UK - Blackout supported Achieving for Children, a Community Interest Company (CIC) creating a professional style performance stage with theatre curtains and drapes in its new youth centre.

Achieving for Children (AFC) is a social enterprise, set up to help provide better social, educational and community outcomes for children within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Following a recent investment from Richmond Council, AFC alongside of Richmond Council leading on project management and delivery of the project took action to revamp part of the popular youth centre - the Heatham House gym, to provide better facilities for the young people who attend, as well as those within the local community.

Heatham House is a Grade II listed building, situated in Twickenham, and is accessed by over 1,000 young people each year. Over the

Italy - The iconic Palazzo Pisani Moretta, overlooking the famous Canal Grande in Venice, is one of those locations renowned for magnificent events in the Venetian style. As such, it provided the setting for a sophisticated private event. In fact, the Australian groom and Turkish bride chose the Palace as the place to share the most important day of their lives with friends and relatives gathered from several different countries.

For this special occasion, the main floor was furnished with imperial tables for the dinner. The room was lit with a delicate amber palette to show off the authentic Murano chandeliers, the paintings by Tiepolo, and the gilded stuccos. Guests could feel as though they were reliving the glorious past of the Serenissima Golden Age of Venice. The pied-à-terre was firstly lit in orange to welcome the guests. It was later turned into a luxurious dance area

USA - Charcoalblue's managing partner Andy Hayles and his team of theatre and acoustic consultants attended the opening of New York's St Ann's Warehouse last week. The official launch of the $31.6 million development of the waterfront theatre situated under the famous Brooklyn Bridge follows a transformation of the derelict Tobacco Warehouse by Marvel Architects with theatre, acoustics and architectural lighting consultancy by Charcoalblue.

The new St Ann's Warehouse is a 25,000sq.ft site housing two flexible performance spaces. Firstly, a 10,000sq.ft versatile theatre space, with capacity for 300-800 people, to accommodate St. Ann's core theatre and music programming, large-scale festivals, and special community milestone events. Secondly, a 1000sq.ft multi-use studio, dedicated to local artists and community groups, to especially suit intimate, smaller scale programmes and eve

UK - When Dutch singer-songwriter Guus Meeuwis performed at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall in May, on the same stage as stars such as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Adele, and Eric Clapton, the concert drew approximately 5,000 Dutch fans.

As if the venue weren't spectacular enough, 28 Sunpanels were set up around the band to project visuals and to create a blinder effect. These custom-made visuals served as the background for the band and enhanced the musical experience by adapting to the changing beat and style. The large panels, which featured quick-action couplings, were quick and easy to assemble.

Lighting designer for the show was Marco Driessen of The Art of Light (NL). Production/Rental was handled by Modestus Management (NL), Ampco-Flashlight Rental - Utrecht (NL).

UK - ETC is celebrating winning the only Gold PLASA Award for Innovation at last week's PLASA Show. The Eos software version 2.3 provides unprecedented colour control options for LED fixtures, including abstract colour spaces and fade tools, allowing users to adapt their workflows in this constantly evolving art form. Giving the Gold award, the judges described the software, which also provides access to the OSC protocol for the first time, as "a game-changer."

The control desk itself was busy on the stand throughout the three day show, with Product Manager Anne Valentino giving hands-on demonstrations.

On the stand

Also popular on the ETC stand was the new ColorSource Spot fixture, and the new ColorSource Relay and Transmitter. ColorSource Spot follows the launch of the hugely popular ColorSource PAR, which marries RGB emitters with lime, completing gaps in

UK - Three successful days in early October saw the PLASA Show bring its three-year stay at London's ExCeL to a close, with the promise of a revamped and reinvigorated event at Olympia for 2016.

New for this year, the innovative zoned layout of PLASA Show 2015 was clearly a success, allowing show visitors to easily find the exhibitors they wanted to visit. In turn, this meant exhibitors enjoyed the attention of high quality visitors throughout the show.

"We were extremely busy all day. We changed the way our stand looks for this year and it's worked fantastically," said Koy Neminathan, Sales Director for Avolites and Avolites Media after the first day.

As in previous years, PLASA Show Platinum sponsor Robe occupied a large area and Robe CEO Josef Valchar pronounced himself very pleased.

"We had a really positive reaction to the stand, with people truly thril

UK - Bristol-based lighting and visual specialists Fineline continued their busy summer / autumn event season supplying lighting, LED screens and rigging to Boomerang Hickstead, a new two day music event staged at the All England Jumping Course and Showground at Hickstead, west Sussex, UK.

With a r line up including Jesse J, the Vamps, Soul II Soul, Simple Minds, the Proclaimers and a host of other popular artists, Fineline worked closely with TAO Productions and event technical production manager Andy Cotton.

Fineline's Rob Sangwell commented, "It's always exciting to support and be part of a new event, and we did everything possible to meet headliner requirements and also ensure a great looking lightshow for the many other artists on the bill."

The stage was a 16m Supernova supplied by Serious from which Fineline's crew sub-hung their trussing.

Guest lighting d

UK - CPL provided technical production - including live camera feeds / edit, lighting, audio and AV - for the inaugural AGA Festival, working for live communication and event specialists Eclipse Communications.

Staged in the Ondaatje Theatre lecture hall at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, central London, this new concept enabled AGA enthusiasts to embrace and experience activities related to the brand of cast iron cooking ranges. The action included cooking demos, presentations, guest speakers, the history of AGA and numerous other activities.

CPL's project manager Lee Gruszeckyj worked closely with his counterpart from Eclipse, Dave Bowring and comments, "Being a totally new event, there were plenty of challenges and also a very high expectation of the production which had to be in line with AGA's premium brand image. The one day timeline was tight, but CPL

UK - In the heart of the West-End of London, where the theatre district meets the start of Chinatown, a complex W-DMX system has been installed by Wireless Solution's UK distributor - White Light.

The brief came in by a UK-based lighting consultant. The company was approached by a property management company who is responsible for refurbishing the flats in the Asian district. The request consisted of giving life to Shaftesbury's buildings during night-time, making the district come to life and attract theatre goers and business people in the area.

The project consisted of lighting 11 buildings along 200m, in what is probably one of the most crowded Wi-Fi areas of the city. The use of Wireless was essential to get data across to different blocks of buildings, and to future proof the installation. There will be three phases of this project, the first being lighting the exterior

Japan - The latest New York style 'Living Room Cafe by e-plus' in the Tokyo ward of Shibuya is a cosy live music, art and cultural venue which promotes the concept of artists inviting their friends into the living room. It is also the province's largest live café and situated in this busy shopping and entertainment area, is just three minutes' walk from Shibuya's central station.

Divided into seven zones, surrounded by spacious antique leather sofas, fireplaces and iconic works of art, the music is played out through a combination of Martin Audio DD12, DD6 and XD12 premium loudspeakers.

The main zone is the live space, with the others being designated Main Bar, Terrace Room, Terrace, Private Rooms, Living Space, Patio and Dining Zone.

Dominating the Live zone is Martin Audio's flagship DD12 and PSX sub-bass, which have been adapted for the first time as a main system

Republic of the Congo - Robe's BMFL Blade fixture continues to be a popular choice for designers of large scale ceremonies and events needing some serious power and effect - the latest being the opening ceremony of the 2015 All Africa Games in Brazzerville, Republic of the Congo (République du Congo).

French based creative event production designers Concept K were brought on-board by the With Up agency and commissioned to create the event's lighting and visual design - which also included eye-catching projections onto the field-of-play at the 60,000 capacity Stade Municipal de Kintele venue.

The overall event production company was Richard Attias & Associates. Jérome Pasteur was the chief project manager for With Up and the OC show was directed by Fanny Moreau.

As soon as the job was confirmed, Concept K started thinking about the best lights to realize their d

Japan - Martin Audio Japan has announced the appointment of a new MLA partner in the form of a collaboration between Sound Office and MSS.

Based in Ehime Prefecture, Sound Office and MSS have jointly purchased MLA System 30, comprising of 18 MLA boxes, two MLD Downfill and 10 MLX subs.

President of Sound Office, Mr.Fujiwara said, "We needed to upgrade our sound system, and of course we considered several brands as part of that process. MLA was a strong contender but it's a big commitment too. Sound Office and MSS are located in a small province of Japan and we both wanted to have the newest system, so we had a meeting with the president of MSS, Mr. Miyauchi, and finally we decided to purchase the MLA system together."

President of MSS, Mr.Miyauchi concurred. "I totally agreed when Mr.Fujiwara came to us with the idea of jointly purchasing MLA because we shared

USA - Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, is a historic cinema turned performance venue that has stood as a testament to the diversity of entertainment, as well as the resilience of the area, since 1928. After partnering with promotional entertainment company AEG Live in 2007, Royal Oak Music Theatre (ROMT) has become one of the Detroit area's preeminent venues, hosting a steady stream of live performances from Alabama Shakes to Skrillex, the band Perry to Social Distortion, as well as a wide variety of other events.

ROMT recently sought to upgrade its lighting system in order to make it more attractive to a variety of clients and chose to go with Elation LED fixtures for the progressive benefits they provide like greater reliability, less maintenance and increased energy efficiency, all of which translates into a lower cost of ownership.

Brad

UK - The Royal Armouries is Britain's national museum of arms and armour and one of the most important museums of its type in the world, receiving nearly 2m visitors a year. The Leeds site of The Royal Armouries is a multi-million pound purpose-built museum built to house a large part of the national collection of arms and armour, displaying over 8500 objects throughout six stunning galleries.

Operating within the Leeds museum, Royal Armouries International plc is established as one of the country's leading providers of corporate hospitality and event management, helping make the venue the ideal destination for a conference, exhibition, product launch, awards dinner, fashion show or banquet, offering clients a unique opportunity to entertain amongst one of the World's greatest museum collections.

With Royal Armouries International already relying on a sizable inventory of HK A

UK - Stand-up comedy has a long association with Martin Audio flagship PA systems, and over the years has helped support artists of the calibre of Jack Dee, Lee Evans ... and more recently Kevin Bridges and Michael McIntyre.

Pro audio rental specialists, Capital Sound have featured constantly in these Off The Kerb productions, and one reason for Martin Audio being specified so repeatedly has been the patronage of FOH sound engineer, Phil Tame - who has long been a fan of their flagship line arrays.

"I initially used the W8LC with Lee Evans - and still like it a lot," he said, as the production of Michael McIntyre's Happy & Glorious tour loaded into the O2 Arena for a seven-night residency. "But MLA is something else. I first used it on a comedy gala and also with Lee Evans and was blown away. So with this tour I knew exactly what I was taking on, and it's lived

UK - When the drama facility at Elgin High School in Moray, Scotland, underwent refurbishment earlier this year, Jock Wallace, installations manager at Edinburgh based Black Light was asked to devise a way of providing raised and lower lighting within the studios. With cost and ease of use being significant factors, Jock turned to Doughty Engineering to build a bespoke solution.

Jock explained, "Having worked with the team at Doughty on several other educational projects, I had no hesitation in recommending them to FES Facilities Management, our client who was in charge of the refurbishment."

He continued, "Having looked at various other options, the Doughty Lighting Hoist ticked all the boxes - well priced and designed with the end user in mind. It also has the option of single phase power which made sense for this specific application, saving us time and money

USA - Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year Jason Aldean has taken an incredible journey in his decade-old career. It's an odyssey that has seen him go from having his pickup truck repossessed (an experience he recounts in his song Crazy Town), to climbing to the top of the Nashville scene with 14 Number One singles and the record for the most first day downloads of a country song on Spotify.

Keith Hoagland, lighting designer and director for Aldean's Burn It Down tour, understands this feeling quite well. Hoagland had his rig all set for the tour when he was introduced to the Rogue RH1 Hybrid from Chauvet Professional.

Hoagland changed his rig and added 90 Rogue RH1 Hybrids supplied by Bandit Lites. He flew the moving fixtures around his entire aerial system, which was made up of diagonally arranged truss over both sides of the stage as well as centre sta

UK - The Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014 and is currently implementing a £1.4m refurbishment programme. An integral part of the venue improvements includes the purchase of a new sound system focused on d&b audiotechnik Q-series loudspeakers, supplied by Orbital Sound.

The Assembly Hall's new sound system comprises 16 d&b audiotechnik Q1 loudspeakers, two Q7 centre-fills, six E6 units as front-fills, plus Q-subs and B2 subs, powered by d&b D12 amplifiers.

Mikey Powell, Assembly Hall technical manager, commented, "We secured funding to upgrade our existing loudspeaker system. The budget was limited, but we needed to ensure value for money whilst not compromising sound quality. Jay (James Christie) evaluated the systems available and recommended Orbital Sound as a provider."

James Christie, sound technician

On The Campaign Trail - Aerosmith's Steven Tyler has asked Donald Trump to stop using his band's song Dream On on the campaign trail. The singer's lawyers have sent a cease-and-desist letter, saying the use of the song "gives a false impression" he endorses Mr Trump's presidential bid. The politician has been playing the power ballad all summer, even air-drumming to it at a rally in Las Vegas. Tyler, who is a registered Republican, says it is not a "personal" issue but one of permission and copyright.

It is the third time a musician has confronted Trump about using their songs to promote his presidential bid. When the businessman announced his candidacy, his campaign played Neil Young's Rockin' in the Free World - a song that contains the lyrics "He's just a rich old man / He never cared for anyone". Young, a well-known liberal, demand

UK - Aurora Lighting Hire has returned to the studio with LD Chris Rigby for premier BBC music show, Later... with Jools Holland.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the Maidstone Studios, Later is serious about its music and key consideration is given to the lighting throughout all aspects of the production.

With the studio audience instructed to wear dark clothing so not to detract from the performance, the brief for the show is to allow the music to speak for itself and for the lighting to subtly complement, rather than overpower the musical content.

To achieve the range of looks required to accompany the eclectic mix of artists and musical styles, Aurora has provided LD Chris Rigby with a range of automated heads and a selection of LEDs that allow the versatility to illuminate both the 'floating' set pieces and the stage floor, whether it be large scale

UK - With its glass pyramid structure having welcomed everyone from Muse to Coldplay through the years, the Portsmouth Pyramids has been an regular stop on the UK touring band circuit. Its proud musical pedigree notwithstanding, however, the Pyramids leads something of a double life today. When it isn't rocking as a concert venue on weekends, it's serving as a leisure centre during the week.

This multi-functionality makes the facility more valuable to its community, but it also creates a challenge when lighting concerts. Local company GLS Lighting has met this challenge with some help from Chauvet Professional's Rogue Series of moving fixtures.

"It isn't practical to have a fixed concert house rig here, because the building functions as a leisure centre on weekdays," said Ian Turner of GLS Lighting, who was tasked with providing the venue with a new concert lighting

Kazakhstan - Aiming to bring a 'taste of Vegas' to Kyzylorda in Kazakhstan, the Aray Club was recently equipped with a NEXT-proaudio sound reinforcement system, distributed by the manufacturer's Kazakhstan distributor Sound Light Systems.

Fast becoming Kyzylorda's ultimate lifestyle party destination, Aray Club in southern Kazakhstan will regularly feature top notch entertainment whilst redefining the standards of luxury clubbing with more than 300 seats, an Kazakhstanunique contemporary musical and lighting equipment, a huge dynamic dancing, delicious food and drinks, and of course the show programme with participation of international singers.

The audio experience is powered by Sound Light Systems using the NEXT LA series as well as PFA Series speakers.

The Aray Club is equipped with a NEXT-proaudio sound system, comprising eight LA122 and 4 LAs218 as the main system and 1

Finland - Lighting and set designer Mikki Kunttu has used an array of Clay Paky Mythos and A.leda B-EYE K20 fixtures to create a truly stunning lighting design for a production of symphonic poem Kullervo at the Finnish National Opera.

Composed by Finnish national composer Jean Sibelius and first performed in Helsinki in 1892, the opera is based on the character of Kullervo in the epic poem Kalevala. A dance element choreographed by Tero Saarinen and performed by the Finnish National Ballet was added to this 2015 production, which celebrated 150 years since the birth of Sibelius. Kunttu specified 52 x Mythos and 48 x B-EYEs from Bright Finland for key lighting in the piece.

"The brightness of the Mythos fixtures was undoubtedly the most important quality in the visual picture of the production," says Kunttu. "They delivered the final incredible punc

Germany - . Both show's audio systems were supplied by Bottrop, West Central Germany-based TDA Söhne Mannheims, founded in Mannheim in 1995, celebrated their 20th anniversary this summer with two sold out shows in their hometownRental, with a DiGiCo SD5 at Front of House and two SD7s for monitors.

Roger Wagener has known the band for over a decade and has manned the FOH position for Söhne Mannheims for the last two and half years, using the SD5 from the moment it was available.

"I use an SD5 with the Waves package on board," he says. "It's an amazing workhorse! DiGiCo has been my first choice since I did my first show with a D5 back in 2005 and I have done hundreds of shows with them since.

"The SD7 is the ultimate monitor desk. We used two at monitors because we had to split band and singers pretty much 50:50 (there are 21 of them in total) in order to

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