Rigging / Staging

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14 March 2016

Selected to provide the stage automation for the new production, AVW Controls designed and manufactured the control systems, carried out the automation fit-up, technical rehearsals and provided training for the theatre's technicians. AVW's award-winning Impressario automation system controls a total of 22 moving pieces, including six rotating doors, flying and tracking house portals, a motorized bridge, a travelator and a sliding door at the rear of the stage. Stephen Rebbeck, Our House production manager, said: "Impressario is central to the show and, as there are so many moving elements,

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14 March 2016

Free group assignment is a further useful feature of the Extension Board, making the console suitable for live use. Any number of chain lifts and groups can be freely assigned to the two joysticks in a free configuration. The VarioLift Extension Board is robustly constructed and sufficiently durable to withstand all the rough treatment of day-to-day live use. It comes equipped with a 15" touch-screen integrated into the folding lid of the control

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14 March 2016

The grid ceiling was built and flown in just one working day, by a Summit team of 10 - an impressive achievement within a very short timescale. One of the great advantages of using the Thomas SuperTruss in situations like this is its strength, and the fact that large spans of truss can be supported by fewer hoists than conventional trussing

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14 March 2016

The floor panels themselves are formed from multiple layers of birch, bonded with waterproof phenolic resins to form an 18mm thick and stable substructure for the vinyl surface. Each full size panel has 45 dual density elastomer blocks, spaced at regular centres. These absorb impact and give a consistently even energy return over the entire surface of the floor. Harlequin Liberty sprung floor panels combine consistent shock absorption and uniform suspension across th

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14 March 2016

The process has seen the updating of most of the Hall's stage equipment, and the removal of all its existing, complicated arrangement of diverted manual hemp and winch sets. The new installation started with the insertion of a 40m long timber walkway and an access bridge in the roof void - all designed to aid the easy maintenance of the new equipment. PCM then rigged 13 11m-long, 4-line, hemp sets and cleat rails, complete with 150mm multi-block ball-

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14 March 2016

The show was structurally very complex to design, with the understage area required to act as the main storage facility for the tour. To optimize this space, Total Fabrications, who have provided set design for Kylie Minogue’s ‘Fever’ tour, incorporated a donut revolve made from aluminium. The 15m diameter revolve is thin enough

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14 March 2016

"Technical Director is a role of increasing responsibilities," said TFL’s managing director Chris Cronin of Darracott’s new appointment, "one that requires both qualifications and understanding. TFL has always striven to place safety at the core of everything we do, from manufacturing process through to utilization of the finished product. Since Neil first came on board to develop T2 as an entirely new concept for the trussing industry, he has contributed heavily to establishing standards in unique areas. He’s simply the ideal man for the job."

Darracott, besides being a we

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14 March 2016

Although the original plan had been to erect a tented theatre, this was abandoned when the Royal Court decided it wanted a more permanent structure and contracted local company Algeemi Code to design, build and fit-out the new facility. Soon after the metal framing had been put in place, it was realized that there were opportunities to improve the design and one of the Public Works Department's architects contacted Theatre Projects: within a week Mark Stroomer, design director, was in

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14 March 2016

"The new name recognizes the firm’s growth and evolution from a San Francisco-based consultancy to a national entity with a thriving New York City office and a busy Minneapolis project office, marking yet another step in the ongoing development of the firm," said Len Auerbach.

The change of name also reflects the rise of two of the company’s principa

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14 March 2016

The Wales Millennium Centre will be the focal point of the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay and will provide a world-class venue for the full range of performing arts. As part of the contract, TeleStage will work closely with Sir Robert McAlpine - the design and build contractor. Carr and Angier are the Theatre Consultants and this project also marks the next step in the long and productive relationship that has existed between the two companies.

(Ruth Rossington)

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14 March 2016

The 4.7m wide x 2m high screen required black masking panels t

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14 March 2016

Among the 25+ stands that Gearhouse SA was involved in were Land Rover, Ford, Mazda, Alpha Romeo, Fiat, Chrysler Jeep, Renault, Honda and Porsche. The range of equipment was extensive: for example, a cube wall on the Mazda stand involved 48 separate cubes. "To set that up they had to be perfectly balanced and stitched together which was quite a job,"

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14 March 2016

28 people attended the School, presented by PCM’s tutor-in-chief Tony Dickson. They came from all areas of the professional entertainment industry from across the country. The two-day Motor School covered many topics. A king pin of the PCM course is the complete stripping down and re-assembling of a Lodestar motor, enabling students to learn about the role and significance of the machine’s electrical and mechanical components, and how they inter-relate. Working in pairs, st

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14 March 2016

The Awards, hosted by Ronan Keating, attracted a veritable A-List of pop stars, from Best Newcomer Will Young, to double- winner Kylie and Lifetime Hall of Fame winner Sir Elton John. They also performed live sets alongside Miss Dynamite, Blue and the Manic Street Preachers.

The set, designed by Miranda Jones of Mermaid Design, was in keeping with the look of the televised weekly programme, but expanded to fit the dimensions of the enormous Manchester Evening News Arena. Star Hire was contracted to supplement the Arena’s own staging system to house the huge production. This included building the awards platform sited to one side of the stage and a temporary ‘bridge’ and red carpet walkway connecting the plat

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14 March 2016

Installation of the new lighting and technical infrastructure was undertaken by Dublin lighting supplier Stage Lighting Centre, who also supplied a full set of stage curtains, complete dimming system and stage lanterns. They worked very closely with Brian Tracey, Liberty Hall’s head of technical, throughout the installation period. When it came to custom engineering and installing the specialist lighting bars required at the FOH and forestage positions, Stage Lighting Centre’s Paddy Farrell approached PCM.

Working to the s

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14 March 2016

In charge of the development of the 22,224sq.m facility was Jarvis plc, a facilities management and infrastructure services group, and the first company to win a schools project under the government’s Private Finance Initiative. The Jarvis team worked in partnership with the local education authority to create the facility, and also with a number of sub-contractors - amongst them Maltbury, who fulfilled the staging part of the contract.

As the facility's main hall is used for school presentations and exams, the Jarvis team wanted to provide under-stage storage for the exam desks without lifting the height of the stage. To achieve this, Maltbury designed and buil

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14 March 2016

With PLASA providing a much needed fillip to the business, the question everyone wanted answering about LDI was whether it could pick up the baton and continue where PLASA left off. Well the jury’s marginally out on that one - certainly, the first day got off to a blistering start, but there were definitely times when things felt quiet on the show floor. That said, all the exhibitors I spoke to reported good levels of business and that’s the only yardstick a trade show should be measured by.

Much of the product on display had already made its presence felt at PLASA, but there were some real innovations and some noticeable trends. The undiminished homage to all things LED continues, to the point where Ellen Lampert-Greaux, part o

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14 March 2016

Consequently there has been, in his own words "huge changes", not least the recent installation of a new rigging grid above the famous Fairfield stage. "The existing grid was well past its sell-by date, so in September of 2001 I visited PLASA to see what was available. At the time I didn’t even know Total Fabrications’ T2 system existed (hardly surprising as it was barely a year since launch) so when I stopped by their stand I was more than impressed with the system."

Being a prudent shopper, Lock

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14 March 2016

Phil Broad was head rigger for the show and worked with the organizers from the concept of the stage set to the practicalities of the rigging on the day. Phil worked with the client, BBC Worldwide, production manager St

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14 March 2016

Stage Tools is designed to accommodate the growing market of lighting users who would like to move

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14 March 2016

All service, back-up, spares and orders for PCM equipment in Ireland will now be processed by Stage Lighting Centre under the contract, which was finalised during a recent PCM Lodestar Motor School in Dublin. The Stage Lighting Centre was founded in 1987 by Pat Walsh and Pat Farrell. The company is one of the most respected sales, hire and installation operations in Ireland, and works in all areas of the professional entertainment industry. PCM and the Stage Lighting Centre have steadily engaged in more business in recent years, particularly in the last 12 months, so the distribution deal was a logical progression.

Pat Walsh comments: "We've used PCM a

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14 March 2016

Prior to this installation, Studio One had a make-shift rig on which a cyclorama and lights were hung, but as it was outdated and inflexible, Mike O'Brien, QVC's backstage manager, approached Triple E to come up with a solution. Unicyc was created especially for TV studio applications and allows for a vast degree of versatility as it can be curved and assembled on site. Replacing Studio One's original track, the new U-shaped Unicyc system also incorporates ladder-frame lighting crossbeams, a points system and storage areas. "The system provides the opportunity to hang two cyclorama curtains from it, whilst the crossbeams allow better light

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14 March 2016

Adrian will be based in the Wirral, UK and will be supported by Columbus McKinnon's UK and European-based subsidiaries.

(Lee Baldock)

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14 March 2016

Prolyte Products has always heavily invested in their production facilities. Through the years this investment was paid back in high quality trusses and an outstanding reputation for reliability and durability. Making the production process more efficient is a constant challenge, not only for the engineers, but for the welders as well. Based on these insights in the complete production process, Prolyte gained an enormous effectiveness by intelligent routing of the production line of standard truss from the X30 range.

After a period of intensive try-outs and t