strobes in combination with our standard strobes and they worked really well," says Fraggle. "They are also a fantastic energy saving solution - a whole bunch of conventional strobes all bumped together has a huge impact on the generator mains which can cause us issues

UK - It would be practically impossible to overstate the importance of the Everyman Theatre to the city of Liverpool. To list the names of those whose careers are synonymous with it, would be to compile a who's who of artistic giants, their ground-breaking work deeply embedded in the national psyche, their place at the top table of British cultural history assured.

In the early 1960s a group of artists, poets, writers and musicians who met at the then Hope Hall Cinema, decided that the building would make a good theatre and in 1964, the Everyman was born. Closed in 1975 for rebuilding, it reopened in 1977 and there followed 34 years that shaped the careers of Willy Russell, Alan Bleasdale, Julie Walters, Bernard Hill and Pete Postlethwaite to name a just a handful.

In 2011, the Everyman closed its doors again for a £28m redevelopment, funded for the most part by Arts Cou

USA - Carlos Santana and Buddy Guy have garnered 16 Grammy Awards between them, and for one magical night this summer, the two guitar virtuosos performed on stage at The Greenwich Town Party under the light of 22 Legend 230SR Beams from Chauvet Professional.

An intensely bright moving yoke fixture powered by a 230-watt Osram Sirius lamp, the Legend 230SR Beam anchored a muscular lighting rig installed by JDI Productions of Johnston, Rhode Island. "We used over 140 fixtures on the stage, covering the performers and reaching out into the audience," said LD and lighting crew chief Derek Iorfida. "This was a dynamic series of performances, not just by the two iconic headliners but all the artists on the programme, and we wanted to match the intensity of the music with an overwhelmingly powerful lighting display."

Iorfida singled out the Legend 230SR Beam, which

UK - At PLASA London 2014, Harting (Stand No. G15) is featuring its RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) systems for asset management in the theatre and touring environment, along with rugged connectivity solutions for audio-visual multimedia events.

Harting's RFID technology can be applied for improved asset management for entertainment rental/hire companies and for theatres which share equipment for touring shows. The Ha-VIS RFID system offers a high degree of flexibility to simplify the implementation of scalable solutions in different application sectors.

The system combines rugged, high-performance RFID readers with powerful data pre-processing to ensure high-speed data transmission and optimum dynamic network performance. An efficient software solution allows the scaling of RFID solutions from individual readers through to enterprise-wide solutions across different loca

World - Lighting designers can enter their own Imagination into the wysiwyg Lighting Design Video Challenge by CAST Software - a challenge open to all current wysiwyg R33 users and members and to those who become so before the deadline of 26 September 2014.

"As in previous years, we're looking to discover the next lighting design talent through pre-visualization, but this year's participants will be challenged by having a 'budget' just like they would in a real world project. This 'budget' will be represented by an equipment limitation list," explains, Igor Silva, marketing manager at CAST Group.

"Entrants can be pros or amateurs - all you need to do is be a registered wysiwyg member, follow the equipment limitation list and guidelines, create a two-minute video of your lighting design using wysiwyg version R33 then post it to your YouTube account and share it o

The Netherlands - Hedon, a well-known live music venue in Zwolle, the Netherlands, has recently had a full Robe moving light rig installed into its new building which features an 850 capacity main hall plus an equality active small room that can accommodate 200 people.

The venue, partly owned by a cultural event and community activity organisation called Travers, has been a local landmark for the last 15 years, showcasing an eclectic and vibrant mix of international and home-grown talent - anything from comedy to music of all types - with a hectic schedule of 25-30 shows every month, and sometimes as many as 50.

Hedon's head of technical Martijn Deenan started working there four years ago as well as continuing his very active freelance career, and he oversaw all the technical aspects of the venue throughout the refurbishment project. Meanwhile, his other work keeps him up-to-d

Russia - In celebration of the 2014 World Cup final game, the three towers of Vorobievy Gory, an iconic residential complex in Moscow that faces the German Embassy, were lit during the match with the colours of Germany and Argentina's national flags. With only a single day to light the towers, lighting designer Sergey Babaliants of Moscow-based BaSinstall was brought in to programme the tower's existing system, which includes 198 Martin Professional Exterior 200 fixtures.

Installed in 2006, the exterior lighting for each of the three towers features 30 Exterior 200s for the 'crown', located on the roof level and 36 Exterior 200s for the 'gallery', located three floors below the crown. The design is controlled via LightJockey placed on the second level below the middle tower, while the left and right towers were connected through wireless DMX signal via an omnidirectional antenna

Austria - Every summer, the Theater im Hof, in Enns, Upper Austria, produces a classical production, such as Faust, Cyrano de Bergerac and pieces by Shakespeare. This year, the company will present The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) by Long, Singer and Winfield, which contains all 38 stage works and 154 sonnets all in one. The ambitious show was programmed with the help of ETC Eos software on the new ETC Nomad controller.

After years of using a large riding hall, this year's production will be staged in the basement of the Ennsegg Castle. With little space to spare for front of house control positions and a hectic production schedule, technical director and lighting designer Ueli Riegg found the new PC based Nomad controller to be the solution.

Thanks to the new screen management in Eos v2.2 software, including a simple to use onscreen co

World - One Direction embarked on their worldwide Where We Are tour this spring, performing in some of the biggest stadiums around the globe to millions of screaming fans. For shows of this size and scope, lighting designer Paul Normandale turned to the powerful versatility of the Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash FX luminaires, supplied by Lite Alternative.

Having designed shows for some of today's biggest concert touring artists including Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay, Normandale is used to making a huge impact with his designs, which often feature the VL3500 Wash FX at their core. "The VL3500 Wash FX luminaire has long been a favourite of mine," says Normandale. "Because of this, it has formed the basis of many of my designs over the last few years."

Normandale's design for One Direction needed to pack a huge punch in order to stand up to the extensive onstage

Germany - Astera has released its latest wireless creation and instalment in the X-Series, the Lightdrop (AX3). The updated and enhanced replacement to the previous Lightdrop (AL3-M) is equipped with many more features and improved capabilities, the company says.

This compact and powerful RGBW spotlight improves on its previous model with high-power Cree LEDs and other top-quality components like Samsung batteries and in-built, optional CRMX wireless DMX by LumenRadio. The polyamide/polystyrene housing protects and cools the device from its heat-generating, high-powered components, keeping it cool, thus maximising its run-time.

Being twice as bright as the previous Lightdrop, the AX3 is also considered a replacement for other discontinued Astera lights such as the 24W Wireless Spotlight (AL7-L). The AX3 contains a 15W Cree LED chip, with a narrow 13° beam angle, which make

UK - Hire company, Point Source Productions, and event production company, Light Motif, have entered into an exciting new partnership to service the events industry.

Founded by Rob Mills, Light Motif is a young company made up of creative individuals with extensive experience in the events industry.

Light Motif specialises in the creation of vibrant, bespoke designs that determine the look and feel of an event. Strong emphasis is placed on the advance presentation of visuals to the client and high levels of pre-planning to ensure every event delivers the 'wow' factor and meets the clients' expectations.

The company is expanding rapidly and has recently appointed Kelly Yeomans, previously of Fisher Productions, as Business Development Manager, to drive forward its business with venues, agencies, clients and other event suppliers.

Part of this exciting growth includes the ne

China - ROE Visual Co., Ltd, a leading manufacture in creative LED display industry, has launched Black OnyX P3.47 HD LED display.

The Black OnyX is ROE Visual's new high-performance indoor HD LED display incorporating professional industrial design. Magnesium alloy panel makes it lightweight and strong. The module uses Multi-Color's newest anti-glare black LEDs to get a high contrast ratio. Driving IC MBI5153 supports a high refresh rate and great image quality at a low brightness.

The Black Onyx is powered by ROE visual's new control system - Evision. It supports a max. resolution of 2560x1024. Real-time brightness adjustment by knob and real-time configuration by LCD monitor. All calibrating and operating parameters are stored. You don't need to reset the display after replacing a module.

The innovative and friendly design supports a convenient installation for both hangi

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