SCHILLER PARK, IL – PSAV recently announced its acquisition of Hawthorn Theatrical, Ltd., a U.K.-based event production company founded more than 30 years ago by Martin Hawthorn, the company’s CEO. Hawthorn will operate as a subsidiary under PSAV and keep its senior team and brand in place.
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LOS ANGELES – Mojo Barriers US office announces the appointment of Dan Gormley as Vice President, joining fellow US Vice President Jordi van Berkum. Dan states: “I am delighted to be joining Mojo Barriers as the company prepares to introduce new product ranges into the US market. I have the utmost respect for Mojo and relish the challenge to continue to evolve and improve our effectiveness and reach, expand the offering to clients, while developing and further strengthen our brand.”
MEXICO CITY– Seen by more than 45,000 spectators since its inauguration a year-and-a-half ago, Nocturnal Experience in Teotihuacan – a projection-mapping experience at this world-famous, UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site – is set to shine again in November, reviving the grandeur of this Mexican archaeological site, thanks to Cocolab, a company specializing in multimedia technology, and Christie®.
BUENOS AIRES – A top Argentinian creative team including director, set and lighting designer Ariel del Mastro, award-winning lighting director Ariel “el gato” Ponce and video designer Maxi Vecco have created a stunning production design for Green Day’s rock opera “American Idiot”, currently playing at the Broadway Theatre in Buenos Aires. It is the first time that the show has been sung in Spanish, and in fact the first time it has been produced in any language other than English!
NASHVILLE – As Nashville has grown more diverse so has the choice in ethnic restaurants and entertainment establishments. Plaza Mariachi, a unique Latin culture destination that caters to the city’s rapidly growing Hispanic community, is an excellent example of the trend. Formerly a supermarket, the 60,000-square-foot space was imaginatively converted to the themed, multi-use facility it is today with art, music, entertainment, food and retail all under one roof.
PHOENIX – When an event is billed as an “Old School House Party,” you can’t do much better than to book Naughty By Nature as your headliner. The New Jersey threesome of Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee defined hip hop in the 1990s, with some of the earliest crossover hits like O.P.P. and Hip Hop Hooray. Setting an appropriately frenetic tone for The It Factor Ltd event in Arizona, the Grammy-winning trio got the crowd on its feet with their rapid-fire rap. Supporting them every pulsating step of the way was a John Garberson-designed lightshow that featured 12 Rogue R2 Washes from CHAUVET Professional.
DALLAS – ChamSys is offering church techs four introductory hands-on lighting console sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, October 11 and 12 at WFX this week. Phil Watson from Chamsys, pictured here, will be available to teach anyone interested. Free of charge, the 45-minute sessions will take place in room C-145 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.
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LAS VEGAS – PLSN readers have chosen the six regional winners of this year’s Hometown Hero Award competition. These top vote getters from each of five U.S. regions plus all of Canada will be automatically entered on the Parnelli Awards ballot. PLSN readers will then get a chance to vote on which regional company will be awarded the coveted honor of Parnelli Hometown Hero Lighting Company of the Year. The Parnelli Ballot will be posted on parnelliawards.com in early November. The nominations process for all remaining Parnelli Award categories is now underway.
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SECAUCUS, NJ – BML-Blackbird Theatrical Services notified police about the theft of a Penske rental truck from its parking lot over the weekend. The truck was loaded with lighting gear intended for a series of shows in New York. A driver who arrived to take the truck into the city reported the loss to police. Surveillance video captured a car dropping off a suspect. That suspect managed to pick the lock and hotwire the vehicle in a matter of minutes.
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CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA – Every lighting designer considers the surrounding environment when colorizing an event. For Colombian LD Victor Cervantes, this invariably means using CHAUVET DJ color washing fixtures to endow his creations with ample amounts of amber. The owner of IVC Producciones, Cervantes is based in Cartagena, a tradition-rich city on the Caribbean coast that is blessed with some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world. Each evening the setting sun casts the city’s centuries-old stone buildings in a warm glow, creating a panorama that mesmerizes locals and visitors alike.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA- Pacific Coast Entertainment, provider of staging and theatrical services, has acquired Santa Ana-based California Stage & Lighting, affectionately known as Cal Stage. Cal Stage has been a legend in the Southern California entertainment industry since 1982. Their focus on the theatrical, themed and live event industries has been invaluable to the market.
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NASHVILLE, TN- A new and hopefully Broadway-bound musical, Part of the Plan, opened to rave reviews this month in the Music City’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). The musical draws its score and inspiration from the deep catalog of singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg. Lighting Designer Jason Kantrowitz turned to 4Wall New York for the gear needed to light the musical’s debut at TPAC, in hopes of continuing its journey on to Broadway. After multiple prior readings of the show Part of the Plan, the producers’ goal for this developmental production was to see the fully staged material performed in front of Nashville audiences in order to hone the script.