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UK - Following three years of project management and two years of site attendance, Unusual Rigging is delighted to unveil its role on the multi-million-pound refurbishment of Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The beautiful Grade 1 listed Georgian venue has been reimagined as an all-day stylish destination with one of London’s greatest auditoriums at its heart. Unusual Rigging was brought on board by LW Theatres and contracted for the ‘Behind the Iron’ works.
Mike Goodwin, senior project manager at Unusual Rigging explains: “This was a major project for Unusual, which we knew from the outset would require the considerable focus of a dedicated team: from design concepts through approvals with the LW Theatres Project Design Team, decanting 42ndStreet; transitioning The Lane from venue to construction site, co-ordination with the Principal Contractors (Gardner & Theobalds Lt

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UK - The PLASA Show returned to Olympia London from 5-7 September, receiving high acclaim and marking a return to normality following the 18-month closure of the live events sector.
As the first entertainment technology tradeshow in two years, the PLASA Show 2021 co-located with the ABTT Theatre Show and succeeded in reuniting the industry for three high-spirited and productive days in Olympia’s Grand Hall.
Even though the number of attendees was reduced this year, they remained top quality and similar to previous years: 2/10 were company owners or directors and half were specifiers or final decision-makers. Theatre and touring were most prominent with one third of those attending working in production or venues.
Anticipation was high as the doors opened, with a steady stream of visitors keen to check out the next generation of products and catch up with colle
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South Korea - Blumano, entertainment industry consultants in safety and machinery design, is expanding into the Asian market with the announcement of Blumano East Asia. The new operation will work closely with Blumano's network of offices in Ireland, the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Laurent Ste-Marie joins this organisation and brings with him 25-years’ experience and vast knowledge of the acrobatic rigging world
''Seeing how the entertainment industry is bouncing back from an unfortunate dip, the timing seemed right to take on a new and exciting challenge by joining yet another industry leader,” says Laurent. “Through our exchanges we realised that our passion for the industry, vision, and dedication for the promotion of a safe work environment would make a partnership between us a perfect fit.”

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UK - Industry charity Backup has long recognised the technical entertainment industry as an exciting, but challenging place to work and is committed to helping those who face the pressure and stress involved by providing further help and support.
Now, the charity has launched a free helpline that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide a centralised access point for both urgent and non-urgent well-being support.
The helpline offers a number of options, from a dedicated Backup counsellor, to direct transfer to other industry charities, including the Music Support Helpline, Theatre Helpline and the Samaritans. Upon selecting one of the above options, you will be transferred directly to the support you require.
The Backup Counsellor option is a free, independent and confidential phone service with a certified counsellor who has a broad experience

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UK - The programme for PLASA Show 2021 has been unveiled, bringing a rich line-up of seminars and training sessions to the trade event that takes place on 5-7 September at Olympia London.
Sponsored by Vectorworks, the programme is set to deliver in-depth content on the future of live production, immersive product experiences and plenty of practical training, bringing skills and knowledge to the forefront of the show experience.
All sessions are free for pre-registered attendees (you can get your free entry pass by 31 August - find out more here), with details of the schedule available on the show website. More content will be added over the coming weeks, say the or

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UK - Following its recent re-location to a larger premises, Stevenage based film, television and event rigging specialists Rigging Team has expanded its footprint, not only to accommodate a growing inventory, but to also provide space for a much needed, industry specific, training centre.
Rigging Team managing director, Adam Searle explains, “Training is something that we have been passionate about for many years – although there is no substitute for real-world experience, everyone can benefit from gaining additional knowledge or skills. The courses are designed specifically to suit our industry - whether it’s a specific discipline, or a bespoke combination of courses,”.
The new 2,600sq.ft Rigging Team Training Centre, located just 20 minutes from London by train, features a generous classroom and presentation space, along with a practical training area where

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Denmark - Copenhagen’s Østre Gasværk Theatre is staging a revival of the 2017 Danish production of Green Day’s iconic American Idiot sung-through drama directed and choreographed by Tim Zimmerman, which is proving to be every bit as popular as the original show.
Once again, the technical discipline of automation is crucial to Benjamin la Cour’s dramatic, stark scenography and production design, and a Kinesys Apex automation system - a combination of 1,250kg and 500kg Apex motors with Vector control - is at the heart of delivering the elegant millimetre-perfect movement control, advanced safety requirements plus other cool features like silent braking that are essential for the delivery of this captivating show. The hoists are moving three large scenery pieces making up a concrete-look scenic floor, which also transforms into separate ceiling pieces that work t

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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

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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, b

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Spain - Fira de Barcelona and N&M have signed a collaboration agreement forming a service partnership in the fields of wire suspension systems and rigging. N&M technicians will provide their services to customers through a newly established branch office in Catalonia's regional capital.
In recent years, Fira de Barcelona has developed into one of leadingt trade fair locations. Events such as the Mobile World Congress, the MICE sector's ibtm World or the Sónar festival for electronic music attract professionals from all over the world to Catalonia's capital in the north-east of Spain. In June 2021, having switched from Amsterdam to Barcelona, Integrated System Europe (ISE) made its premiere as a hybrid event due to the corona pandemic while also making its debut in Spain's strongest economic region.
In order to provide fair organisers and their customers with

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Austria - Pan Acoustics has announced a partnership with ATEC Pro for distribution in Austria. ATEC Pro takes over local sales, design and support for all Pan Acoustics products in the region.
“I'm pleased, that with ATEC we have found a solid company to take care for our customers and projects in Austria. I’m sure that ATEC, with their competent team and friendly cooperation with clients is an excellent choice and will perfectly transport our key values - reliability, honesty, fairness and quality - throughout the market,” says Johannes Kampert, head of global sales at Pan Acoustics.
“Pan Acoustics fills a gap in our portfolio, which allows us to approach projects even more holistic. After first tests we were instantly convinced of the active beam steered systems (Pan Beam) but also of the quality of the passive speakers. We can now offer our clients best p

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Canada - British Colombia-based Riggit is the latest company to join Broadweigh’s growing global network of product partners. For more than 25 years, Riggit has been providing rigging, lighting and labour solutions to the entertainment and events sector across Canada.
Rick Smith, Riggit president, comments: “We are delighted to partner with Broadweigh and to bring the entire product range to market. We believe Broadweigh products will add a higher level of assurance to the venues and clients we work with to ensure we continue to build on our reputation as a leading company in safety, innovation and reliability. The ability to provide real time load monitoring to our clients is another step towards assuring safety in our venues.”
Riggit is the exclusive rigging supplier to the Vancouver Convention Centre, exclusive production labour provider at Rogers Arena and ex

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UK - Hairspray the Musical officially opened its doors last week. The show had been delayed by more than a year following the COVID outbreak. Unusual Rigging was part of the team that helped bring the all-singing all-dancing production to the stage.
Production manager Rich Blacksell reports: “I cannot begin to explain how delighted we are to finally be raising the curtain on Hairspray. We were just four days into week one of rehearsals and about to start fitting up when COVID-19 shut down all live events. We’d brought Unusual on board to handle a rather complex job because we’d planned to rehearse and tech at the English National Ballet’s new home on City Island. We intended to replicate the Coliseum at ENB, install some Kinesys systems and then move at the speed of light into the theatre for the show’s opening.”
As is the case for almost all

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USA - Several respected industry figures have joined forces to form Apex Technologies, a new company that will “distribute exclusive worldwide entertainment technology solutions” to the North American market.
The founders Bill Morris, Anders Karlsson, Tarmo Krimm and Ola Melzig have run some of the biggest companies and productions in the industry. Their mission is to seamlessly deliver lighting, AV, staging and power supply products that are not currently represented in the US market. Most product lines Apex will represent are well-established on stages and venues in other parts of the world, says the company.
CEO Bill Morris explains: “Apex Technologies is the brainchild of a few of us that saw an open niche in the marketplace to bring exciting products to the North American market. All four of us have either lived in or travelled the world extensively and can

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UK - A Cornish event production company has completed its busiest ever period, working simultaneously on seven separate events over the G7 Summit week.
Liskeard-based JHAV was appointed to help deliver multiple events associated with the G7 Summit for clients including Spaceport Cornwall, Virgin Orbit, the University of Exeter, and surfing brand Finisterre.
The team also created a press conference suite to be used by US president Joe Biden in the Spaceport Cornwall hangar at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
JHAV managing director Jamie Hedges explains: “We’ve been involved in all kinds of events since starting JHAV, but working on all of these projects revolving around something as high profile as the G7 Summit has to be one of our biggest accomplishments to date.
“The top-secret nature has meant we have been under embargo since the event, and I am so proud

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UK - The ABTT has announced the Virtual Ideas Platform. Set up in collaboration with Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the platform will serve as an informal introduction service between independent creative innovators and commercial developers behind the sectors’ leading brands, products and services.
The platform is open “to anyone and everyone with an idea” and aims to recognise and help realise new ways of making theatre work.
The ABTT says: “We know when backstage people are faced with a technical challenge, they get inventive and creative, cook up ideas and find solutions. The Platform is here to recognise, salute and honour those innovators in our midst.
“By its very nature, theatre is a dynamic working environment in which to invent and develop new and better ways of doing things - in special effects, costume and wardrobe, wigs, make-up and

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UK - Unusual Rigging has completed a major refurbishment of the grid at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End ahead of the much-anticipated reopening of Phantom of the Opera next month.
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced the production to close its doors in March 2020, it opened a bitter-sweet opportunity to get some essential work done on the magnificent old theatre’s roof space, ensuring it could continue to stage the elaborate aspects of Phantom that audiences across the world know and love, including the famous hanging chandelier.
Jeremy Featherstone, Unusual Rigging explained: “Her Majesty’s Theatre is a wonderful building, but as with all old theatres, they need maintenance and continuous improvements to their structure in order to preserve them and allow them to continue hosting productions.
“Phantom is a heavy show and the gr

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UK - The widely respected PLASA Awards for Innovation return to the PLASA Show for 2021, in association with LSi magazine. All PLASA Show 2021 exhibitors are invited to enter their new products by Friday 6 August to be in with a chance of winning one of the coveted awards.
The awards celebrate products from across live entertainment technology which demonstrate a new style of thinking, improve technical practice or safety, introduce new materials or techniques, or offer a new commercial advantage.
Each 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, plus a potential Gold Award for an outstanding new product.
Furthermore, an Award for Sustainability is reserved for a product that can demonstrate a significant reduction of power, utilises renewable energy, or has a po

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UK - Registration is now open for PLASA Show 2021. The London-based trade event for entertainment technology is returning to Olympia London on 5-7 September - and for one year only, the ABTT Theatre Show will be co-locating with PLASA Show, bringing two popular industry event under one roof.
This year, PLASA Show is moving to Olympia’s largest space, the Grand Hall, which will allow for a more awe-inspiring show experience, wider aisles and larger social areas to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors.
Visitors will be able to connect with leading brands from the pro audio, AV, lighting, rigging and staging sectors, whilst the free seminar programme - details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks - will offer business advice, unpack technical topics, and present the latest creative achievements. There will also be various interactive offerings includi

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UK - The National Theatre, London, has recently invested in a Kinesys load measuring system to help monitor their loads more carefully and add an additional level of safety.
Since its opening in 1963, the National Theatre has produced well over 800 plays, staging a broad range of productions in London as well as touring extensively across the UK and internationally. Their wide-spread nationwide learning and participation programme supports creative education for young people through performance and writing programmes. In addition, their programme of talks, events and workshops opens up theatre to people of all ages.
Mike Rungen, the National Theatre’s stage resources manager commented; “After looking at a number of systems, we decided the Kinesys LibraCELL was the product for us. Having had experience of working with Kinesys products on a variety of projects previ

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UK - Triple E has announced the launch of a new division of the organisation, EEE Build, headquartered in Biggin Hill and appointed two new senior staff members.
The last few months have seen two significant appointments – namely Darren Green joining the growing team of project managers, and Rowan Coupe as installations manager as he heads up the newly created EEE Build division of Triple E.
Both Darren and Rowan join the company with solid industry experience, and both have a considerable knowledge of working alongside Triple E in their previous roles.
Darren has a background in theatre product design, engineering and project management working at notable companies including Theatre Projects, Harkness Screens, Hall Stage and Centre Stage Engineering. Darren has worked alongside the Triple E team on many projects in the past such as Fairfield Halls in Croydon

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UK - Independent providers of specialist rigging services, Rigging Team, have been working with students at Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance, helping deliver a live event staged at the college.
Created as an opportunity to study working as part of a live production crew, the show allowed students to gain valuable experience, experimenting with a range of professional, industry equipment.
Rigging Team managing director, Adam Searle comments, “Rigging Team are proud to have donated equipment in support of the project at Rose Bruford. Along with the regular training and tuition we provide, we’re always keen to help deliver experiences such as this to students looking to become part of our industry.”
The company provided a number of their EXE-Rise Hoists with Out Board Electronics controllers, plus cabling to the event. The hoists were of parti

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UK - Founders of the global #WeMakeEvents movement feature in the fourth episode of The Meister Series, Jägermeister’s project celebrating “the mavericks and innovators in the music and events industry.”
In April 2020, #WeMakeEvents was launched by PLASA in response to the impact of the pandemic on the live events ecosystem. What started as a single UK campaign soon grew into a global movement now spanning 40 countries. Since then, through fundraising, mental health support and campaigning, the organisation has worked tirelessly to keep the music industry alive and support those impacted by the crisis.
In this fourth episode, founders and board members of #WeMakeEvents - Nicky Greet and Peter Heath from PLASA, Koy Neminathan from Avolites and James Gordon from Audiotonix - join Jägermeister in a passiona

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UK - Collaborative Creations (CC) has announced that its centrally located, London studio space is open and available to companies and individual members of the events and event technology industries. With restrictions now coming to an end, booking is no longer essential though for specific product viewings is advisable.
Less than a minute’s walk from London Waterloo the CC Studio is a multipurpose environment available for use by the events and event technology industries.
Newly refurbished, the CC Studio can welcome up to 60 people standing, up to 30 in a theatre-style configuration or 12 in a training room seating arrangement. Operational as a boardroom style meeting room, the studio can seat up to 14 and features an engaging 70-inch interactive touchscreen for presentations.
The space is equipment ready with Chamsys controlled Martin Professional lighting
  1. Doughty’s Easydeck takes centre-stage in Crewe
  2. Unusual Rigging creates on-site allotment
  3. Broadweigh supports Miley Cirrus concert
  4. Doughty supplies custom kit for Bahamas project
  5. Unusual plays fairy godmother for Cinderella
  6. New World Rigging Symposium registration open
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