International News

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Herbalife’s “Extravaganza” convention drew a total audience of close to 54,000 people to the O2 Arena in Prague this year. A design team that included technical manager Alessandro Giangi, LDs Luca Casadei and Claudio Tappi and set designers Emilia Covotta and Raffaele Persico wowed the crowd with a lighting rig that included D.T.S.’ Wonder moving lights. Planet Service played a key role organizing the event.

LONDON — With just 24 hours notice, The Projection Studio delivered a full projection design to enable a giant image of the BandAid30 music video to appear on the facade of the Houses of Parliament on Sunday, Dec. 7. It was the first time a full motion video has been projected onto this landmark building. The song is helping to raise funds and awareness in BandAid30’s ongoing fight against Ebola.

GOTHENBURG, Sweden — The Göteborg Opera first purchased SGM P-5 lighting fixtures a year and a half ago, and now has 34 P-5 wash lights. They have become the opera’s go-to fixture for more of its productions, including this year’s production of Mozart’s Le Nozze de Figaro.

MOSCOW, Russia — For the World Circus Festival “IDOL 2014,” which took place at The Great Moscow Circus from Sept. 10-14, the lighting rig included a variety of Martin lighting fixtures: 64 MAC 101s, 20 MAC Viper Profiles, 24 MAC Auras, 12 MAC III Washes, six MAC III Performances and 10 MAC III AirFXs. Also supporting the looks: 12 Atomic 3000 DMXs with Atomic Colors, two Glaciator X-Streams, a Jem Hydra with 12 heads, and six Jem K1 Hazers with six AF-1 fans.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Christmas has come early for Oceania Productions in New Zealand this year with the arrival of New Zealand’s first batch of Robe’s BMFL units – 32 in all. Robe CEO Josef Valchar along with Cuono Biviano and Tony Lukeman from the ULA Group, Robe’s New Zealand distributor, flew over to present the units to Oceania Productions’ crew.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – For Electronic Dome stage at the 2014 Rocking The Daisies Festival here, Kilowatt AV provided a variety of Robe fixtures including 12 Pointes, 18 LEDWash 600s, 36 LEDBeam 100s – all from Robe’s ROBIN range – along with 12 Robe ColorSpot 700E ATs and 18 Robe LEDForce 18 LED PARs. It was the fourth year that Kilowatt has been involved with the event, staged every year at Cloof Wine Estate in Darling, South Africa.

LEICESTER, UK – Leicester’s Curve theatre has become one of the first in the U.K. to invest in the latest addition to Philips Vari-Lite’s product line, the VL4000 Spot. The theatre purchased 10 of the luminaires from White Light as an ultra-versatile and cutting-edge solution to lighting its range of productions and events.

BERLIN — Lighting designer Björn Hermann’s lighting design enhanced the Brandenburg Gate festivities marking 25 years since Germany’s reunification and the removal of the Berlin Wall. The rig included Clay Paky’s new SuperSharpy and Mythos fixtures.

LONDON — LD Will Dart used Avolites’ new compact-yet-powerful Quartz console recently it to control the lighting for singer-songwriter Charlie Simpson’s U.K. tour. The rig, supplied by Siyan Ltd, included James Thomas Engineering’s retro Patt luminaires and 5K Fresnels retrofitted with 2K lamps.