Jan. 1 Nightclub Shooting in Turkey: 39 Killed, 65 Injured

ISTANBUL — Authorities in Turkey are still searching for a gunman who fired 180 bullets from an AK 47, killing 39 and wounding 65 people celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack. About 600 people were in the club at the time of the seven-minute attack, according to reports. Witnesses reported that the gunman shouted “Allahu akbar” while firing his weapon inside the venue after killing a police officer and bystander outside. He then left his weapon, changed clothes and exited the back door, blending into the crowd.

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[caption id="attachment_273812" align="alignnone" width="800"]l “Dirty Dancing” returned to London’s West End in December playing the Phoenix Theatre[/caption]

LONDON – Popular musical “Dirty Dancing” returned to London’s West End in December playing the Phoenix Theatre following a regional UK tour with a lively production that originally premiered in Italy in 2015 where it played Milan and Rome. This production has also toured in Spain and Mexico with additional troupes. Lighting has been created by leading Italian LD Valerio Tibeiri who seized the opportunity in London to upgrade the original lighting rig and use nearly 70 x Robe moving lights – a combination of BMFL Blades and LEDBeam 1000s – as the primary luminaires.

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[caption id="attachment_273806" align="alignnone" width="800"]Alternative Festival Experiences at Bluedot[/caption]

ENGLAND AND WALES –  An array of Claypaky fixtures were selected by leading Manchester-based technical supplier Audile to provide extraordinary stage lighting for two of last summer’s more alternative festivals; the inaugural Bluedot ‘festival of discovery’ and boutique arts and music experience Festival No.6. Held at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire underneath the famous Lovell telescope and debuting this year, Bluedot offers a three-day program of music, art and culture, flavored with science and space exploration.

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[caption id="attachment_273803" align="alignnone" width="800"]Bullet for my Valentine's lights run off an Avolites console[/caption]

WORLDWIDE – Lighting designer Tom Campbell has selected an Avolites Tiger Touch II and backup Quartz to control his richly empathetic lighting design for metal-core band Bullet for my Valentine (BFMV) on their recent worldwide tour in support of their 2015 album ‘Venom’. The Welsh rockers returned with a show-stopper of a tour, studiously lit, designed and controlled by Campbell who counts Anna Calvi for which he won a Knight Of Illumination Award in 2015, Katy B, Leon Bridges and John Grant in his resume.

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