LATEST ISSUE

In the West End and on Broadway, new musicals come and go with only a few rare gems proving to have true staying power. There can surely be no denying that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is one such super musical. Full credit to the production team for successfully transferring the Broadway hit to the West End amidst heavy refurbishment work on Victoria Palace. Find out how they coped, and the technical wizardry behind the West End production in Julie Harper’s brilliant report.

Also inside, we bring news of another London theatre refurbishment as Kilburn’s popular Tricycle Theatre is reborn as Kiln. Rob Halliday explores the venue and discovers what else has changed there along with the name.  We’ve a very Unusual story for you too, as Kate Lyon charts the rise of rigging industry royalty, Unusual Rigging. Meanwhile, Mike Wood puts the new Philips Vari-Lite VL2600 LED spot to the test for this month’s Technical Focus. The latest advances in tech are also explored in our report from the 30th edition of LDI, held this October at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Other features this month include a profile of award-winning video outfit Video Illusions, a visit to Estonia’s historic Vanemuine Theatre, and news of Goldsmiths University’s upgraded George Wood Theatre. Plus, Louise Stickland finds out what makes lighting designer Theis Wermuth tick for this month’s In Profile. Finally, I’d like to wish you all genuine thanks for reading and supporting LSi throughout 2018. On behalf of the team here, we wish you happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous 2019.

Julie Harper reports from London’s revamped Victoria Palace Theatre as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical juggernaut celebrates a year in the West End . . .

Kilburn’s Tricycle Theatre is reborn as Kiln following a £7m overhaul. Rob Halliday reports . . .

David Barbour, Claire Beeson and Richard Cadena report from the Las Vegas Convention Center . . .

Regulars

LSi talks to rising star Joel Luther-Braun

Across the boring strait, Phil Ward speaks volumes

The Shend Interrogates Dom Baschek

Conservative with a capital C?

sACN in large systems, Pt. 2

Louise Stickland talks to lighting and visual designer, Theis Wermuth . . .

James Simpson predicts the shape of tech to come : AR for theatre