USA - City Theatrical’s Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM technology is currently being used to provide DMX data at eight-time Tony Award winning Broadway show Hadestown.
Selected for its ability to communicate DMX data wirelessly in the 900MHz band at a distance of up to 300ft indoors, Multiverse Transmitters, in combination with Multiverse Nodes operating on a SHoW DMX Neo SHoW ID, broadcast DMX data to QolorFLEX Dimmers that provide dimming control for battery powered headlamps used for the show’s daily performances, as well as in the company’s 2019 Tony Awards performance at Radio City Music Hall.
“Getting set up with Multiverse wireless DMX was unbelievably good,” says Justin Freeman, production electrician for Hadestown. “Communication with City Theatrical never stopped. If things changed, Multiverse changed with us. It has been very successful for our show.”
Recently recognised as the winner of the Live Design Award for Best Debuting Product in the Lighting Accessories and Integration category at LDI 2018, the Multiverse Transmitter 900MHz/2.4GHz (P/N 5910) model can broadcast as many as nine universes of DMX data (licensed for use in North America) from a single transmitter, while producing less radio energy than present-day single universe systems.
The Multiverse Transmitter 2.4GHz (P/N 5911) model can be used to broadcast up to 10 universes of DMX data from a single transmitter anywhere in the world.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Harlequin Floors' Liberty panels were used for the set of the eagerly-awaited film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, the manufacturer has revealed.
Filmed at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, the upcoming musical drama features a star-studded cast, including actors Jennifer Hudson, Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Taylor Swift and James Corden, as well as Royal Ballet principal dancers Francesca Hayward and Steve McRae.
Over 550sq.m of Harlequin Liberty panels were hired for the film set, to provide the cast a safe sprung floor on which to practice their lifts and jumps. The sprung dance floor panels were then covered in Harlequin Reversible Pro performance vinyl, which helps to prevent slips and falls. Ballet barres and 15 mirrors were also bought from the Tunbridge Wells-based manufacturer to complete the professional dance environment in which the cast could train.
Jamie Stirling, technical development manager at Harlequin, visited the set and oversaw the installation. "Working on projects of this scale and prestige, which are often technically challenging, is a real privilege, especially one such as this that combines film and performing arts,” he comments.
Cats is released on 20 December by Universal Pictures. The film is the second musical adaptation directed by Les Misérables director, Tom Hooper and is choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, with Steven Spielberg as executive producer.

UK - Technical production specialist equip event services co-ordinated all the technical elements - lighting, audio and staging - for The House & Garage Orchestra’s (THGO) recent sold-out gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
The ensemble, founded in 2015, has ignited an appetite for their energetic reimagining of some of the UK’s biggest house and garage hits.
When production manager Kevin Jianoran joined in November 2018, they were an eight-piece with guest vocalists and just him on the crew as the touring sound engineer. Since then it’s quickly upscaled to become a 20-piece orchestra, complete with brass and string sections, 14 guest vocalists and a technical crew of eight.
equip, based in Brixton, London, were approached by Kevin, who is also the band’s monitor engineer, to work on their tour last November, which was a big success. He then returned to James Cooper and the equip team and asked if they could work on the high-profile Shepherd’s Bush gig, plus their upcoming tour.
“Everyone at equip has always been very accommodating and friendly. Nothing is ever a problem, they come up with smart and imaginative solutions and work sensibly within designated budgets and other parameters” he commented.
He also specifically wanted a single production supplier able to deal efficiently with all the technical elements and co-ordination, and being local to the London venue was considered a bonus.
Dan Barley, equip MD, states: “We were all super-excited to be working with Kevin and THGO band again. Shepherd’s Bush was a

Europe - Last autumn, production designer Owen Pritchard-Smith (of Spirit Design) joined up with fast-emerging Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy for a European tour, having previously worked with the artist’s management on other projects.
Though he was largely playing through house rigs on that initial tour, a UK stint quickly followed, enabling him to carry a basic floor package comprising four GLP X4 Bar 20 battens and four JDC1 hybrid strobes. “I had never used either before, but was interested in trying them, and the flexibility of the JDC1 - essentially two fixtures in one - was perfect for a small package,” he says.
So far this year Kennedy has undertaken tours of the US and Canada as well as further dates in Europe and the UK - and the floor package has expanded accordingly, although it is still based around Owen’s favoured X4 Bar 20 and JDC1. “I’m loving working with them,” says the lighting designer.
Christie Lites has supplied all inventory to date, on both sides of the Atlantic. “I had worked with Andy [Strachan] and so it was natural for me to go to him. He introduced me to the JDC1, whereas I've always been a big X4 (and X4 S) wash user anyway and generally leant towards GLP fixtures, as I am a big fan.
“If I needed an LED wash I’d gravitate to an X4, and when I wanted a tilting, pixel mappable LED batten I immediately went for an X4 Bar 20 - it was a no brainer especially as Christie had them in stock.” It was when he was looking for a combined wash/strobe that Andy Strachan proposed the JDC1. “Christ

Portugal - Lisbon’s Colombo Centre, one of the largest shopping centres in the Iberian Peninsula is playing host the ninth edition of the Art Comes to Colombo project, an immersive installation designed to honour the works of famed Portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva.
The summer-long installation which runs through until the end of August has been organised by event planners Europalco as an immersive digital museum designed to showcase works from the artist. The concept was to create an immersive digital and multimedia experience that uses perspective and colour to celebrate 35 of Vieira da Silva’s works. The use of digital and multimedia allowed Europalco to add life to them digitally and offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the art.
Five hundred and sixty Prolights Omega X26B panels have been temporarily installed as canvas for the paintings throughout the exhibit.
Using modern technology to bring a traditional art form to life, Europalco chose the Prolights Omega X26B due to their sharp 2.6mm pixel pitch, superior video image quality, creative flexibility but above the all, reliability of the screen.
Rodrigo Leão, composer of the music element of the installation, comments: “Created from scratch, this exhibition reconciles art, in the most classic and conventional sense of the work, with boldness and digital disruption. A show that unites architecture, multimedia, music and painting in a unique experience around the work of Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, one of the most renowned Portuguese painters.”

Germany - TSL Production, a full-service event agency has purchased Elation Professional’s new Smarty MAX high-output hybrid moving head, the first to do so worldwide. The company, from Pulheim near Cologne, has ample experience with Elation products with the new Smarty MAX joining TSL Elation inventory of Artiste DaVinci, SixPar 100 IP and DARTZ 360 fixtures.
Frank Schmitz, owner of TSL Production, spoke of the decision to add the Smarty MAX to their inventory. “We sought an all-round moving light for multiple purposes and after numerous tests and shootouts the decision fell on the Smarty MAX. The compact design and application as a spot, beam or wash impressed us. We were convinced of the unit’s CMY colour mixing as well as the fact that you can superimpose different prisms and still have enough output.
“With its numerous features and enormous light output, real unique effects can be generated that are unparalleled in this class of fixture. The lifetime of the lamp and the manufacturer's warranty was the icing on the cake.”
With the Smarty MAX, Elation has introduced a new member of the Smarty family that combines high light output, long lamp life and a comprehensive package of features in one compact and lightweight hybrid unit. The combination of a Platinum Flex 400 lamp (particularly cost-efficient with a long life of 4,000 hours), a perfectly matched optical system and a 160mm front lens results in a bright 20,000 lumens of light output. Fully equipped with a complete design package, the powerful hybrid luminaire has flexible use a

Australia - Tokyo Sing Song is located in the basement of the Marlborough Hotel in Newtown, Sydney and although the 200-capacity venue is compact, since it opened in 2014 it’s earned a reputation for its loud late-night parties and electric atmosphere.
In late 2018, Harold Dumke, Tokyo Sing Song’s marketing and entertainment coordinator, was made an offer he couldn’t refuse. In partnership with DJW Projects, Pioneer Pro Audio gave him the opportunity to install the brand’s first sound system in Australasia, replacing the club’s old PA. “I was completely blown away,” remembers Dumke. “I thought we were very lucky to be able to have a top-tier product from Pioneer Pro Audio that no one had seen or heard before in Australia.”
The musical offering at Tokyo Sing Song is so diverse - with DJs and live acts playing everything from hip-hop, disco, and soul, to house, jazz, and techno on different nights of the week so the club needed a versatile system.
Ryan Gay, product manager at Pioneer Electronics Australia, worked with DJW Projects’ managing director, Dave Coxon, to specify a setup of four XY-3B three-way bi-amp loudspeakers and two XY-218HS dual 18-inch horn-loaded subwoofers. The natural audio produced by these units allows the accurate reproduction of the myriad genres of music played at the club and their high output fills the basement space with the huge sound pressure the crowd was used to but with increased clarity.
“DJW Projects did a great job working with the venue and us to make sure the sound was designed perfect

USA - Gary Simon is City Theatrical’s new sales specialist focusing on the tristate area. He has 25 years of experience working as a theatre electrician, stagehand, and supervisor with demonstrated success in leading crews and meeting production schedules.
Simon will play a pivotal role in supplying lighting professionals with the electrical and electronic, beam control, hardware, and software solutions that best meet and exceed their needs. He has installed, operated, and maintained lighting, video and audio systems for Jazz at Lincoln Centre and Lincoln Centre Theatre as well as many Broadway productions, concerts, and corporate events.
(Jim Evans)

Australia - LSC Lighting Systems continues to develop its range of LED control technologies with the release of the new LED-CV4 DINrail mount driver.
The LED-CV4 is a 4-channel LED driver with a 5A per channel output and a 100% duty cycle, significant when compared to the competition. It also has built-in, short-circuit protection per channel with auto-reset, thereby eliminating the need to change fuses if the LED tape or cabling gets damaged.
Controlled via DMX and configured by RDM, the LED-CV4 has true 16-bit dimming for seamless professional dimming. If used in 8-bit mode, there is a smoothing algorithm that allows for stepless dimming across the 0-255 DMX input range.
Current monitoring per channel and variable frequency output come as standard and can be monitored and configured by LSC’s new Houston-X software tool. Power input can be either a 12V or 24V DC supply and is fully rated to 20A.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Bandit Lites, has named long time team member Chris Barbee as vice-president of sales and integration. Barbee started at Bandit nearly 20 years ago and quickly ascended to the leadership team as the national director of sales and installations. Since then, Barbee has led the team for many years.
“Chris is simply one of the most knowledgeable, hardest working people in the industry, period,” says Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland. “There is no way to measure what Chris brings to the table every day, and his leadership is world class. Chris is above all a great person and a lot of fun to work with. The entire sales division is loaded with high quality individuals and Chris has led the development of that team. My hat is off to Chris for his many accomplishments.
“Chris has been operating as the vice president of sales for ages; it is simply time we recognised him for his performance and dedication.”
As the second half of 2019 unfolds, the Bandit Sales team will continue to grow. The Knoxville facility has been revamped to focus solely on sales, and many new hires are in process. A new facility in Charlotte is in process and new hires were made there last month. Chris Barbee will lead the team on the expansion as Bandit moves forward.
(Jim Evans)

UK - A recent prosecution at Westminster Magistrates’ Court is a stark reminder of just what is at stake when work at height is not properly planned and supervised, says the Ladder Association.
The court heard that a railway maintenance worker suffered significant injuries including a broken collarbone, 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung after falling 4.3m from a ladder while cutting back vegetation. Following the accident, the victim spent 13 days in intensive care during which time he underwent two major operations and now has metal plates pinning his clavicle and ribs. He has been unable to return to his former occupation.
The maintenance contractor pleaded guilty to an offence under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £500,000, with £9,896.19 in costs.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) investigation found that the site inspection had been inadequate, work was neither properly planned nor appropriately supervised and as such, the contractor failed to realise that using ladders was inappropriate for the task and exposed workers to the risk of falling.
In response to this prosecution, the Ladder Association - the not-for-profit authority dedicated to promoting the safe use of ladders and stepladders - is urging all ladder users, and those responsible for managing the safe use of ladders, to put ladder training at the top of their height safety agenda.
Dennis Seaton, chair of the association’s training committee, comments: “There are many situations where a ladder can be the right solution, but they shouldn’t aut

World - MA Lighting has continued to follow its strategy against product piracy at recent tradeshows around the globe.
The German lighting console manufacturer carried out similar action in 2018, when it joined forces with Avolites to block infringing companies from exhibiting counterfeit products.
“Copying our products is a crime and will be punished with all legal consequences,” MA has warned in a statement.
The manufacturer recently took action at Prolight+Sound Guangzhou, GET Show, Sound Check Exhibition and Palm Expo India, where counterfeit consoles were removed from the showfloors, while offending stands were shut by officials.
At Prolight+Sound Guangzhou, MA Lighting was supported by show organisers who cooperated with the removal of counterfeit desks and catalogues from the showfloor. At the GET Show, the manufacturer had been assured that [counterfeit] copies would no longer be tolerated at the tradeshow.
MA also highlighted that the situation at Sound Check Exhibition in Mexico and Palm Mumbai in India had “much improved” compared to last year, “with minimal counterfeit activity to report”.
The lighting console manufacturer had also taken down numerous counterfeit console announcements posted on various social media platforms.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Following the success of Robbie Williams’ first US residency in March, the singer returned to Las Vegas for another sold-out run this summer. In all performances, High End Systems’ Hog lighting consoles were networked for the lighting, lasers and media servers’ video content.
To make a splash in the American market, Williams put together his Live in Las Vegas set list at the Wynn’s Encore Theatre to include more well-known Rat Pack standards, with fewer of his own UK hits.
LD Sean Burke not only designed the production and the lighting, but also programmed and served as lighting director. Barry Lather worked with him as the show director and set co-designer.
“The design came from Barry,” Burke notes. “He had this vision of a ‘swing’ show with dancers, props and so on. The band is pretty big for this small stage, so trying to fit it all in was a challenge. Different levels were needed to give visual perspective in this small space.”
To deal with the narrow width and low proscenium, Burke added six vertical ladders which flank the video screens and the downstage areas. “This gives a lot of really good looks toward the audience; it’s right there in front of them and being low produces a big impact visually,” he explains.
Having been a Hog console user for many years, Burke dedicated specific desks for different segments of the production.
“We used a Full Boar 4 and a Playback Wing 4 for the lighting and video content control. The video content on a media server is triggered via ArtNet. We al

USA - ADJ has introduced three single LED wash fixtures to its Encore Burst series.
All new models feature IP-rated casing and flexible multi-purpose bracket, but come with LED engines of different intensities.
The Encore Burst 100 IP has a 125W warm white CREE C.O.B LED and a 50° beam angle, making it ideal for use as an audience blinder or general wash fixture. The unit has a colour temperature of 2700K and also offers a dim-to-warm feature that authentically replicates the dimming profile of a traditional halogen lamp light source by introducing a 1200K (amber) low intensity LED element at lower dimmer settings. In addition, the model offers variable speed strobe and pulse effects which add to the flexibility of this professional lighting fixture.
Also designed for use as a wash or audience blinder / strobe effect light, the Encore Burst RGBW IP offers RGBW colour mixing. Harnessing the power of a 150W CREE C.O.B 4-in-1 RGBW LED light source and also offering a wide 50° beam angle, this fixture can be used to bath a stage or crowd in an almost limitless choice of colours as well as for creating powerful multi-coloured strobe effects.
The final new model to be added to the series is the Encore Burst UV IP. This fixture features a high intensity 50W C.O.B. ultraviolet LED, with a wavelength of 365nm, and is designed to fill large areas with UV light. Ideal for concert stages, nightclubs and festivals, as well as theme parks and state fairs, this powerful black light will make white and fluorescent materials glow vibrantly from a considerabl

France - The Voice France is broadcast on TF1, the largest private French TV station, during prime time on Saturday nights.
Set in Studio 217 at La Plaine Saint Denis, just north of Paris, its stage is the largest in Europe at 2090sq.m, with a 1,300 capacity. As with any major broadcast event, it's a meticulous, multi-console affair, and requires a plethora of inputs. FOH engineer Jerome Kalfon and monitor engineer Alex Maggi both mix the show on SSL L500s to mix the show.
The Voice France utilises 128 mics, four SSL ML32.32 stage boxes, and an SSL BL II - Blacklight Concentrator, which allows FOH and monitors to share all inputs. The two broadcast consoles in the OB van receive inputs directly from inbuilt broadcast MADI splitters located at the back of the stage boxes, and the broadcast mix comes directly from the SSL mic amps and SSL conversion.
Jerome Kalfon has used the SSL at FOH for three years on The Voice, and enjoys working from it even more now than when he first started, testament to all the feature enhancements that have been implemented along the way.
“This is such a sophisticated musical show, where each song is sung by a different performer, with a different ambience and style, so setup can be radically different from one title to the other. For the live shows it is very intense to manage the music mix, and also to deal with the frantic comms between all the production teams, such as the video sequences being fired from the OB van.
“It's so often the way when you're working on a demanding TV sho

UK - Coventry’s Godiva Festival, which takes place in the City’s War Memorial Park, was founded as a free festival in 1997. This year, the 120,000 festivalgoers had to pay a nominal admission fee to attend the weekend-long event, which was headlined by The Levellers, Feeder and Busted on the respective days.
Chris ‘Stan’ Saunders has been overseeing the festival’s evolving technology requirements, as has the company with which he has long been associated, Stage Audio Services (SAS).
SAS owner Kevin Mobberley comments: “We’ve been providing event services for Godiva since the year 2000 but this is the first year we have used [Martin Audio’s] MLA PA. Previously, we have used other brands.”
This public park is a highly sensitive noise area, and acousticians Vanguardia are contracted to measure sound propagation and set offsite thresholds - something that the advanced controllability of MLA is equal to meeting. “MLA was our natural choice,” says Mobberley, “and we pushed the organisers in that direction.”
They rigged the full-sized MLA, nine elements per side, with 10 x MLX subwoofers in a cardioid array along the front. Three MLA Compact enclosures provided near-fills and four DD12’s were also on hand should any other gaps have needed plugging in the coverage pattern.
One of the key challenges was the proximity of the two stages, but with programming in the capable hands of Stan Saunders, a fully-qualified MLA operative, sound spillage was kept to a minimum. “I have used MLA quite a few times and it was good to

UK - The Manchester Central exhibition and conference complex has extended its partnership with technical event production specialist Blitz to be its in-house partner for AV services.
The agreement contracts Blitz, which has worked with Central for 11 years, until 2022.
Carol Gibbs, director of venues for Blitz, comments: “We are thrilled to be selected as Manchester Central’s in-house AV partner for another three years. The venue is a landmark in the city and beyond, and with so many meeting space options to play with, it’s an AV supplier’s dream. We look forward to creating many extraordinary and memorable experiences for both the venue and their clients.”
Sarah Bickerton, director of events at Manchester Central, adds: “We’ve built up a really strong working relationship with the Blitz team and are looking forward to continuing to work with them in the future. We get extremely positive client feedback about our AV offer and so we’re delighted to continue our partnership.”
(Jim Evans)

Slovakia - Designed, directed and choreographed by Ján Ďurovčík and the Slovak Dance Theatre, the 2019 edition of the World Ice Hockey championships was held at the Košice Steel Arena in Slovakia. The event not only saw the Finns rise to victory, but also featured the Prolights Stark doing what it does best.
Lighting suppliers and installers for the project, SRS light design, had recently purchased 24 Prolights Stark1000CC fixtures, using 16 to cover all corners of the ice for the opening ceremony.
The lighting for the show was designed and programmed by Lukáš Hirčák, who comments: "I was surprised by the light output and the extensive zoom in the Prolights Stark. The equipment worked flawlessly throughout the championship and covered the ice with very balanced brightness and excellent colour mixing."
When asked about their purchase Robo Sloboda from SRS light design explained, "We have tested several models of heads from several manufacturers, but the price / performance ratio, excellent processing and very good colour mixing have convinced us that Prolights Stark1000 is the best choice for us.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Vari-Lite and Strand, part of Signify, are meeting the demand for state-of-the-art technology at the new $88m Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) in Houston, Texas. The flagship education and arts facility benefits from over 600 lighting fixtures as well as control and networking technology from the two lighting equipment brands.
Designed by Gensler Architects, the HSPVA features an 800-seat main theatre, plus a Black Box theatre, a mini theatre, recital hall, dance studios and recording studio. In addition to its educational programme, it will also play a lead role in the cultural life of Houston’s thriving downtown arts district.
“This is not your typical high school space,” says Chris Purpura, who led the project on behalf of theatre consultancy WJHW Inc. “This is a state-of-the-art performing arts facility with many different rooms and spaces. From the get-go, they wanted systems that were in the forefront of technology.”
He adds: “The client wanted to treat the spaces as a blank canvas. Maybe, in the main theatre they use the whole space, or half the space, or maybe a performance takes place across two or more spaces simultaneously. We designed the network so that the spaces can be connected, or divided, as required.”
Working in close collaboration with the architects, building contractor McCarthy Construction and entertainment systems integration specialists from Wenger Corporation, WJHW specified an integrated stage lighting and control solution from Vari-Lite and Strand.
At the system

Europe - Eros Ramazzotti embarked on his Vita ce n'è world tour 2019 in February this year. Included in the lighting design were 63 of GLP’s JDC1 hybrid strobes and 54 impression X4 Bar 20s, supplied by rental company Agorà.
The lighting concept was realised by Jamie Thompson of UK company, Mirrad. He explains: “The JDC1 helped us create a back wall that would be an extension of the video screen. It is incredibly bright and was perfect for this purpose.”
The X4 Bars were also essential to outline the shape of the stage. “They created a perfect effect picture,” says Thompson. “The X4 Bars are very versatile,a great product."
Jamie Thompson has been using GLP products for many years now, and they have always given him great satisfaction. "I will continue to use them for sure,” he declares. "The X4 Bar 20 has become a standard, a must-have product for a lot of people. And as for the new wash, The Highlander, that’s also very exciting.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - A Zero 88 lighting control solution - including FLX S48 lighting console and Bypass dimmer / switchpacks - has been supplied to St Andrew’s School in Woking, Surrey, UK, by rental, sales and installations specialist Henley Theatre Services (HTS).
The school, founded in 1937, is a respected co-educational prep school for around 300 children aged 3 to 13. As part of a commitment to deliver a stimulating and vibrant educational and developmental environment for its pupils, last year St Andrew’s invested in a new, 230-capacity purpose-built theatre - the Little Field Theatre - and rehearsal space in its 11-acre grounds.
The venue’s technical specification - including the Zero 88 elements - was delivered by consultants Theatre tech who designed the production lighting, sound and comms systems. A tender issued for the equipment supply was won by HTS who liaised closely with both the consultants and the client. HTS completed the installation and commissioning of the equipment on site.
HTS’s Reg Berry explained that the FLX S48 provided an ideal lighting control option due to its “clever but simple” approach to controlling a combination of different lightsources including LED and tungsten units.
In this case, the client also had several tungsten ‘legacy’ fixtures from their previous drama studio (Jnr School Hall) that needed to be integrated into the new theatre system, together with some new LED PARs, Selecon Acclaim fresnels and profiles.
The two Zero 88 Bypass dimmer / switchpacks provide dimmed and hot power for the l