Aviom introduced the A-Net Pro64 ASIC, a new technology now supported by a new division within the company, the Aviom Technologies Group. Pro64 is an upgrade to Aviom's proprietary A-Net audio networking protocol.
USA - The Black-Eyed Peas, helped "get it started" at this year's 47th Annual Grammy Awards show with fellow Shure endorsers and Best New Artist award winners, Maroon 5. The Black-Eyed Peas performed 'Let's Get it Started', which won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, using Shure U2/58 microphone systems, while Maroon 5 opted for U2/Beta 58 systems to sing their hit, 'This Love'. "This year was an incredible showcase of talent across every genre of music from hip-hop to country to rock," said Shure artist relations team member Ryan Smith. "Bono said it was the best Grammys ever and I would agree."
Several other Shure endorsers walked away with Grammy awards on Sunday night, including:John Mayer, who won Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the song 'Daughters' from his album 'Heavier Things'; Ozomatli received the Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album award for 'Street Signs'; Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder won Best Bluegrass Album for their album 'Brand New Strings'; Velvet Revolver was awarded Best Hard Rock Performance for 'Slither' from their debut album, 'Contraband'.
In the tribute to the late Ray Charles, who posthumously won eight awards on Sunday night, Jamie Foxx and Alicia Keys sang 'Georgia on My Mind'. Both performers used U2/58 microphone systems for the duet. Overall, Shure wired and wireless microphones were used during 18 of the evening's 24 performances by several artists, including James Brown, Green Day, Queen Latifah, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, U2, Keith Urban, Usher an
The Professional Snake Reel offers 16 gauge steel construction and individually jacketed and shielded multi-pair cable in an integrated cable reel/stage box design. Standard Snake Reels come in two lengths - 100ft and 150ft - in 16x4 or 24x4 configurations and a customer choice of returns. Custom lengths and channel options are available to order. The Snake Reel also includes rubber wheels with locks for smooth rolling and safety.
Germany - Mega Audio, the German distributor for InnovaSON digital mixing consoles, has supplied an Sy80 to the Estrel Convention Centre in Berlin, part of Europe's largest convention, entertainment and hotel complex, boasting 1,125 rooms and suites, five restaurants, two bars and a beer garden. The Convention Centre itself offers a total of 15,000sq.m of event space including the 4,800sq.m convention halll - which can be partitioned as required -as well as four galleries, a VIP area and a range of further conference rooms and foyers. The InnovaSON console, which replaces an old analogue board, is configured with a stagebox, seven SI8D3 mic/line input cards, two XO8D2 processed output cards and a set of digital in and output cards.
Thomas Herzberg, head of the Estrel Convention Centre's technical department, chose the Sy80 for its flexibility and easy handling. "Since we always have the challenge of extreme day-to-day changes between galas, concerts, corporate meetings and other events, we had to find a console which can be easily configured for use in these different venues across a range of applications," he says.
"With the Sy80 system, which includes the stagebox and the new optical multicore, we have found the hardware to make this possible. As we already have an extensive optical cable network, we can set up the system for different applications in just a few minutes. The software is easy and logical to handle as well, and the sound of the Sy80 is absolutely overwhelming! It sounds like top analogue quality while delivering all the advantage
UK - Before Christmas, Mushroom Event Services washed St Paul's Cathedral with colour for Cancer Research UK's biennial Carol Concert. The cathedral is Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece and one of London's most famous landmarks. The best-known aspect of the building, the West Front, was revealed earlier this month, following an 18-month extensive programme of cleaning and repair. And it was here that church-goers entered beneath a beautiful mixture of magenta and blue light produced by a combination of high powered colour changers and conventional lights, with gobo projections creating the effect of falling snow. At the end of the concert, the design was changed to include stars projected onto the Baroque towers on either side of the main façade.
"We've had a fantastic reaction to this project," comments Mushroom's Paul Butler. "It's always a great pleasure to be part of something like this, but when you have passers by telling you how good it looks, it makes it even more worthwhile."
(Lee Baldock)
UK - Creating a big impact launch to Cancer Research UK's largest ever integrated fundraising campaign, large format projection specialists, PRG Europe, were used to project huge teaser images on to Battersea Power Station.
Ogilvy's cross media campaign, evocatively titled 'I shouldn't be here', was launched on the 4 February with DRTV advertising across 15 channels, while a second wave of press advertising and direct mail went live on the 14 February.
Working on behalf of event management specialists Event Force, PRG Europe beamed three faces on to Battersea Power Station using a 12K PANI projector. Photographed at an angle and 'key stoned' so that the projected images appeared straight, the event ran for four hours to coincide with rush hour - ensuring the launch teaser got maximum exposure.
Chris Stephens, project manager at Event Force Ltd commented: "Having contacted PRG Europe, I found James Hall and the company to be very professional in their approach and quick to respond to any alterations to the brief. The staff on site were excellent and very flexible to any requests regarding the order of the images and the duration of the projection time. We were more than happy with the end result."
Meanwhile across the pond in the USA Production Resource Group (PRG) provided a complete lighting system and scenic services for the recent 2004 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. All services provided by PRG came from the company's 200,000sqft, multi-service, local support centre.
Lighting designer Simon Miles specified a package that included Virtuos
UK - When the stage fly system of the Wallingford Corn Exchange was condemned by load inspectors, Philip Burton, the venue's new volunteer general manager, turned to Tomcat UK who sent their technical manager, Paul Jordan, to the venue. "The project was a challenging one for us," says Jordan, who was one of the first to survey the system. "The existing system was suspended from small tube members resting on the internals of the building's cast iron portal frames. The pulleys were of unknown origin and ropes were of different constructions. The gallery platform support structure was manufactured from a scaffold-type arrangement which had a timber top and was buried into the side stage walls without any exterior fixings. The existing header beam arrangement consisted of a 2" diameter tube slung between the cast iron portals, which had a timber beam clamped to it with eyes screwed into the timber. These eyes were the diverters for the ropes coming off the fly bars, to direct them into the cleats on the fly gallery level. The position of this diverter beam was also incorrectly positioned in the venue." In short, the whole thing needed replacing - and there only two weeks in which to do it.
The existing pulley support tubes, which were no more than 75mm in diameter, needed to be removed and replaced with a suitably sized universal beam, which would need to be fixed to the cast iron portal frame in such a way as to not cause any damage to the fabric of the 1856 building. Tomcat designed a steel clamp to fit the cast iron portal from both sides w
Denmark - The Council hall of Aalborg, the 4th largest city in Denmark, north Jutland, recently renewed it's lighting looks with a batch of Soffio luminaries. During the project's design phase, Bico Professional A/s, dealer for LDR, was contacted for advice on how to light the council hall. After a short visit it was clear that the internal architecture wasn't clearly defined.
Lighting designer Hans Henrik Schmidt from Bico, decided to use the luminaires to highlight and emphasize the internal stone columns. Located at 10m high on each side of the columns the 150W Soffio luminaires are projecting a white lighting beam all along the column length. The final touch is given by a profile luminaires which project the municipal 'logo' into the centre of the round table.
(Lee Baldock)
UK / Germany - UK manufacturer Allen & Heath debut additions to its portfolio of live sound mixers at the Pro Light & Sound exhibition in Frankfurt from 6-9 April. Exhibiting on stand B22 in Hall 8.0, the company will unveil the new products on the first day of the show, including the latest design from its award-winning Xone range of DJ products, to be launched later in the year.
The Xone:3D is a new DJ control concept allowing the user to manipulate and manage any source - such as MP3, CD, video and vinyl - from a central interface. The Xone:3D is an amalgamation of a fully-featured high performance DJ mixer, a top spec multi-channel USB soundcard, and a comprehensive control surface with MIDI and PC connectivity. This versatile product has 14 stereo inputs and 10 stereo outputs, and can simultaneously mix up to 11 stereo signals.
The Xone VF-1 1U rack universal analogue stereo filter will also be making its Frankfurt debut. Intended for live and studio use, the VF-1 can interface with any mixer to create and manipulate sophisticated audio filtering. The unit's circuitry is an enhanced version of the filters built into the Xone mixers, and offers three basic filter types: High-pass, Band-Pass and Low-pass, which can be combined to create further filter types. The VF-1 has MIDI capability, and also contains an envelope follower, LFO, and resonance control. A RIAA preamp version - the Xone VF-1R - enabling direct connection to turntables, is also available, say the company.
Allen & Heath will be showcasing products from across its current portfolio, includi
UK - With a total of 132 points, Summit Steel's installation of Cirque du Soleil's ambitious Dralion show at London's Royal Albert Hall has broken the record for the most number of rigging points ever installed into the venue. The previous record was also set by Summit Steel - for installation of the same show last year. What's more, the rigging process also had to be completed in and even shorter time slot of two days less than last year.
Summit continued its working relationship with Cirque du Soleil, with this, the fifth Cirque production they've installed into the RAH for Dralion's fully sold-out five-week residency. Summit's Chris Walker started work on the project in September 2004. Working closely with a team of people including Cirque's rigging project manager Ewen Seagel; Marc-André Leclerc, technical manager for the transfer to the RAH; Adrian Bray, the RAH's technical show manager; Gez Edwards-Web, the venue's TSM responsible for the show's rigging and Bob Stagg from consulting structural engineers Alan Conisbee Associates. "It has very much been a team effort" says Walker.
All Cirque du Soleil's touring shows are designed around their own tent structures. Summit mimicked these support/anchoring structures and devices within the RAH by establishing an overall rigging infrastructure. This enabled Cirque's complex show - a multi-colour collage of high octane acrobatics, split second timing and theatrical drama - to operate as 'normal'.
Other suppliers include Britannia Row Productions (audio), Neg Earth (lighting), and Med
UK - Kylie Minogue, Travis, The Strokes and Liberty X are just some of the artists who have benefited recently from the touring combination of Van Damme Cable and Capital Sound Hire. "When you're putting together equipment for a major artist's tour, the three key elements you look for are quality, reliability and flexibility," says Capital Sound Hire's Simon Barron. "Van Damme's Black Tour Grade cable fits all three criteria perfectly, which is why we specify it for just about every tour we handle."
London-based Capital Sound Hire, incorporating Capital Sound Design and Capital Productions, is responsible for hiring sound equipment, freelance technical crews and transport to the entertainment world. Touring artists make up a large percentage of its business - and their tours may involve anything from a few UK dates to major international events incorporating huge stadia and arenas. Kylie, for example, will be kicking off her latest tour in March at the SECC and ending with seven nights at Earls Court, London - and Van Damme cable, supplied by VDC Trading, will be ensuring that the show sounds as good on the first night as it does on the last.
"We'll be using Van Damme cable for the whole package - from the line system and stage boxes, through to the mic inputs and returns," Barron adds. "Van Damme's Black series is ideal because it has been specially designed to survive the touring environment. Life on the road can be pretty tough on equipment, especially cabling, so you have to be sure that whatever you use is going to withst
UK - Although Andrew and Roselyn Baldwin have been operating in the nightclub industry for the past 14 years, it has been during the 12 months since establishing Jedi Light and Sound that they have really made an impact on the installation front.
Last month the company provided a radical sound and lighting upgrade to the former Oval in Wood Green - animating the venue (now known as Club KO) with a number of original Geni scanning effects from Lighting Effects Distribution and re-configuring the resident Martin Audio sound system.
DJ Spoony had been one of the partners in the previous Oval operation, which opened in the spring of 2002, but these days the venue is under the proprietorship of Mick Theo. "It was already a nice venue but lacked that wow factor," declared Andrew. Firstly they recommended two Geni Burst 2X 360° full-barrel effects - flipping and spinning 14 coloured gobos from an MSD 200 lamp - but this quickly became increased to four. Jedi then extended the lighting to provide two of the smaller Geni Spyro projectors, offering eight colour/gobos and strobing, for use on the dance podiums.
"Lighting Effects Distribution offer such a vast range that we are able to set up site demo's - and show the scope of products like these in situ," continued Andrew. "The Bursts are awesome; there's nothing else like it and we have some in our showroom. In fact we used some Burst 2X's recently at a DJ competition in Sudbury's Vita Nightclub - and everyone was amazed by the effect they produced."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
USA - Sennheiser RF and wired microphones and wireless personal monitor systems played a significant part in the 47th Annual Grammy Awards show telecast, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. In addition to the wide array of Sennheiser and Neumann equipment used onstage, this year, for the very first time, the stereo and 5.1 surround broadcast audio was enhanced with the addition of more than 36 audience microphones. Capturing the crowd ambiance were four Sennheiser shotgun microphones, plus Neumann cardioid compact miniature and large diaphragm mics.
Wireless systems, provided and overseen by frequency coordinator Dave Bellamy and his Soundtronics RF service company, included Sennheiser SKM5000-N handhelds fitted with Neumann KK 105-S elements for a variety of artists, including Eve, performing with Gwen Stefani, Tim McGraw, and Joss Stone. Two-thirds of the 24 RF personal monitoring systems provided by Soundtronics, 12 for stage left and 12 for stage right, were Sennheiser. Evolution wired mics and the choice of Grammy nominee, Franz Ferdinand, performing their hit "Take Me Out" with the popular e935 for lead vocals, e840 for backups, e602 for kicks and the MD421 for toms.
For backline miking, the majority of artists made use of Sennheiser's industry standard Evolution Series e602 kick drum mic, while e602 tom mics plus Neumann TLM 103 large diaphragm mics for the orchestra were also in use.
Klaus Landsberg, a seasoned broadcast mixer from shows such as American Idol and The Ryan Seacrest Show was hired for the sole purpose of mi
Germany - The new D-Lite 2000 satellite system from Dynacord combines audio performance; easy handling, versatility and expandability say the company. The 2000W system is tailored to the needs of entertainers, mobile DJs and small bands.
The central unit of the Dynacord D-Lite 2000 system is the PowerSub 315 active sub-woofer. Weighing in at 39 kilos, the PowerSub 315 houses the 1000W Class D amplifier that drives the integrated 15" sub-woofer plus 2 X 500W for the connected satellites but also all the audio processing. By optimizing the air stream, the integrated high-speed laminar vent (HSLV - patent pending) delivers extremely high sound pressure levels in the sub-bass region, which here reaches all the way down to 32 Hz!
The PowerSub 315 is capable of powering up to four eight-ohm satellites (two per side) and an additional pair of eight-ohm subwoofers. The sub-woofer level is adjustable to allow the system to adapt to different venues and permit the use of smaller satellites, and you can select between three sub/satellite crossover frequencies.
The D12 weighs only 16kg, the polypropylene satellite is armed with a 12" loudspeaker for the low midrange and a ND-2 neodymium driver for the 80° x 40° constant Q HF horn. The Sub 115 compact passive sub-woofer has the same dimensions as the active PowerSub 315 and represents the ideal extension to the D-Lite 2000 system. Like all the other system components, the Sub 115 comes as standard with voice-coil tracking protection.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
UK - Hawthorn Theatrical, has made its first investment in line array technology - with Martin Audio. The company has consolidated a relationship with the High Wycombe company that extends over a decade by purchasing 16 x W8LM Mini Line Array enclosures, matched with six WLX subs.
Hawthorn's head of sound, Iain Reinhold, said the acquisition made perfect sense. "It creates compatibility with our already comprehensive inventory of Martin Wavefront systems and will allow us to expand our work portfolio by quoting for more outdoor work."
This portfolio is already substantial, as Martin Hawthorn's Leicestershire-based company has carved out an enviable share of the large-scale corporate event market since setting up the business 18 years ago as sound and lighting specialists.
"As we were being asked to service more arena-style conferences we decided to demo the Martin system last October - and later compared it alongside an alternative system." The criteria that had to be met, continues Reinhold, had as much to do with the system's visual attributes as its sonic performance. "Aside from the compatibility issue, the Martin system was more compact - and able to be flown above the sightlines. The advantage with the Wavefront W8LM is that it cuts down a lot of rigging time with trussing, and dispenses with delays entirely."
Further to that, he says, the ViewPoint predictive software is a major advantage. "It means that someone who doesn't have Martin Line Array knowledge can get the system up in the air with the array measurements s
UK - Ampetronic induction loops have recently been installed at the heart of two major London tourist attractions, ensuring that the hearing impaired can enjoy the experience just as much as those with no disability. Driven by twin Ampetronic ILD9 induction loop amplifiers via an SP5 phaser, Scanaudio has installed adjacent ultra-low spill loop systems at the British Museum's Virtual Mummy exhibition. This showcase is made possible by CAT scanning technology, allowing the Museum to see 'inside' an Egyptian mummy which has resided intact at the museum since the late 19th Century. The exhibition is based on the resulting three-dimensional model and explores who the body inside the mummy might have been, how he lived and so on. Visitors are treated to a 20-minute IMAG show, featuring full surround sound and 3D visuals.
"Because of the show's format, our main consideration was the seating arrangement and how to make the loop system work most effectively with it," says Scanaudio's Dee Couchman. "There is also the pre-show area which has the second loop system running a different programme, so we had to ensure there was no crossover. Ampetronic systems are designed so that the field strength falls off rapidly outside the actual area to be covered, so that was achieved fairly easily."p>Scanaudio has also installed Ampetronic low spill loop systems at the Tower of London, in two adjacent basement rooms used as a lecture room and interactive workspace. Each system is driven via a pair of ILD 252,s linked with an SP5 phase shift unit. The audio source sig
Dubai, UAE - Now in it's third year, PALME - the Middle East's leading professional sound, light, music, audio visual and systems integration exhibition - has firmly established itself as a must attend event on the industry trade show calendar. Internationally acknowledged as the key forum for the industry in the Middle East, the event is supported by PLASA, the Professional Lighting and Sound Association. Other major industry associations such as APIAS (Italy), Secarty's (Spain) and ILDA (US) are also enthusiastic supporters.
This year's event, already a sell-out according to the organizers, is set to build on the outstanding success of PALME 2004, which attracted 30% more exhibitors than the 2003 event, 134 companies from 25 countries, from as far away as the US, Australia, Korea and Belgium, participating - this exceptional growth is the result of the high quality of the event, which has proved a great success for exhibitors. A highly focused B2B event, PALME is dedicated to putting key regional decision makers in contact with the world's leading manufactures and suppliers. Clear evidence of this continuing commitment is the launch of three brand new vertical arenas at PALME 2005.
"Install, Event 360 and Musac - the three new sectors of PALME are the result of extensive industry research," says Darren Brechin, project director, PALME. "It soon became apparent from our in-depth discussions with exhibitors, visitors and industry associations that, given the highly buoyant nature of the regional market, there was a real requirement for additional
USA - Bogen Communications. and Apogee Sound announced today that Daytona International Speedway has installed a broad and extensive array of leading edge Bogen and Apogee sound equipment in its new "World Center of Racing". The World Center of Racing, built in just seven months, embodies a new multi-million dollar, state-of-the art venue located within the Daytona Speedway's infield. It offers the world's most extraordinary, "up-close and personal" fan experience in motor sports: interactive displays; a tribute area to the legends of the Speedway; rooftop spectator areas; upgraded specialty vehicle infield parking; renovated NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series Garages; a new Gatorade Victory Lane; and a new signature infield structure, the Daytona 500 Club building. All sound reinforcement in each of these locations is delivered exclusively through Bogen and Apogee sound equipment.
The Daytona Infield sound reinforcement system was designed by a Bogen/Apogee professional design team, and engineered and installed by QuestCom Group, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida. Scott Fenstermacher, president of QuestCom, stated: "Putting up a world-class sound system in seven months in multiple venues and then tying everything together was one the most challenging assignments that QuestCom has faced. There was no margin for error given the high profile nature of Daytona. The installation went flawlessly and the sound delivered by the Bogen and Apogee product is unmatched."
The Haskell Company of Jacksonville, Florida, one of the foremost desig
France - d&b audiotechnik's latest Qi-Series installation range of loudspeakers made a colourful display at the SIEL exhibition in Paris. Personnel from d&b audiotechnik France along with its sales partners played host, presenting a selection of the product range, including the renowned Q-Series, the D12 amplifier, d&b's Remote network and ROPE C software.
The Qi-Series, based on d&b's popular Q-Series products, includes loudspeakers and specialized accessories that can be properly colour matched to interior designs, are mechanically adapted for installation use and can be protected for climatically hostile environments. Five loudspeaker types make up the Series; the Qi1, Qi7 and Qi10 that are passively crossed over two-way loudspeakers sharing the same physical size, shape, weight and driver compliment (a 1.3" exit HF and two 10" LF drivers), while the Qi-SUB and QiCSA-SUB are bass-reflex designs utilizing a high excursion 18" driver. The Qi1 HF driver is fitted with a toroidal wave-shaping device; the resulting 75 degree x 15 degree (h x v) dispersion pattern produces a curved coherent wave front allowing vertical line arrays to be constructed.
The Qi7 and Qi10 loudspeakers respectively have a rotatable 75 degree x 40 degree and 110 degree x 40 degree (h x v) conventional constant directivity horn and may be deployed as single units or in columns with Qi1s and Qi-SUBs. The Qi1, Qi7 and Qi10 individually weigh 21kg but achieve maximum output levels of 139, 138 and 137 dB SPL respectively.
A Cardioid Subwoofer Array (CSA) of Qi subwoofers was al
France - Daslight's Virtual Controller software program now includes a new tool for CMY and RGB fixtures under Matrix Manager. It can be used as easily as any drawing software and it makes programming quite simple, say the company. It is also possible to download videos and images and scroll text.
A new USB interface has been included in the Daslight range of products. This interface works in DMX IN on 512 channels and is fully compatible with all consoles available on the market, say the company. Using the DMX 512 IN interface and Virtual Controller, users can transfer and save previous shows onto a computer. The software can be controlled via a console, and users can add a 3D view in real time on any console. The new 3D visualizing tool displays all fixture effects as well as texture and video on objects. All the above Daslight products will be demonstrated at the Pro Light & Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany from 6-9 April (Hall 9.0 - Stand B65).
(Lee Baldock)
UK - A new guide to electricity in buildings is now available from CIBSE. The publication will be invaluable to lighting engineers, technicians and designers who require easy access to information on electrical services.
There is specific information on the different elements of electricity that relate to lighting and lighting circuits, such as: harmonics, loads, miniature circuit breakers, cables and prefabricated wiring systems. Each clearly-written section has been produced by experts in their respective fields from leading consultants, contractors and manufacturers. Areas covered are: regulations and standards; load assessment; power supplies; high voltage distribution, transformers, low voltage switchgear and distribution, building wiring systems; earthing and bonding; uninterruptible power supplies; electromagnetic compatibility; inspection, testing, operation and maintenance.
A full list of references and a bibliography for further reading are included at the end of every chapter. There are also numerous schematic diagrams, tables, graphs, illustrations and a detailed index at the end of the book so that the reader can quickly locate the relevant information.
Guide K: Electricity in buildings is a 146-page A4 format book and can be purchased from CIBSE publication sales on the telephone number or website detailed below. The cost is £22 (plus P&P) for members of CIBSE and the Society of Light and Lighting and £86 (plus P&P) for non-members. (NB. Qualifying CIBSE members will receive a free copy of the Guide in June 2005).
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
USA - The televised pre-game entertainment from Super Bowl XXXIX (that's 39 for non-Romans), held at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, used a variety of Sennheiser equipment. "The entire pre-game entertainment was all Sennheiser," confirms James Stoffo, an RF expert who works on many major sports and entertainment events. "There were Sennheiser 3000 in-ears and Sennheiser EM1046 receivers and Sennheiser 5000 handhelds with Neumann heads."
Stoffo, whose Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a Masque Sound company, is based in Orlando, Florida, supplied the RF microphones, receivers and antennas, while sound production company ATK AudioTek supplied the 3000 Series personal monitor systems. Every handheld comprised a Sennheiser/Neumann hybrid RF mic, which combines a Sennheiser 5000 Series wireless transmitter with Neumann's KK105 capsule.
"But the cool thing this year," says Stoffo, "was that there was a surround sound mic with five outputs - left, right, surround left, surround right, and top - and those were on Sennheiser SK50 transmitters, zapping back to me. The guy ran around the field during pregame, the anthem and halftime, and picked up surround crowd noise, and it went out on the broadcast."
"Relying on wireless transmission for the surround mic was groundbreaking," says Stoffo. "We were only the second people to do this. The only other time that's been done on an RF link was one time in Europe. Everybody loved it and it was crystal clear."
During the pre-game entertainment, there were 24 mic
Canada - The first-ever World Stage Design will be held from 12-19 March 2005 in the Canadian Hall at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The exhibition and catalogue of set, costume, lighting, and sound design will present work from designers around the world. An international jury has selected 188 works from a total of 951 submissions to be presented in the gallery exhibition, representing designers from 35 nations. All the submitted designs will be presented in the digital exhibit section and included in the print and digital catalogues available for sale at the event.
The exhibition is co-produced by three prominent theatre associations: United States Institute for Theatre Technology Inc (USITT), the Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology/l'Institut Canadien des Technologies Scenographiques (CITT), and the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT). Generous companies, foundations, and individuals are also lending support by sponsoring the award medals that will be presented to the premiere designs in the gallery exhibition. A second jury has been established to select the medal-winning designs. Admission to the exhibition is free.
The exhibition coincides with the USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo which is being held 16-19 March in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the OISTAT World Congress which is being held 13-15 March at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
(Lee Baldock)
UK - White Light recently completed the installation of a new lighting grid and dimming system for LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. LAMDA, which dates back to 1861, recently moved to a new home in West London, the former headquarters of the Royal Ballet School. As part of this move, one of the building's ballet rooms has been converted into a black-box drama studio, named the Linbury Studio for former Royal Ballet ballerina Anya Linden Sainsbury.
As part of the conversion, the room required the installation of a technical infrastructure which would be used to rig and control lanterns from LAMDA's existing stock. White Light's Roger Hennigan worked with Claire Cooper, LAMDA's buildings administrator, and Paul Rowland, the college's head of lighting, to specify the system. This provides a 6m x 11.5m fixed overhead lighting grid with 60 15A sockets on internally wired bars and DMX outlets at multiple positions. The sockets are wired back to a Weiland mains patch allowing the outlets to be patched to the four 12-way ETC Smart Pack wall-mounted dimmers. Control is from an existing Arri console.
The installation, which involved multiple diamond-drilled holes to support the grid, was undertaken for White Light by Mark Bradbrook. Already in use for LAMDA's student productions, the installation has met with approval from LAMDA, with Paul Rowland commenting on White Light's work: ". . . excellent job - really neat, tidy and well done."
The studio will also provide LAMDA's technical students with a further venue in which to refine their li