UK - At this year’s KartFest, the Village Fete saw Backup launch Are You OK?, a campaign aimed at raising further awareness of mental health throughout the technical entertainment industry.
Founded in the early 2000’s to provide financial support to technical professionals across sectors such as concert, live events, theatre, TV and film, Backup expanded its remit during the pandemic and has adapted its services to support colleagues not just potential facing financial hardship from physical illness, but their mental health and wellbeing.
The annual KartFest has been the most prominent and successful of Backup’s fundraising activities, bringing together karting fans and spectators alike to enjoy a fun-filled day, with this year’s Village Fete theme adding much to the enjoyment whilst raising money and much-needed awareness of their cause. Around 70% of the technical industry’s crew is freelance, and since the pandemic, Backup has seen a marked increase in mental health support requests, evidencing the lack of support, resources and aid provided for this valued workforce.
This year, Backup announced its new campaign, Are You OK?, to signpost easy, confidential, and sensitive access to both urgent and non-urgent mental health support, with a focus on the freelancers who are not otherwise supported. Working with industry suppliers and venues, Backup will provide a single point of access for the technical industry’s crew members and freelancers by utilising industry equipment, noticeboards, and venues to place prominent campaign posters with
Anti-War Revival - A revival of Oh What a Lovely War will mark the 60th anniversary of Joan Littlewood’s anti-war musical as it tours nationally from September. Produced by Blackeyed Theatre, the run will include three weeks at Southwark Playhouse Borough. It stars Christopher Arkeston, Rose Bruford graduate Tom Crabtree, Harry Curley, and Alice E Mayer.
The production is directed by Nicky Allpress with musical direction by Ellie Verkerk and movement direction by Adam Haigh. Allpress said: “I’m so thrilled to be directing this unique piece of theatrical history, having followed Blackeyed Theatre and their extraordinary work for many years.
“One of the most exciting things about Oh What a Lovely War is how universal, timeless, and ever relevant it is, and testament to the brilliance of the work is how it can bear endless reinterpretation. Our concept will explore the idea of war as a circus, with an incredibly talented company of actor-musicians bringing Joan Littlewood’s ground-breaking classic to life with music, comedy, and stories.” Oh What a Lovely War was originally workshopped by Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963.
Christmas Actually - Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis has announced a new Christmas show, which will come to the stage in London this December. Christmas Actually is not an adaptation of his beloved festive film, which was released in 2003. Instead, it will be a variety show in aid of Comic Relief, featuring live music, performance, poetry and comedy.
USA - Behind the Scenes has announced that GLP German Light Products has joined its Pledge-of-Support Programme. The company will contribute a portion of the profits from their new Creative Light products to Behind the Scenes.
GLP German Light products provides designers around the globe with environmentally friendly and energy-optimised lighting solutions that are both uncompromisingly creative and powerful. Creative Light products are the first battery-powered and completely wireless creative LED systems for maximum flexibility in an almost unlimited range of applications.
Director of sales and marketing for GLP German Light Products Tyler Wise states: “Partnering with the Behind the Scenes Pledge-of-Support Programme is important to GLP because we believe so much in the organisation and its value to the industry. BTS provides direct positive impact to colleagues and friends we work with every day all across the country so this opportunity to contribute in collaboration with our clients is really beneficial for everyone.”
Rick Rudolph, BTS Foundation chair, comments: “Behind the Scenes is thrilled to have GLP as a part of our Pledge-of-Support Programme. GLP German Light Products values the impact Behind the Scenes has had on the industry and we know that they are dedicated to sustaining our mission.”
UK - Production Futures is an initiative created to provide opportunities for young people to learn, train, network, and develop real careers in production across every area of the Live Event, Music, Touring, Festival, Theatre, TV, Broadcast and Film industries.
At its most recent On Tour roadshow event in Manchester, which was opened by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, chief executive Hannah Eakins announced the expansion of the Production Futures Breakthrough Talent Awards to better reflect the wide range of roles and skill sets required across the production industry. These rely heavily on transferable skills such as computer science, architecture, engineering and business management, as well those associated with the traditional event-management, music, TV, film, media and live technical fields. Hannah explains:
“The Production Futures initiative originated as The Breakthrough Talent Awards and they have been a fundamental part of our mission from day one. This expanded format takes us back to the roots of Production Futures and the reasons why we wanted to recognise young talent. We began as a very small awards ceremony in 2016 that sought not only to mark the achievements of young people in the production industries, but to inspire the next generation coming through.
“Since those early days, with the support of key industry partners, we’ve grown to become a community for real opportunity - the last six years have produced 22 winners of the Breakthrough Talent Awards who are now occupying significant roles at a wide range of compani
City Break - The city of Malmö is to host next year's 68th Eurovision Song Contest, it was announced on Friday, following Sweden's victory in Liverpool in May. The coastal town in the south of the country was selected ahead of the capital Stockholm after "dialogue with several cities", organisers said.
The Malmö Arena will stage the semi-finals on 7 and 9 May 2024, as well as the final on 11 May. Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, said the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) was "thrilled" that Sweden's third-largest city will host it for a third time. "Malmö holds a special place in the history of the contest, having successfully hosted it firstly in 1992 and then in 2013 - following Loreen's last win," he said.
"We're excited to be returning to this vibrant and dynamic city which has demonstrated it has the venues and infrastructure that are perfect for staging the world's largest live music event." He added that the city's bid "demonstrated a huge passion" for the contest.
In The Courts - When Aretha Franklin died in August 2018, it was thought that she had left behind no will for an estate worth millions. But months later, handwritten wills were found in a cabinet and under a sofa cushion at her home in suburban Detroit, Michigan. A jury will now determine which of two documents should be ruled as the Queen of Soul's valid last testament. The trial began on Monday and is expected to last less than a week. A six-person jury at the Oakland County Probate Court will hear from witnesses, inc
USA - The 2023 Behind the Scenes Holiday Cards are now on sale at the BTS Boutique. This year’s collection features a mix of six different designs created especially for the charity by Alyssa Collister, Ryan Dantuono, Scott Kinnebrew, and Robert Mendoza. BTS is also bringing back two past favourites by Alex Elmendorf and William Gerton.
Cards are available in a variety of options: card packs of 10 with a standard greeting, personalised cards with a company logo and custom message, and electronic cards in multiple file formats and an array of price points starting at $20.
Sending a BTS holiday card helps spread the word about the charity and lets your recipients know you are supporting industry colleagues who are ill or injured as well as the BTS Mental Health Initiative.
Orders for printed cards will be taken until 26 September to arrive by late November. Electronic card orders will be taken until 15 December. View and order cards at www.behindthescenescharity.org/holidaycards.
UK - For a second year, PLASA is able to support UK-based companies who wish to exhibit at LDI. Working in conjunction with the Department for Business and Trade, UK companies can make their debut at the Las Vegas trade show for a specially reduced rate.
When LDI returns this year from 3-5 December, the show will yet again feature the Meet the Brits Pavilion, which will introduce UK companies to the expansive US market and facilitate valuable in-person networking.
The Meet the Brits package includes a 5sq.ft logo-branded kiosk, complete with furniture, lighting and power, as well as online and onsite promotion. With PLASA’s support, this package is reduced from $3,800 down to $2,600.
Exhibitors in the Meet the Brits Pavilion will also gain an invitation to a special networking reception and have the opportunity to attend the Department for Business and Trade Export Academy Programme. Onsite support will also be provided by both PLASA and the Department for Business and Trade.
In addition to LDI’s 16,000+ visitors, exhibitors may also encounter visitors from co-located shows XLIVE and DSE which showcase innovative event technology, interactive display technology and digital signage.
To be eligible, your company’s head office must be based in the UK; your company must not have exhibited at LDI before; and your company must not have any US distribution in place.
Last year’s Meet the Brits exhibitors included Total Solutions Group and Le Mark.
Ian Hall, sales director for Total Solutions Group, comments: “Being part of
Strong Performance - Turnover at Nimax Theatres rose to £31.9m in the year ending October 2022, which marks the first full year of trading figures since the pandemic and a 6.7% increase on 2019. When compared to the previous year, ending October 2021 and including disruption caused by the pandemic, the increase in turnover is 289%.
Nimax Theatres’ venues include the Palace, the Garrick, the Duchess, the Vaudeville, the Apollo and the Lyric theatres in the West End. According to its annual accounts filed this month, turnover to October 2, 2022 was £31.9m. This is up from £29.9m compared with 2019, prior to the pandemic. In the year ending October 2021, turnover was just £8.2m. According to the accounts, profit for the financial period in 2022 was £6.7m
The accounts state that "a major aspect of the strong performance was the successful run of the shows in the year in all the theatres, with five shows playing for the whole of the year, resulting in only three dark weeks". It highlights shows such as The Play that Goes Wrong, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Six, Get Up, Stand Up! and The Drifters Girl as performing "well ahead of expectations in terms of attendances, box office, ticketing revenues and retail spend".
Final Curtain - Wham star Andrew Ridgeley has said he wishes they had taken their final show on the road - 37 years to the day from their farewell gig at Wembley stadium. Decisively titled The Final, it came nearly four years after their first hit, Young Guns, and marked the
UK - Roger Fox and John Whitaker have retired as directors of global technical theatre consultancy Theatreplan.
Both men helped to build the consultancy whilst working alongside the late pioneering stage engineer, Richard Brett. Having been with Theatreplan as partners and subsequently directors for a combined total of over 60 years, they will be continuing their working association with Theatreplan, as founder consultants.
Fox has brought his knowledge and expertise to a wide range of important heritage theatre projects, including at the Royal Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, and the Victoria Hall and Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, which was one of his first, and biggest projects, involving the repurposing of a 1928 cinema into a modern touring theatre.
Fox also worked as project leader for the technical installations at the St. Luke’s Centre for the London Symphony Orchestra, the refurbishment of the Broadway Theatre, Barking, the conversion of a sports hall into the Cotterell Theatre at Kingston College, and the refurbishment of the People’s Palace at Queen Mary College, University of London.
Whitaker was part of the team that designed Theatreplan’s flagship venue, Copenhagen Opera House which opened in 2014. He considers London’s St James Theatre (now The Other Palace) and the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, as highlights of his consultancy career. Other projects include the Derngate in Northampton, Brighton Dome, and School of the Arts and Genexis Theatre in Singapore. Whitaker has become a specialist in smaller flexib
UK - PLASA and LSi are calling for nominations for this year’s Gottelier Award. The award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products, from pioneering product developers to creative R&D teams.
Named after the late lighting designer and industry commentator Tony Gottelier, the Gottelier Award aims to recognise product developers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of entertainment, presentation, or installation technology.
Launched in 2007, previous recipients include: JB Toby (Avolites), Christian Heil (L-Acoustics); Alan Jacobi (Unusual Rigging); Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence); Anne Valentino (ETC); David Cunningham (Entertec); Pasquale Quadri (Claypaky); Jim Bornhorst (Vari-Lite); John Meyer (Meyer Sound); Terry Clarke (Klark Teknik, MC2 Audio); Fred Foster (ETC); Alex Cooper (Midas & Klark Teknik); John Stadius (DiGiCo / Soundtracs); and Tony Andrews (Funktion-One).
If you work with or know of a respected product developer or R&D team, please email awards@plasashow.com by Friday 28 July with a brief summary of the product/s they have been instrumental in creating.
Voting will then open to registered PLASA Show visitors, PLASA members, and readers of LSi from Tuesday 1 August. The winner of the Gottelier Award will be announced during an intimate ceremony from 6pm on Monday 4 September at PLASA Show 2023, which is held at Olympia London.
Find out more about the Gottelier Award and the PLASA Awards for Innovation at: test
USA - The Long Reach Long Riders hosted an auction to benefit Behind the Scenes at their 20th Anniversary Ride’s celebratory banquet earlier this month. The auction itself was quite special, including only one item, a detailed quilt incorporating t-shirts from every charity ride hosted by the LRLR over their 20-year history. The quilt was created and donated, “a true labour of love” by long time BTS supporters and quilters Shan and Trish Ayers.
The Ayers regularly donate many of their intricate handcrafted woodwork creations, including items to be auctioned off during the annual LRLR Raffle at the USITT conference as well as for sale on the Behind the Scenes website. Shan Ayers comments: “The quilt idea came about during casual conversation at the BTS booth this past March in St. Louis. The timetable was tight, so we immediately went to work. The work that LRLR and BTS do for those in the industry who are in need is invaluable! We were honoured, and humbled, to be asked to be a part of this project.”
Once the auction was underway, a bidding war ensued. Ultimately, Bill Sapsis, one of the founders of the Long Reach Long Riders, emerged the winner. Bill notes: “The LRLR are family, and the 20th anniversary commemorative quilt represents everyone’s efforts to support the ride and the Behind the Scenes charity. It’s an honour to become its caretaker. I will cherish it, and the LRLR, always.”
The auction added energy to an already exciting celebration for the Long Reach Long Riders. Commemorating 20 years of riding for charity, LRLR co
Liechtenstein - The Neutrik Group has introduced a range of products, from its Contrik brand of portable power distribution systems, especially designed for deployment in harsh all-weather application environments.
The range of Xtreme Outdoor (XO) / Active designated products includes Power Container, Power Rack and Power Turtle systems. Designed and precision manufactured, using high quality electrical and electronic components, in the EU, they are intended for mobile entertainment production applications, including video walls, stage lighting and audio installations.
The XO designation denotes the extensive environmental protection features, additional to Contrik’s usual certification standards, guaranteeing high levels of mechanical (IK) and environmental (IP) protection. These include enhanced protective housings and self-closing caps. Protection up to the IP65 level against particulate and liquid ingression, with CEE / cPot in mated condition. The ‘Active’ label refers to the products featuring active components like circuit breakers.
Power Container Xtreme provides a rugged, reliable and especially powerful distribution solution, ideally suited to the most demanding applications such as video walls, says Neutrik.
Power Rack Xtreme is a powerful and reliable distribution solution suited to integration in outboard electronics and amplifier racks.
Power Turtle Xtreme is an ultra-compact, lightweight, ultra-rugged solution for rapid, mobile applications, including the quick and easy extension of larger power networks.
Last Farewell - Amid much publicity, Elton John played the last UK show of his farewell tour at Glastonbury, watched by a crowd, estimated to be over 120,000 people. A record 7.3m people tuned in to watch live on BBC One, according to initial ratings. That was the biggest ever overnight audience for a Glastonbury set, the BBC said. In comparison, last year Diana Ross was the most-watched star with 3.1m and Paul McCartney's headline set was seen by 2.7m. "It's a very special and emotional night for me as it may be my last show in England, in Great Britain," said the singer.
Meltdown - Soaring temperatures forced the cancellation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - The Musical at the New Wimbledon over the weekend. As temperatures rose above 30C, the venue said its priority was to protect theatre workers. In a statement posted on social media, the theatre said: “Due to outside temperatures in excess of 30C and its impact on working conditions on stage, we have reluctantly taken the decision to cancel today’s performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
It added: “The safety of our staff and visiting company is of the utmost importance to us. We deeply apologise for any inconvenience caused." Last summer, union Equity issued guidance to help producers and venues keep workers safe during hot weather. It advised modifying strenuous choreography and minimising the use of lighting rigs prior to a show. In 2022, musical Six introduced pauses during the production to allow its cast to rehydrate and stay cool. Equity war
UK - The beginning of June marked four months since the launch of The Power of Events. The prime focus has been on the platform itself, providing a single destination dedicated to showcasing all seven core sectors of the UK events industry, as well as profiling the essential industry community, says the latest report from the not-for-profit company established in 2022.
From a standing start, over 25K unique visitors have to date visited the platform since launch, with positive feedback. It has seen consistent engagement with the podcast listings and the events calendar.
Helping do all of this are the range of industry community partners representing all seven core sectors - 25 leading Trade Associations, 21 media publications, 30 supporting organisations focused on DEI, sustainability, welfare/skills and 10 university partners.
Over 500 organisations have also already come on board as supporters that include a broad range of industry leaders, as well as many supplier partners. The purpose-driven support and shared values has resulted in £200k now contributed to the operational fund since it was opened a year ago. The immediate priority is to complete the development work on the Industry Insight App ready for a cross four-nation roadshow launch programme in October 2023.
The app is designed to be a useful tool for partners to help them with their insight/data and research needs. Several projects are already in development, including with Leeds Beckett University and also initial planning of supporting a freelance data insight project for late
USA - Behind the Scenes has announced the launch of its new affinity fundraising initiative, Ghostlight Groups. The programme, created in effort to raise awareness and funds to benefit the charity, seeks to honour the importance of community and volunteerism in our industry.
Ghostlight Groups are volunteer led groups that gather to raise money for Behind the Scenes through an event or activity of shared interest. Groups may choose an activity like skiing, golfing, or quilting. They might hold a regular meeting of a book club, or monthly movie nights. Ghostlight Group’s events or activities can be anything people do in their precious spare time. The decision of what is left to those organizing the group, but more important is that those volunteers have a why; an affinity for the BTS mission, and a desire to create community.
The Rocky Mountain Ghostlight Riders (RMGR) became the charity’s first Ghostlight Group with their inaugural Deadwood Run motorcycle ride earlier this month. The ride, which took off from the Denver Performing Arts Complex rode nearly 400 miles to the town of Deadwood, South Dakota for which the ride was named. Heavy rains kept the group from their initial destination of Badlands National Park, but the RMGR enjoyed visiting the many attractions in the town before heading back to Denver. RMGR traversed over 700 miles of scenic beauty for the weekend in support of Behind the Scenes.
RMGR group organiser Mark Heiser noted, “To me there's nothing better than getting out on the motorcycle, rain or shine. It's a bonus to be raisi
UK - The widely respected PLASA Awards for Innovation are now open for entries, for any product released since PLASA Show 2022. The awards are open to all, including PLASA Show 2023 exhibitors, PLASA members, and non-member non-exhibitors. And this year, early bird entries can save 20% off the entry fee if they submit their application by midnight on Monday 7 August.
Organised in association with LSi, PLASA’s market-leading magazine, the awards celebrate innovative products from across the live entertainment technology industry that demonstrate a new style of thinking, improve technical practice or safety, introduce new materials or techniques, or offer a new commercial advantage.
Each successfully entered product will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts who have the authority to present up to eight awards of equal standing, one of which can be upgraded to a Gold Award for an outstanding new product. Last year, Aytron scooped Gold for Cobra.
Furthermore, an Award for Sustainability is reserved for a product that can demonstrate a significant reduction of power, utilises renewable energy, or has a positive impact on the environment. Last year, this was won for the first time in many years by Artistic Licence for their Micro-Scope upgrade kit.
Fellow 2022 Innovation Award winners were: Minuit Une for IVL Photon, Nicolaudie for Wolfmix W1, PMI Gear for Smokegenie, Robe for Robin iForte, Sauca for Live Light, Shure for KSM11, and XM Automation for XMove.
At the show, all nominated product
Renewable Energy - Glastonbury Festival will be run entirely by renewable energy this year. All production areas will either be powered by electricity from "fossil fuel-free sources" or will run on solar panels and battery hybrid systems. Generators will run on fuel made from waste cooking oil and Arcadia's giant fire-breathing spider will also run entirely off recycled biofuels.
Organisers said "sustainability has always been at the heart" of the festival. In 2010, the festival's cowsheds were covered with enough solar panels to power 40 homes, making it the largest privately owned solar power station in the UK at the time. The site has also welcomed a temporary new wind turbine in Williams Green to provide clean power to some market stalls, and solar energy is used to power the Farm and Festival offices.
Organisers said: "Our Green Fields have run on solar, wind and pedal power since 1984, setting a fossil-fuel free standard we've always aspired towards implementing across the festival. Since then we have been drawing on technological innovation to help reduce our use of fossil fuels and strive towards creating a festival that is as sustainable as possible." In 2019, the festival banned single-use plastic from the site and has asked fans not to bring disposable vapes this year. The festival also has its own on-site recycling facility to reduce waste sent to landfill.
In The Courts - A group of 17 music publishers in the US has sued Twitter, claiming the platform enabled copyright violations involving nearly 1,700 songs. The National Music P
Turkey - Show architects Black Skull Creative and Balich Wonder Studios collaborated to present Pepsi’s 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show on 10 June in Istanbul.
Brazilian pop sensation Anitta and Grammy award-winning Nigerian superstar Burna Boy and special guest multi-platinum DJ and producer Alesso featured in the show.
Black Skull’s Jay Revell comments: "With The 2023 UEFA Champions League Final Kick Off Show by Pepsi, we wanted to showcase the immense power of football to unite diverse fans and cultures. Istanbul, a symbol of global cultures, serves as the perfect backdrop for this unforgettable TV spectacle.
“By enlisting artists from three different continents - Africa, South America, and Europe - we wanted to highlight the global reach and influence of football. This show is a testament to the unifying force that brings powerful, distinct talents together, all whilst fostering a collective experience that we hope will resonate with fans worldwide."
Marking Pepsi’s seventh time delivering the pre-game entertainment for the UEFA Champions League Final, the Kick Off Show by Pepsi took place in front of a sold-out Atatürk Olympic Stadium crowd ahead of the clash between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians’ Annual Awards took place on Wednesday evening, 7 June, after the first day of the 2023 ABTT Theatre Show at Alexandra Palace, London. This year, the awards were again generously supported by TAIT.
Ted Moore, director of rental services, said of the Awards: “TAIT is really proud to be here once again to sponsor the ABTT Awards Presentation, one of the best globally in our industry. We wish all the nominees good luck and give congratulations to whoever the winners may be.”
The five highly sought after Awards for Lighting Product, Sound Product, Engineering Product, ‘Widget’ and Stand of the Year, were complemented by the announcement of the recipients of the ABTT Technician of the Year and the ABTT Award for Emerging Excellence which recognise the achievements of individuals both starting out and well-established in their backstage careers.
This was followed by the newest category, the “ABTT Award for Environmental Sustainability” which is presented to someone who ‘over the past 12 months has made a significant contribution to furthering environmental sustainability within the theatre industry’.
The Jury, made up of an experienced group of working practitioners and industry peers, awarded as follows:
Lighting Product of the Year: GDS Drive Hub; highly commended: Lamp and Pencil Candles
Sound Product of the Year: Atlas Show Control for Spatial Audio; highly commended: Nemesis OSCA product range.
Engineering Product of the Year: Harlequin
Saudi Arabia - EFM Global has opened a 43,000sq ft warehouse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (KSA), further highlighting its commitment to the region. Strategically located, the traditional, base level structure is designed to support growth for existing and for new customers.
In the Middle East since 2008, EFM has provided for tours, festivals, film, international sports, exhibitions and much more - Kendrick Lamar, MDLBeast Soundstorm, Desert Warrior, the Dubai World Cup closing ceremony and the Amakin Exhibition being a handful of recent projects.
The size and scale of its Riyadh facility puts EFM in a strong position in terms of competitors’ capacity in Saudi Arabia and the company is looking forward to the difference it will make to clients’ event ambitions and execution.
Group CEO, Mike Llewellyn, comments: “Having recently celebrated 15 years in Dubai it feels really good to add to our Saudi Arabia/Middle East footprint. A significant investment in the future, the new warehouse is one of our biggest and, in such a burgeoning events market with so many projects in the pipeline, we anticipate space there being in high demand.”
With an experienced management and operational network in Dubai supporting the fast-growing Riyadh team, in step with demand, EFM can also assist with an Importer of Record (IOR) service for event equipment in KSA.
Artificial Intelligence - Sir Paul McCartney says he has employed artificial intelligence to help create what he calls "the final Beatles record". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the technology had been used to "extricate" John Lennon's voice from an old demo so he could complete the song. "We just finished it up and it'll be released this year," he explained.
Sir Paul did not name the song, but it is likely to be a 1978 Lennon composition called Now And Then. It had already been considered as a possible "reunion song" for the Beatles in 1995, as they were compiling their career-spanning Anthology series. Sir Paul had received the demo a year earlier from Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. It was one of several songs on a cassette labelled ‘For Paul’ that Lennon had made shortly before his death in 1980.
The tracks were largely recorded onto a boombox as the musician sat at a piano in his New York apartment. Cleaned up by producer Jeff Lynne, two of those songs - Free As A Bird and Real Love - were completed and released in 1995 and '96, marking the Beatles' first "new" material in 25 years.
More Investment - Sound designer Carolyn Downing has called for more support for young artists in creative roles, warning that many are vulnerable when they are “thrust into difficult positions”. Downing picked up the best sound design award for Life of Pi at this year’s Tony Awards. Speaking after the ceremony, she said that there was a positive shift in theatre to support women and non-binary people at the star
Song Tracking - The music industry has committed to improving metadata for tracking songs on music streaming platforms, following widespread criticism from artists. The writers, performers and producers of songs will now be consistently identified. These creators say they do not receive their fair share of royalties when tracks are played on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. It comes as the government launches a group to look into these concerns.
Sir John Whittingdale, minister for the creative industries, said the move would help the UK to "offer viable career opportunities". "This landmark agreement on streaming metadata is a step towards ensuring UK musicians in the digital age are fairly credited and compensated for their contributions and creativity," he said. "I'm pleased to be bringing the industry together so we can explore wider issues around music creator remuneration more generally."
The government has been investigating music streaming since 2019, and in 2021 identified an "imbalance" in royalties. It has launched a working group to specifically look at how artists are compensated. Dame Caroline Dinenage, who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee investigating the industry, said it was a "welcome step towards addressing the frustrations of musicians and songwriters whose pay falls far short of a fair level". But it should result in concrete change and not be just a "talking shop", she added.
Windrush Choir - A reggae orchestra and Windrush choir are to open the Pyramid Stage on the final day
South Africa - Elation Professional's exclusive sales partner in South Africa, The Production Warehouse, took to the road in mid-May to show first-hand to customers an array of its latest lighting products including luminaires from Elation’s popular Proteus, Fuze, and KL series.
While theatre, rental house and broadcast clients took the opportunity to demo products, the tour, which visited Johannesburg 15-16 May and Cape Town 18-19 May, was a chance for the AV distribution company to renew relationships post-pandemic.
Marnus Nieuwoudt, owner of The Production Warehouse, stated: “Being our first major roadshow post-Covid, the roadshow wasn't only about showcasing the latest technology Elation has to offer, it was more about reconnecting and networking with old friends and colleagues, while meeting some new customers along the way.”
Marnus says that, not surprisingly, the market-leading Proteus line of IP65 lights gained a lot of interest from customers, especially the Proteus Maximus, Proteus Lucius, Proteus Rayzor Blades and Proteus Rayzor series. “I believe this stems from how Elation has managed to evolve past the basic IP65 water resistance for temporary outdoor use, but rather to the point of Marine grade specification making it suitable for permanent outdoor installation. This is something that is especially useful in the harsh, unpredictable climates of the coastal South African towns.”
The KL series, including the range of KL Fresnels and softlights, was also a definite hit, Marnus noted, not only among rental and theatrical
UK - The ABTT’s first Make A Difference conference took place at the Albany Theatre on Friday 21 April, 2023, and the association has now announced the release of the conference’s full report.
70 industry delegates from across the country and a range of companies, venues, organisations and institutions were in attendance to discuss the industry’s current recruitment and retention challenges. The report outlines the issues which were discussed and the actions that were suggested. It also reports on some things that have already happened as a result of the conference day.
The “conference day was developed in order to find a way to better host and join-up some of the thinking that was happening throughout the year in ABTT seminars and at the ABTT Theatre Show. It was also intended that the conference would not only further nurture these discussions but would also provide a more proactive and positive platform to encourage actions and stimulate the development of working solutions. By providing time away from the busy workplace and the buzz of a trade show, it was possible to create a better environment to think, consider and commit.
A short survey was conducted prior to conference day to explore the thoughts and opinions of a wide range of practitioners on the current recruitment and retention challenge faced by the sector. Over 400 responses were recorded and the data from this survey was presented to the conference delegates at a pre-conference meeting on March 31st. (The survey data can be found in the Recruitment & Retention Survey Re