News

CINCINNATI — The lighting designer for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the costume designer for the closing ceremonies will be part of the upcoming USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo. Lighting designer Sha Xiaolan has been called the most influential lighting designer in China and has won numerous awards. He has designed many national events in China as well as lighting for theatre, opera, dance, and television.

SYRACUSE, NY — The US Patent Office has issued patent 7,461,500 to J. R. Clancy for a “System for Determining Wear to Rigging System Lines,” more commonly known as SureGrip™ rope.  The company says this is the only theatrical rope with a wear indicator, to tell users when the rope should be replaced.

NEW YORK — Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) has accepted a seat on the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) Council. The Council is the governing body that manages the development and implementation of ETCP, the certification program for entertainment technicians.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — The Living Room nightclub chain, with locations in London, Paris, Tokyo and New York, added a new 11,000-square-foot location on Fort Lauderdale’s Las Olas Riverfront in October, and the location has proved popular enough to warrant plans for a 10,000-square-foot expansion, with additional LED fixtures from Chauvet.

NASHVILLE- Bandit Lites is working with the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business again in 2009 for the fourth year in a row, providing equipment and assisting in the lighting design and direction for the six-concert showcase series.

TAMPA, FL — As Super Bowl XLIII approached, Tampa's Raymond James Stadium was lit with a new kind of LED floodlight, Philips ColorReach Powercore fixtures. The lighting project was part of a city-wide beautification effort leading up to the game, and the stadium was lit from dusk until dawn.

LISMORE, Australia — The Great Moscow Circus has been touring Australia for 50 years, and now offers 50 international performers from Brazil, Mongolia, Australia, Asia, and, of course, Russia. Brian Anslow, a lecturer in technical production at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts, designed and programmed the lighting for this latest show using a Jands Vista I3 for control.

NEW YORK —Bulbtronics, Inc. has released an LED catalog on the Internet, which includes the full spectrum of the company’s LED retrofit offerings to replace halogens, incandescents, miniature based bulbs and more. The company, which reviews different products as they evolve, has selected 80 LED products for a variety of products and applications.

BROOKINGS, SD — The LED displays used by GoVision and Upstage Video to transform Barack Obama from a visual speck to a newly-elected president for the crowds on Jan. 20, 2009 (to see story, click here ) were manufactured by a company that was incorporated on Dec. 9, 1968, when Richard Nixon was president-elect.

DALLAS—The new building for the Booker T. Washington High School of Performing and Visual Arts features a theatre stocked with J. R. Clancy, Inc. automated rigging and control equipment and controlled by a software interface, with a screen shot shown here.