News

KNOXVILLE TN. – Bandit Lites continued its annual ‘Angel Tree’ tradition, which has expanded from its origins as a toy drive to provide for a broader range of needs in the Knoxville, TN area. This year, Bandit delivered contributions to the Knoxville Community Action Committee, a public agency helping Knoxville and Knox County’s low to moderate income families, the unemployed and underemployed, persons with disabilities, and other individuals with special need for services.

BRIGHTON, MI – Lighting sales and production company E2i Design turned to Chroma-Q Color Force 12 multi-purpose LED fixtures for the seasonal ‘White Christmas’ show at Brighton High School in Michigan. The classic holiday show, based on the 1954 movie with the same title, featured a broader palette of hues than the title might suggest.

COSTA RICA — The touring world mourns the loss of popular stage manager/lighting tech Tom “Bis” Kelleher. He passed away at his “sunny place,” his Costa Rica home, on Dec. 14. Preliminary reports mention the cause of death as a heart attack, possibly induced by a ruptured hernia.

MIDDLETON, WI — At ETC’s annual holiday party on Dec. 11, 2015, CEO Fred Foster announced a surprise invitation for all 800 Wisconsin-based employees to attend screenings of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at a Madison, WI movie theater. The surprise gesture, which involved the rental of the entire theatre, was picked up as a national news item appearing on NBC and other outlets. ETC staffers in the U.K. and Northeast were able to take time off to catch the movie as well.

ELGIN, IL – The Harting Technology Group, headquartered in Espelkamp, Germany, reported that its sales in its 2014/2015 fiscal year were up by 3.7 percent to a new high point, EUR 567 million, for the company.

SUNNYVALE, CA – For Sunnyvale Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is located less than a 15-minute drive from the world headquarters of Apple, Google, Intel, Cisco and a host of other Silicon Valley powerhouses, Legend Theatrical installed LED fixtures from Chauvet Professional. The new rig includes Ovation E-190WW LED ellipsoidals, Rogue R1 Spots, COLORado 2-Quad Zoom VW Tour par-style fixtures, COLORdash Par-Hex 12 RGBAW+UV pars and COLORado Batten 72 Tour washes.

LOS ANGELES – NBC’s production of The Wiz Live!, which drew 11.5 million viewers and critical acclaim, featured a lighting design by Allen Branton, that included Clay Paky Alpha 800 Profile and Sharpy fixtures along with grandMA2 consoles for lighting and show control.  A.C.T Lighting, Inc. distributes both product lines in North America.

NASHVILLE – Music City is home to yet another production company, as Screenworks hung out their shingle and got one of those respected “615” area codes on Dec. 10. They celebrated with an all-day open house/reception that brought long time friends and new acquaintances into their new office and warehouse. Pictured here, from left, are Andy Gerber, Danny O’Bryen and Randy Mayer.

ST. LOUIS, MO – Working with Showtime Sound’s Scott Tydings, LD Brett Angstadt of Round Peg Productions opted for 16 Rogue R2 Washes from Chauvet Professional to light Amy Schumer’s latest comedic performances. Schumer has live shows slated around the U.S. through mid-2016.

ASHEVILLE, NC – Bandit Lites and PULSE Lighting recently wrapped another successful venture with Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam. Held on Dec. 12, the rock and blues guitarist’s annual charity benefit show celebrated its 27th year and donated the proceeds to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, which has built 33 houses with donations from the Jam over the years.

NEW YORK — Will uplighting fixtures work as downlighting fixtures as well? LD Blaine Hentz figured they would. For the the Want My Look and Bellami Hair Fashion Show events during New York Fashion Week, he flipped 48 of Chauvet Professional’s WELL FLEX units, positioning them on 12-foot-high silver truss structures to light the runway.

LAS VEGAS — For some of Killers frontman Brandon Flowers’ recent performances, LD Steven Douglas has been using a unique lighting solution for a “close-up wash” — Ayrton’s MADesign.