FLÆKT, an intense and highly visual dance performance piece created by artist Juliette Louste, premiered at the Tjarnarbíó Theatre and utilised a zactrack mini automated tracking system for the first time in Iceland to track lighting, audio, and video cues. Louste is truly multi-skilled. In addition to being a talented artist and dancer, she is also a lighting designer, lighting, AV and sound technician, a technical director, and a choreographer. The world of independent theatre relies as much on multi-tasking as it does on passion and commitment in producing original, authentic, and thought-provoking art. A combination of all these disciplines…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
Vectorworks has announced the Vectorworks Creative Genius Awards, a new global competition recognising designers who dare to break the mold and think differently. The program invites creative professionals in architecture, interior, landscape, and entertainment design to submit their most daring and inventive projects — completed or in progress — that solve problems in unexpected ways and inspire fresh perspectives, for a chance to win a prize package featuring cash, innovative tech, and more. “Every bold idea starts with someone willing to think beyond limits,” said Vectorworks Vice President of Customer Engagement John D’Addario. “With the Vectorworks Creative Genius Awards, we’re…
Backup has confirmed continued funding for its Mental Health First Aider Courses, which are free to all freelance crew via the AJ Bursary. The courses give freelancers in the UK music and live events industries the chance to receive free Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) training. Provided by fellow industry charity, Music Support, as an MHFA England Instructor Member and taking place over four mornings, the courses are designed to accommodate freelancers’ busy schedules. “Working in live events can be tough, and sometimes the long hours, high pressure, and uncertainty can take their toll,” said Backup Chair, Lee Dennison. “We…
Elation looks forward to LDI 2025 with an immersive show at its booth, 3410. Creative director Melody Tseng has conceived a captivating show experience that promises to engage all the senses and immerse visitors in a spellbinding world of lighting, performance, and storytelling. Tseng took time out from rehearsals for Alanis Morissette’s Las Vegas residency to speak to us about the inspiration behind the show. Q: What attracted you to this project? Melody: This project sounded so fun and amazing. Elation wanted to do something different, something unlike the normal product presentation, and I was intrigued. Elation has really started to…
Following on from the launch of the Performance Pouches, URSA has unveiled further products in the Live Range, now available directly from the URSA website, including the Spectera compatible Live Pouch. This innovative pouch is exactly what engineers have come to expect from URSA products, complementing URSA’s existing lines and building on ten years of experience in discreet body-worn equipment placement. The pouches have been designed in collaboration with industry professionals, including Sennheiser UK’s Technical Applications Engineer – Pro Audio, Marcus Blight, making them perfect for use with Sennheiser ranges. In typical theatrical fashion, there have also been a variety…
2025’s LDI trade show in Las Vegas will see ADJ Lighting celebrate four decades of innovation in entertainment lighting. Marking its 40th anniversary, ADJ will showcase a range of performance ready lighting solutions. The booth will exclusively unveil a collection of exciting new products and invite visitors to experience a spectacular, time-coded lightshow that pays tribute to each decade of the company’s rich history. Anchoring ADJ’s presence at LDI 2025 will be an unmissable lightshow programmed by Steve Kosiba of Squeek Lights. It will be time-coded to a soundtrack that will pay homage to the decades of ADJ’s evolution –…
HARMAN Professional Solutions has announced strategic leadership appointments across its global sales organisation to support continued growth and regional alignment. Amar Subash has been appointed to lead the Professional Solutions sales organisation across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, while continuing to oversee sales leadership responsibilities for India. In this expanded role, Subash will set a strategic direction for both regions, focusing on accelerating growth and delivering on HARMAN’s commitments to customers. Over the past nine years at HARMAN, Subash has held a variety of leadership roles. Most recently, he led HARMAN Professional sales efforts across the APAC…
CHAUVET Professional is set to open the company’s first sales and service centre in Spain, supported by a newly expanded distribution centre in Belgium. Located in southwest Madrid near some of Spain’s largest event rental companies, the new office joins existing CHAUVET facilities in Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK to strengthen the company’s ability to deliver comprehensive lighting and power solutions to entertainment professionals across the continent. The purpose-built modern facility will be responsible for the brands, allowing the company to offer complete solutions to lighting professionals throughout the Spanish market. “This is a very significant milestone for our…
After more than a decade of shared responsibility as Co-CEOs, Daniel and Dr. Andreas Sennheiser will take on different roles within the Sennheiser Group. Effective January 1, 2026, Daniel Sennheiser will become Chairman of the Board of Directors, while his brother Andreas Sennheiser will continue as CEO, overseeing the operational business of the family-owned company. In his new role, Daniel Sennheiser will focus on the strategic direction of the Sennheiser Group. “By joining the Board of Directors, I will concentrate more on the long-term development of the company and on continuously strengthening key customer relationships. I will continue to work…
Shure is celebrating 100 years of providing high-quality audio products to people around the world. Shure has relied on the collaboration of a diverse global supply chain to deliver the voices and sounds of entertainment, education, houses of worship, business meetings, and more. The 2025 Shure Supplier Awards honour the top partners who help Shure maintain its reputation as the most trusted brand for microphones and other audio equipment in the world. Shure has been known for its superior quality and reliability, especially during the biggest moments in history. The Company was contracted by the U.S. government in the 1940s…
Commissioned by tour direction company, The Beehive LA, Michael Brown’s creative direction and production design for breakout indie singer Gracie Abram’s ‘The Secret of Us’ tour initiated an atmosphere of intimacy and fan connectivity despite being in large-scale venues. To help encapsulate this feeling of togetherness through artful lighting, Clearwing, a Clair Global brand, worked alongside Brown to bring his design to life, blending a mix of cutting-edge lighting technology, custom-fabricated hardware, and vendor partnerships to the forefront. Brown worked closely with Co-Lighting Designer/Programmer Zach Sternberg, Lighting Director Taylor Glatt, Clearwing Sr. Account Executive Steve Harvey, and Clearwing Lighting Crew…
Brent Washburn’s first experience working in sound was mixing punk shows in his basement around 15 years ago. “I had an old analogue console with full D-sub output to a computer for recording,” he recalled. “I met a lot of great artists from that experience, and started touring with a few of them.” After touring for a while, Washburn started looking for a more consistent experience at each venue. “I got tired of the console du jour, and having to dial in IEM mixes each time,” he explained. “It left me less time to work on my front of house…
Diamond Rio embarked on a 15-city tour with a lighting design by Willis Underhill that featured a broad selection of CHAUVET Professional fixtures. Running his show on a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+, Underhill of Graffiti Lighting Concepts calls forth a continuously changing stream of colours to reflect the mood of each song. “I like to rely on bold colour combinations to help evoke emotion and help create moments between the band and the crowd,” he explained. “I use a lot of reds, whites, yellows, and deep orange for high-energy moments on this tour. For more intimate moments, I lean towards pastels…
Ayrton has announced the launch of MagicDot Neo, the ultimate evolution of its MagicDot family of fixtures and the latest addition to its IP65 Creative Series. Extremely compact, lightweight, ultrafast and powerful, MagicDot Neo is a crafted cylindrical luminaire with a unique design, featuring a 100mm lens seamlessly set within a perfect sphere. The performance of MagicDot Neo is largely based on its extreme miniaturisation and minimalist cylindrical shape. Measuring only 35cm with continuous double rotation on the pan and tilt axes. Fixtures can be clustered with minimal spacing between units to open up configurations that were previously impossible. Individual…
Staging and crewing company T3W were the stage suppliers of choice for a triad of major events which took place over the summer at London’s Trafalgar Square. Chosen for their expertise, T3W provided staging solutions for McLaren Racing Live: London, run by Velocity Experience, and Pride in London and Canada Day, run by LS Events. Their structures supported a week of high-profile performances and public showcases in one the capital’s most iconic locations. Run by brothers, Mark, Paul and Andrew Gibson, T3W prides itself on offering a personal, professional service and brings over 20 years of industry experience to every…
Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar-nominated Warner Bros. film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the international, award-winning, smash-hit musical The Bodyguard returns with a UK tour running from 2025 to 2026. Directed by Thea Sharrock, the production seamlessly transitions between concert-style spectacle and intimate, suspenseful storytelling. It features a lighting design by Mark Henderson, working in close collaboration with associate lighting designer Dale Driscoll and lighting programmer Stuart ‘Stacy’ Cross. The team approached White Light (WL) to supply the touring rig, continuing a long-standing partnership; WL previously supported the original West End production and subsequent tours. Now in its fourth…
Encore has announced the release of its 2025 Responsible Business Report, Illuminating a Brighter Future. This inaugural report reflects Encore’s commitment to doing the right thing for its customers, team members, and the communities it serves across the globe. “Encore’s purpose is to connect and inspire people through the transformative power of events,” said Ben Erwin, President & CEO of Encore. “This report is a reflection of our core value to ‘do the right thing’ by leading with integrity, responsibility, care, and the motivation to deliver positive impacts for a better future. Our global team is proud of the progress…
Lighting designers Bala Subramanya, aka Vinod, and Guru Somayaji of design studio 369 Design Lab specified a grandMA3 system for lighting control on the recent “MILLIONAIRE INDIA TOUR” by popular Indian rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh, which played 10 major cities to the delight of his fans. One of the biggest – and larger than life – influencers and personalities on the Indian music scene, Yo Yo Honey Singh is known for his energy and great connection to the audience, and the tour has won widespread acclaim. Vinod has been working with grandMA control from 2014 and Guru from 2018…
