Curve Ball - A musical version of the hit British comedy film Bend It Like Beckham is to open in the West End next year. It will be written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also made the 2002 movie starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley. "Developing Bend It Like Beckham for the stage has been the most enjoyable creative process of my career so far," Chadha said. "It was always my intention to build on the film and to present its themes and storylines to live audiences in an exciting new dynamic way. I believe we are presenting a totally new kind of musical - part West End, part London Punjabi, but whole-heartedly British."

Double Act - TV duo Ant and Dec are to host the 2015 Brit awards, 14 years since the last time they presented the ceremony. The hosts of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Britain's Got Talen

Denmark - At Danish DeeJay Awards this year, he took home three awards among these the much-coveted title as Danish Favourite DeeJay of the Year. Kongsted has indeed been on a roll the last few years. As a DJ/producer he is also the lighting designer of his own shows - most recently introducing a new concept Kongsted in Koncert, where his new hit track R.E.D. was recorded as a music video.

"With Kongsted in Koncert we are creating an experience for the crowd that is different from my other shows," the artist explains. "Here we can control more parameters - light, sound, visuals, production design, décor etc. - in a way that is not possible on my more standard live shows. This gives us the opportunity to create a special experience linking together my music and playing style in perfect harmony."

To match his vision of creating an

Portugal - The four-time PLASA Award for Innovation winner, LumenRadio, continues the expansion of their global distribution network with the announcement of NAN Audiovisuais as appointed distributor for Portugal. With immediate effect, LumenRadio's CRMX products will be available and supported by NAN Audiovisuais to their large customer base of entertainment technology end users.Based in Ovar, NAN Audiovisuais is a leading distributor of high quality products for the entertainment industry in Portugal, with brands such as Robe, Chamsys, ETC, GDS and MA Lighting already part of their impressive brand portfolio. NAN Audiovisuais, founded in 1995, is a major lighting and sound supplier to some of the most prestigious installations throughout Portugal."LumenRadio have a superb reputation within the entertainment industry! We are very excited to start this partnership with such a

USA - Successful TV producers have a knack for spotting and locking up budding talent, be it a performer, writer, designer or other creative type. Nothing out of the ordinary about that - but it is highly unusual when the 'talent' that's tapped is a lighting fixture. Such was the case recently on the set of Bet on Your Baby, when the show's producers told lighting director Adam Portelli that they wanted to include the Nexus 4x4 panels in the next project they did together.

Portelli and lighting designer Michael Veerkamp, both of Team Imagination, added the Nexus panels provided by the Los Angeles office of 4Wall Entertainment Lighting to the hit game show for its second season.

"Our lighting team was new to the show this season and we wanted to give things a refreshed look, while still retaining the program's signature feel, which has been so popular," said Po

USA - The Linq Resort by Caesars Entertainment altered the Las Vegas skyline when it completed the world's tallest observation wheel. The High Roller, shaped like a giant floating hoop, now rises above the cityscape of Las Vegas, illuminated from sunset throughout the night by fixtures from Martin Professional's Tripix range of products.

Commissioned by Caesars Entertainment in 2009 with an overall vision to change the Las Vegas skyline with a new iconic landmark, construction on the world's tallest observation wheel began. On the lighting side of this extravagant architectural project, NYXdesign teamed up with Martin Professional, systems integrator 4Wall Entertainment and electrical contractors Bombard Electric.

The installation includes 1,120 Tripix 300 fixtures, 1,008 Tripix Wash fixtures, 560 Tripix Power IP66 power supplies and four MAC Viper fixtures.

"Working wi

The Netherlands - The first Robe Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire (BMFL) Spot moving lights in rental stock in The Netherlands were at the heart of a spectacular show staged in Hangar 12 at Amsterdam's Schiphol International Airport - celebrating national airline KLM's 95th birthday.

The show's creative director and lighting designer was Gerard Maijenburg. With an impressive 35 years as a lighting professional spanning rock 'n' roll', TV and special events under his belt, his high profile clients include the award-winning airline. In addition to, designing the lighting, he co-ordinates the creative and technical production for all KLM's live events.

KLM commissions a major birthday show every five years. For this one - the precursor of 2019's centenary - Maijenburg, wanted to use some new, different and outstanding visual aspects for the fast-paced show, which came from two d

USA - Following its well-received launch at PLASA London in October, Avolites' compact-yet-powerful Quartz console makes its debut at LDI in Las Vegas. Respected entertainment technology distributor and Avolites' US partner Group One will be hosting Quartz on booth #1915 from 21-23 November at the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

"Quartz is the newest addition to the Titan Mobile family, complete with on-board processing and a bright, vibrant 12.1" screen," says Avolites sales manager, Stephen Baird Smith. "Super compact, measuring only 16.7" wide, the Quartz is positioned as the ideal companion for lighting projects ranging from touring and festivals to clubs and one-offs. It is Avolites' smallest fully-featured console.

"Featuring the same high quality faders and hardware you've come to expect from Avolites, the Quartz can go anywhere you can, ideal

UK - Lighting controls expert, Artistic Licence, is exhibiting at LuxLive 2014 (London ExCel, 19-20 November, stand F64). Making its debut is daliSwitch, a six-channel DALI controlled mains relay with some ingenious features.

Each relay simulates an independent ballast, enabling the relays to be controlled with the standard DALI commands - for example, the relays can be switched individually or as a group, or respond to a scene or broadcast command. A particularly useful feature is the 'Non-Com' warning LED: this lights up if daliSwitch detects that the circuit has not been commissioned, potentially saving the installer hours of unnecessary troubleshooting time. Each individual relay also has an activity indicator light, enabling the user to see at a glance the status of the device.

daliSwitch complements the growing range of Artistic Licence DALI products, which include DMX-D

The Netherlands - In September 2012, the Centre for the Arts, the Vinegar Factory (Azijnfabriek) and associated arthouse cinemas in Roermond, The Netherlands, merged to form the new ECI Culture Factory (ECI Cultuurfabriek). ECI Cultuurfabriek is housed in a renovated factory building that no longer produces industrial goods but instead hosts a variety of cultural events illuminated by an Elation lighting package of Platinum Series moving heads and LED PAR lights.

ECI Cultuurfabriek includes a theatre, stage, two cinemas, café and gallery space all under one roof and hosts a variety of cultural events from music, dance and theatre to workshops and special project days. Restoration of the former factory, actually a historically significant building, took two and a half years to complete.

"This was the perfect moment for the new location to start with a complete LED i

USA - After eight years of operating their business in Canada, Parasol Systems has secured a few key partners in the USA, such as Bandit Lites, CPR, DPS, and Upstaging. The company has seen tremendous sales growth in the past year, but most of that success has been overseas in Europe and Asia. To assist in its efforts in growing the American market, Parasol Systems is pleased to announce its partnership with Paul Rabinovitz of PMRi Consulting.

Rabinovitz has over three decades of industry experience. As the former vice-president of Ballantyne Strong, among many other roles, he offers a mix of product development, sales/marketing experience, and relationship building to his clients. As one of this industry's biggest trade shows, LDI in Las Vegas, draws closer, the timing was perfect for enlisting Paul Rabinovitz in the business development role.

Co-founder and CEO of Parasol Sy

Slovenia - Event Lighting, one of Slovenia's best known lighting design and rental companies is based in Ljubljana and was started in 2006 by Jernej Gustin. Before that he was working as a freelance lighting designer.

The company now has six full time staff and works with a regular pool of freelancers servicing a whole range of shows including TV productions, corporate events, concerts and theatre shows - most of which are using Robe fixtures from their rental inventory.

As well as lighting design and equipment rental services, Event Lighting builds scenery.

There was already an investment in Robe when the company started as Jernej had actually had the wherewithal to make his first purchase of Robe moving lights with ColorSpot and ColorWash 575 XTs to use on shows he was lighting. These were among the first of the ranges that Robe produced after launching as an 'own-brand' i

Germany - LichtUnit GmbH was commissioned to design the stage and lighting concept for German comedian Marc Metzger's recent 25th Anniversary show and incorporated Elation Professional's award-winning Sniper multi-effect and laser simulator into the design.

Metzger gained fame for his role as 'Dä Blötschkopp' and is one of the most sought-after artists of the popular Cologne Carnival that takes place every year in western Germany. "In Cologne, we have five seasons instead of four," comments Stephan Flören of LichtUnit GmbH, who wore several hats for the production, including lighting designer and spot caller as well as key and show lighting op. "The fifth season is the Cologne Carnival, which is very special, and for this special season we have special artists and comedians and Marc is one of them."

Recorded live for German station WDR, Metzger's anniver

USA - Philips Vari-Lite has announced that lighting and staging equipment supplier ELS is now stocking the VL4000 Spot luminaire at their Sun Valley, CA, headquarters.

"When the VL4000 Spot luminaire was released, ELS was one of the first companies to carry the fixture on the West coast, and with good reason," said Scott Jevons, ELS vice president of operations. "The VL4000 Spot literally has all the necessary features desired in a powerful fixture that weighs only 83 pounds. We raced to get them into our inventory and they have been one of our most popular rental items ever since."

The 1200W VL4000 Spot boasts 33,000 lumens as well as a quiet Studio mode which outputs 25,000 lumens. Its high resolution optics ensure remarkable center-to-edge focusing and an unprecedented contrast ratio while a 5:1 zoom covers an amazing 9 to 47 degrees without sacrificing

USA - With 10 campuses and more than 30,000 active members throughout Alabama, the Church of the Highlands delivers a style of prayer that utilizes professional production elements to create a high-energy, high-worship atmosphere. Now in its second decade, the church was in need of a versatile and reliable lighting solution for its weekly services and lighting designer, Brian Worster, turned to Martin Professional lighting fixtures to provide stage and effect lighting across the 10 campuses.

Services for the church are held at a variety of campuses ranging from high schools to community centres and entertainment venues and are produced primarily by volunteer "worship teams". While the sermon is delivered from the Grants Mill main campus in Birmingham, Alabama via the Internet, each campus worship team runs the program and services locally. "We wanted to create a p

USA - DJ/lighting designer, Arnoldo Offermann, in conjunction with American DJ, will be conducting a full day of training on ArKaos GrandVJ at the LDI show in the Las Vegas Convention Centre (17 - 23 November 2014).

Arnoldo will demonstrate video mapping and show how this real-time video mixer software allows the composition of up to eight layers of video on the fly. ArKaos Grand VJ presents a VJ solution for all DJs, VJs, musicians and content creators looking to add a video track to compositions during live performance. For more details and booking links visit: www.ldishow.com

The ArKaos range of video mixer software products has been created especially for VJs, DJs, clubs and musicians. ArKaos VJ-DJ software is compatible with Mac and PC and has been designed to combine state of the art real time video mixing technology with intuitive interfaces adapted for various user sit

USA - At the LDI 2014 tradeshow, 21-23 November, in the Las Vegas Convention Centre, ETC will feature a variety of new products and "a gravity defying design" on stands 2891 and 2991.

LDI 2014 will be the first time that ETC is demonstrating Vortek technology, which will become available internationally in the near future. In September, ETC acquired the Vortek rigging division of Daktronics, which expanded the ETC Rigging family of products to include a variety of custom engineered, heavy lift, high lift and high speed rigging solutions, such as orchestra shell, grand drape and scoreboard lifts, synchronised acoustic panels and motorised packaged hoists.

ETC's LDI 2014 stands will also include GDS luminaires for the first time. ETC is the North and South American distributor of GDS products, including award winning ArcSystem LED products, ArcLamp screw based replacem

UK - A.C. Special Projects (ACSP) have provided a full scale LED lighting system and various audio equipment to Kennet School in Berkshire, as part of a major upgrade aiming to reduce energy consumption and offer modern, flexible lighting for drama pupils to learn on.

ACSP's Lance Bromhead visited the school to discuss their project requirements. Having worked on numerous ACSP school drama LED lighting installations, Lance suggested that Kennet School's Head of Creative Media and Film, Peter Scoggins, and Dave Yates, drama technician, visited a recent system installation at Passmores Academy in Harlow, Essex.

He commented, "Passmores Academy had required a similarly efficient, low maintenance, user-friendly lighting solution. Fortuitously, the day we visited Passmores, they were putting on a show production, so it provided a good live demo of the lighting system."

South Africa - Clay Paky's Massimo Bolandrina and Giovanni Zucchinali spent two weeks in South Africa carrying out demos everyday as they introduced the super heroes of lighting, The Projectors, to the market. In fact, a photo taken during this roadshow of a SuperSharpy beam projecting onto a cloud reached the second most "Likes" ever recorded on the Clay Paky Facebook page. It was liked 819 times (the number one pic has 859 likes) but also was 'shared' more than the other photo.

The Clay Paky Roadshow, put together and run by DWR's Robert Izzett was a wonderful success. Instead of having a central venue where clients were invited to see the products, The Projectors consisting of Supersharpy, Mythos and Stormy were taken to rental companies and theatres in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

"This has been an amazing experience for the Clay Paky team," comm

France - ETC's Cobalt control desk is becoming increasingly popular in France, with ETC partner Avab Transtechnik France (ATF) supplying a Cobalt 20 desk to the Avignon Festival and a second sold for the EQI Cheval Libre equestrian show.

The Avignon Festival has invested in a Cobalt 20 desk for their main performance space with a Congo jr powered by Cobalt as online backup during the shows. Back in 1996, the event's organisers bought the first Avab desk to use in the Cour d'Honneur (Court of Honour) of the Palais des Papes (the Pope's Palace) and they also own 25 further Avab style desks that they use each year for their other spaces. So it was fitting that, when the Cobalt desk was released earlier this year, they were keen to try it out.

Says Jean Louis Pernette, commercial director for ATF, "The festival's technical managers realised they needed to modernise their main

South Africa - Cape Town headquartered event production specialists Kilowatt AV recently specified 36 x Robe LEDWash 600s and 12 x LEDBeam 100s for a nationwide 5-city FLS (Financial Lifestyle Solutions) roadshow by leading South African financial services and investment group, Old Mutual.

Kilowatt was the technical solution designer and provider for all shows, the largest of which was staged at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for 2000 delegates, with lighting equipment subcontracted by locally based MGG Productions.

The other four shows - Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and Durban - also featured the Robe LEDWashes and LEDBeams plus Robe Pointes.

Kilowatt's team, led by project director Rhys Pughe Parry and technical project manager Jonty Mylne collaborated closely with live brand experience agency Hero to create the entire event environment.

The present

USA - Wireless Solution Sweden AB will promote its three latest products at LDI (Booth 1715) in Las Vegas later this month.

New on display will be the W-DMX UglyBox MK2. This is a compact new wireless signal tester, which is a valuable tool for users of wireless products, providing proof of a solid signal and piece of mind in the absence of visible cable.

The UglyBox MK2 is housed in an attractive compact body, resembling a gaming control with a 4.3" Touch LCD Screen. It supports 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz and 5.8GHz and is a transceiver solution, which means that it can be used as both transmitter and receiver. It has a complete DMX tester that provides all data in live format directly on the screen. It also has a built in DMX controller as well as an RGB Fixture to simulate LED fixtures on the LCD Screen for quick testing. In history mode you can also see over time that you have a

South Africa - Leading South African lighting, sound and video rental company MGG, based in Johannesburg recently designed and supplied full technical production - rigging, trussing, lighting, sound, video - including a large Robe moving light rig and 360 degree projection for the annual conference of a large investment bank.

The one day event was produced by South African based, production house, O'MAGE with technical direction from CI-Nation. Staged at the Sun City Super Bowl, the format saw a daytime conference session followed by a gala dinner in the evening, attended by around 1200 top executives from the organisation.

Lighting for the event needed to be flexible, dynamic and multi-purpose, so MGG asked one of the country's top LDs - François van der Merwe - to come on board as Lighting Designer. Robe was chosen as the majority of the fixtures on the rig on which van der

USA - RENNtech, a professional automobile performance tuning company that specialized in tuning of Mercedes-Benz cars, presented their latest car concept, the #DJVan, at this year's SEMA Show from at the Las Vegas ConventionCentre last week.

The #DJVan is a modified Mercedes Benz V-Class, the latest version that is available j since end of May 2014. RENNtech modified the van to a mobile DJ stage. Besides the adaption to the whole look and design, they implemented a DJ stage, including the latest Pioneer DJ equipment, some strong PA speaker system and multiple different lighting effects.

As a highlight, RENNtech implemented two Laserworld DS-1800RGB lasers which they mounted in a safe way to the top roof of the DJ booth. The laser setup is controlled by Pangolin Quickshow to create great effects, text and logo projections.

The DJ booth of RENNtech's #DJVan is hidden in the re

Namibia - Mikel-Jes Productions, one of the top three rental companies in Namibia, has recently invested in Robe's latest technology, including Pointes, LEDWash 300s and LEDBeam 100s.

The company, based in the capital Windhoek and run by Michael Verrmulen and Johann Swart, has been operating since 2006 and has built up a great reputation for providing complete technical solutions including design and lighting, sound, video, staging and rigging equipment.

The business is currently experiencing steady growth and at the moment servicing between eight and 10 large events per year plus numerous smaller ones.

The company is active across all sectors, from music festivals to B2B events, presentations and experiential, however the last three years has seen a particular upturn in corporate business, prompting the need to expand the equipment stock.

The fixtures were purchased via R

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