Germany - After taking Las Vegas and London by storm, Channing Tatum’s Magic Mike Live will now move on to Berlin. Inspired by the hit Magic Mike film franchise, the latest production will open at the newly remodelled Club Theatre at Potsdamer Platz in November this year.
Having supported the London show since its opening last year, full service technical production company Hawthorn has been chosen to supply lighting equipment to the new Berlin production.
Conceived and co-directed by Tatum, Magic Mike Live is a large-scale, live production show featuring a group of extraordinary artists who perform an immersive 360-degree dance and acrobatic spectacular.
With a rig almost double the size of the West End production, 500 fixtures to be precise, Hawthorn is supplying lighting equipment to the specification of theatre lighting designer Philip Gladwell. This includes 68 Robe Spiiders, 86 Martin Rush PAR Zoom 2s, 62 GLP X4 Bar 10s and 28 Martin MAC Encore Performance CLDs.
As with the Vegas and London productions, audiences of Magic Mike Live Berlin can expect a lighting design more akin to a music video than a traditional theatre production. Packed with visuals and effects, the punchy rig also features Robe Mega Pointe, Super Spikie and LEDbeam 150 fixtures. The impressive set up will all be controlled using two Gio @5 consoles.
“We are really pleased that Hawthorn is looking after all of our lighting needs for the Berlin production of Magic Mike Live after they did such a great job for us in London,” says G

UK - Good times mixed with valuable insights at the grand opening of the ChamSys UK head office in Southampton's Brooklands Courtyard.
On 2 September, over 150 lighting programmers and designers from throughout Europe attended the inauguration of the new office, training facility and product development centre. Visitors participated in informative classes, think tanks, and training sessions focused on the new MagicQ and QuickQ software from ChamSys.
Adding a light-hearted touch of drama to the proceedings was a short skit presented by company team members on the history of ChamSys. The skit recounted how company cofounder Chris Kennedy developed his first console at the age of 10. Telling the story of a young man with big dreams, it showed how Kennedy achieved something beyond even his wildest imagination years later when an award-winning ChamSys console was used by Art & Yes to control a record-breaking 64,000 parameters over 186 universes directly without processing nodes.
Also staring in the drama was the MagicQ MQ500 Stadium Console, which was featured in live demonstrations that highlighted its wide range of impressive features.
Following his “acting performance”, Kennedy treated guests to a preview of the new MagicQ MQ70, a compact and aerodynamic console with big-time scalability. Animated light shows controlled by the MagicQ MQ500 followed this introduction.
At the conclusion of the evening, Kennedy invited guests to return to the new ChamSys facility, reminding them that it would be holding multiple training sessions

UK - Lauren Drinkwater has joined TMB’s Global Customer Development Group. Lauren arrives with an extensive background in sales, support, and business management in the entertainment technology and production field. Drinkwater’s role at TMB is to build customer relationships, increase awareness of TMB’s products and service, and directly assist TMB’s European distribution partners. She will be based out of TMB’s UK office and will be at PLASA 2019.
Drinkwater brings years of experience to her new role at TMB, including management at City Theatrical, sales at Martin Professional, and accounts management at Sound Technology.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the European arm of TMB’s global presence,” she says. “I’m particularly excited about TMB’s emphasis on long-term personal interaction with top-flight professional companies. To this end, my experience in growing accounts and providing maximum service fits well with TMB’s relationship-based business model. I look forward to us achieving great things together.”
“We’re very excited to bring Lauren on board,” says Tim Obermann, TMB’s European sales manager. “Our industry is a close community and our interaction with Lauren has been extremely positive. Our European distribution partner programme is expanding rapidly, and one of her priorities will be spearheading this effort. Lauren will no doubt be a valuable addition to our organisation.”
At PLASA 2019 on stands G59 and G60, TMB will be showing its complete range of products, including Firefly Festoon and Fa

USA - Chauvet Professional has appointed Brad Haynes as its national resource manager, concert and touring. Haynes joins Chauvet from AC Lighting and will foster relationships between the company and touring designers in addition to creating a range of educational programmes.
“All of us at Chauvet Professional are excited about welcoming Brad to our team,” comments Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “We have a great deal of respect for his knowledge and integrity. His extensive experience in the concert and touring world will enable us to serve those markets even better than we do today.”
Prior to his experience at AC Lighting, Haynes was director of product and application support at Harman International, where he managed product training and demo programs for internal staff as well as lighting professionals. He also held a series of commercial positions at Martin Professional for 12 years.
At Chauvet Professional Haynes will manage product demo and training programmes, while also serving as a liaison between the company and lighting designers. “Brad brings a valuable combination of skills to this position since he has a deep understanding of products and the designers who use them,” says Chauvet. “We’re very eager to start working together.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Lighting designer Benoit Richard specified two High End Systems Hog 4-18 lighting control systems for Rob Thomas’ Chip Tooth Smile Tour 2019.
“The Hog 4 controls everything in my design and has an extensive use of the pixel mapping engine on most of the fixtures in the rig,” the LD says.
Since his years as a former High End Systems designer and programmer, Benoit continued to use Hogs on projects ranging from tours and television specials to blockbuster films. “I was super happy when Bandit Lites purchased the two new Hog 4-18s for the tour earlier this year,” he says. “And I love the fact that they are manufactured in the USA.”
Richard programmed the show for the Matchbox Twenty co-founder with lighting director Patrick Hayes, who carries out his design on the road. Hayes was introduced to Hogs while participating (and winning) the inaugural Hog Factor USA Collegiate Lighting Programming Competition in 2015. He toured recently on a Full Boar 4 with The Decemberists.
“I really like working with Patrick,” Richard says. “And after being ‘the guy’ who ran the light show for two of Rob’s first three solo tours, it was emotionally difficult for me to let someone else take over. But Patrick was the perfect fit to be on Rob’s touring crew.”
Hayes says: “The 4-18 consoles have been rock-solid, and coupled with the latest v3.12 software, it’s provided a fantastic interface. The 4-18 feels just like the last generation of the Hog 4 but better. The larger screens and aluminium encoders give the desk a sleeker

Saudi Arabia - Called upon by event producer Maestro Group to light the King Cup Final in Riyadh, lighting designer Koert Vermeulen used the versatility of a rig exclusively from Vari-Lite, a Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) entertainment lighting brand, to deliver his stadium-scale design. His creation utilised 350 Vari-Lite fixtures, including 100 of the new VL10 BeamWash and 100 fixtures from the LED-based VLZ range.
The King Cup, the highlight of the Saudi soccer season, was held in May at Riyadh’s King Fahd International Stadium. The event included three separate shows - a five-minute pre-match entertainment, a 17-minute half-time show, and a post-show entertainment featuring an hour-long set by Saudi popstar, Rabeh Sager.
Vermeulen, of Belgium-based consultancy ACTLD, is no stranger to the challenges of designing on a stadium scale, and the variety of demands it makes of a lighting rig. Using six different Vari-Lite models, Vermeulen created a dynamic and flexible show lighting environment with depth and texture, for both live audience and television cameras, encompassing the pitch and performance area, the audience seating and the stadium structure.
Discussing his approach to the design, he says, “We are collaborating with the artistic director, Haitham Dghaili. It’s his vision we interpret. We deliver what is possible and then maybe add a few sparkles of our own on top.”
The powerful effects capabilities of the VL10 BeamWash offered sparkles aplenty. Vermeulen positioned these around the outermost audience perimeter to serve “as bea

Singapore - Ayrton MagicBlade-FX and Mistral spot luminaires were recently supplied to the Church of Our Saviour in Singapore by Ayrton’s exclusive local distributor, Total Solution Marketing Pte.
The Ayrton fixtures were chosen for a number of reasons, as technical director, Ron Chiam, explains: “Because we only have a small space, we needed fixtures that were small and compact, but at the same time powerful enough to create a vibrant atmosphere. It was the first time we had heard about Ayrton, but soon realised that these were the fixtures to go for in the space that we had. They are used during moments of worship and are also used to create 3D-like lighting for our camera crew, so that they can capture what is on and off stage with ease.
“We have four MagicBlade-FXs rigged up on our flybars in a V-shape, so that we can fan them out to create some eye candy effects, or close them in for that extra breath-taking moment when there are solo performances. Two Mistrals are situated on the floor on top of boxes at our stage lip. These help to colour and project patterns to the roof and side walls. Another two are hung out on our side bars to give the audience some colour.”
Chiam was delighted with some of the special features and ease of use of the Ayrton fixtures. “One of the moments where these lights stand out is when you can blend two gobos together to create some sort of texture, without it looking like a messy array that distracts the congregation. Instead, each gobo is blended with another in different rotations to create a certain typ

UK - Matilda The Musical followed its successful run in London’s West End by embarking on a major international tour, opening in South Africa and presently in Asia Pacific. The Roald Dahl inspired award-winning musical from the Royal Shakespeare Company tells the story of an extraordinary little girl who changes her own destiny.
Associate lighting designer Chris Hirst has been working alongside original LD Hugh Vanstone, and with the latter’s consent, has developed a more LED-centric inventory, scaling down the number of fixtures and making it easier for him, and production technician Fraser Hall to tour with. Much of the inventory, supplied by Hawthorn, is based on Martin by Harman moving heads including quantities of Martin MAC Encore Performance CLD, Martin MAC Encore Wash CLD and Martin MAC Aura XB, exclusively distributed in the UK by Sound Technology.
Hawthorn business development manager, Mark Burnett, said he had long been a fan of Martin fixtures. “We would always tend to see [new product] prototypes and get on board quite early. For this tour we have supplied the MAC Encore CLD versions. They are great units and the quality of the colour mixing is excellent.”
Chris Hirst has been revelling in the more simplified FOH set-up, with the Martin LED-based MAC Encores replacing MAC Vipers on the UK tour. “Fewer fixtures allows for speed and ease of focusing on tour,” he remarks.
The MAC Encore Performance had first been added to Matilda on the UK leg of the tour. “After they proved a successful LED replacement to

UK - Elation will team up with technology equipment solutions provider Entedi to present a line-up of innovative lighting tools at PLASA 2019 on Stand H40.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the 50,000-lumen Proteus Maximus, an all-purpose beam/profile/wash power luminaire with a top-of-the-line design package that shows as the brightest LED profile on the market. With a custom designed 950W LED engine and large 180mm front lens, Maximus has the power to cut through at even great distances and with IP65 protection can be exposed on outdoor shows.
Joining the Maximus is the 45,000-lumen Artiste Monet, a full-featured LED Profile offering outstanding projection quality, a comprehensive FX package, dynamic framing and a wide array of colours via an innovative SpectraColor colour mixing system.
Also showing is the Smarty MAX, an extreme-output Spot/Beam/Wash hybrid moving head featuring a new Platinum FLEX 400 lamp rated at 480W with up to 4,000 hours of smart lamp life. Combining CMY and variable CTO, this is the world’s first hybrid incorporating a full iris for dynamic beam effects. Compact and lightweight with a large 160mm front aperture lens, its resourceful design package includes four prisms on two planes, dual frosts plus dual gobo wheels and dual track animation.
Elation is expanding its popular Fuze series of LED wash luminaires with new profile and spot versions. Showing will be the Fuze Spot and Fuze Profile with framing, both housing full-colour-spectrum RGBMA colour mixing systems. Also available is the cold white Fuze P

UK - White Light has once again supplied the lighting equipment for the entire Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre season, which recently culminated in a revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Evita.
Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London. Situated in a Royal Park, both its stage and auditorium are entirely uncovered and every year it hosts a season of bold and dynamic productions. This year was no exception, with productions of Our Town, Hansel and Gretel and A Midsummer Night’s Dream all achieving critical acclaim. The final show of the season was Evita which was directed by Jamie Lloyd, designed by Soutra Gilmour and lit by Oliver Award-winner Jon Clark.
Jon explains: “Soutra and Jamie chose to set Evita on a dilapidated seating bleacher, which to all intents and purposes looks as though it may have been sat in Regent’s Park for the past 80 years! We wanted to make a direct connection between the outdoor environment and the production; one being informed by the other. The suggestion of a sports stadium echoes the environment of dictatorial political rallies of the past, which has a resonance with themes of Peronism highlighted in the production.
He continues: “Jamie was keen that the production and lighting design harnessed the dynamism and energy of an outdoor music festival. We were particularly drawn to Beyonce’s performance at Coachella last year. Contrasting with the music festival aesthetic is a starker, directional l

Italy - Soul star John Legend performed on 25 July at the Greek Theatre of Taormina, Sicily. It was Legend's only European exhibition, accompanied for the occasion by a 100-piece orchestra.
The event was lit up by186 DTS projectors (Raptor, NRG 1401, Brick, Katana, and Wonder).
“The atmosphere of the Greek Theater of Taormina was beautiful,” said Nicola Mongi, lighting project manager. “DTS projectors, supplied through Madema Italia, integrated well with that unique place; in addition to their brightness and colour quality, the choice of DTS projectors was perfect because they are all very compact and lightweight, the right fit for the stage space – 2300 years old – that is obviously to be treated with the utmost care and does not allow for cumbersome installations.
“I am really happy with the result. The audience and the production were enthusiastic about the show.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - At PLASA 2019, Artistic Licence will be launching rackSplit octo, the first product in its new ‘skinny rack’ range. Designed for a standard 19” rack but only 50mm deep, the product - an 8-output DMX/RDM opto-splitter with Neutrik XLR5 outputs - packs premium functionality into an impressively compact form factor. Visitors are invited to view rackSplit octo in the PLASA Awards for Innovation gallery and on Stand C32.
rackSplit octo is a budget-friendly 1U rack-mount DMX/RDM opto-splitter. rackSplit octo heralds the new ‘skinny rack’ range from Artistic Licence, which also currently comprises a gateway (rackLynx octo). Its metal enclosure is a mere 50mm deep, allowing products to be doubled up (front and back) in touring racks for maximum packing density. Alternatively, the splitter is great for space-saving on wall mounted 1U racks.
The product features an optically isolated input and 8 Neutrik XLR5 outputs which are electrically protected from transients. rackSplit octo is also equipped with the unique Artistic Licence 'data fix' mode, for use in situations with problematic fixtures that do not implement DMX/RDM correctly.
The electrical (transient) protection on the outputs guards against both static electricity and LED power supply faults or mis-wires. The input is optically isolated from the outputs and mains earth. This isolation offers protection from potentially dangerous high voltage accidents. Also it can eliminate potential earth/ground differential issues as the input is not electrically connected to any of the outputs.

UK - Obsidian Control Systems will be joining with UK distribution partner Entedi at PLASA, where the new NX 4 lighting console with DYLOS pixel composition engine will be available for demo. Designers, programmers and operators are invited to Stand H40 for a look at this powerful console in the intuitive ONYX platform and experience the creative possibilities with DYLOS.
Equipped with a range of professional features and using the latest in industrial components, the NX 4 is designed to handle even the largest show with ease. With a well-arranged combination of motorized and manual faders, along with an array of playback buttons, the NX 4 offers 44 total playbacks in a compact yet powerful package.
DYLOS aims to provide new and innovative ways that far exceed the capabilities of regular pixel-mapping systems and is the first of many exciting steps for the ONYX platform to provide a comprehensive toolset of dynamic fixture animation, content generators and powerful media playback.
ONYX is a powerful yet easy-to-learn lighting control platform designed for both hardware consoles and PC systems. It is a rebranding of the well-established M-Series control platform and is designed for use with all new ONYX and existing M-Series hardware. Obsidian Control Systems products are distributed exclusively by Elation Professional worldwide.
(Jim Evans)

France - The 12th Annual Natural Games Festival took place in Millau in June, bringing together the world’s leading competitors in eight outdoor pro/amateur competitions. On the programme were boulder climbing, freestyle kayaking, kayak boarder, acrobatic paragliding, slopestyle MTB, trial MTB, stand up paddle racing, highline and jumpline.
A without limits sports playground, Millau has become the world capital of outdoor sports, and The Natural Games has established itself as the European leader in outdoor sports and music entertainment festivals. In addition to the exciting official competitions the event featured a brand village, free workshops, shows and live concerts.
Lighting designer Jean-Charles Lacombe chose 12 Claypaky B-EYE K20s, provided by STE Audio, to illuminate the stage because he is very familiar with the lighting fixtures. “They completely meet my expectations and customers ask for them, too. Their reliability is also an important factor,” he says.
Lacombe positioned B-EYE K20s on all sides of the stage. “At the top, on the median, on the ground and in front,” he explains.
“The B-EYE K20’s effects panel perfectly matched the current and electronic music festival. It provided a wide colour range with excellent rendering,” he reports. Lacombe also liked the fixture’s macros, its opening zoom and its unbeatable power. “Their versatility was a real plus compared to others projectors” he concludes.
Lacombe gives praise to AMG Audio and Damien Bosc, the console operator, who assisted on the show.

Italy - Following the resignation of the former chairman Silvano Latteo, DTS Illuminazione has announced the appointment of Dante Latteo as chief executive officer.
Dante Latteo has been appointed as new CEO in the pursuit of the company’s business continuous growth, says DTS. He is one of the founding members of the company and has been serving DTS for decades as senior board member. The new management will continue the company development process started a year ago, giving new impetus to the products innovation and brand repositioning in the world market, as well as consolidating the domestic achievements.
A DTS statemenent says, “All at DTS would like to express their gratitude to Silvano Latteo for the decades of commitment as chairman. Silvano's efforts contributed to expand and consolidate the company business, thanks to his entrepreneurial attitude and in setting and achieving professional goals, by adding precious value year after year.”
(Jim Evans)

The doors of PLASA Show 2019 open in just a few days from 15-17 September at Olympia London, where thousands of visitors will experience the leading edge of live entertainment technology. With 220+ brands, 55+ educational sessions and a plethora of immersive features, this year’s show is ready to serve industry professionals from all sectors.
PLASA’s Managing Director Peter Heath comments: “Last year’s edition of PLASA Show was heralded for its high footfall and vibrant atmosphere. We have worked hard to build upon this by offering more brands and new features for a show that is both enjoyable and productive.
Of course, we couldn’t do it without the exhibitors and their technology which has developed at a dizzying rate over the years – PLASA is proud to provide a platform for such innovation, and we can’t wait to share what’s in store.”

Brand new products
After much hype, the Heritage-D digital console from MIDAS will be at the show, providing hands-on encounters. Coda Audio will display their N-APS, an ultra-compact 2-way arrayable point source, and d&b audiotechnik will display their flexible A-Series. The all-new TrackerD4 Precision Stagetracking from TiMax will also be here.
Robe will launch their new luminaire, Esprite, which has been designed as an LED replacement for discharge fixtures. Other notable lighting fixtures appearing at the show include the Huracán-X from Ayrton, the Maverick MK3 from Chauvet and the Synergy 5 from DTS. Artistic Licence will present their latest lighting control

UK - Southwest London venue Under the Bridge has benefited from the installation of a new LED wall as well as lighting and audio upgrades at its premises.
“Since Under the Bridge launched in 2011, we’ve taken great pride being one of the UK’s most unique and technically-advanced, mid-sized, multi-purpose venues for hire,” says creative manager, Alan Tenenbaum. “With approximately 100 confirmed events scheduled to host for the remainder of 2019, we’re excited to share this production upgrade with our clients and audiences. The upgrade puts our intimate venue in a class of its own, beyond comparison.”
The 3.9mm pixel-pitch LED screen from Absen supports a video resolution higher than Full HD (1080p), making it ideal for presentations, image projections and video content.
The venue also has a new LED lighting rig, expanding the existing stock to offer more intelligent lighting, including LED spots and Fresnels. Under the Bridge has specified Claypaky’s new wash and beam fixtures, the B-EYE K25 and Mini B, as well as 14 of Ayrton's Mistral S spot luminaire. Dimming is via an Avolites 24 way dimmer (48 way patchable).
On the audio front, the AV team have improved facilities with a Shure Axient Digital wireless system and high-performance RF with better command and control for visiting sound engineers.

UK - German LED manufacturer Astera - integrated into the Ambersphere booth - will show its complete range of battery-powered wirelessly-operated LED products at PLASA 2019 in London, including the entire Titan family.
This comprises the award-winning and popular standard 1m long Titan Tube; the little 55cm Helios Titan Tube; and the brand-new double-size 2m Hyperion Titan Tube, shown in the UK for the first time.
Additionally, Astera its ever-growing range of accessories for use with Titan and their various other LED lighting products.
Approximately 30 accessories will be mounted on a special ‘feature’ wall, displayed so visitors can clearly and easily see everything available to make their Astera fixtures even more flexible and adaptable. Several of these accessories will also be being displayed in the UK for the first time.
Other highlights will include Softbags for the convenient portability of Helios and Titan tubes and DataLink, a device to add DMX or Art-Net Data to between 1 and 4 Helios, Titan or Hyperion Tubes.
Astera’s flagship TitanTube is designed to be an invaluable lighting tool for TV, film, video, broadcast cinema and photography as well as shows and live events.
Following the success of the Titan Tube, Astera has created the double-length 2m- long Hyperion Tube with double the amount of LEDs, double the batteries, double the brightness, double the pixels and the same high-quality light output when controlled via the Astera App, CRMX and on-tube control plus the wired DMX option.
Astera System offers s

UK - City Theatrical will be demonstrating new technology on Stand H50 at PLASA Show 2019 in Olympia London from 15-17 September. Live demonstrations by City Theatrical will include PLASA 2019 Award for Innovation nominees Multiverse Transmitter 2.4GHz and Pathway Connectivity Pathport Octo DMX/RDM Gateway, new QolorFLEX HiQ, UV, and 5-in-1 LED Tape, and more.
In addition to its recent nomination for the upcoming PLASA Awards for Innovation, the Multiverse wireless DMX/RDM system was recognised as the winner of the Live Design Award for Best Debuting Product at LDI 2018 for its ability to broadcast up to 10 universes of DMX data while using less radio energy than other single universe wireless DMX transmitters.
Multiverse wireless DMX products use mDMX, a form of DMX proprietary to City Theatrical, which is optimised for wireless broadcast to dramatically reduce the amount of data being broadcast, thereby reducing unneeded radio energy. Multiverse also uses mRDM, which allows it to broadcast RDM information without disrupting the DMX broadcast - a feature that is not available even in wired RDM systems.
The Multiverse Transmitter 2.4GHz opens a new world in wireless DMX/RDM. Its Ethernet input allows it to take in streaming ACN (sACN) or Art-Net and to transmit as many as ten user selectable universes of DMX/RDM in the 2.4GHZ band, while using only a fraction of the radio energy of any present-day single universe wireless DMX transmitter.
The Multiverse Transmitter has a Bluetooth radio receiver built in that allows it to communicate with th

Poland - Rental and visual production company Transcolor has invested in 200 Robe Spiider LED wash beams.
These have been added to their rental stock which currently owns several thousand lighting fixtures including around 1,000 Robe moving lights.
The company was founded in 1992 by Lucjan Siwczyk and has enjoyed success and respect as it has become active in all areas of professional lighting and visuals, especially TV, film, touring and corporate / special events.
The current facilities just outside Warsaw are the company’s headquarters. In addition to offices and warehouses, this includes five full-size studios and rehearsal rooms which are in constant use for television and movie productions, promo and advertising shots, production rehearsals and a wide range of other events.
As a lot of their work is TV and film-based, the proper quality of colours in lighting fixtures is important, and that was one of the reasons Lucjan and his team wanted the Spiiders, together with the fact it’s new: “It has a nice zoom and the central LED makes it even more adaptable as it can be used for various effects.” The Spiiders were delivered by Robe’s Polish distributor, Prolight.
Transcolor has also been the first company in Poland to purchase Robe’s RoboSpot remote follow spotting system, which went straight into action in March this year for the latest season of Dance, Dance Dance, recorded in one of their own studios.
“It’s a huge advantage not having to have people on trusses rigged high under the roof operating for lon

USA - Craig Richter believes in coming out of the gate fast when lighting a concert. “When the first song hits, I like the audience to get a full immersion of sound and light all at once,” he says of his design approach.
Richter’s philosophy was on full display recently when he lit Grammy-winning rockers Halestorm on their coheadline tour with Alice Cooper with a rig that featured 52 Chauvet Professional fixtures, supplied by Bandit Lites.
“This is an intense, no-nonsense rock band, so I wanted our show to match that feeling in terms of its power and directness,” says Richter. “The overall idea was to create a big massive look. I always aim to give the crowd a wow moment multiple times during the show, but I also don’t want to distract from what the band is doing on stage. People paid to come see Halestorm not me. So, for this design I wanted an old-school look with a big wall of light behind the band, kind of like back in the par can days, but at the same time I needed more versatility than what par cans can offer.”
Although Richter’s show crushed the senses with its massive and powerful looks, his rig was put together with some strict practical concerns in mind, given that his client was touring with Alice Cooper. “The biggest challenge was in the beginning with stage space needed,” he says. “Cooper had a new large set and lots of props that took up a good amount of room. Thankfully, the Cooper camp is super friendly and were willing to accommodate us in any way they could. We designed the Halestorm system so it could go o

Canada - Acting as a hub for performing arts in Winnipeg, the Centennial Concert Hall has long upheld a sense of community for the people of Manitoba. With a seating capacity in excess of 2,300, the venue is the largest performing arts space in Winnipeg. When Centennial Hall decided to upgrade its lighting system to improve energy efficiency and coverage, ArcSystem stood out as a top choice.
The outdated system at Centennial Hall was causing multiple problems for the staff, patrons, and performers. On top of poor lighting quality, the old system required excessive maintenance. Denis Crymble, stage electrician at Centennial Hall, says, “I never liked the feeling of the light. To me, it was always dingy. The upkeep of it was horrendous. We had little to no flexibility in the old space.”
For decades, the venue had few technology upgrades. Looking to the future, the Centennial Hall team decided to move to an LED house lighting system. Although the staff knew this move would greatly reduce the venue’s ecological footprint, many were concerned about the quality of light that could come from LED fixtures.
“When we started looking at LEDs for house lights, I was sceptical. The ceiling is 60ft feet high in some places,” says Crymble. “I didn’t know if we were going to get enough light out of LEDs.”
Vince Paulich, facility supervisor at Centennial Hall, knew that throw distance was going to be a major challenge when looking for LED luminaires. “When I first saw ArcSystem, it stood out as a solution that could solve the majority of our

Europe - Showlight, the quadrennial lighting colloquium, has launched a new website (www.showlight.org).
The next event is taking place on 22-25 May 2021 in Fontainebleau, France.
The website contains useful information to help visitors plan their attendance, as well as details on how to become a speaker, a sponsor, an exhibitor or a sponsored student. Once confirmed, speaker and exhibitor listings as well as details of the programme will become available on the website.
Video clips of the last Showlight - which took place in 2017 in Florence, Italy - offer a tantalising taster of the kind of things you can expect at Showlight 2021 - this time with a little French flavour added to the favourite ingredients: an entertaining programme of conference papers and networking, mixed with plenty of socialising and opportunities to exchange ideas with fellow industry professionals.
Those willing to meet the Showlight committe or raise any questions with them can find the committee members' contact details on the website. Many of the members will be at the upcoming PLASA Show (15-17 September, London Olympia) so those wishing to set up a meeting can do so via the website. 
Showlight 2021’s headline sponsor is Robert Juliat, with Ayrton platinum sponsor; Eyetidy and SFL Group - gold sponsors; White Light and ACT Lighting - silver sponsors, and PRG bronze sponsor. LSi mag

USA - Hard rock band Chevelle has embarked on a summer amphitheatre tour across North America, co-headlining with Breaking Benjamin and lit by Ayrton Khamsin LED profile fixtures.
Chevelle has sold over four million albums in the US and has a new record forthcoming in 2020. Production designer, Robb Jibson of Chicago-based So Midwest was searching for a 1000W LED fixture, with a shuttering mechanism that could close completely over itself in one direction. He held a shoot-out featuring ‘the top contenders’ in the category. “While all the fixtures we tested did a good job, Khamsin was the most well-engineered, the most well-polished of the group,” Jibson reports. “Its optics, clarity and perceived brightness won out. I also liked its edge sharpness, the flatness of the field and the way it physically looked.” Bandit Lites, Chevelle’s lighting vendor, invested in Khamsin for its inventory and supplied them to the tour.
The tour was a late addition to Chevelle’s schedule, and the team at SMW had just a short period of time to design the summer shows. “We have a new concept that we are working on for the next record cycle and considered revealing it for this summer tour, which really falls in-between the record cycles for them. So we decided to just adapt a few elements from it as a preamble to next tour,” Jibson explains.
The Chevelle’s tour performances feature no video and no spotlights. Instead, big frames of LED light battens ring the band in a semi-circle around the stage. The Khamsin fixtures are mounted in rolling carts o