Rigging / Staging

Germany and France sign up to CyberHoist

Details: 14 March 2016

Article

'BBC' con-man warning

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - PLASA Media has received a warning about a con-man operating in the London area who has stolen several thousand pounds worth of equipment from a London-based AV hire company. The culprit gave his name as David Jones from BBC Worldwide, and presents convincing paperwork - and an internal answerphone message at the BBC itself - to back up the claim. He then collected, via courier, a range of equipment including laptop computers and plasma screens, and disappeared.

The BBC is aware of the problem, we are told. If anything suspicious arises, please contact Simon Brown at the BBC's investigations department on 0208 752 5094.

(Lee Baldock)

Tomcat <I>Will Rock You</I>

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - We Will Rock You made its debut on 14 May, 2002 in London's West End and Tomcat say it is now proud to be a part of the exclusive North American production in Las Vegas at Le Théâtre des Arts at the Paris Hotel and Casino. The show written by Ben Elton, featuring the music of Queen, has been playing to sold out crowds since September 2004.

Tomcat standard and custom trusses comprise overhead lighting, scenic elements, front of house lighting as well as several lighting towers. The main overhead lighting trusses utilize twenty four, 10', two 6', four 5' and two 2.5' sections of medium duty plated truss. These sections are configured to create spans of 85', 72' and two 60' spans in the theatre. In the house, seven 12' sections of curved MD plated truss create a 73' 10" arch for front of house lighting.

One lighting tower package included thirty six - 10' MD pl

Stagecraft launches Theatre Services

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - UK staging and live events company Stagecraft, has launched a new subsidiary company, Stagecraft Theatre Services Ltd. The new subsidiary will be run by newly appointed director Martin Palmer, who has worked for Stagecraft's sales and projects department for five years. Stagecraft Theatre Services will offer a complete staging, lighting and sound supply and installation service to the educational, amateur and professional entertainment sectors.

Managing director of Stagecraft, David Goodrich, explained: "Sales and Projects has always been a very strong division of Stagecraft and we have been delighted with this department's growth over the past few years. We made the decision to split this area from the main company to enable it to continue to grow independently and so started Stagecraft Theatre Services."

Joining Martin Palmer at Stagecraft Theatre Services wil

More success for CyberHoist/InMotion 3D

Details: 14 March 2016

The Netherlands - XLNT Advanced Technologies, developer of the award-winning CyberHoist/InMotion 3D motion control system, has announced the appointment of its first German and French rental operators. Lightcompany of Neuss, Germany and A.T.S. France of Reims, France have taken delivery of their CyberHoist/InMotion 3D systems, joining Flashlight of Holland, Flashlight/APR of Belgium, Vertigo Rigging of the UK and Italstage of Italy as European rental operators of fully compatible systems. Both are strong and growing companies with first rate client lists and applications for the system will include corporate events, presentations, TV and music touring.

The system, which was launched at PLASA last September and won a PLASA Innovation Award at the show, offers a powerful combination of user-friendly 3D object-oriented programming (InMotion 3D) and precision movement (CyberHoist in

Doughty at Copenhagen Opera

Details: 14 March 2016

Denmark - Nearly three tons of specialized lighting clamps and rigging equipment have been supplied to the new Copenhagen Opera House by Doughty Engineering of Ringwood, Hampshire, UK. The Opera House in Copenhagen is a gift to the country from the A. P. Moeller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Moeller Foundation (Maersk Mc-Kinney Moeller - the son of A. P. Moeller - is the owner of Maersk Airlines, shipping, containers, freight etc and is the richest person in Denmark.)

The building costs of the opera, which was handed over to the Danish people on 1 October 2004, are estimated to have been in the region of £300m. Doughty Engineering's Danish distributor, Highlight DK, say that the choice of Doughty product for the project was due to the purchasers giving the highest priority to safety and reliability than anything else. The equipment was specified by Soren Nylin, the technical consultan

Hall Stage 'Frog' leaps onto market

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The new Frog clips from Hall Stage provide "a simple and highly effective line connection for anything on a lanyard, including torches, tools and telephones - even riggers working at height," say the company. Rated with a shock loading of 22kN and designed to EN 362, Frog clips can be safely used as an alternative to carabiners and connect easily on to steel wire rope catenaries up to10mm - or belt clips for those heavy bunches of keys. Attached with an easy, one-handed action, Frog clips look set to find favour with riggers and technicians everywhere.

You can see the full range at the ABTT Trade Show in London, 15-16 of June.

(Lee Baldock)

LTM launches new catalogue

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - LTM- Lift-Turn-Move - has launched its second catalogue, featuring 32 pages of products, services and information. This follows LTM's recent move to larger premises, just seven months after it's inception.

LTM's John Jones says, "The first catalogue took eight days from start to print. I hoped the second catalogue would allow more time but we only had three weeks as we wanted to be ready for the Prolight & Sound exhibition. It was complicated by waiting to finalize the move with all the new address details."

The catalogue details LTM's core area of business - electric chain hoists - for which it's a European importer and distributor of the CM Lodestar. In addition to the Lodestar, LTM sells a wide variety of lifting products including the cost-effective Lodestar Direct Control motor - which operates with a power cable only, and the BGV-C1 units, which meets the

Star Events at Radio 1's Big Weekend

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The UK festival season accelerated into action this weekend, kick-started by Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland. Star Events Group was contracted to supply the staging structures for the event, including a Vertech 20m x 15m ground support and stage in the main arena and a smaller Vertech stage of 12.5m x 12.5m in Arena 2.

In addition, Star Vertech also supplied 130sq.m of raised technical and production space at the rear/side of the main stage, wheelchair user and front-of-house platforms for both arenas, together with ramp and stair access to all raised areas. The main stage showcased some of the world's biggest acts including The Foo Fighters, Athlete, Basement Jaxx and Jamiroquai. Meanwhile in Arena 2 the crowds were treated to performances from some of the up and coming acts of the moment as introduced by Radio 1's Zane Lowe.

Steve Hill (production manager, Stage 2)

Tomcat's <I>Wicked</I> in the Windy City

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - Since publicizing its involvement this past January with the first national tour of the award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked, Tomcat has been asked to manufacture custom items for an additional production. The need arose after tickets went on sale for the show's run in Chicago - and sold out immediately for the entire nine-week run, from 29 April through to 12 June. Given the high demand for the show, the producers decided to add another production that would stay in Chicago for an open-ended run, allowing the original tour to go on as planned.

"Wicked Tour Productions has been pleased with the equipment provided by Tomcat, so it just made sense for them to continue using the gear that has been working so well thus far," explained Brad Barnhill, US sales manager for Tomcat USA. "Our design team understands the challenging requirements for touring Br

Hawthorn Boogie Woogie

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Sony Entertainment Television Asia recently staged its Boogie Woogie International Finals at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel at Heathrow. Hawthorn's main challenge was to create a suspended stage across the Sheraton's 11m wide swimming pool. Martin Hawthorn, managing director said: "Its not often we tell our crew to pack their swimming trunks, but on this event it was a must, as the stage was rigged from the swimming pool!"As well as the stage, Hawthorn also provided full lighting and sound for the live studio audience as well as for the TV broadcast.

The lighting had to take account of the daylight from the glass roof at the beginning of the event, and then accommodate the fading light as the event progressed. Hawthorn's sound engineer Jon Curnew had the unenviable task of balancing sound against the pool acoustics. Jon commented: "The combination of the high roo

Prolyte

Details: 14 March 2016

Prolyte showed the C-ONE series of hoists. Available in three types, ranging from 250 to 1000kg, the C-ONE hoists offer the same standard features as the regular Prolyft Performance range, but with the addition of special BGV-C1 compliant options such as double brake system, dual limit switches, electronic under- and overload protection, including slack chain detection and a design factor of 10:1. A complete range of BGV-C1 compliant controllers is also available. Prolyte was also promoting the KYLo (Know Your Load) load calculator programme - a free service which can be downloaded from the company's website. Finally from Prolyte was a new hybrid coupler, the CCS6-610, a patented system designed for the 30 and 40 series truss.

LTM

Details: 14 March 2016

LTM attended its first ProLight & Sound show, and exhibited its comprehensive range of Lodestar motors and Ibex programmable hoist controllers. High integrity hoisting systems were shown, including equipment to BGV C1 German safety standard. Special features included double brakes, load-sensing and multiple limit switches, variable speed units and manual or computerized controllers to monitor safety features and drive the equipment.

Also showing was the new compact CM Prostar hoists. The higher speed version will climb at six or 10m/min. A new 250kg SWL@ 4m/minute version was also shown. Ibex's Programmable Hoist Controller is fully computerized and the Programmable Hoist Controller Plus adds even more power and versatility, with an enhanced control panel and integrated Ethernet port. Up to 10 controllers may be linked together, providing control of up to 240 hoists. PCs may also be co

Manfrotto

Details: 14 March 2016

Manfrotto introduced a redesigned range of coupler clamps which offer improvements in performance and safety, as well as reduced weight. The clamps in the new Eye Coupler range all feature full TÜV certification.

Edelstein rides for Broadway AIDS Charity

Details: 14 March 2016

UK / USA - David Edelstein, MD and founder of track systems specialist Triple E Ltd, is to ride a Harley Davidson across the USA as part of The Long Beach Long Riders charity cross-country motorcycle ride in aid of the charity Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights Aids. Sponsored by Triple E's US distributor, Rosebrand, Edelstein is the only British member of the 11-strong team of technical theatre professionals.

Founded in 1988, BC/EFA is America's leading industry-based AIDS fund-raising and grant-making organization. By drawing on the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, BC/EFA has to date raised over $100 million for people with AIDS, HIV and HIV related illnesses. The 2005 Long Beach Long Ride begins on 26 June, and Edelstein and co will traverse over 1,300 miles in three days, from Washington DC to Hays, Kansas. He told us: "This is a fantastic opportun

Mojo Barriers acquire pit stop barriers

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Mojo Barriers has acquired Pit Stop Barriers from Eve Trackway, which sees all of the stock of steel, aluminium front of stage barriers and the bar barriers moving to Mojo Barriers UK new premises. In addition to existing stock this means the company has over 7.5km of front of stage barriers available to hire.

In a move signalling a significant shift change, the original founders of Pit Stop Barriers (Jim Gaffney and Jon Slater) became partners in Mojo Barriers UK in March (2005). They have been working alongside Mojo Barriers UK's long standing manager Kevin Thorborn since then to establish a new head office and storage facility in Essex.

The new Pit Stop equipment will bolster the complete Mojo Barriers UK product range available from its two offices in Essex and the Midlands; already boosted in April this year when it completed the acquisition of indoor touring special

ESTA: draft standards for Public Review

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - Two draft standards - BSR E1.22 and BSR E1.23, dealing with fire safety curtain systems and theatrical fog, have joined the two draft rigging standards available for review on the ESTA website. These two new documents will be available for review until the end of 19 July, 2005.

BSR E1.22, Entertainment Technology - Fire Safety Curtain Systems, is one of the newly posted standards. It describes the materials, fabrication, installation, operation, testing, and maintenance of fire safety curtains and fire safety curtain systems used for theatre proscenium opening protection. This is the second public review of the document, and is a radical reworking of what had been offered before. It is a serious attempt to avoid offering a cook-book description of a fire safety curtain system and to instead specify what it is supposed to do. That is, it doesn't tell yo

ESTA Foundation: Rigging Fundamentals

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - Rigging expert Jay O. Glerum of Jay O. Glerum & Associates Inc will present a full-day Rigging Fundamentals Workshop on Thursday, November 10, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. The course is presented by the Seminars and Training committee of The ESTA Foundation, in association with Lighting Dimensions and Entertainment Design magazines. The course will take place from 8:30am to 5:30pm at the Rosen Plaza, ESTA's official hotel for The Entertainment Technology Show-LDI2005.

The course will cover the essentials of rigging, as follows: 1) The Physics and Metallurgy of Rigging - How loads exert a force on a rigging component; Types of forces; How the molecular structure of the component resists a force; Stress and strain of materials; and Allowable deflection.

2) Hardware Selection and Application - How hardware is load rated; Appropriate design factors for hardware selection; Sourc

British Harlequin at ABTT

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - British Harlequin plc will be again be at the ABTT Theatre Show 2005 (15-16 June, Royal Horticultural Halls, London), showing a wide range of examples from its extensive range on Stand 122. Visitors will able to compare dance floor coverings and systems, plus there will be expert support on hand to provide guidance and advice. Commenting on prospects for this year's show, marketing manager, Monica Arnott said: "We are always very encouraged by the quality of the people attending ABTT. Not only do we meet many of our existing customers here, but we always gain many interesting new enquiries."

Verlinde/XLNT Advanced Technologies

Details: 14 March 2016

Verlinde showed its new innovation on the SM10 variable speed hoist and promised that pricing would not be more than 25% above that of a standard hoist. The company hopes to launch the product at PLASA 2005 as a complete range of half- to two-ton hoists with a speed range between 0-16m per min.

Verlinde also produce the CyberHoist motors under license, and on stand were representatives from the Lightcompany - the first German company to invest in the award-winning CyberHoist/InMotion 3D motion control system developed by XLNT Advanced Technologies. Lightcompany, based in Neuss, Germany and A.T.S. France of Reims in France have recently taken delivery of their CyberHoist/InMotion 3D systems, joining Flashlight of Holland, Flashlight/APR of Belgium, Vertigo Rigging of the UK and Italstage of Italy as European rental operators of fully compatible systems.

Harlequin at ABTT 2005

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - British Harlequin plc will be exhibiting at the ABTT Theatre Show (15-16 June, Royal Horticultural Halls, London). Commenting on prospects for this year's show, marketing manager, Monica Arnott said: "We are always very encouraged by the quality of the people attending ABTT. Not only do we meet many of our existing customers here, but we always gain many interesting new enquiries."

Harlequin's worldwide operations serve the dance community at a number of levels with important recent projects including the new Copenhagen Opera House, the French National Dance Centre (CND) in Paris and Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York. Harlequin floors have also been in demand for the growing trend for special events such as 'Constant Speed' - a continuous dance performance on London's Jubilee line between Canary Wharf and the Waterloo Eurostar Terminus - and at 'Art plus Danc

Mountview work on show in London

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Mountview's Technical Theatre students will be presenting an exhibition of their work at the Candid Galleries, London EC1 on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June 2005.

The exhibition covers all areas of technical theatre and is described by the organizers as "a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talents and skills for prospective employers. The exhibition will be of particular interest to anyone connected with or curious about technical theatre work or training."

Mountview's BA (Hons) Technical Theatre course covers five main disciplines: lighting, sound, construction, design and stage management and the exhibition promises to reflect the broad range of skills the students have developed during their training.

Mountview claims to be the only drama school to offer a two-year fast-track degree course in technical theatre, providing "the pract

Slingco debuts Vortek at ABTT

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The first European showing of Slingco's Vortek rigging system will be at at ABTT 2005 in June. Vortek is a complete theatrical rigging system designed and manufactured by Hoffend in the USA, represented in the UK by Slingco. The hub of every Vortek system is a patented brake, specifically designed for theatre applications. This continuously applied, variable-load, back-up brake totally is claimed to eliminate overspeed brake and "shock-load" type problems.

The brake is connected to the drum, and operates independently of any electrical or drive-train system. Says Slingco, "In the event of all other elements in the drive-train system failing (including the gearbox), with the Vortek back-up brake, everything stops within 3mm. The mechanical Vortek back-up brake also remains fully functional in the event of a power failure."

Vortek also features overload

Answerback technology for Millionaire

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Ground-breaking technology devised by audience interaction specialist AnswerBack Interactive has enabled Celador International's Who Want To Be A Millionaire? Live to hit the road this summer. Growing Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's 'fastest finger first' from 10 players in a television studio to thousands in live venues across Britain is a challenge AnswerBack MD Paul Krisman has been delighted to meet. He explains: "This is an absolute first and there are a number of vital factors we have to ensure just can't go wrong - from the players' point of view 'fastest finger first' is absolutely essential. We've managed to build technology that can identify the fastest response to within a thousandth of a second. There can be no room for doubt or error. It was quite a technical challenge."

Discussing the scales of the challenge he continues: "In our l

Page 98 of 233

Rigging / Staging

Latest Issue. . .