NEW WINDSOR, NY — Production Resource Group LLC (PRG) acquired Summit Steel, a U.K.-based live event rigging company. PRG said that Jon Bray, managing director, will remain in his current position, and that Summit Steel will continue as an independent brand focused on the markets that it serves.
Read More »VICTOR, NY — Hoists and controls made by Daktronics’ Vortek division now have ETL certification. “Carrying an ETL mark proves our commitment to quality products and safety in our industry,” said David Rossi, Vortek’s operations manager.
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Since they were introduced a little more than a year ago, Elation’s Impression line of fixtures have been used on tours for Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige, John Mayer and Melissa Etheridge. This fall, Elation extended that line of fixtures with the Impression XL, which packs an output comparable to 1,200-watt fixtures in a fixture that measures 21.65" x 20.27" x 7.87" and weighs 48.5 pounds.
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Times Square Lighting Broadway Cyc Series 720
Time Square Lighting’s new Broadway Cyc Series 720 is a lightweight fixture with an asymmetrical reflector to provide an even wash for cycloramas and backdrops. Rated for 1500 watts, the unit features adjustable lamp holders that accept lamps of three different lengths. A joiner bracket allows the luminaire to be easily converted into multiple cell units. It is available with a variety of yokes and rigging hardware to accommodate various overhead and groundrow mounting configurations.
Times Square Lighting • 845.947.3034 • www.tslight.com
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Taking a famous literary work and putting it onstage as a Broadway musical is bound to draw fire from critics and purists, and A Tale of Two Cities is certainly no exception.
“If you’re doing something that’s derived from the classics there is almost no way past the critics because the past belongs to the critics, and they will always tell you how it should’ve been done,” remarks Tale scenic designer Tony Walton, a 51-year veteran of the business. He also notes: “Shows that are accessible in a big way to a popular audi-ence seem to carry within them the seeds of seething fury for the critics.”
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Turning the Set Upside Down and Inside Out
When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers go out on tour, they’re typically playing to sellout crowds. With the increasing demand for tickets, production designer Jim Lenahan was given a mandate at the start of Petty’s recent tour: keep 270 degrees of viewing angle.
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An American Movie Palace Gets a Lighting Makeover
The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor is one America’s original movie palaces. Built in 1928 during the silent movie era, the theatre also hosted vaudeville stage shows — it is still home to a 1927 Barton Theater Pipe Organ — before giving way to talkies and live musical performances.
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From Junkyard Theft to Living the Dream
Petty theft doesn’t pay, but it can lead to a dream job in the entertainment lighting industry. In this month’s PLSN interview, we speak with Robb Jibson, who explains how his deviant behavior led him to the lighting industry and why he’s living the dream.
Read More »KORTRIJK, Belgium — Barco announced that Stephan Paridaen, president of the company’s Media & Entertainment Division, is leaving the company, effective Jan. 1, 2009. Barco, which thanked Paridaen for his contribution to the company and wished him future success, said it will be announcing his successor soon.
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MIAMISBURG, OH — SouthBrook Christian Church, busy with two campuses and six services each weekend, consolidated to one location in March 2008. The staff was also looking for a way to create an “edgier” feel to its services. They opted for a lighting system with moving lights and ETC controls.
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NEW YORK — It may not have attracted as much national attention as Barack Obama’s election victory a week earlier. But when President George W. Bush received the Intrepid Freedom Award at the Veterans’ Day reopening of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, there was still plenty of fanfare and media exposure. See Factor was responsible for keeping a tight ship with the stage roof system and lighting package.
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LAS VEGAS — After a $25 million facelift, MGM’s Mirage casino relaunched its Volcano attraction, which features a choreographed dance of flames, lighting, fountains and fireballs comparable to WET Design’s other big Strip attraction, the Fountains of Bellagio.
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