South Africa - The South African State Theatre’s Opera House has recently opened its doors to new musical genres, in particular jazz, and needed a new audio system that could meet the varied demands now placed on it.
At the end of last year, an L‑Acoustics Kara system was installed, bringing the Opera House’s audio bang up to date with a solution that can handle the diversity of productions the theatre hosts in a rider-friendly format.
Originally opened in 1981, the South African State Theatre was the major force behind establishing the performing arts in South Africa and is a national flagship. It has six theatres sited on the huge State Theatre complex in Pretoria. The Opera House is the largest of these and has always been the country’s premier opera venue, as well as hosting a wide variety of theatre productions.
The design and installation of the Op

Belgium - Light Moves was a stunning indoor 'son et lumière' (sound and light) installation designed and produced by Koert Vermeulen, an award-winning lighting designer and founder of Belgium-based international lighting design agency ACTLD.
Appearing for one night only in the Gothic remains of an abandoned church in the centre of Brussels, the installation featured the Claypaky Sharbar as star product, amongst a range of other fixtures from the Italian brand.
Originating in France, son et lumière shows focus on historic architecture and places of interest, with light shows set to music. For Light Moves, Vermeulen brought the outside in, drawing from his knowledge of the relationship between light and human emotion to create an intimate, ten-minute show for his guests.
"I know the kinds of sensation you can bring using light," says Vermeulen, wh

USA - Operating out of 11 offices across the US, The Sextant Group is a leading firm of technology consultants, providing innovative solutions to a wide range of client needs. Over the past few years, they have embraced the advantages of Alcons Audio loudspeakers for an increasing number of high profile projects.
The Sextant Group’s Joe Hammett is one of its senior systems designers. “I first learned of Alcons in late 2014,” he says. “The following year a co-worker recommended that I take a look at them, because we had a project where we needed to recess multiple subwoofers in a small space. I visited the company’s booth at InfoComm 2015, listened to the loudspeakers there and was immediately impressed. Then the real research began.”
He continues, “On many of my projects there is a fine balance between room aesthetics and the size of the loudspeakers requ

UK - The New Testament Church of God (NTCG) has been established in Slough for more than 40 years and has occupied its current Herschel Street location since 1990.
Sound reinforcement for music and speech is of fundamental importance to a contemporary house of worship of this kind and having conducted a review of its provision, the church, led by Pastor Wayne Perkins, decided that the time had come to make improvements. Whilst the church was generally happy with its existing front of house speakers, issues surrounding onstage monitoring had reached a critical point and far greater flexibility was needed in terms of audio-mixing both onstage and for front of house.
Pastor Wayne reports, “Our programme of events across the year is varied and features everything from the spoken word to music soloists and full band ensembles. People of all ages and levels of experience t

China - K-array systems have been installed in the latest bar created by Dining Concepts: Yojimbo, designed by international designer, Ashley Sutton.
Located in the heart of the nightlife precinct of Central, Hong Kong, Yojimbo replicates the underground world of Japanese clubbing through its international DJs, entertainment features and cocktails similar to the underground Ginza lanes of Tokyo.
Yojimbo is a slightly bigger space than many of Hong Kong’s bars or clubs yet a discreet system of four Vyper-KV52 line array elements and two Rumble-KU210 subwoofers powered by a Kommander-KA14 amp was enough DSP to cover the lobby bar area.
The main room functions as a nightclub so a more powerful line array of Mugello-KH3 loudspeakers were flown on either side of the DJ booth paired with a Mugello-KS5 subwoofer underneath it.
Completing the setup, a pair of sma

Europe - Lighting director Dave Lee has been working with Niall Horan since the very first One Direction show at Watford Colosseum to the band’s final performance in Sheffield, and following last year’s Promo tour, is now constantly on tour with original band member, Niall Horan as a solo artist. “In five years I have never really stopped working with him,” he says.
On the Irish singer’s current Flicker World Tour, Lee has been touring with 38 of GLP’s X4 Bar 20s, supplied by rental partner LCR. He found these helped extend a stage set originally conceived last year, depicting an acoustic studio look, with lots of sound proof acoustic foam set pieces, tungsten lighting and big rugs as a floor covering.
He switched his original spec to GLP’s versatile battens after seeing them on a car launch for the Jaguar F-PACE car (on which he was running

Belgium - Lighting designer Rik Uyttersprot from GRAViTY Design injected an edgy and raw lighting aesthetic to help showcase the stark bare stage production values of WOW at the Kortrijk Xpo in Belgium.
The performance comprised over 50 dance segments which were presented as the end of year work by classic and contemporary students from the Pirouette Dans School, one of the most famous dance and choreographic academies in Belgium.
Woven into the intense action and drama were 20 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams and 48 little LEDBeam 150 moving lights. These are part of a new purchase by Roeselare based lighting rental company La Strada Fashion which was delivered by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux.
Rik has lit the annual Pirouette Dans show for over a decade and has worked with La Strada Fashion, which is owned by Roland D’Hondt, for around 18 year

UK - Manchester’s 2,400-seat Bridgewater Hall presents a challenge for the facility’s technicians, who are often called upon to run the lighting for its many events.
Jonathan Rowland, technical manager of the hall, recently made it easier for his staff to perform this task by installing a ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. “Given the volume and diversity of what is booked here - everything from orchestral to rock concerts, as well as corporate events and graduations - our techs are often running the lights,” he explains. “We needed a lighting desk that all of our technicians could operate, even the sound guys!
“We looked at the available options that aligned with what our venue needed,” continues Rowland. “A trusted supplier, Chris Bogg of DBS Solutions, recommended ChamSys. The more we studied it, the more it seemed that the MQ80 with a PC Wing fitted the bi

UK - Belfast’s award-winning Lyric Theatre, the only full-time producing theatre in Northern Ireland, has upgraded its FOH sound mixing console with a new Soundcraft Vi1000.
According to technical manager Ian Vennard, the facility’s existing desk had become dated and needed replacing. “We were starting to struggle with what we were trying to achieve with it,” he admits, “and our programme has included shows that stretched us way beyond its capabilities.” Consequently, over the past few years, they had rented different consoles - including Soundcraft - on shows that demanded more from the FOH console.
Eventually it was time to upgrade on a permanent basis, and with 2018 being the Lyric’s 50th anniversary at its Ridgeway Street home, there seemed no better time to act. The 96-channel Vi1000 digital desk was acquired from local dealer McCusker Pro Audio.

UK - Illumination specialists LED Creative supported set designer Rudi Thackray and lighting director Gurdip Mahal, providing LED and control systems to help create the look for the recent London run of The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Making a welcome return to the Central Hall Westminster, The Late Late Show with James Corden once again staged its mix of interview, sketches and live performance in front of a studio audience at the impressive venue.
With a set designed to mirror the feel of the US show, Rudi Thackray re-created the look with plenty of vibrant, bold colour, which perfectly complemented the lighting installation and provided the ideal juxtaposition against the imposing backdrop of the Central Hall.
One of the key features in the design was the inclusion of over 40 LED Creative Sigma Pulse Wands, which Thackray positioned through

The Netherlands - Pinksterfeesten in De Moer festival has consistently delighted fans for 37 consecutive years. Looking to keep the festival experience fresh for performers and fans alike, Mercury Audiovisueel and Oetelaar Sound Service incorporated 24 Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Spot and 8 Rogue RH1 Hybrid fixtures into their visual concept on the main stage at this year's festival.
"One of the main challenges with this festival is to keep the visuals and the energy fresh and interesting year after year," comments Mercury. "The Rogues were the perfect tools. They provided surprisingly large and intense output for a fixture of such compact size and weight."
To craft a number of energy-inducing looks for headliners such as the Dirty Daddies and Buren van de Brandweer, Mercury positioned the Rogue R1 Spot units on a lattice of trussing pillars behind the stage. As a r

Chechen Republic - A new dolphinarium has opened in the Chechnyan capital of Grozny - the centrepiece of a major new complex that also includes several parks, attractions, race circuit, restaurant, theatre and an equestrian park. The total area of the facility is more than 300,000sq.m.
The Grozny Dolphinarium itself measures around 10,000sq.m. and includes eight swimming pools for training and a recreation area for animals where they can engage in water performance. In the centre is a 12m diagonal screen where up to 665 people can watch the water show.
The LTM Group was tasked with developing project documentation for the sections of stage lighting, electro-acoustics and suspension system, as well as the installation of acoustic and lighting equipment. A high technical specification was set for the audio visual, with particular attention given to the central pool, and

USA - Currently performing at festivals across Europe, American rap and hip hop artist Vince Staples spent the first quarter of the year in the USA opening for headliner Tyler, the Creator.
To give each of the artists a dramatically different visual definition for their respective parts of the show, two contrasting designs were devised, with Staples’ performance taking place in front of a dramatic backdrop that juxtaposed cold white, stark and graphic looks, which then gave way to Tyler, the Creator’s set that featured a magical forest with lots of saturated colour, Kabuki drops and star drop visuals.
Add to that mix a rig that has to be moved away quickly to accommodate the set change to the headline act, and it’s easy to see the challenges that Staples’ lighting director and programmer, Tyler Santangelo, and manage r/ show director, Corey Smyth, had to overc

France - Lighting designer Thomas Dechandon of the 4eleven collective created a stunning show for pop-rock band Indochine’s recent tour, including over 200 Robe moving lights on the rig – with MegaPointes, Spiiders, LEDBeam 150s – plus a six-way RoboSpot remote follow spotting system that was run by three operators..
These were part of an impressive kit list supplied by leading French rental specialist Dushow, and it was the greatest number of RoboSpots to date on a French tour.
Each RoboSpot operator positioned behind the stage controlled two BMFL WashBeam moving lights running in conjunction with two RoboSpot MotionCameras. The compact moving head cameras were rigged in front of the BMFLs on a ‘magic arm’.
Three BMFL WashBeams being used as follow spots were positioned on the front truss and the other three on the central ring of a large circular vid

UK - As announced by the #SaveStageLighting Campaign, the period of public consultation for the proposed ECO design regulation – that will affect lighting products of all types – has expired. The EU DG Energy department has passed on a revised draft to the next stage of the legislative process. Expecting to know its content within a few weeks, it will progress through the committee stages of the process of turning it into a law.
Ruari Cormack, SLX business development manager, comments: “Following on from the recent news from the #SaveStageLighting front we at SLX would like to applaud the efforts of those involved to date, including our sister company Stage Electrics, and echo the sentiment of the most recent articles published on this challenge.
“Certainly, as an industry we have been slow to respond to the initial proposals. However, the efforts of all areas

USA - Hard rock band Stone Sour recently wrapped their Spring touring leg with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The group released their sixth studio album Hydrograd last summer and are currently on tour in Europe.
“I wanted the rig to be compact so we wouldn’t have to take off 36 fixtures every night,” said lighting designer Scott Warner. “I asked Bandit to come up with a way to mount them on pipes which could lifted quickly, and stay wired,” said Warner. “At load out, they’d drop down into the pods. Bandit did a great job in building the pods so it all worked seamlessly.”
Bandit’s preproduction team handled building the pods before Stone Sour’s team made their way to Nashville for rehearsals.
“I would get pictures sent from Bandit to myself and Stephen Shaw (PM/TM) to look over. When we loaded into rehearsals in Nashville

USA - Fayetteville First Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia is aware of its strengths, even as it shifts to a more blended worship style. The goal is to engage the next generation so that they keep their roots firmly planted at FFBC without going so far as to make church an alien experience for the older generations who have been supporting the church their entire lives.
Although it met the church's needs when it went in 15 years ago, the sanctuary's sound reinforcement system was straining under the weight of the more contemporary demands placed upon it by the shift in service style. FFBC hired Gainesville, Georgia-based dB Integrations – the same company that had designed and installed the older system – to update its 500-seat sanctuary with a new Danley-based sound system that could simultaneously deliver excellent spoken-word intelligibility and exciting musical

USA - Since 2006, Rock Community Church in Littleton, Colorado, has grown by leaps and bounds, adding to its congregation through strong leadership, dedicated purpose and family values.
Ben Carson, Rock Community’s technical director along with other key church decision makers chose to install a Clair Brothers sound system.
To make a greater impact through additional land, flexible building design and dynamic performance systems the church hired Kurt Butler of Butler Engineering & Technology Group (BETG). Notes Butler comments: “The AVL and acoustics installation at the church was designed to be an inclusive and intimate experience for the congregation, so everything related to the systems we installed were measured against that metric.
It was BETG and a design team of architects that initially formulated a package that would shape the worship centre in a

South Africa - Joshua Cutts once again lit the Miss South Africa beauty pageant event, which this year selected the country’s delegates for the Miss Universe and Miss World contests.
The show was staged for the first time at the new Sun Arena venue at Times Square in Pretoria, and Cutts chose to illuminate the show – produced by Entertainment and directed by Gavin Wratten for live broadcast on M-NET (DSTv channel 101) and Mzansi Magic (DSTv channel 161) – with a substantial Robe moving light rig of 170 fixtures.
Josh is a leading South African lighting and visual designer and has used Robe products extensively in his work for some time, however this was the first time he had the chance to use MegaPointes on a live show.
The event’s overall lighting and technical vendor was Dream Sets, and their production manager Eben Peltz ensured that everything ran smo

USA - Nexo’s flagship modular line array system, the STM Series, with supplementary Geo S12, was used for a very large house-of-worship event in the impressive US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Fifty thousand people attended the free Pulse - Twin Cities show, with Reach Communications providing the 360° Nexo PA system.
Multiple headliners played the concert, including LeCrae, Hillsong and Jaberwockies. The recently-built stadium is already known for its challenging acoustics, but, as one of the largest venues in the region, it has played host to many world-class touring artists and their engineers. All eyes were on Nexo, to see how STM Series would perform!
System deployment was in a 360° arrangement, with STM as main, out, side and delays, S12 as rear, and M10 for front-fills. Subs were a combination of flown and stacked STM S118, as well as cardio stacked Ne

USA - Barry Manilow began an extended residency at the International Theatre at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on 24 May. The 1,600-seat theatre is where Elvis Presley performed 837 consecutive sold-out shows. As part of a $150m renovation, it now boasts a RoomMatch sound system from Bose Professional.
Ken Newman, Manilow’s long-time front-of-house engineer, says he had some hesitancy about using the new sound system ahead of the first shows, having never worked with a RoomMatch system before. “I went there and put the system through the same evaluation process I always do, including analysing pink noise through the system and then playing eight sets of stem files through the house console from previous recordings I’ve done of Barry in other venues,” he explains.
“I came away rather impressed. It’s a challenge keeping Barry’s vocal above the

UK - Stage Electrics have supplied the Stamford Shakespeare Company with a new Altair wireless communication system ahead of their summer season of plays. The Stamford Shakespeare Company is an amateur theatre group, who perform at the distinctive Rutland Open Air Theatre, within the grounds of Tolethorpe Hall, Stamford.
Requiring a new wireless comms system ahead of their 2018 season, the Stamford Shakespeare Company enlisted Stage Electrics for guidance. “The client approached us with an idea of what they wanted. We discussed several different comms systems but settled on Altair’s WBS-202HD dual channel wireless intercom system,” comments Jonty Gray of Stage Electrics.
The WBS-202HD offers a secure communication between the base station operator and a maximum of eight wireless beltpacks. “The client specified that they needed the ability to allow the backsta

USA - Calvary Chapel Las Vegas supports five worship services each week, using an Allen & Heath dLive Digital Mixing System in their main worship space and an Allen & Heath GLD-80 Digital Mixer in a smaller chapel. Vocalists and musicians in both spaces use Allen & Heath ME-1 Personal Monitor Mixers.
The church’s several buildings, including a K-12 school, are connected with a fibre network and its audio systems communicate via Dante so that the chapel can be used for overflow from the main worship space and services or events in either space can be broadcast over a streaming service and recorded for the church’s website.
Technical director Michael Millington explained the decision to adopt Allen & Heath. “I wanted the dLive because, at 96k, it was an amazing option and it met our budget. Second, it doesn’t scare volunteers away like some of th

New Zealand - Wellington’s Te Auaha is a new university campus that provides a home to students of creative disciplines such as photography, film production, performing arts, visual arts and music.
Supporting the wide variety of productions at the school’s 200-seat theatre auditorium is a carefully planned LED lighting rig that features a large collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures installed by MDR Sound and Lighting, including 12 Ovation F-915FC Fresnel, 12 Ovation F-165WW, 10 Ovation E-910FC LED and 10 Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures.
"The Ovation F-915FC is a remarkable LED Fresnel," comments James Kearney, technical manager of Te Auaha. "One of the most impressive features is its ability to reproduce true theatre colours with near perfect CRI – astonishing, considering the fact that the LED source has none of the drawbacks of traditional tungsten Fresnels.<

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