direct from: www.etnow.comRegularsContentsthis monthJobs and CareersWeb DirectoryFeaturesIssue: 297Unusual Rigging helps take Miss Saigon on the roadpage 24November 2017Detroit is known for many things. It’s the fourth largest city in the Midwest and now it’s home to the largest SkyDeck tensioned wire grid in the world. With over 200 Robe lighting fixtures in the rig, visual designer LeRoy had plenty of options to apply the excitement to Lady Gaga’s latest tour.Largest Skydeck in the World at Little CaesarsPenn Elcom Gets Wired for New Studio in HastingsSound designer Scott Lehrer on Hello, Dolly!page: 19page: 26page: 22page: 2page: 27pages: 27 to 31Broadway’s latest revival of the musical, Hello, Dolly! has an expansively spatialised sound design enabled via TiMax SoundHub. LIGHTING | SOUND | VIDEORIGGING | STAGING | DRAPESw: hawthorn.bizt: 01664 821 111e: hire@hawthorn.bizAYRTON MAGICBLADE™FX FX optical zoom system - no visible moving parts & fixed transmitting lens. Seven squared 65mm transmitting lenses. 15:1 zoom ratio, beam angle ranges from 3.6° to 53°.AVAILABLE TO HIREThe Queen’s Theatre Goes Digital with Autograph and DiGiCoThe Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is a 500-seat producing theatre within the London Borough of Havering. In common with many such venues, it hosts a very diverse range of entertainment which places expansive demands on its technical infrastructure. Following a recommendation from the Bloomsbury Theatre, Autograph’s Peppe Mallozzi subsequently recommended a DiGiCo SD9T for its combination of features including the theatre-specific DiGiCo ‘T’ software.More on page 12Robe’s Perfect Illusion for Lady Gaga Tour contents this monthNovember 2017page no.Featurespage : 10page : 10page : 16page : 11News This MonthPages 4-18TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENTRevised in February 2017 Available now from www.etbooks.co.uk19 Largest Skydeck in the World at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit Detroit is known for many things. It’s the Motor City, the Arsenal of Democracy, and the birthplace of Motown. It’s home to four major sports franchises: the Tigers, the Lions, the Pistons, and the Red Wings. It’s the fourth largest city in the Midwest and now, it’s home to the largest SkyDeck tensioned wire grid in the world. 20 SGM lights up Wall of Dreams at Royal Festival Hall As part of the Southbank Centre’s year-long Nordic Matters programme in London and coinciding with their London Literature Festival, award-winning poet and artist Morten Søndergaard is showcasing his latest art installation Wall of Dreams on the building facade of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. The projection on The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall is realised by the deployment of 16 SGM G-Spot LED moving heads mounted on existing poles surrounding the building. Special gobos have been designed containing the textual messages with each moving head containing several of these custom- made gobos making it possible to alter the building facade overnight for a changeable appearance through programming. 21 A Specialz word from Cate Carter Cate Carter needs little introduction as one of busiest and most successful LDs over the last decade; her portfolio is long and illustrious with the likes of Editors and Ellie Goulding currently out on tour. Carter’s company, Bryte Design is a design production house run in conjunction with her business partner, lighting designer Mike Smith and visual producer Pablo Beckett. Even before the company’s inception, Carter had been employing the talents of Specialz to realise her design concepts.22 Robe Helps Create Perfect Illusion for Lady Gaga Tour When one of the world’s most innovative, provocative and interesting contemporary artists, Lady Gaga, and one of the most inventive visual designers, LeRoy Bennett, team up, one knows the result will be an impressive montage of creative stagecraft and technical magic. With over 200 Robe lighting fixtures on the rig, LeRoy had plenty of options to develop and apply the excitement, energy and contrasts.24 Unusual Rigging helps take Miss Saigon on the road The heat is on in Saigon as Unusual Rigging helps take the hit West End show on the road across the UK and Ireland. But Unusual Rigging is no novice when it comes to the technical ins-and-outs of Miss Saigon. The company worked on the original show when it opened in the West End nearly three decades ago and again in 2014 when the show re-opened to rave reviews at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. 25 Yamaha Helps St George’s Tame the Dragon of Poor Sound A number of the UK’s most well-known cathedrals now feature Yamaha audio systems, where the flexibility of the company’s products is making them a popular choice for the acoustically-challenging environments. The latest is St George’s Cathedral in London.26 Timing is everything says Hello, Dolly! sound designer Scott Lehrer Broadway’s latest revival of the ever-popular Jerry Herman comedy musical, Hello, Dolly! put Bette Midler centre stage as Dolly, the enterprising widow finding her way in an 1890’s New York City. Directed by Jerry Zaks, with an expansively spatialised sound design by Scott Lehrer, enabled via TiMax SoundHub, the role saw Midler claim her first acting Tony award: Best Leading Actress in a Musical. from the editordirect from: www.etnow.comEntertainment Technology is published 12 times a year in conjunction with the leading industry portal www.etnow.comEditor: John OffordTechnical Editor: Jackie StainesPublished by: Entertainment Technology Press LtdThe Studio, High Green Great ShelfordCambridge CB22 5EGTelephone: +44 (0)1223 550805Fax: +44 (0)1223 550806Website: www.etnow.comemail: editor@etnow.com© Entertainment Technology Press Ltd.Subscription Rates:Annual Subscription for 12 issues (UK): £27.50Annual Subscription (overseas): £50.00Subject to acceptance, subscription is free to UK based industry professionals.Subscribe online at: www.etnow.com/etmag/Opinions expressed in Entertainment Technology are not necessarily those of the publishers. All rights are reserved and reproduction of any part in whatever form is prohibited without the prior permission of the publishers.etnow.com (entertainment technology news on web) is the industry portal site with news from around the world added daily under various sector headings coupled to an extensive archive. The site also features a books section where titles from Entertainment Technology Press can be ordered online via our secure Sage Pay credit card services.Register forKeep up to date by signing upat www.etnow.com/etexpressWeekly News HeadlinesIssue: 297Entertainment Technology PressLatest TitleCharles John Phipps F.S.A.Architect to the Victorian TheatreThis book is the first in-depth biography of the leading Victorian theatre architect Charles Phipps. His designs dislodged the Victorian theatre from its dependence on the Georgian playhouse and ushered in a new modernity utilising the latest technology in lighting, stage machinery and building construction and his work was a major influence on younger architects, notably Frank Matcham. International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference 2018The International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (ITEAC) has announced that TAIT Stage Technologies is the major Sponsor of the 2018 conference, taking place in London next year from 3rd - 5th June.TAIT Stage Technologies’ continued support of ITEAC by taking the principal sponsorship role for the fourth consecutive conference; having been one of the founder sponsors of the initial event in 2002 illustrates the tremendous reputation that ITEAC has established over the last sixteen years.The presentation of ITEAC 2018 – Places for Performance: New Directions, recognises not only the demand for this major event, which seeks to investigate the developments that have already been made, and the innovations that will be required, in the ever-changing world of live entertainment, but also the need of those who design buildings for the performing arts and supply the production technology within them, to gather at this leading and learned event, alongside creators and end-users.The quadrennial three-day event will take place on Sunday 3rd June, Monday 4th June and Tuesday 5th June 2018 at Savoy Place, the Global Engineering Hub of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).Situated in the heart of London on the north bank of the River Thames, overlooking the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall and close to the historic Savoy Theatre, the Savoy Place venue, with its impressive views, offers a most appropriate location for ITEAC.A Call for Sessions has already been issued to those involved in the planning, design, construction, specification and operation of places of entertainment, as well as to writers, designers, performers, producers and production teams. Submissions may still be sent to David Staples, Chairman of the Editorial Board, via this dedicated email: iteaceditor@abtt.org.ukPresented by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), ITEAC 2018 will be the fifth edition of the Conference. Conceived in 2002 by the late renowned stage engineer and ABTT Fellow, Richard Brett, the event has grown from strength to strength, with TAIT Stage Technologies’ involvement having been integral to its success.ABTT chief executive, Robin Townley, commented: “The commitment to supporting ITEAC 2018 that TAIT Stage Technologies have so generously made, is hugely important to allowing the next edition to be presented.“For TAIT Stage Technologies to continue its support of the conference, for the fourth time as founder sponsor, underlines their commitment to sustaining the industry. The value they place in the power of an international forum to drive their sector forward and their commitment to supporting the ITEAC conferences, underlines the benefits they consider the event has both for their own teams and for the industry at large.”He went on to say: “Having established itself as a “must attend” event for so many areas and participants in the creation, execution, design and management of theatrical presentation, the next edition, ITEAC 2018 – Places for Performance: New Directions, has been much anticipated by those engaged in the planning, design, construction, equipping, operation and management of performance spaces of every type, from the stadium and arena, the opera house and receiving theatre, to the school and community venue.“ITEAC 2018 will offer a unique opportunity for the specialists that make up our industry to hear from the makers, creators and producers of performance. It will bring together the world’s leading theatre technicians, architects, engineers, consultants, acousticians and production managers, as well as theatre makers and venue managers, to participate in the most exciting and stimulating investigation of the very particular mix of art and science, craft and technology, illusion and engineering, that we are equired to provide.”All parties are invited to register their interest in attending, speaking or sponsoring the Conference, via the ITEAC website: www.iteac.co.ukNovember 2017news4 Visit our new website …www.rubberbox.co.ukPortable PowerStandard or bespoke boxes for outdoor useT. +44 (0)1282 677910 E.info@rubberbox.co.ukRobe Deutschland HQ InauguratedRobe Deutschland has officially celebrated the opening of its new HQ in Ismaning near Munich in an event which also showcased the company’s just launched MegaPointe moving light to assembled guests and media. A spectacular light show designed, programmed and operated by top Swiss LD Ronald Huber, illustrated the many features and functionality of the new MegaPointe, together with other versatile fixtures from Robe’s current ranges.The exciting high-energy show was enjoyed by many individuals including lighting and visual designers and other creatives, programmers, technicians, and those from a diversity of organisations such as venues, TV studios, theatres, rental companies, most of whom stayed for several hours and enjoyed the networking and lively, stimulating environment.Robe Deutschland GmbH is a wholly-owned Robe subsidiary launched in April at the Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt. It enables Robe and sister architectural LED brand Anolis to work more directly with its clients, end-users and advocates throughout the key European market of Germany and deliver the superlative service for which it is known.In less than six months, Robe DE’s HQ and sales operation has been set up and energised from scratch.The German team includes CEO Dieter Gross and CFO Martin Lönner, working with four leading area sales managers, Olaf Nehrenheim located in the west, Martin Opitz based in the east of the country plus Stephanie Walloner and Michael Herrmann who are covering the south. The substantial HQ, back office and administration operation is being managed by Natascha Christophersen.Robe DE’s Ismaning HQ is near to the major transport hub of Munich for a wealth of connection options nationally and internationally via road and air. It is also placed for efficient physical access to Robe’s manufacturing base in the Czech Republic and the company will be ideally placed to collaborate with other European distributors in Robe’s global network.A full service department is operational in Ismaning to ensure any maintenance and support business is dealt with quickly and efficiently. “We are extremely happy that all our German customers have direct access to our brand via this highly talented, experienced, well-connected and enthusiastic team,” stated Robe CEO Josef Valchar, who led a contingent from the international sales and project team attending the office inauguration and MegaPointe launch event.Robe’s sales director Harry von den Stemmen added: “This event was a great success, the office and the MegaPointe were extremely well received and we look forward to a positive and proactive future in Germany with plenty of business opportunities.”photo: Michael Herrmannwww.robe.cz4Issue: 297news5Artistic Licence partners with The Lir Academy Artistic Licence has been appointed official technical partner of The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin. The Lir Academy was established in 2011 to provide students with the highest standards of training for careers in the theatre, TV and film industries.The Lir’s director of technical training, Barry Conway, identified networking in lighting as an area of focus for the Academy’s new Bachelor in Stage Management and Technical Theatre degree course. Artistic Licence and its CEO, Wayne Howell – inventor of the Art-Net lighting protocol and recent Gottelier award winner – were the obvious choice of industry partner.As Conway explains: “I have been very excited about expanding our technical offering in our three-year programme. Network control is now such a fundamental component of lighting that Ireland needs to be able to train this to the next generation of techs.”The Lir therefore approached Artistic Licence with a proposal for a mutually beneficial arrangement that would enable students access to some of the latest technology on the market. Following a significant gift of equipment to turbocharge the new course, students will benefit from hands-on training with Artistic’s brand new artLynx gateways, along with premium DMX distribution products from the company’s versaSplit range.Wayne Howell comments: “As a company, we have always promoted education and training, so I am delighted with this arrangement. Understanding best practice in the implementation of lighting networks and control distribution is a crucial skill in the modern industry. And of course, it is great for Artistic Licence if people are trained using our gear!”As Barry Conway concludes: “Having a company like Artistic licence be on board at the creation of this training module is a really exciting prospect.”www.artisticlicence.comPRG UK Strengthens TV and Film Team PRG has appointed Caroline Hill (pictured) and Mark Davies to its UK TV and film account management team. Caroline joins from Panalux Broadcast and Events where, for five years, she oversaw the delivery of a diverse range of events including fashion shows, television series, rigging for feature films, and, most recently, the lighting and rigging elements of the factual show ‘World War One Remembered: Passchendaele’ for the BBC.Caroline studied both lighting and entertainment electrics at college before going into the West End theatres as an in-house electrician, followed by a move to PRG as a moving light technician. Caroline comments: “My favourite moving light is still the VL5 because the key to the fixture is the prep and tuning of the mechanical parts. The success of the fixture is down to the attention given in the prep.”Caroline now brings her in-depth technical knowledge, and wide experience of event, television and film lighting back to PRG. She is based in PRG’s Covent Garden, London office.Caroline is an addition to the already bolstered TV and film account management team that welcomed Mark Davies earlier this year. Since joining PRG as a lighting project manager over ten years ago, Mark went on to head up his department before moving into this current account management role. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of technical lighting systems.TV and film market leader Kelly Cornfield commented: “Caroline and Mark are great additions to the team and will support our continued growth in this sector.”Unusual Rigging reflects on ‘highly successful’ PLASA Rigging ConferenceDelegates who attended the recent 2017 PLASA Rigging Conference at Olympia in London have hailed the new format a success, according to the event’s Platinum sponsor, Unusual Rigging.The eighth annual conference commenced with the traditional opening address, this year from industry legend Morris Lyda, who took the audience on a fascinating journey through some of his most enlightening projects working with the likes of Phil Collins and Genesis, while addressing the key entertainment basics, their shortcomings, values, obscurities and a contemplation of its uncertainties.This was followed by a programme of subjects for debate. The morning session was chaired by Unusual’s Alan Jacobi and debated the issues raised in Morris’s paper, particularly focusing on whether creativity in show production has been affected by such things as budget constraints, risk management, H&S and CDM, while the afternoon session chaired by Mark Surtees of Outback Rigging took a more detailed look at questions raised during the year and topical subjects including the impact of Brexit on working time, standards and touring, working at height on trusses and who has the final word on site.Alan Jacobi, managing director at Unusual commented: “This year’s conference really provided attendees with some food for thought which turned into some focused, controversial and sometimes heated debate. But this is exactly what a conference should deliver; we need people who work in this industry and experience its highs and its lows to feel passionate about it. To attend an event like this and just see everyone nod in agreement would not be a successful event in my eyes. Debate is essential for change and I think everyone came away from the conference feeling that way.”www.unusual.co.ukNovember 2017news6PR Lighting Adds 350 Beam to New Aqua Waterproof RangePR Lighting has announced a new addition to its successful IP65-rated AQUA range, which has enjoyed a spectacular launch at key trade shows around the globe this year.The waterproof and dustproof Aqua 350 Beam moving head features a 350W lamp (6800K colour temperature), and thanks to its advanced optical system delivers a precise, tight and powerful 2.1° parallel beam. This makes it ideal for all outdoor situations, particularly where an outdoor searchlight and big air looks are required.The fixture is fully-featured as would be expected, and includes 12 dichroic colours (including CTO and White), two gobo wheels (one fixed and one rotating) and three prisms. The fixed wheel contains 16 gobos plus open and the rotating wheel 12 interchangeable gobos plus open. The three prisms offer eight-facet, 16-facet and linear, with bi-directional rotation plus CTO, frost and open.Also featured are an individual frost filter and double shutter blades (0.3-20fps) while movement consists of 540° (pan) and 270° (tilt), with auto position correction.The product is now in full production and already shipping.Martin Audio Starts New Webinar Training ProgrammeMartin Audio has announced a series of webinars that will kick-start a new monthly education programme for its bestselling product ranges and software platforms.A major development in Martin Audio’s training initiative, these live sessions will initially be conducted by members of its product support group and in time start to introduce guest speakers featuring end users who will share their experiences, insights and expertise.These sessions will be offered to audio professionals wishing to leverage Martin Audio’s technologies and optimise their advanced tools for problem solving in field applications. These webinars can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and all sessions are available free-of-charge. Martin Audio’s director of marketing, James King, commented: “Our brand has started to become pervasive around the world and it follows that we need to accelerate our education offering to reach these new end users and to maximise learning for system integrators and rental companies of our products and software platforms.“The sessions start with our new Wavefront Precision optimised line arrays – sales of which have outstripped all our expectations – and are followed up with sessions on Display software, CDD and O-Line as well as topics like noise pollution management.”November 2017news8Philips Lighting moves Opera Sanxay to new heights of dynamic presentationPhilips Lighting worked closely with Opera Sanxay to introduce the first-ever moving light rig for the celebrated Soirées Lyrique de Sanxay opera festival this summer. The use of the latest stage lighting and control technology successfully enabled a new level of dynamic design possibilities for this highly respected outdoor spectacle.Now in its 18th year as one of France’s leading lyrical arts events, Soirées Lyrique de Sanxay maintains presentation standards as high as any international opera event. Illuminating the elaborate scenic and costume designs to the required standard calls for the highest quality and reliability lighting.The carefully chosen lighting rig for this year’s production, Mozart’s The Magic Flute, successfully combined traditional and LED light sources. Moving lights, including Philips VL4000 Spots and VL6000 Beams, plus LED-based Philips VLZ Wash and Philips Showline SL BEAM 300 FX luminaires, were used alongside fixed units. Control was provided by the latest Philips Strand NEO system.In exploiting the possibilities of this advanced set-up, lighting designer Nevio Cavina enjoyed comprehensive on-site support and programming assistance from Philips Entertainment’s Bobby Harrell and Gregg Brooks.“The lighting package allowed a new dynamic in the narrative to be explored,” says Cavina. “I was impressed by the richness of the color and effects and the accuracy of the stored positions of the moving lights. The water and fire effects were particularly satisfying. And NEO’s multi-user capability meant that looks could be achieved and stored quickly.”Further design options were presented by another motorised fixture in the rig, the Philips SL Bar 720 ZT, which Cavina used to line the octagonal, overhead centerpiece of Keiko Shiraishi’s set design. The colour-changing, tilting bars brought an important additional movement to the automated set-piece, as well as giving Cavina further possibilities for lighting both the set and performers.Overall, Cavina found much to praise in the performance, versatility and reliability of the Philips Entertainment Lighting fixtures. He says: “Considering the difficulties posed by the weather, I was also pleased to be able to experience the quality of the moving lights. Some of the fixtures we used are not normally used in lyrical production, but at Sanxay our experience with these has been hugely positive.”Mathieu Blugeon, president of the Soirées Lyrique de Sanxay, was thrilled with the result of the partnership with Philips Lighting. He says: “The feedback from the technical team and audience was extremely positive and enthusiastic. The show took on a new dimension thanks to these incredible lighting fixtures and the Philips Strand Neo control console. This gave a real added value to the festival.”He adds: “I would like to highlight Bobby and Gregg for their skills, kindness and expertise. They were particularly appreciated by our entire team and the festival’s leaders. It was so important for us to have the support of such knowledgeable personnel to help with the adoption of new technology in this setting. Now I have just one wish: to keep Philips Lighting as our partner!”Colin Kavanagh, general manager of Philips Entertainment Lighting said: “Bringing the benefits of our stage lighting technology to such a prestigious and unique event has been a real pleasure. Mathieu Blugeon and his creative team have allowed us to demonstrate how the tools and technologies that we are developing can bring real creative and practical advantages to lighting professionals in the most demanding settings.”www.lighting.philips.com/main/products/entertainment-lighting7news9Issue: 297Green Hippo Launches Montane+Green Hippo has launched Hippotizer Montane+, its newest Hippotizer media server. As the latest addition, Hippotizer Montane+ is a formidable force in the live production world. Featuring Notch, the real-time graphics workhorse, a favourite among content creators, Montane+ seamlessly enables users to create, simulate, render, composite, edit and play: always in real-time. It’s a smooth experience, too, with Hippotizer V4’s pin system letting you control content from the lighting desk, or other controller. Simply export and playback directly within Hippotizer – it’s easy!Montane+ features two DP 1.2 outputs, and offers the very latest graphics card technology, enabling over 25,000 Notchmarks. Even the most demanding of 3D and generative projects are handled with ease and control. The media server also comes with 10 free Notch FX as standard, plus a playback licence.“We’re really excited to launch the Hippotizer Montane+. It pushes the creative boundaries of AV professionals, with a familiar workflow that works in all stages of live production,” said Ryan Brown, product manager, Green Hippo. Hippotizer Montane+ is now available worldwide.LED Creative introduces new team membersIllumination specialist LED Creative has introduced two new team members. Having gained professional experience working with some of the entertainment industry’s most respected brands, both Charlie Jeff and Jonny Daily bring a hugely valuable depth of knowledge to their new roles and are already actively participating in the development of the company.Design engineer Charlie is a graduate of Nottingham University, with a first in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Since completing his degree, he has undertaken a number of freelance opportunities working in design and repair for the likes of Pinewood MBS Lighting and Version2. In his new post with LED Creative, Charlie will be helping expand the company’s product range and handle custom design projects.As a qualified electrical installation technician, Jonny joins as a member of the company’s expert projects and installation team. With a wealth of practical experience gained through his work on a broad range of project types, including a stint with Warner Bros Production Rentals, Jonny has an expansive understanding of the safe, effective application of electrical products and processes.Established as trusted providers of quality, custom LED products and support, LED Creative has recently enjoyed a number of high profile collaborations with some of the UK’s leading scenic designers and lighting directors, including installations for SKY, The Premier League and ITV Studios.Commenting on the new appointments, LED Creative’s Adam Howard says: “It’s a pleasure for us to be welcoming Charlie and Jonny to our team. They both have fantastic practical experience working with all kinds of electrical equipment, however they also understand the importance of good customer support and have the necessary product knowledge to provide solid back up to our clients.”Next >