International News

DUBLIN – For a gala corporate event staged by WRG for a pharmaceutical company at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), DBN Lighting provided lighting gear, truss, rigging and crew.

LONDON – Richard Martin Lighting, which purchased 100 Clay Paky Sharpy fixtures, provided 12 of the compact units to Lee Allen, lighting director for a popular children's TV show, Blue Peter. Weighing just 16kg, the 189W Sharpy produces a crisp beam that has been compared favorably to those produced by larger, higher-wattage fixtures.

LONDON – For 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards ceremony, held March 13 in the 2,200-capacity Theatre Royal Drury Lane, White Light provided a lighting rig centered around 18 Martin MAC III fixtures and worked with drapes specialist Blackout Ltd. to dress the stage with starcloths.

JOHANNESBURG – Robe's South African distributor, DWR, reported a sizable turnout for its Robe ROBIN Roadshow, a series of three events held in Johannesburg (at the University of Johannesburg Theatre), Cape Town (the Baxter Theatre) and Durban (The Natal Playhouse Company).

MELBOURNE, Australia – For Madeleine, Black Sequin Productions' exploration of schizophrenia and its effect on a young woman and her family, LD Ben Cobham of Bluebottle led the design team that used 33 lighting fixtures, including an ETC Source Four Revolution.

RIO DE JANEIRO – LD Peter Gasper updated the lighting system used for Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer monument using LED technology, including 300 Traxon Shield AC XB LED projectors and an e:cue system for control. Osram, parent company to both Traxon and e:cue, agreed to provide the lighting system for a two-year period.

CARDIFF, U.K. – For the Welsh National Opera production of Die Fledermaus, LD Howard Harrison is using eight Chroma-Q Color Force 72 LED battens as part of the broader lighting rig provided by White Light. The U.K. tour of the production followed an initial run at the Wales Millennium Centre.

SYDNEY – From 1936 to 1970, the Trocadero, or "Troc," for short, was Sydney's main big band orchestra venue. Gone for four decades, the venue returned for a four-day period at Sydney Town Hall. The festival offered visitors a huge dance floor and swing music performed by Sydney's all-girl Sirens Big Band. LD Matthew Marshall and programmer Peter Rubie used a Jands Vista T4 running Byron beta software to control a rig that included close to 50 moving lights plus LED and conventional gear.

KARLSTAD, Sweden – The Karlstad Theatre in Sweden is nearly 120 years old and home to the Värmland Opera, founded in 1975. The company produces operatic, musical and orchestral performances, along with school productions. The company tours extensively, within Sweden and beyond.