Rigging / Staging

Stage One lends magic to The Magic Tree

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - "We've gone back to our roots," said Stage One's Simon Wood, when commenting on the work the company has just completed for the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield and their impressive brand new Christmas production, 'The Magic Tree'.

Stage One built several different sets for the show, which was specially written for the theatre. The complicated set designs had a massive visual impact and Stage One faced the challenge of capturing the designer's 'magic' whilst creating the sets: a recycling yard; the magic tree itself; a circus and a complete proscenium and floor. Simon Wood, added, "We enjoy getting involved in theatrical productions - especially a show like this as it really gets our team in the festive spirit."

The set for the recycling yard, where the shows central family live, has proved to be a feast for the eyes as it truly draws in the audie

Summit Steel Aspires in Qatar

Details: 14 March 2016

Qatar - Summit Steel, working for show producers The Bank, co-ordinated all production rigging for the massive opening ceremony of Aspire, the Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha.

Working with show technical director Adam Wildi, creative director Simon Garrett, and executive producer Moira Hunter-Ross, the Summit team of 12 riggers was led by Jon Bray and Chris Walker.

They arrived on site three weeks before the event, and began creating a rigging infrastructure in the enormous 290,000sq.m Aspire Dome. This houses a wide range of sports facilities including a 200m running track where the opening ceremony was staged.

The Aspire Dome was completely bare in terms of rigging facilities, apart from the structural roof trusses, which Summit took as their starting point. Over 1100m of trussing and 130 Lodestar hoists later, they had a flexible grid system to enable lighting, soun

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Stage One sets stage for Saab 9-5 reveal

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Stage One, a leading player in the field of set construction and interpretation, was recently brought on board by production agency TRO to help Saab Great Britain with the imaginative promotion of the new flagship Saab 9-5 car.

Taking the form of a Day One Teaser followed by a Day Two Reveal, Stage One transformed a sea container for a series of events (detailed below) by painting it matt black, manufacturing four small stainless steel barred windows of varying size and providing a timed sound and light programme from within the container, triggered by sensors. The company also produced a number of graphics to be placed on the side of the container.

On the Day One 'teaser' the only graphic on display on the sides and doors said, 'www.95unleashed.co.uk' - and from a distance, passers-by could see flashing orange and red lights and strobe welding-effect lights. They could a

Phil Broad steps down

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Star Events Group reports that Phil Broad, winner of several Rigger of the Year awards, is to relinquish his shares in Star Events Group and revert to self-employed status with immediate effect.

Broad was one of the founding partners of Star Rigging, which subsequently merged with Star Hire to form Star Events Group Ltd in 2003. Since then, he has been trying to balance the constant demand for his services at gigs with the increasing responsibility that came from running a division of the expanding Star Events Group. As there are not enough hours in the day to do both, he has opted to go back to working independently on his own projects, the company says.

Maddy Sheals, HR director for Star Events Group, told us: "It is clearly easier to find someone to manage a division of the company than to find another Phil Broad, and we'll be looking for a suitable manager in due

Stage Technologies' Illusionist in West End

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - For the first time, a Stage Technologies' Illusionist control desk, designed specifically to make automation accessible for plays and small venues, has been used to automate a West End production. The new stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's legendary bestseller And Then There Were None used the new product to provide simple and cost-effective control for the Art Deco sets designed by Mark Thompson.

The show opened in the West End's Gielgud Theatre in October last year and runs into the middle of January. The tale of crime is told against changing scenes with lounge sofas, coffee tables, dining room and patio furniture moving on automated trucks, sliding quickly and smoothly into position to completely changing the setting for the drama.

Stage Technologies' Illusionist control desk has been installed in many fixed venues in the UK and America but this is the first

Stage One bring some Va Va Voom to Renault

Details: 14 March 2016

Spain - Barcelona was the destination in November, for the team from scenic contractor Stage One, when production company, Crown Business Communications, brought them on board to build the set for Renault's Annual Dealer Conference 05.

Stage One's work included; building the core set for the main presentation area, masking flatage for the dining area and stage backing for a smaller presentation area.

Nick Murtagh designed the main set with a core emphasis on smooth, flowing lines, and Stage One was thus firstly tasked with constructing four juxtapositioned oval stages of varying heights, each carpeted in a different colour and with a painted facia. The company then built a series of white filled cloth flats, providing a backing for two rear projection screens, and a central logo panel.

The seamless nature of the set was emphasised as the central logo panel curved down

Happy ending to 2005 for Arena Seating

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Arena Seating closed a successful year with over 100,000 people sitting on their seats at events through December. The milestone was crossed amidst an incredibly busy December with 100,003 people sitting on Arena Seating at events during the final month of the year. The range of events highlighted the diversity of Arena's products and logistical expertise.

In December, Arena Seating's well known red tip-up seats accommodated music audiences at the last of the shows at the temporary Wembley Arena Pavilion whilst fans also enjoyed Rod Stewart, The Foo Fighters, Coldplay and Duran Duran at the series of sold-out concerts at Earls Court.

Nearly 20,000 seats were supplied to a festival of Islam at and several school Christmas concerts and Christian celebrations of Christmas also employed Arena Seating. On the sporting front, boxing was the order of the day at ExCeL where 13,50

A Smart Solution for New Year's Eve

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Appointed by Jack Morton Worldwide, Summit Steel supplied eight of their 10m high SmarTmasts for London's "Heroes" New Year's Eve event staged along the Thames.

The SmarTmasts were used to hang seven V-DOSC and two dv-dosc cabinet line arrays supplied by Delta Sound. These were strategically placed along the Victoria Embankment in a sound scheme, designed for Jack Morton by Jim Lambert of Delta Sound, and used to amplify the chimes of Big Ben above the excited hubbub of the crowd as the 60 second pre-midnight countdown began. The PA was also used to amplify pre-show music and announcements before the spectacular fireworks, lighting, and projection kicked off on the stroke of midnight.

Summit's SmarTmasts are one of the most popularly used event PA mast structures in the UK. Delta specified SmarTmasts because they offer the most versatile solution to meet the log

Stage Engineering at Radley

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - When the prestigious Radley College embarked upon a major project to develop a new theatre, they planned a blend of the traditional and modern; a proscenium arch stage and orchestra pit, with the added versatility of a demountable stage extension/pit infill. After seeing Maltbury's work at nearby Abingdon School, Radley's bursar, Richard Beauchamp, invited Maltbury to propose a solution.

The result was an orchestra pit that could be used to house extra seating tiers, or be filled out with decks and used as a stage extension. Early consultation between Maltbury, the school and the contractors, allowed vital decisions to be made and acted upon, say Maltbury, who advised that a series of bespoke Metrodeck units were the ideal solution to the theatre's needs. Sets of legs allowed the decks to be taken to different levels, giving the traditional theatre greater versatility. A be

Slingco Goes Swedish

Details: 14 March 2016

Sweden - Slingco has installed a CABLEnet tensioned wire grid system into the main auditorium at Helsingborg Theatre in Sweden - giving safe and flexible access to the overstage/above auditorium roof space. It's the first tensioned wire grid in Sweden.

Helsingborg was also the first town in Sweden to open a municipal theatre in 1921. Originally housed in a theatre built in 1877, its current building opened in 1976. Helsingborg Theatre is one of the leading producing and receiving houses in the country.

Rochdale-based Slingco - developers of CABLEnet, the leading product in its genre - was visited by architects Peder Lindbom and Torsten Nobling of Stockholm-based AIX Architects at the PLASA Show in 2004. The pair were leading a major refurbishment programme for the theatre, and were very interested in utilising the CABLEnet technology.

Discussions started in early 2005. Sling

Tomcat

Details: 14 March 2016

Tomcat went "a little bit country" with the announcement of its new Nashville office, due to open in 2006, headed up by Max Wilson. Combined with the company's depot at United Staging in Connecticut, the Nashville office will enable the company to get closer to its customers, says president Mitch Clark.

Total Structures

Details: 14 March 2016

Total Structures' CFO Peter Johns was on good form at LDI. Following a tough time for the company, business is on the up again, and at the time of the show, the company was undertaking a major motor show build for Ford at the Cobo Hall in Detroit which, incredibly, is the single biggest job TS has ever done. Johns also reported that Kleege Industries has bought its fourth roof system from the company, which it will be using for the Coachella Festival in California. Other big projects for the company recently have included the provision of towers and a massive 8" steel cable spanning 210ft - all to suspend a small speaker cluster above an amphitheatre - at the Getty Villa in Malibu . . .

Staging Dimensions

Details: 14 March 2016

Staging Dimensions showed its Pixel Panels, modular interlocking deck pieces with programmable LED technology. The company now also handles the Soft-LED curtain from Main Light Industries.

Stage Technologies

Details: 14 March 2016

As we reported in the news last month, Stage Technologies' main announcement at LDI was the opening of a permanent US office in Las Vegas, to be headed by Kevin Taylor. Having contributed extensive stage automation expertise to the major Cirque du Soleil show KA at the MGM Grand (see L&SI May 2005), and with other major projects ongoing, the US office is a timely move for the company. John Hastie commented that the US office is also involved in some film work (the UK office has too - the latest Harry Potter movie being an example). As to LDI, 'pretty quiet' was the verdict.

XLNT

Details: 14 March 2016

XLNT gave the official US debut of its Cyberhoist/InMotion 3D motion control system, winning LDI's Rigging Product of the Year Award in the process to add to its PLASA Award for Innovation, won in 2004. The system's two main elements are the InMotion 3D programming and control software and an unlimited number of CyberHoist intelligent motors. The dedicated DataMotion Ethernet network and PowerMotion power distribution system complete the package.

Show Distribution and Chainmaster

Details: 14 March 2016

Show Distribution revealed that it has supplied to Tait Towers the biggest Chainmaster Variolift system in the world, for the current Jon Bon Jovi tour. The company also has gear out with the Foo Fighters (due to be covered in depth in L&SI, February 2006) and other music acts.

Columbus McKinnon

Details: 14 March 2016

Columbus McKinnon had its new manual inverted chain hoist, the Hurricane. Available in one-ton capacities, the Hurricane's hand wheel cover rotates 360° for hoist operation in any direction. Also new from CM was the ProCommander Control System, which offers motion control of electric chain hoists, with up to 96 motors, which can be controlled singularly or simultaneously.

Rose Brand

Details: 14 March 2016

On the Rose Brand stand, UK manufacturer Triple E showed 3Way, aimed at venues with lower budgets but with the requirement for a robust, medium-duty track, fulfilling the need for an easy-to-install, simple-to-operate system. Rose Brand also showed Crystal fabric sculptures, and Glassless Mirror, made of a super-reflective film stretched over a sturdy, lightweight aluminum frame.

James Thomas

Details: 14 March 2016

James Thomas showed PixelArc, a new series of self-contained LED fixtures; the PixelEight, an LED version of the classic Thomas eight-lite blinder; and holographic film for beam shaping and diffusion for all PixelRange products.

Harlequin Floors

Details: 14 March 2016

Harlequin Floors showed Hi-Shine, its high-gloss, wet-look floor for various applications, especially those that require quick load-ins and breakdowns.

LIPA Marks 10 years of Education

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - The world-renowned Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) will celebrate its tenth anniversary next week, with a joint event that will also launch Liverpool Performs 2006 - the fourth Capital of Culture themed year.

On Monday 30 January - 10 years to the day since LIPA's inauguration - nearly 250 LIPA students and graduates will take part in a gala performance at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall.The performance will also herald the official launch of Liverpool Performs 2006 - a 12-month celebration of Liverpool's outstanding track record in the arts, sport and business - the latest in a series of themed years leading up to European Capital of Culture in 2008.

LIPA itself is one of the city's best known success stories, committed to its aim of providing high-quality teaching to prepare students for sustained careers in the industry, either as performers

Tim Brennan Joins PRG Las Vegas

Details: 14 March 2016

USA - PRG is pleased to announce that Tim Brennan has re-joined its operations in Las Vegas as sales and customer development executive. Brennan is tapped to develop lighting and theatrical solutions for customers in a variety of markets including theatre, television, concert touring, clubs, and themed environments.

"We're delighted that Tim has returned to PRG," says Jere Harris, PRG's chairman and CEO. "With a wealth of industry experience and resources from his days at Cinema Services and Martin Professional, we look forward to having him continue expanding PRG's business in one of our fastest growing geographical markets."

Brennan got an early start in his entertainment career by accompanying his father, Jim Brennan, founder of Cinema Services, to visit clients at television events and theatres. Before moving to Martin Professional where he was director

Robe introduces MediaSpinners

Details: 14 March 2016

Czech Republic - Robe Show Lighting has launched a range of MediaSpinner products. Combining lateral thinking and practical engineering, the MediaSpinners are designed and built to display and rotate banners, screens, flags and assorted other media. Applications include exhibitions, conferences, shows, product launches, corporate events, parties, promotions and any event requiring branding to be displayed in an eye-catching way.

The units are fully DMX controllable and can be run from any lighting desk, or in stand-alone mode. A 4-digit LED display on the base enables onboard programming. Master/slave operation using a serial cable is another simple control option, running multiple fixtures through one unit.

Variable speed rotation in both directions is possible, and smooth and precise movement is guaranteed with the use of 16-bit DMX. A virtually silent cooling system makes R

Stardraw.com supports Mode Lighting Evolution

Details: 14 March 2016

UK - Software provider Stardraw.com have announced that support for Mode Lighting (UK) Ltd's Evolution system of architectural lighting control products has been incorporated into their ground-breaking new application, Stardraw Control.

Mode Lighting Ltd is part of the Mode Group of companies dedicated to the design and manufacture of electronic products principally for the lighting industry, including architectural dimming systems, electronic transformers for low voltage lighting, electronic convertors for neon and cold cathode lighting, colour-changing lighting and control systems and LED lighting systems.

Stardraw Control is a software-based application designed expressly to control systems that contain diverse products. It generates stand-alone, customized control programs that can manage and monitor any type of addressable equipment from any manufacturer using any protoco

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