USA - When Michael Garrison Associates (MGA) was contracted to upgrade the existing loudspeaker system for Abundant Church’s 3,600-seat main auditorium at its East Campus (AC-East) in El Paso, Texas, president/owner Michael Garrison and his team turned to Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) and its ADAPTive PA system.
MGA and Abundant Church have a long working history, as they partnered together back in 2004-07 to design and install the original loudspeaker system for the then new AC-East facility. Ten years later, MGA was on the team to develop plans for a new “satellite” campus on the west side of El Paso, featuring an 1,800-seat main auditorium. The Abundant Church leadership wanted to “raise the bar” for this project, so MGA presented an option to employ EAW’s ADAPTive technology in a true “left, center, right” system, where each of the three arrays individually cover the entire fan-shaped seating area.
“The ability of ADAPTive to be hung straight to smoothly cover wide seating areas, plus its stellar sonic performance made it a no brainer for the church to choose this product,” says Garrison. The final design for the West Campus (AC-West) consisted of 26 Anna main modules and eight Otto subwoofers; it was commissioned in May 2017.
“I am impressed with this system’s imagery and coverage throughout the room – it’s beyond anything I’ve heard in a live setting,” says John Buntyn, Abundant Church’s audio director. “The system’s ability to respond to minute adjustments makes it a joy to mix on. I appreciate that the m

The Netherlands - The newest addition to the Dutch based Jules Boules Bites Bar chain of drinking, dining and jeu de boules experience venues has opened in the city of Rotterdam. Its exclusively Amate Audio sound installation prominently features the company’s latest G7 loudspeaker.
This, the fifth branch of the themed restaurant chain, encompasses a 12-lane indoor jeu de boules ‘parcours’, together with extensive bar and restaurant facilities. Audio for the entire bar and restaurant area is provided by an installation of 12 ultra-compact G7 loudspeaker cabinets and a pair of N12WP subs - the titanium colour scheme of the G7 cabinets matching the exposed metal work in the ceiling.
A separate installation for the jeu de boules parcours comprises 12 Amate Audio Nítid series S6P 2-way, high power handling birch ply cabinets, together with a pair of N18WP subs.
Power for both installation zones is provided from a rack of seven Amate Audio HD series high efficiency amplifiers, totalling almost 13,000W RMS power. System control is managed with two LMS608 loudspeaker management processors.
Specifications include four analogue and dual channel AES/EBU inputs, and eight analogue XLR outputs, a 64-bit DSP architecture, and a continuous ‘around the clock’ operating capability.
Rotterdam based Imagination AV’s technical sales manager Jason Lupgens states: “In keeping with the ‘high-end’ interior design, we needed to visually blend the loudspeakers, in so far as possible, with the decor. In a meeting with the owner, Peter van Leeu

USA - The Landon Arena at Stormont Vail Events Centre has been the place to see basketball and hockey games in Topeka since it was constructed in the 1980s. The 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena also hosts large events and live music. Avant Acoustics chose Fulcrum Acoustic loudspeakers to upgrade the sound system during the latest renovation.
Avant Acoustics specified Fulcrum’s FH15 Full-Range Coaxial Horn for its broadband pattern control to avoid interferences caused by the room reflections. “We considered a system of distributed line arrays, but that would have been cost prohibitive, as would adding acoustical treatment,” says designer John Hodgson. “We knew that Fulcrum’s FH series would provide the level of audio quality and clarity that was required even in the absence of additional acoustical treatment for the room. We listened to a demo of the new FH loudspeakers and knew they were the best point source option for the project.”
The new video board installation prevented the loudspeakers from being placed in the centre for aesthetic and weight reasons. To work around this, Avant Acoustic designed the FH15s in six separate arrays of three around the arena to cover the stands and to fire back at the arena floor. “Often when we design point source arrays, we struggle to get them in an acoustically appropriate arrangement due to interference,” says Hodgson. “The FH arrays very well due to its pattern control and coaxial design. The intelligibility of the new system is great for such a reverberant space.”
Hodgson chose Fulcrum’s

Poland - Streamed performances have become a routine way of taking the performing arts to audiences on a scale that nobody could have anticipated just 18 months ago. After difficulties with the technical sound production of Opera Wrocławska’s first streamed production, a Yamaha Rivage PM7 digital mixing system has changed everything for its audio department.
Streaming has offered a vital lifeline for the arts during the pandemic, but there has been the question of whether larger scale productions like orchestral concerts and major theatrical shows can stream their performances with the necessary artistic effect? An essential part of achieving this is, of course, how the production sounds.
In 2020, Poland’s Opera Wrocławska embraced live streaming, but it was presented with two key problems: Firstly, of 300 staff, the venue’s sound department comprised just three people - Grzegorz Bieńko, Sebastian Jarus and Jakub Krzysiek - who had no experience of streaming productions. Secondly, the mixing capacity was three Yamaha DM2000 mixing consoles, which were not ideal for adapting to streamed shows.
“The DM2000 is still a great audio consoles for theatrical use but, due to its age and facilities, it was difficult for us to deliver the best quality for a live stream,” says Grzegorz.
Undaunted, when tasked with directing the sound for Opera Wrocławska’s first streamed live concert - an orchestral version of Stanisław Moniuszko's opera Straszny dwór (The Haunted Manor) - Grzegorz, Sebastian and Jakub rose to the challen

Sweden - Improving the sound for the congregation in an ancient church can be a difficult task. But Yamaha’s VXL series slim line array speakers make it much easier, as demonstrated in the medieval church at Säve, near Gothenburg.
“The church’s audio system was at least 20 years old. It was outdated, with a non-standard mixer and speakers/amplifier designed for home use. So it could not possibly deliver sound of acceptable quality,” says Sten E. Ranwald of Gothenburg-based Ljud & Säkerhet.
Sten was asked to improve the 13th century church’s sound but, because of its historic structure and decor, it needed to be done very sensitively. “We could not interfere with the structure of the church or place any equipment that would have a visual impact,” he says.
“After the old system was removed and while the church’s electrical system was being upgraded, the staff were able to rent a Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K all-in-one, portable PA. This system alone almost filled the church with clear, seamless sound and it helped a lot in their choice of manufacturer for a new, permanent solution.”
The Yamaha system which Sten specified and installed comprises two VXL1W-24 slim line array speakers and a DXS12mkII 12” powered subwoofer for the main congregation sound, plus a UniVox induction loop amplifier for the hearing impaired. Two Yamaha VXL1W-8 slim line array speakers were installed as monitors for the clergy and church musicians, with an MSP5 powered studio monitor to relay the sound of the church bell to the clergy and congregation.

Denmark - Situated about 25km north of Copenhagen, Hørsholm is a community with diverse tastes in the performing arts and entertainment, and as such the small city’s principal venue, Kulturhus Trommen, hosts artists that span a broad spectrum of genres. To cater for anything from rock and folk to stand-up comedy, the venue recently invested in a new reinforcement system based on Meyer Sound LINA line array loudspeakers.
When the decision was made to replace the aging prior system, chief technician Thomas Love undertook a thorough evaluation of possible replacements from four other manufacturers before selecting the LINA line arrays. After a long delay imposed by the pandemic, the system finally was put to a grueling test during the reopening series.
“We had a full month of concerts with shows every day,” says Love. “We had everything from acoustic guitar and solo vocals, a Phil Collins musical, a flamenco concert, a power rock trio, and a stand-up comedian. The system lived up to my high expectations, with crystal clarity at all frequencies and colossal headroom. All details are reproduced accurately, in contrast to the old system which often hid errors and resulted in sloppy mixes.”
In addition to the dual arrays of nine-each LINA line array loudspeakers, the new system includes five of the new ULTRA‑X20 loudspeakers for fill systems and, for low-frequency extension, four 750‑LFC and six 900‑LFC low-frequency control elements. The system was designed by Anders Jørgensen of Stouenborg ApS in consultation with Theis Romme of Meyer S

USA - Founded by a group of families committed to doing church differently, Auburn Community Church (ACC) in Alabama is a non-denominational worship centre that hosts both in-person and live-stream services for a diverse congregation. The church recently upgraded to a larger camera system and needed an intercom that could provide a reliable channel of communication between camera operators and the video director. With this newfound requirement, ACC turned to Pliant Technologies’ CrewCom digital wireless intercom system, as well as its SmartBoom headsets.
Although the system was originally purchased with the camera operators and the video director in mind, the church found many additional uses for CrewCom’s communication capabilities. With CrewCom, the church’s producer can communicate with the entire production team, ensuring seamless transitions within the program and keeping everyone on the same page. They also deploy CrewCom to communicate to the band via in-ear monitors, as well as with audio engineers mixing for online content.
As the first intercom system to be installed at the Auburn Community Church, it was crucial for the production team to acquire a simple-to-operate solution. “Install and setup is extremely easy with Pliant’s CrewCom system,” says Drew Middlebrooks, production director at Auburn Community Church. “We regularly take CrewCom out on the road for off-site events and we can quickly set it up even in very populated areas, and it provides amazing results. We also love how physically robust the gear is and find the ease

UK - Describing himself as a jack-of-all-trades musician, Jesse Quin plays down his talent as bassist in the band Keane. For the last seven years he’s also run Old Jet, his own recording studio in Suffolk and recently got himself an iD44, calling his new Audient audio interface “a lifesaver”.
He explains: “The iD44 was the solution I was looking for to be able to incorporate people’s laptops into my setup. So I have it on my patch bay and can use fancy outboard EQs and effects, but also just plug a mic straight into the back of it if I want to. It’s like I’d written a list of what I needed it to do, and then Audient made it. Absolutely perfect.”
The most powerful of all of Audient’s audio interfaces, iD44 is 20in / 24out, offering ultimate flexibility in the studio and plenty of options for expansion. The two JFET instrument inputs are ideal for Jesse to record his bass guitar directly. “I love that it’s tactile and there’s no menu diving or using the same encoder for different jobs. The thing you want to adjust is right there. Obviously it sounds really good too.”
Never far from a musical instrument (modular synths are a current favourite) more recently he’s been working on a Mt. Desolation record, as well as finishing one of his own. “I’m also getting into film scoring at the moment; another thing that the iD44 has been useful for. I can jump between working on ideas on my laptop and the studio main computer really easily.”
His recording studio is located in Old Jet Arts Centre in Suffolk which he set up him

UK - Part of University College London (UCL), The Bloomsbury Theatre works with students and researchers to ‘bring ground-breaking discoveries to the stage’. In 2018, 50 years after its first performance, the landmark Brutalist building reopened its doors following a major renovation project to update its main auditorium which now boasts more than 500 luxurious seats.
The final part of the renovation was the installation and commissioning of a significant EM Acoustics HALO-C PA system by theatre specialists, Autograph Sound.
Autograph’s Adam Broom explains: “There’s a bit of a back story here given that we in fact supplied the system before the renovation. As it made no sense to replace a system that had only just been replaced, it went into storage. Julian Brooks was appointed technical manager of The Bloomsbury in 2019 and he soon realised that the system needed some expertise to realise its full potential.”
“The HALO-C system was specified originally for live music and stand-up but the diversity of our programme means we really needed a bit more flexibility,” says Brooks. “Also, post-refurb the room was acoustically different and so I called upon Adam for assistance, to improve the capabilities and tuning of our system to handle musical theatre, commercial productions, student shows (as part of the theatre’s connection with UCL) and pretty much anything else we might be asked to do.”
“It was the perfect opportunity to look at the system design again with fresh eyes based on the programme of events the venue caters fo

USA - When Orlando’s Discovery Church set out to build a new main broadcast campus, the overriding goal was to create a space that was comfortable and inspiring for in-person worship but also technically optimized for streaming of Sunday services and other special events.
Audio was a critical component in achieving the technical goals, and a keystone element of the solution is a reinforcement system based around Meyer Sound Leopard line array loudspeakers.
“We were looking for a major step up from the aging point source system at our old broadcast campus,” says Zack Howes, technical director at the new Sand Lake campus. “We wanted a system with higher output and greater intelligibility, and also rider-friendly. We wanted to up our own game at weekend services but also be ready for high-profile special events.”
Long before “groundbreaking” on the new campus (actually a total renovation of a former sporting goods store), the church tech team linked up with Orlando-based Pro Sound to evaluate possible solutions. As part of the process, a temporary Leopard system was installed at the old campus for A Night of Worship.
“This is an event we have twice a year where we really open it up and pull out the stops beyond regular Sunday services,” says Howes. “The result that night was awesome. Leopard blew away what we already had in that space.”
The new custom-tailored system, designed by Pro Sound lead engineer Craig Compton, is anchored by main arrays of eight-each Leopard line array loudspeakers plus eight UPM‑1XP l

USA - In 2018, the historic Rialto Theatre in Loveland, Colorado chose an Alcons Audio LR7 pro-ribbon micro line array system to deliver audio, while preserving the ambience of its protected 1920s decor. At the time its existing subwoofers had to be used, but the theatre has now been upgraded with Alcons subwoofers, bringing the audio system to its full potential.
Since 1996 the restored Rialto has thrived as a combined movie house, live arts venue, and community centre. When the city-owned venue’s sound reinforcement system was updated three years ago, it was a challenge to find a system which could deliver powerful, high-quality sound in a space with a lot of hard, flat surfaces. Not only that, but it now hosted a much broader range of events than the venue was designed for.
The solution was an Alcons system comprising eight 6.5” LR7/90 micro line array modules per side, two SR9 double 5” micro monitors as front-fills, all powered and controlled by Sentinel amplified loudspeaker controllers. This transformed the quality and detail of the sound for all the Rialto’s events from physically small arrays. Budget constraints meant that the subwoofers could not be updated at the time and, in a subsequent upgrade, a pair of Alcons Cinemarray CRA24 double 12” medium format, line source loudspeakers were as a centre screen channel for movie shows and center cluster for other productions.
Now, in the third phase, the replacement of the original subwoofers with three double 18” Alcons BF362iMkII high output subwoofers and a further 4x2500w Sentine

The Netherlands - A technical upgrade at the Chassé Theater in Breda sees the installation of 12 x Zero 88 Chilli Pro 24x16A Bypass dimmers and five Zero 88 Chilli Pro 6x25A dimmers in Jupilerzaal, the venue’s main auditorium where they will be controlling approximately 309 channels of lighting and LED fixtures, including some moving lights as needed / specified by the production.
The venue is one of the Netherlands’ largest venues, with a total of three auditoriums and three cinema spaces, mostly a receiving house – anything from music and bands to drama and dance plus amateur and semi-pro performances as well as corporate and private events and conferences, so a truly ‘multi-purpose’ space that is also a diverse cultural melting pot.
The Chassé Theater also stages some of its own productions, and a typical (pre-pandemic) year would see around 350 live performances and 3500 plus film screenings across all the different spaces.
Chassé Theater technical manager Jordy ten Bloemendal is proud to have worked there for 12 years, and is responsible for the lighting installations, budgeting and – together with his colleagues – future visions and planning. He co-ordinates with all the various incoming production companies, ensures all their technical needs are met, and on occasion still programmes and operates the lighting console.
This was the combination of a general technical upgrade and the replacement of the previous dimmers which had been in service for 25 years. The new dimmers were supplied via Zero 88’s distributor, AED

Spain - Equipson's loudspeaker products were chosen by TecnoSonido when it was tasked with installing a new audio system at a five-star hotel on the Costa Blanca.
With a customer profile that includes both national and international guests, the SH Villa Gadea hotel in Altea, Alicante, was keen to ensure that its new restaurant, the Purple Rain Lounge, delivered a sophisticated and enjoyable ambiance. Sound was a key part of this requirement as the hotel wanted to ensure that customers could hear music being played, but not at the expense of their own conversations.
"When we go to a restaurant for dinner, we don't want to listen to loud music," says TecnoSonido's managing director Alexis Roldan. "What we are looking for, in addition to a good dish, is a pleasant atmosphere for all the senses. This is where sound plays a very important role."
TecnoSonido's brief for the Purple Rain Lounge project was very clear. The hotel wanted a sound system that allowed every diner to hear the music, not matter where they were seated. The system also needed to have independent volume control for each area of the restaurant – and the actual loudspeakers had to be sufficiently discreet that they didn't spoil the aesthetics of the room.
"Every detail of the restaurant was taken into account," says Alexis. "From the paintings on the wall, which all have a bold touch and lots of personality, to the carpet on the floor and the absorbents placed in the columns to improve sound quality. And, of course, the restaurant's gastronomy and cocktails are some of the most dem

UK - The live events sector is set to get a boost with a government-backed insurance scheme worth over £750m, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced yesterday (5 August).
The news comes after many months of campaigning by the events sector and the wider music industry for the introduction of such a scheme. However, it comes too late for many, with over fifty per cent of scheduled festivals – both large and small – cancelled or postponed.
The government has partnered with Lloyd’s to deliver the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme as part of the Plan for Jobs. The scheme will see the government act as a ‘reinsurer’ – stepping in with a guarantee to make sure insurers can offer the products events companies need.
This scheme will support live events across the UK that are open to the general public - such as music festivals and business events. It will cover costs incurred in the event of cancellation due to the event being legally unable to happen due to Government Covid restrictions.
A number of prominent insurers in the Lloyd’s market, including Arch, Beazley, Dale, Hiscox and Munich Re are supporting the scheme which will provide events companies with the option of purchasing cover from next month, alongside standard commercial events insurance.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak said: “The events sector supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country, and I know organisers are raring to go now that restrictions have been lifted. But the lack of the right kind of insurance is proving a problem, so as the econo

Turkey - Turkey’s first virtual production house, MGX Studio, owned by MGX Film, is a revolutionary virtual production (VP) facility based in Istanbul. By bringing together both conventional and pioneering technologies used by cinematographers globally, MGX offers a next-generation LED stage with industry-leading Brompton Technology processing, advanced camera tracking solutions, in-camera VFX, plus a host of pre- and post-production tools, allowing directors and filmmakers to create enriched interactive environments.
The story of MGX Studio began during the pandemic. “We decided to use the time when we were confined to our homes wisely, researching and looking for the latest technologies in VP,” says Halit Gülmez, technical director at MGX. “MGX Film’s owner, Müşvik Guluzade, was a great inspiration to all of us as he was the first to recognise the power of virtual production and its influence on the global cinematography industry. He was the first to fully embrace the technology and bring it back to Turkey, establishing the country’s very first virtual production facility, MGX Studio.”
With Guluzade at the helm, the MGX team took its first steps to not only achieving the 'know-how' of the new technology, but also being a VP facility that guides the technology rather than follows it.
The team completed studio installation within five months, with MGX CTO and studio manager, Fatih Eke, being instrumental in choosing the right equipment. “After spending three months doing research and looking at other facilities like the ILM Stag

UK - The partners behind 5G Festival have successfully completed the second set of trials to test critical aspects of the technology that will be used to deliver a music collaboration toolset and experience for artists, audiences and venues. The results will deliver the world’s first 5G powered hybrid immersive festival experience early next year.
The social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the live music industry has been severe. 5G Festival is part of efforts across the sector to create innovative platforms for musicians and artists to write, rehearse and produce music despite geographical barriers, and deliver new, engaging ways for audiences to interact with live performances.
5G Festival will showcase creative talent blended with the power of advanced digital technologies, broadcast live directly to audiences at remote locations from world-leading venues, and producing novel immersive in-venue experiences. The recent trials built on the practical testing and research established during the first stage trials held in March 2021 with the aim of having artists collaborate from different locations to see how an immersive festival experience would work both in a venue and at home.
A new group called The Remotes - the most data divided band in the UK - was put together especially for the trials, led by musical director Kojo Samuel, who has worked with Stormzy, Jess Glynne and Dave. A collaboration of experienced session musicians, The Remotes rehearsed and performed from physically separate locations. A vocalist and drummer wer

UK - Doughty Engineering and PSI have teamed up to deliver the design and installation of specialist infrastructure at the Grand Opera House in Belfast.
PSI were contracted by Tracey Brothers to facilitate the design and installation on the project which included a complete rewire of the production lighting and control, dimmers, audio, comms, stage management desks, show relay, foyer paging as well as providing a new house lighting system and additional elements to the in-house stage engineering system. All packages were specified by Charcoalblue.
PSI, who are dealers for Doughty in both Northern Ireland and Ireland, brought Doughty on board very early on in the project. David Mckeown, project manager explained: “Work commenced on site in January 2020 and then the pandemic hit in March. Initially the programme was ten months to hand over at the end of October 2020, but this was then extended to March 21.”
He continued: “Then, in January 2021, Brexit, along with the NI Protocol made the project even more difficult to manage than the pandemic and hence the programme was extended yet again to accommodate for this. Everything from delivery of goods to the wearing of additional PPE, a one-way system around the theatre and having to separate trades into designated areas proved difficult at first but like most, it became normalised.”
Working with Doughty, PSI specified a range of bespoke kit as well as a huge number of standard clamps and brackets, over 100 facility panels, standard clamps, truss brackets, boom arms and internally wired bars.

UK - Event production specialists, ADI, delivered a visual experience that transformed the ExCeL for the 2021 Heineken London E-Prix. Creative applications in LED and video featured across the venue, resulting in stylish sports presentation and a high-octane fan experience during the fully charged double-header, that was also the world’s first indoor-outdoor motorsport race.
Having first conceptualised ideas for Formula E London two years ago, ADI designed a huge modular set with over 100m of 3mm LED to create a show-stopping digital centrepiece. Over both race days the bespoke LED staging hosted live performances by Raye, TV presentation and podium celebrations, with the integration of multiple displays and content zones for re-active video and fan-rousing messaging.
Modular LED screens to stage left and right delivered coverage for fans inside the ExCeL, while outdoor spectators had huge iCONIC 60C mobile LED displays facing their grandstands.
Other bespoke digital elements included an LED gantry over the finish line to flag race winners and promote headline partners – as previously seen at the Diriyah and New York E-Prix’s – in addition to a super wide LED display in a camera-facing trackside position for Saudia Airlines.
ADI’s iCONIC H unit also featured inside the ExCeL to create a hub for trackside staff and VIP’s, with BMW’s latest electric fleet on display outside.
Complimenting the cutting-edge LED, ADI produced a wide variety of graphical and cinematic 4K video assets that amplified Formula E values, partner bra

UK - Based in the heart of the Lake District, in Bowness-on Windermere, The Ro is a new hotel with a big personality. This new venue is aiming to become a destination for both tourists and locals alike.
The Ro prides itself on its chic design, coupled with familiar and friendly ‘northern’ service. As part of the development, owners 7 Hospitality Management brought in APM Design to deliver the interior design scheme for the hotel. APM Design then appointed custom sign specialists Sutton Creative to the project, to produce the signage package. Working from the approved branding document, Sutton Creative created a variety of options for the wayfinding and exterior signage to fit in with both the client and the designer’s expectations.
Speaking of the partnership, Andy McCluskey, Design Director at APM Design said: “We have worked with Andrew Sutton for many years, and we value his experience, creativity and eye for detail.
“During The Ro project, Sutton Creative fully understood the ethos for the new interior concept, and together with the new branding package they created a series of ideas and material physical samples. This greatly assisted the client and the design team in the decision-making process.
“The whole process was carried out efficiently, with Sutton Creative working closely with the client to deliver the package on time and to budget.”
Andrew Sutton, director at Sutton Creative, added: “We were honoured to be asked to produce signage for such a beautiful building. The Ro is a stand-out hotel in a unique loca

Japan - Twenty years ago, the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture opened its Cultural & Creative Centre to offer cultural entertainment to locals and tourists. The centre is named Sakura MATE – Sakura, for the cherry blossoms, which are the symbol of Kumagaya, and MATE, for Music, Art, Theatre and Expression.
For two decades, Sakura MATE has hosted a diverse mixture of various traditional and contemporary performances using a sound system that, more and more, became inadequate for the venue. The city turned to Sigma Communications to recommend a sound system upgrade, which took place over three years.
The centre boasts an open-air Wind Theatre, a small Moon Hall, and the principal Sun Hall, which seats a thousand people in its shoebox-shaped auditorium. The multi-story space was built with side and rear balconies to create a sense of unity between performers and the audience. Drapes and other devices allow the Sun Hall’s room to be adapted to different performance genres, and a large door on the rear wall can be opened to join with the outdoor Wind Theatre.
“The original sound system deteriorated to the point where it was no longer safe to use. It was also placed in a way that resulted in irregular SPL coverage and areas with poor intelligibility,” explains Hiroyuki Kurita, sound engineer at Sigma Communications. Constant volume and equalisation adjustments were necessary to compensate for this degradation. “We needed to ensure that the new system would deliver clean, clear sound, no matter where you are in the hall,” he says.

Canada - The Laura C. Muir Performing Arts Theatre at Douglas College has undergone a significant upgrade, which includes a Christie Crimson 3DLP laser projector, and most recently, the installation of a Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser projector.
Douglas College educates close to 25,000 students a year, with two major campuses in Metro Vancouver. The Muir Theatre, located on the New Westminster Campus, is a fully equipped 350-seat facility used by students from the Theatre and Stagecraft programs who produce a production each semester in the theatre, as well as the Music Department for performances and classes, and by other departments for lectures and conferences. The College also rents the theatre for dance and music performances, as well as conferences.
The upgrade to Muir Theatre was completed in two phases and began in 2016 with lighting, video distribution and projection. Working with Scott Miller, Ryley Pynn and George Davidson of DWD Theatre Design and Sapphire Sound, the first phase included the installation of a Christie Crimson 3DLP laser projector for rear projection on the stage, which is used for conferences and events that require a smaller screen. The second phase, which began in 2019, saw the installation of a Christie D4K40-RGB pure laser projector.
“The primary objective of this second phase was to provide the Muir Theatre with the capability of showing cinema-grade movies and to be used during performing arts events and classes to provide dynamic backdrop images on the existing cyclorama or on our new screen,” says Brian Pratt,

USA - Transformation Church (TC), a multi-ethnic, multi-generational, mission-shaped community outside Charlotte in Indian Land, South Carolina, has added Ayrton Levante fixtures to its inventory of equipment used in producing worship services.
TC acquired the Levante fixtures from SES Integration, a division of Special Event Services located in North Carolina. Levante fixtures are a dramatically miniaturized version of Ayrton’s Bora wash light offering outstanding performance capabilities in an ultra-compact format. Levante’s optics produce an extremely uniform flat beam with no hot spot, ensuring a perfect colour mix regardless of the colour combination selected.
Jeff Cranfill, owner and lighting designer at Special Event Services, recommended the Levante to TC. "The entire line of Ayrton fixtures is very well constructed with high output and great features,” he says. “I have had great results using the Levante wash fixtures in concert and video settings. The beam is very smooth edge to edge, and the framing shutters make it easy to create a video-friendly wash across the entire stage down to a single spot.
“Colour temperature adjustments are very consistent fixture to fixture, and the range of colour temperature is large. This makes the fixture very usable in many environments. All of the Ayrton fixtures have very good optics along with even colour mixing and a great variety of gobos. They are some of the best LED source fixtures I have worked with, and I highly recommend them for touring and installs.”
Zach McCrorey, lighting

USA - A new addition to the San Diego skyline, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was built to host open-air concerts by the San Diego Symphony. The sheer size of the bayside structure - 57ft high, 92ft wide at stage front - makes it amenable to hosting large productions while enabling orchestra musicians to hear and respond to one other as well as they would in a top-tier concert hall.
To create an optimum acoustical listening environment that can be fine-tuned for various performances, a Meyer Sound Constellation system has been installed inside the shell - making it the first Constellation system designed for stage acoustics in an outdoor venue. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park opens 6 August.
Pre-opening rehearsals and online concerts have elicited effusive praise from orchestra principals.
“The sound onstage is unbelievable,” San Diego Symphony music director Rafael Payare reports. “We can hear each other wonderfully and you feel like you are in one of the top-notch concert halls of the world.”
Equipping the shell structure with an active acoustic system for monitoring was strongly recommended by Shawn Murphy, an Oscar-winning film score mixer (and frequent FOH engineer for high-profile outdoor orchestral events) who served as special consultant to the symphony. Meyer Sound’s Constellation team designed the acoustic system, with complementary physical acoustics entrusted to Salter, the project’s acoustical and AV consultant.
Because many performances at the venue - most notably amplified pop or rock - would not use the Constella

UK - Woolwich Works is set to open in September, bringing a new creative district to southeast London.
Led by Royal Borough of Greenwich, the £31.6m project - which is transforming the historic Royal Arsenal site into a cultural hub that will include a concert venue, studios and other event spaces - will be the home for local performing arts collectives including immersive theatre company Punchdrunk, Europe's first majority black and minority ethnic orchestra Chineke! Orchestra, as well as National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Greenwich-based dance company Protein, and the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.
The new district includes a 1,200 seated or 1,800 standing performance venue; an external courtyard for performances; five studios, which will also be used for performances and rehearsals spaces; cafe, bar and spaces for community groups and the general public, plus hire spaces for weddings, parties, conferences and events.
James Heaton, Woolwich Works chief executive, comments: “The past year has been painful. Hardship, loss and suffering are not the things that should be uniting people. That is the job of music, theatre, dance, circus, cabaret and comedy - and now, finally, shows are coming back. I’m excited that our stunning new venue will play a part in supporting artists to get back on stage, and bringing audiences back together to once again share the unique experience of live performance.
Woolwich Works and its artists in residence will work with the local community and schools on a wide range of projects and schemes once the district