UK / Denmark - UK-based Stage One has just completed the construction of a sculptural pavilion showcasing the possibilities that exist in building with sustainable and intelligent materials. Designed by Danish architects 3XN, the Pavilion is part of a 'Green Architecture for the Future' exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Stage One was responsible for both the manufacture and installation of this innovative structure, which follows the shape of a Moebius band and was built using natural fibres - naturally derived resin and cork from sustainable sources. The company has unique experience in working with complex shapes and unusual materials, along with a broad palette of problem solving skills. In this instance well-known synthetic products were substituted with new biological and re-useable materials, many of which had not previously been used

Portugal - JR Clancy, the US-based manufacturer of theatre rigging systems, has supplied 33 PowerLift automated hoists to the Teatro Municipal de Portimão (Tempo) in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. They were proposed to the client and installed by ADT Fire & Security (a Tyco International Company).

JR Clancy's international sales manager Charles Shatzkin comments: "ADT told us that the client was looking to motorise their rigging system and wanted a fast, safe, reliable and quiet powered hoist. The Clancy Automated Rigging System has a variable speed capability up to 0.6 m/sec and produces sounds no louder than those heard in a whisper-quiet library.

"The theatre also specified a SceneControl 500 - a powerful control console which provides a 3D visualisation of the performance space. The SceneControl is virtually unmatched in features and price: its functio

USA - All three ETCP rigging examinations will be given at the November 2009 LDI show in Orlando, FL. The entertainment electrician exam is scheduled for Friday, 20 November; the arena rigging exam is to be given the morning of Saturday, 21 November and the theatre rigging exam is scheduled for that afternoon.

Candidates who wish to take multiple exams will receive a discount for the second exam. Interested applicants must submit their application, along with supporting materials and fee, to the ETCP office no later than 6 October 2009.

Rigging examinations are given daily at over 190 computer based testing centres across the US and Canada.

(Jim Evans)

France - A British stage technician has become the second fatality resulting from the collapse of a stage being constructed for a Madonna concert at the Velodrome stadium in Marseilles, France. The partially-built roof fell in yesterday evening when one of four cranes lifting the roof toppled onto the structure below it.

Although eyewitnesses said the collapse happened slowly enough for some of those below to get out of the way, a 53-year-old French worker was killed outright. A number of other people were injured in the accident, some of them seriously, including a 32-year old British man who later died after undergoing emergency surgery for severe head wounds. A US citizen was also seriously injured, while around 30 people in total were treated for minor injuries and shock. French Police have begun a criminal investigation.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour was in Udine

UK - The recent CM Lodestar training courses held by A.C. Rigging, a division of A.C. Entertainment Technologies, were well received by all who attended the fully booked events, the company reports.

Dave Carmack, entertainment product trainer for Columbus McKinnon, led the training sessions along with Adam Beaumont, sales manager for the A.C. Rigging division, at the company's Leeds premises. Course attendees were taken through various levels of training, from the basic course covering overcoming daily scenarios, to an advanced two-day course covering inspection procedures and certification of the Lodestar and Prostar motors.

Trevor Hanna, senior technician for Production Services Ireland, commented: "Having attended the advanced course, it has now provided me with greater knowledge and confidence to work on CM Lodestar chain hoists. The methods and instruction from David

UK - Il Divo are currently engaged on a world tour promoting their latest album, The Promise. Production director, Mark Ward of Proper Productions, met with Brilliant Stages in December 08 to discuss the tour's multi-faceted staging requirements before construction of the set began in January in readiness for the tour's first date in February.

The stage design involves a multi level 'necklace' stage composed of two curved arms sweeping down from a back walkway to the main promoter's stage and forward into the audience to a B stage, giving several performance areas on different levels. With so many venues on the tour, the stage dimensions and construction needed to be flexible to allow for different configurations within each venue.

Access to the main stage is via access stairs situated towards the rear, down which the four singers descend to the mid-air walkway level, a

Stage Tragedy - Prosecutors have apparently opened a manslaughter investigation after a stage being built for a Madonna concert collapsed killing two people, a French official has said. Eight other people were seriously injured in last Thursday's accident at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille. Assistant prosecutor Marc Cimamonti said an investigation for manslaughter and involuntary injuries in a work-related accident has been opened. Madonna has said she is "devastated" by the news of the deaths.

Charles Criscenzo, a 53-year-old French worker, was killed outright in the accident and Charles Prow, a 23-year-old from Headingley in Leeds, died in hospital. Technicians had been setting up the stage at the city's Velodrome stadium when the partially-built roof fell in on Thursday, bringing down a crane.

Madonna paid tribute to the technicians at her concert in Italy on T

Belgium - At the heart of U2's current show, first viewed by 90,000 fans at Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium on 30 June 30, is the giant in-the-round stage, built by Belgian staging specialists Stageco, supporting 170 tons of giant screens, audio and lighting.

The stage's four legs arch out to embrace the audience, giving fans unprecedented and extensive access to the superstars on the pitch, while its gargantuan proportions carry the band's performance to every seat in the house.

This is one of the largest stages ever toured in any field of entertainment. The structure's central grid is raised 28m high, with legs traversing the width of the famous soccer pitch and a central antenna reaching as high as 5m.

The Stageco steel structure weighs 220 tons, excluding both the 90 tons of steel ballast that travels with each system and the rigging loads. Stageco has produced three identi

UK - The Youngman Group has launched a division dedicated to the specialised needs of the events industry. The new division will be targeting sporting and media events, outdoor concerts, exhibitions and product launches. Youngman Event Solutions has developed a range of crowd barriers, staging, and tower products specifically designed for performance and durability.

Jason Carlton, head of business development (events division), says that the new division is concentrated on developing a range of innovatively designed products to meet customer requirements coupled with working in partnership with a small number of key distribution partners. "We are not simply modifying scaffolding equipment, but are focused on providing bespoke products for technically demanding clients", declared Carlton. "At the same time we aim to provide the best possible after-sales service. Th

USA - In an effort to ensure the safety of guests, exhibitors, contractors and employees of the Washington State Convention & Trade Centre (WSCTC), a rigging installation and inspection programme is being implemented. Effective 1 October 2009, any rigging, either ground support or aerial, which falls within specified categories must be installed by an ETCP Certified rigger. In addition, rigging supervisors, who must be ETCP Certified, are required to submit inspection and approval documentation to the WSCTC of all rigging installations.

Ed Barnes, WSCTC vice president of operations, stated, "We began the process to certify all riggers working in our facility for the safety of the centre's guests and everyone working behind the scenes. Having rigging installed by ETCP Certified personnel provides the most reliable and efficient way for us to verify the level of knowledge and

UK - The prestigious Gottelier Award will be presented for the third time at this year's PLASA Show.

Named in honour of the late designer, developer and commentator Tony Gottelier, this award aims to recognise the product developers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the equipment and tools that enable our entertainment technology practitioners to continually push the boundaries of event production, presentation and installation.

The process of identifying the winner by peer voting will again consist of two distinct phases, but with a few subtle changes.

In the Nomination Phase, industry professionals will again be asked for their choices, but will also be asked to identify the specific product contributions that make that nominee a worthy contender. Based on the nominations received, a panel of industry expert judges will then be asked to decide

Iceland - Compared with the Pop Idol franchises in larger countries, the viewing figures for Icelandic Idol may not seem high. Yet this year's competition received over 70,000 votes from a population of just 300,000.

Once again it fell to Alfred Sturla Bodvarsson, head of set & lighting for the Icelandic TV company Luxor, to look after the design. As usual, he turned to his trusty stock of Maltbury Steeldeck to build something both practical and a bit funky.

The stage is made up of about 60 Steeldeck units with LED tubes inserted between them at intervals. The decks were covered in chipboard which was then given a gloss black finish.

Bodvarsson has also supplied Maltbury Metrodecks and Metrodeck Ultra to numerous other Icelandic venues.

(Jim Evans)

UK - At the recent Wakefield district business awards, Litestructures was awarded The Innovation in Business Award 2009. The Awards celebrate the individuals and companies who are helping to make the district one of the most dynamic in the region.

Adrian Brooks, managing director of Litestructures comments: "We are obviously delighted to win and gain recognition for our innovation. We feel that it was well deserved because as a company, we continually strive to move forward and develop new products and ideas."

Brooks invented the world's first aluminium truss system, AstraLite. Since then, many have followed: LiteDeck is now an industry standard staging system, the Litestructures rehearsal arena is the only facility of its kind in Europe, DigiTruss, and LiteSwitch are new lighting developments. Last but not least, the Backstage Academy is well on its way to training

Germany - e:cue lighting control - An Osram company, has introduced light-drive elite, its first standalone DMX controller and user interface for dynamic RGB LED lighting that does not require software programming. Users can easily control intensity, colour, and speed as well as setup their favourite colour-changing effects through light-drive elite's glass interface with touch-sensitive keys and touch wheel, says the company.

Jan Julius Miebach, e:cue's managing director for product strategy, said, "We designed this product to allow end-users to experience dynamic lighting as well create dynamic lighting scenes themselves. We specifically paid great attention to the user interaction with the device as well its aesthetic design."

The glassy interface features an LED ring around the touch wheel to guide users in selecting and adjusting colours, intensity, and speed as

USA - Milos QuickTruss showed how to overcome the challenges and engineering requirements of temporary structures for recent roof projects at two major baseball stadiums - Washington DC's Nationals Park and Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yard.

The temporary structures served as television broadcasting booths complete with lighting, a complex map of cabling and electrical wires, and a weather-proof canopy to keep commentators dry during rainy innings.

The bespoke broadcasting booths were designed by Creative Dimensions, a full service exhibition and sign specialist based in Cheshire, Connecticut. Doug Carabillo, their director of business development, needed to cover all bases when assembling experts from many different industries. He was not familiar with Milos products, but had received numerous referrals from other vendors working on the project, and decided to utilise Qu

UK - Following the success of the 2007 Beautiful World tour, Brilliant Stages were again chosen to bring to life the imaginative and dramatic stage designs for Take That's Circus Live Tour 2009.

The combined creative talents of show producer, Kim Gavin and set designer, Es Devlin devised a circus-themed set for which Brilliant Stages created a total of 5 stages, in addition to several pieces of staging wizardry, for the 20 UK stadium dates.

The main Performer stage, 18m wide x 17.8m deep with tech tunnels beneath and access steps on either side, incorporated six lifts: a piano lift, two double band lifts and a puppet lift for the show finale.

Two satellite stages with weather-proof tech bunkers beneath were linked by ramps to the main stage and housed sound kit and instruments. A 6m-deep C stage, also with tech bunkers, was located at the front of the performer

Once in a Lifetime - Acts including U2 and Aretha Franklin are to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at two concerts. The gigs, set to take place in New York in October, will also feature inductees including Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Metallica. Both Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel and rock trio Crosby, Stills and Nash are lined up to perform together. The concerts have been billed as "once in a lifetime" events. Jan Wenner, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said they are "designed to celebrate the artists and their music".

The proceeds from the concerts will go towards permanent funding for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation and Museum, established in 1984 by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun who died in 2006.

Dublin Protest - People who live close to the Croke Park stadium in D

UK - A new, bespoke VVIP seating balcony installed at the Brit Oval in time for this summer's Ashes series was one of the season's best performances for Arena Seating at British cricket grounds this summer, as the players prepared to overcome their own challenges on the fields of play.

Arena also installed temporary grandstand seating at the other grounds visited by the touring Australian national team, namely 4,638 seats at Old Trafford, 3,645 at Edinburgh, 10,766 at the Rosebowl, 8,427 at Durham, 336 seats at Lords, 793 seats at Edgbaston, and a further 218 seats at The Brit Oval.

The Brit Oval's balcony, with its specially upholstered luxury seating, was designed to provide additional comfort in a spectacular environment for the club's VVIP guests. Arena Seating designed the facility in brushed aluminium and glass, using 70 seats based on Arena's Congress seat with weatherp

UK - Maltbury's new Backdrape is a versatile curtain and support system that features adjustable height aluminium uprights on steel baseplates, extendable aluminium cross-bars which simply hook onto the uprights, and black serge drapes which thread smoothly onto the cross-bars and join together with Velcro.

Packages are all tailored to precise customer requirements. The result is a kit that is as flexible as Maltbury's staging systems. With backdrape you can construct a line of curtains to the height of your choosing which will follow the rear of your Maltbury stage - or do something quite different. As always, those decisions are left up to you, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Following last year's innovative stage branding for Lovebox London Weekender, Sunbaba once again delivered for the 2009 event.

The vibrant London festival was held in Victoria Park on the 18 and 19 July and was headlined by founders Groove Armada alongside Doves, Florence and the Machine and Duran Duran, whose set featured a special guest appearance from Mark Ronson.

Sunbaba produced 125 lightbox panels made from backlit PVC for the Relentless Dance Area. The company worked alongside Lovebox set designers and Spacial, the set builders, to create the panels which spanned from the stage to five surrounding tower blocks. This illuminated the area and created a 'rave environment' at dusk.

To keep costs low and waste to a minimum Sunbaba produced each of the 125 panels separately, instead of covering the whole of each structure. Each of the panels was coded so that th

South Africa - Gearhouse South Africa, via its various companies, supplied design services and full technical production and crew for two recent high profile Nelson Mandela events in Johannesburg.

A 91st Birthday celebration party was staged in Mary Fitzgerald Square, with an eclectic line up of performers, attended by 16,000 people.

The previous week, Gearhouse SA supplied staging, lighting, sound and AV for the Nelson Mandela Foundation Lecture in Johannesburg City Hall. Professor Muhammed Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Grameen Bank addressed this annual landmark.

A strong party atmosphere pervaded Mary Fitzgerald Square, where the Gearhouse team was co-ordinated by project manager Bonni Meyer, working closely with show producers Out of The Box for the South African Music Promoters Association (SAMPA).

Gearhouse Structures built the scaffo

UK - HSL designed and built two special stage sets including DJ booths - complete with inbuilt digital and conventional lighting - for DJs Steve Angello (from the Swedish House Mafia) and Eric Prydz, who played the main stage at the 2009 Global Gathering event on 25 July.

HSL was approached by Duncan Holmes from BPM Special Effects just 10 days before the event staged at Long Marsden Airfield in Warwickshire, and asked if they could create and build a special visual concept for both artists. They wanted something to add impact, excitement and atmosphere to both their performances - which took place in bright daylight and touching dusk.

HSL's Mike Docksey project managed the mission. Overnight, he came up with a design for Angello, whilst HSL's Mike Oates produced one for Prydz. These were drawn up, presented to the artists and given the green light - with now just a week to go

The Netherlands - Mojo Barriers has made a rounded contribution to the 2009 U2 360º tour as the Dutch company underlines its international capabilities by supplying 700m of curved aluminium barrier system for the world tour.

Having been contracted to supply the touring crowd barrier system in late 2008, Mojo Barriers' project team was thorough in preparing the largest, most complex touring barrier system the company has ever designed. As the footprint of the gigantic stage spans the width of the stadium pitches, both the central stage and concentric 'B-stage' are closely surrounded by live audiences.

Safety was at the top of all concerned parties' priorities list in designing the barrier configuration, which used all elements of the Mojo Barriers system plus some custom-built elements. The challenge was managed using all Mojo Barriers' experience and flexibility.

Mojo's man

UK - PLASA 2008 saw the successful launch of Litestructures LiteConsole. DJ, Paul Oakenfold, commissioned Litestructures, in association with partners Pioneer and Anolis, to design and manufacture a special touring console to highlight Oakenfold's stage presence.

The system (3m wide, 1.5m high and 1.2m deep) is lightweight, modular, easy to assemble, accommodates two 50' plasma screens at the front and has Oakenfold's name laser cut on the front fascia along with the Perfecto label branding on side panels.

Oakenfold's LiteConsole has toured the globe, supporting Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour and Lenny Kravitz.

The DJ comments: "I have been very impressed with the level of professional support and advice received from the Litestructures team, I am delighted with the beautiful piece of staging technology that has been produced. It made sense to custom design my o

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