UK - Pop shows don't always go hand in hand with musical integrity, but the recent XTina Aguilera tour combined real musical talent with some imaginative, Xellently Xecuted production skills, under the production management of Rob Kern. (She did a Prince on us and changed her name to XTina - maybe setting up the Xmas single - sorry, no more X puns.) We caught up with Kern (and the show) at Wembley Arena on 5 November.
Kern took on the role of production manager for the 'Stripped' tour in March when rehearsals began, leading into production rehearsals in June. Taking on the World 'XTina' style began in earnest with 46 shows in the US before her first Arena tour across Europe and the UK, taking in 29 shows, then three nights in Tokyo, before finishing with seven dates in Australia.
In addition to Aguilera there are five musicians, three backing singers and eight dancers on stage, and the show has been very carefully designed to provide a theme for each song, with the production accentuating the dynamics of the music with the use of props. Some of the more dramatic props included the X-frame to which the star was tied, surrounded by 8ft pyro 'dragontails' breathing flames onto the stage (a new effect introduced by Pyrotec), a shadow box with backlit 'erotic style' dancers, through to a sofa for Lady Marmalade and a grand piano to support a lounging Aguilera through one ballad. All in all, a busy night for the stage crew!
With such a complex set being toured from the US and then around Europe its component parts needed to be strong, durable, flexible and easily tr
UK - Out Board's CM-Series motor controllers for CM chain hoists have been purchased for a couple of high profile video and PA rigging jobs in late 2003. ML Executives has purchased a pair of CM6 six-channel controllers and HC6 remotes to manage two hangs per side of EAW KF760 line array systems for the current Iron Maiden Dance of Death world tour, whose itinerary ranges from theatres to arena-size venues. ML's Gary Marks needed to handle two points per hang plus a common pull-back point on each side of stage, and found the CM6 offered the best flexibility and control for the diversity of venues the tour is scheduled to visit.
Star Rigging has also acquired two more of the compact CM12 12-channel controllers for rigging duties on a recent video shoot for Christina Aguilera. Star's Phil Broad once again chose the CM12 for the convenience of its compact size, adding to previous purchases made last year for the demanding Westlife Unbreakable tour plus the Albert Hall and other special events.
The Out Board CM-Series motor controllers for CM Lodestar hoists are available in compact 4-, 6-, and 12- channel variants, along with assorted remote hand controller options and truss mounting Socapex/C-Form splitter boxes.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
UK - Facing a 12-minute ballet performance on the cold marble floor in front of the altar of St. Paul's Church, Covent Garden, André de Villiers, Choreographer at Elmhurst School for Dance called on British Harlequin for help. Elmhurst's Christian connections with the 'Actors' Church' in Covent Garden resulted in an invitation to perform during the Patronal Festival Eucharist in November. Because of the space afforded by the high vaulted ceiling, André's choreography included elevation, so the need to provide a suitable dance floor was crucial.
The answer was in the form of Harlequin Allegro, a loose lay dance floor designed specifically to protect against hard sub floors. The thickest roll out dance floor currently available anywhere, Allegro comprises a vinyl surface reinforced with a tough fibre interply and backed with firm foam cushioning for resilience, providing a nine millimetre thick semi-sprung floor. Ideally suited to convert harsh surfaces into dance performance spaces, the neutral grey version chosen was laid by Harlequin's contract division, allowing the 12 Elmhurst students to perform with confidence.
Elmhurst School's appearance at St Paul's was a continuation of a long association of the church with the performing arts. As far back as 1663 inveterate diarist Samuel Pepys noted an Italian puppet play under the portico - the origins of 'Punch and Judy' - an event still commemorated by a service each May and the same setting chosen by Bernard Shaw for the opening of Pygmalion that formed the basis for My Fair Lady St Paul's also hous
UK - While British rockers Iron Maiden's days of being almost constantly on the road may be over, that doesn't mean the band is in any way scaling down the spectacular nature of its live shows. Much of the show's theatrical elements come from the set, designed since 1984's Powerslave tour by scenic specialist Hangman. With Maiden playing venues from 3,000-seat theatres up to vast outdoor arenas, the sets have to be both visually stunning and versatile. This year's Dance of Death tour is no exception, with Hangman's Alan Chesters bringing LiteStructures in to work on several elements of the set. Forming part of the main stage set, twin 'Grim Reaper' towers are custom-built, framing the main backdrop, which changes regularly.
"The backdrops are different for every tour," says Chesters. "The audience never sees anything that it's seen before. 'Eddie' is usually depicted on the backdrops, but always in a different context than previously. In fact, this tour is the first time we've done a backdrop without an Eddie on it."
Although the production team behind Iron Maiden is reticent to give too much away for those yet to see the show, the current 'Death Eddie' complements the Dance of Death theme and it's well known that the latter-day walk-on figures have been only part-human at most although, as Chesters notes with a wry smile: "Half the Japanese audience knows the walk-on Eddie is real!"
Working to Chesters' designs, it took LiteStructures just a couple of weeks to produce the towers and structural elements to house the Eddie fi
UK - The Safety Focus Group, set up by the International Live Music Conference (ILMC), has won a grant of 160,000 from the European Union to produce a vital safety guide. The guide is intended for use by live music promoters and workers throughout Europe and beyond, and will reflect best practice in a number of European countries. As one of the conditions of this grant, the Safety Focus Group must now raise a further 40,000 funding from the live music industry to secure the project.
The ILMC says that the safety guide will provide a tool for concert and festival organizers to assess and manage risks, and will be useful to everyone from the new event organizer to the most established promoters. Scheduled to be ready by late autumn of 2004, it will primarily be accessible via a specially designed website, although a limited number of hard copies will be produced. With its Europe-wide basis, it could offer a first step towards harmonizing event safety standards throughout the continent.
The grant has been awarded by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (OSHA), which funds projects dedicated to improving health and safety conditions for workers in Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The successful application has been put together by a live music industry team including: the SFG (which has representatives from six different countries), the UK's Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College and live music welfare consultant Penny Mellor.
SFG member,Chrissy Uerlings of German promoter Peter Rieger Konzertagentur said: "This gra
UK - Gallowglass, generally regarded as the number one events supplier for crew and modular staging, have confirmed their status by winning the CEA Awards Event Supplier of the Year 2003. Paul Grecian, managing director of Gallowglass said: "When I was first involved in the event industry, eleven or twelve years ago, I was appalled at the way crews in general were treated (perhaps justifiably in those days) and was determined that if we were going to remain here, we had to start to change peoples perceptions and generate some respect for the impact a great crew could have on any show. The awards last week bore testimony to the fact that we have succeeded to a large extent, although we know we have to continue to push the boundaries back. Nevertheless, my colleagues and I are absolutely delighted".
Gallowglass used a variety of case studies to illustrate their versatility and performance. These included the launches of Siemens Xelibri and Vauxhalls Meriva and Signum cars, The BP AGM and the HBoS Christmas party. Operations director, Nick Grecian added, "Whilst we enjoy regular praise from clients, it is fantastic to receive these awards. We are genuinely proud of the work that we do and the reputation we have earned. On top of this, we were also awarded the Victor Ludorum Trophy for the Best of the Best. It came completely out of the blue and stunned everyone at our table sending us off on a big night of celebration!"
Gallowglass has crewing bases in London, Leeds, Loughborough, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
(Sarah Rus
UK - The Royal Society of Medicine is an independent organization founded nearly 200 years ago. Its aim is to provide a range of educational opportunities for doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons, including students and allied health care professionals. A renowned venue for large scale conferences and meetings, the RSM's facilities are currently undergoing extensive redevelopment. The whole of the ground floor of the Society's house in London has been developed to provide a state of the art meeting and conference space both for members of the Society and its external users.
One of the most exciting areas of the development is the new 300-seat auditorium, which has recently been completed and is now in use. Designed by MJS Architects with Arup Venue Consultancy and the Robin Haddow Partnership, the client's brief involved finding a way to optimize the room design, keeping mechanical and electrical services within the room to a minimum in order to limit noise disturbance, and to make the most of a tight space. Arup also consulted on audio-visual, production lighting and acoustics.
The projection screen and its masking was an important element of the project. Arup's lead consultant on the project, Sam Wise, explained; "Although the screen will be utilized on a regular basis, the client wanted to be able to conceal it when not in use, and wanted the screen or cloth which covered it to be flat, making it look like part of the wall."
Although a manufacturer had already been enlisted to provide a cloth cover for the screen, Arup soon discovered that it
UK - Entec is supplying lighting for the Beautiful South Gaze tour, which is receiving creative treatment from one of the UK's most talented lighting designers, Dave Byars. The tour has been highly acclaimed, with the band getting rave reviews for an energetic and tight set, featuring 'all-the-hits-and-more' Beautiful South 'classics', plus an eclectic selection from the new album and a stonking, funky and jazzed up version of S-Club 7's monster hit Don't Stop.
The lighting and set had to fit into a wide range of venues, from Bridlington Spa Theatre to Manchester Apollo, Shepherd's Bush Empire, etc. Taking the new albums artwork featuring 1950's male bodybuilders as his creative starting point, Byars decided to give the stage an atmospheric retro-cinematic look. This was achieved by defining the space with three trussing arches - a main flown one at the rear, flanked by two smaller floor-supported arches. All three were dressed with rich, red velour borders, effectively lit by forty-eight MR16 fixtures.
The arches were filled, top-to-bottom by a set of pale grey cyclorama cloth, arranged in gentle folds, again emphasizing the 50's movie-house feel. These were lit in traditional cyc style, with seven James Thomas Pixelline LED battens. Lighting the arch borders was an interesting daily rigging challenge undertaken by Dave and his team, Phil Turner, Dave "Gibbo" Gibbon and Phil White. The task became much easier after crew chief Gibbo - in a flash of inspiration at production rehearsals - suggested using Velcro straps to attach the MR16's to
UK - Stephanie Arhern's name was drawn out as the winner of a pair of tickets to the final performance of Merce Cunningham Dance Company's Anniversary Events at the Tate Modern. The competition, which was organized by British Harlequin and Dance Umbrella, ran on Harlequin's web site at www.harlequinfloors.com during October. Stephanie, who studied for a dance degree and now works in a performing arts college where she regularly produces contemporary dance work of her own, was overjoyed to have the opportunity to witness one of the sell-out performances. Commenting after the final MCDC performance Stephanie said, 'My guest and I enjoyed the piece thoroughly and experienced a serene and relaxing experience in the Turbine Hall, provided through the Weather Project and the Merce Cunningham piece which merged perfectly as one that evening."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
USA - Following the success of the PLASA Show in London in September, it began to appear that business was looking up after a tough couple of years; now, with the successful completion of LDI in Orlando, Florida at the weekend, the current of optimism continues to strengthen.
The majority of LDI exhibitors that PLASA Media spoke to at the show expressed their satisfaction with both the quality of visitors and the level of business being done. Exhibitor Michael Bridgman of British Optical, a manufacturer of high quality optical components for the entertainment industry, commented: "It's been very good for us this year - I would say back to the level of business of three years ago."
The 2003 ETS-LDI showcased a number of innovative new products. This year the show's awards were split into two categories - Product of the Year and Debuting Product/Promising Prototype. The Product of the Year award for Entertainment Lighting went to Martin Professional's Maxxyz Console and the Architectural Lighting prize went to iLight Technologies' Plexineon new Linear LED lighting system. The best Lighting Accessory was Tent Tec's ML Bracket, designed for mounting lighting fixtures to ten poles or any ground supported column. The Lighting Tools and Software Award went to John McKernon and City Theatrical's Lightwright 4 with the award for Projection going to Barco MiPIX Modular Intelligent Pixelblock. The best Sound product was the Yamaha DM1000 Digital Production Console. The Scenic, Staging & Effects Product of the Year was Martin Professional's Jem ZR 24/7 Hazer, while
USA - Rigging Seminars has announced that it will hold three four-day seminars in 2004, each consisting of three days of instruction on rigging principles and practices plus a full day of hands-on training. The sessions will take place in Orlando, Florida from 1-4 February, Las Vegas, Navada from 2-5 May and Denver, Colorado from June 27-30.
Rigging Seminars is a world leader in rigging training, having been in operation more than 10 years and trained more than 4,000 people. Its instructors are highly respected in the entertainment industry; Jay Glerum is the author of the Stage Rigging Handbook, and Harry Donovan is the author of Arena Rigging and an active member of the new ESTA Rigging Skills Committee, which is writing a certification standard for riggers. More than 20 major entertainment industry organizations have committed to supporting the rigging certification program.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Creative Technology has marked the relocation to its new 54,000sq.ft facility in Crawley by announcing a 'single brand' service operation, in which the staging services of MCL London, currently operating from within CT's premises, will now be amalgamated and operate under the CT London brand. At the same time the company has committed to a heavy investment in new inventory and technology. The strategic decision to operate as a single entity, addressing the broad span of market sectors covered by the two companies, was confirmed this month by managing director Mark Elliott.
"Being able to centralize all our resources into a single building has enabled us to further develop full service capability to provide a wide range of resources. This includes video, lighting, audio, and staging equipment, together with our ever-increasing range of indoor and outdoor LED screens." Elliot said.At the same time, a substantial upgrade to Creative Technology's hire fleet will see heavy investment in cutting-edge equipment, with the company intensifying its already strong international partnerships with both Vista Systems and Barco. New investment includes three state-of-the-art Vista Montage processors, allowing CT to expand on its already advanced multi-image capability, as well as 200m of Barco Dlite, seven LED daylight displays and MiPIX modular intelligent LED pixel blocks. Alongside its sister company, JVR in Holland, the company is also developing two new mobile LED trailers - with rotating masts - which will be commissioned in time for the 2004 summer season.
UK - How people love to talk about the weather: as Kin Hubbard, the US journalist who created cartoon character Abe Martin, said: "Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation." Perhaps based on this predilection, this year's Unilever commission for the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall is 'The Weather Project' by artist Olafur Eliasson. This £250,000 installation is one of the largest ever seen in the UK, occupying the Gallery's entire Turbine Hall, which itself appears to have doubled in size due to the nature of the piece.
The space has been saturated with a fine mist that occasionally accumulates into faint, cloud-like formations along the walls, then disperses again. Overhead, the glass atrium of the Turbine Hall has disappeared and in its place is a reflection of the space below, created by a huge mirrored ceiling over the full length of the Hall. At the far end, butted up to the edge of the reflective ceiling, is a giant semi-circular translucent screen, 15m in diameter and backlit by 200 mono-frequency lamps. Its reflection in the mirror creates the illusion of a full, circular 'sun', thus linking the real space with the reflection.
Walking into the Hall, your eyes adjust to the dingy orange haze that pervades the huge space. On the day of my visit, it appeared I had walked onto the site of a recent chemical attack - bodies were scattered all over the floor, sitting, lying and rolling around, and all had taken on the same tones under the monochromatic lighting. All colours excludi
UK - The centre for Performance in Aberystwyth in Wales is organizing a Symposium on the stage and lighting designers Edward Gordon Craig and Adolphe Appia entitled Sculptors of the Modern Stage - light / shadow / architecture. The symposium will include talks, workshops, films and presentations at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth from 5-7 December 2003. The event is produced in association with the Scenography department at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Edward Gordon Craig was a theatre designer, actor, visionary and the first British theatre artist to write a book of theatre theory. Rejected by the British theatre establishment he was embraced by the French and the Russians, most notably Stanislavski. Adolphe Appia was a Swiss designer and philosopher of theatre, and the first to write about theatre as a visual art form. In his collaboration with the Swiss choreographer, Dalcroze, he instigated a revolutionary approach to movement and scenography.
The event will include contributions from Richard Beacham, Christopher Innes, Henryk Jurkowski, Michael J. Walton, Harvey Grossmann, Mischa Twitchin, Christopher Baugh, Ruth Mandel, Irene Eynat-Confino and Kirsten Dehlholm.
For more information on the symposium and to find out how to join contact the cpr on the website below.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
Dubai - Dubai-based superstar-of-the-turntables 'Cowboy' is generating more heat in the run-up to the biggest DJ showdown the Middle East has seen - and he's not even competing. Reigning champion Cowboy, who hails from Lebanon, has agreed to sit on the judging panel at the forthcoming PALME 2004 DJ of the Year Competition in Dubai. The DJ promises tough times for contestants, at this stage likely to number more than 200 from all over the world. It was revealed this week that prizes will be worth $40,000 and organizers are spending $100,000 staging the event..
The DJ contest runs in conjunction with the massive PALME expo, the region's first professional sound, light, audio-visual and systems integration exhibition. It was held for the first time earlier this year and organizers say the coming expo, to be held 17-19 February 2004 at Dubai International Exhibition Centre, will be 'a sell-out'.
"Exhibitors from around the world - particularly, Germany, China, UK and Australia - are keen to introduce their products to this dynamic part of the world," says Darren Brechin, PALME's marketing chief. "The DJ contest runs side-by-side. It's great fun. We wanted to provide some entertainment and launch DJ'ing careers as well, so we created the DJ competition. We haven't even officially advertised yet and the applications are pouring in. The judging panel is not yet finalized, but we are likely to have two big-name experts from Britain flying in. The main thing was to secure Cowboy. He won it last time and he brings a big regional name to the table."
(S
UK / Japan - Le Mark's new flame-retardant natural gaffer tape, which won the PLASA Show's 2003 Environmental Impact Award, continues to expand into new export markets. Following its September launch, Gaf-Fire was sampled to one of Japan's most respected lighting distribution companies, Tokyo-based H. Ito, and Le Mark was thrilled to see H. Ito place its first order for the new product in October.
Gaf-Fire has seen seen as a breakthrough tap and an important addition to the company's consumable accessory range. Gaf-Fire not only meets the stringent requirements of BS 5867 Part 2 Type B, but also, as the PLASA award reflects, is manufactured using natural elements and environmentally clean processes. Gaf-Fire was seen as the first matt-black non-burn tape with a clean adhesive to be offered to the arts and entertainment industry.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout has launched StarLED - a revolutionary new LED starcloth product that will be manufactured at the company's South London headquarters. StarLED is an LED-based system offering an ultra-bright, lightweight and DMX controllable alternative to fibre-optic and pea-bulb lit cloths.
StarLED can enhance sophisticated lighting or set designs and is ideal for a wide range of applications, including architectural, corporate, entertainment and leisure-build projects. Manufactured to the highest specifications, it combines a new lightweight IFR Molton Trevira fabric, with high intensity LED emitters and DMX controllability. StarLED systems are available in two versions - White and RGB. The White version offers a stunning galaxy-like effect, while the RGB cloth allows access to a vibrant rainbow spectrum of colours via DMX control. Designed to be exceptionally versatile, StarLED cloths are available in a range of widths and in one metre increments in height up to 12m.
In addition StarLED is extremely energy efficient compared to other systems one 150W, 24V PSU is enough to control 192sq.m of white cloth or 72sq.m in RGB. The StarLED module contains a single surface mount LED fitted to a small printed circuit board. Encapsulated in a moulded polycarbonate holder and attached to the back of the cloth, this offers the maximum viewing angle for the light source plus superior mechanical protection.
Each cloth contains a discreet, compact local low voltage (self-terminating) controller, taking power in at 24V DC and DMX data via a 4pin X
UK - Vertigo Rigging has launched Powertower, a stand-alone trussing tower for the flying of PA, video and lighting equipment. The Powertower has a weight loading capacity of 500kg at 10m high, and features dual pick-up heads to accommodate both lighting and PA trusses independently. This allows the neat and quick suspension of sound and lighting wherever there are flying restrictions.
The Powertower is based on a James Thomas Engineering 30.5cm self-climbing tower system with the addition of a lightweight, bolt-together, aluminium base with a footprint of 2.65m squared. The base also incorporates the ballast trays, housing a series 25kg test weights and eight adjustable leveling jacks for easy and safe positioning of the tower. Powertower is configurable in a variety of shapes and forms, and can be used in goal-post format for suspending video screens, for heavier screens, the base can be built with dual tower goalposts, doubling its lifting capacity.
Lifting trusses is achieved in the standard manner of self-climbing towers, with the addition of in-built load arrestor points at the pick-up head, so the secondary suspension point can be attached at ground level. A change of trim height can also be achieved quickly and simply without requiring a rigger to climb the tower and release safety cables. The Powertower base is finished with a custom fitted canvas shroud for neat presentation.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
UK - 'Celebrating the spirit of beauty' was the theme at this year's Pantene Pro-V Style Awards, held at the Royal Albert Hall. Stage Electrics was contracted by Big Chief Productions to design and project manage the technical elements of the show, which included lighting, sound, set and staging.
The set design for the event comprised a backdrop of white sails, stretched in a variety of shapes framing a central entrance through which guest presenters would appear. The design required an extension to be built in front of the existing Albert Hall stage, as the client wanted to use the stage as a dance floor for the after-show party. Over 100 pieces of Maltbury Metrodeck, three pallets of chipboard and 200m of white vinyl flooring later, the Stage Electrics team had built a custom stage extension that followed the curve of the arena and met all of the venue's Health and Safety requirements.
Stage Electrics' lighting designer Tim Routledge's brief was to provide a flexible rig that could deal with the requirements of both the main awards ceremony and the after-show party. As the set was white, covered a large area of the stage and had no graphics or branding, the use of lighting was a key element of the show. Routledge's design utilized over 100 fixtures, which included the MAC range of moving lights, Citycolors and a pair of PixelLine LED battens for the custom built DJ booth.
The show also gave Routledge the opportunity to use the Grand MA lighting desk in a working situation for the first time. Routledge has recently undertaken an intensive training course for a
UK - Pearce Hire promoted its three specialist divisions, united as a production package, to event organizers at this year's Showman's Show. The three divisions - audio, lighting and temporary power - have invariably worked independently, or in various combinations at events over the years. The new package will now combine the specialist skills and equipment of the three divisions.
The company believes that event organizers will experience improvements in efficiency if they deal with a single contractor supplying these three key areas of production, as it gives one point of contact for the client, maximising co-ordination between the services on site. Secondly, clients will experience reduced production costs through economies such as transport and crewing levels.
Pearce Hire's owner, Shaun Pearce commented: "We have been surprised at various shows this year by organizers who have used one of our services for many years, but have not realized that we have three specialist divisions they could have used. This new package will hopefully raise awareness with our existing and potential clients of the combination of services we offer."
Pearce Hire has developed relationships with other key suppliers in the events marketplace over recent years and these have already demonstrated the benefits of improved co-operation on site and savings for organizers. Pearce explained: "We have worked very closely with other suppliers, such as the Star Events Group, on some projects to ensure clients get the best value from their production budgets. This year we have o
UK - Newmarket Nights - Friday evening meetings with live concerts featuring popular bands and entertainers - have become a leadin attaraction of the summer season at the UK's world-renowned racecourse, Newmarket. The concerts, which draw in sizeable audiences, are organized and managed by Liz Hobbs Events Management, which looks after entertainment events at racecourses up and down the country.
For this year's Newmarket Nights, Liz Hobbs approached LiteStructures to provide the stage, lighting and sound. Having taken LiteStructures on board to build a set for Status Quo's performance at Newmarket last year, Hobbs decided that it would be able to provide exactly the type of permanent stage she required for the five-week duration. Martin Featherstone, LiteStructures' sales executive for the Midlands explains: "Liz Hobbs came to us with the brief of providing her with a stage which would fit perfectly between the two grandstands. She wanted to create a dressing room area beneath the stage, as well as incorporating a public footpath underneath one side of the stage since visitors to the show needed access to the bar and eating area at the back of the grandstand."
To meet the requirements, LiteStructures supplied the company with a Midi stage, part of its outdoor range of staging, which incorporates LiteStructures' AstraLite trussing with its standard LiteDeck system. "Because of the location of the Midi stage, we made some minor adaptations," said Featherstone. "We extended it to the front and the rear, and elevated it to a maximum height of
Canada - The international announcement of the premier of the World Stage Design 2005 received a positive response at the 2003 Prague Quadrennial, which was held in June. So far nearly 200 designers from 33 countries have indicated plans to have their work shown at the exhibition, which is to be held in Toronto during March 2005. The organizers hope to have many more designers exhibiting by the entry deadline of 30 June 2004.
Designers can complete the entry process on the WSD2005 website, where they will find information and details of the exhibition, entry documents, they can also obtain a unique ID number and upload digital images.
The WSD2005 is a joint project of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology (CITT), and the International Organization of Scenographers, Technicians and Architects of Theatre (OISTAT). This new international design exhibition will be mounted concurrently with the 2005 OISTAT World Congress and the 2005 USITT conference and stage expo, also to be held in Toronto during March 2005.
WSD2005 is open to all individual theatrical designers and composers throughout the world. Every entrant will have his or her work presented on interactive computer kiosks and large format video screens in the Digital Exhibition section of the show. Following the deadline on the 30 June 2004, an international jury will review all the entries and select a group of designers and composers who will be invited to formerly present their work in the Physical WSD Gallery Exhibition or to have their
UK - Earls Court Ltd and Unusual Rigging Ltd have been fined a total of £100,000 at the Old Bailey following a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution into the death of 26-year-old David Mott at Earls Court, London. The prosecution follows an HSE investigation into the incident in which Mr Mott fell 35m to his death at Earls Court Exhibition Hall 1, on 23 June 2000. Six months prior to the death of Mr Mott, another worker had also been killed in a similar incident. Earls Court Ltd was subsequently fined £70,000 in a prosecution taken by the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Mr Mott, from Brentwood, Essex, fell through fragile, false ceiling tiles while dismantling mobile platforms as part of a refurbishment project. He was taken to Charing Cross hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival from multiple injuries.
Earls Court Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) at the City of London Magistrates' Court on 21 May 2003 and was subsequently fined £80,000 with £12,173.95 costs at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London on 3 October 2003. Unusual Rigging Ltd also pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of HSWA at the City of London Magistrates' Court on 21 May 2003 and was subsequently fined £20,000 with £12,173.95 costs at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London on 3 October 2003.
Section 3(1) of the HSWA requires employers to ensure that persons not in their employment are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
Unusual Rigging has pointed out to PLASA Media that d
UK - Doors open for the 2003 Showman's Show at The Newbury Showground on 22 October for two days. With over 300 exhibitors, there will be a wide range of stands at this year's show, from entertainers participating in the arena's showcase to the latest in hi-tech equipment aimed at outdoor events.
Show Director Stephen Lance commented: "We are anticipating a good show this year and are all set for a prosperous (and fun filled) exhibition. 2003 has been a great summer - both in terms of the weather, which always helps, and in terms of the numbers at events. There seems to be a more positive outlook towards the state of the industry than we have experienced over recent years. I hope we have succeeded in creating a good forum for outdoor event professionals to carry out their business."
Lance is also looking forward to a couple of significant differences at this year's exhibition: "The return of the entertainment arena will bring an air of excitement to the show, with a wide range of performers such as clowns, fire-eaters and motorbike displays. I am also particularly looking forward to the introduction of the new auction, which will add a new dimension to the show. I expect the auction will raise visitors' involvement at the show and give them and the exhibitors a chance to further benefit from one another."
Visitor registrations are already indicating a busy exhibition this year and for those not yet registered, simply turn up on the day and register for free.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)