ETC is thrilled to announce the launch of season two of its acclaimed podcast series, On Headset. Offering a unique glimpse into the fascinating realm of theatrical lighting design, this immersive audio experience invites listeners to join real-time programming sessions with renowned lighting designers as they craft the visual magic of major productions.

Paule Constable

In season two, also known as The Paule Project, listeners will embark on an educational journey with internationally acclaimed lighting designer Paule Constable and programmer Will Frost, as they share lightly curated recordings of headset conversations during the tech rehearsals of the National Theatre’s production of The Normal Heart.

This iconic play, depicting the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis in New York, serves as a perfect case study in theatrical lighting, providing valuable insights into the creative process behind bringing a show to life on stage.

“The National Theatre graciously granted us access to their groundbreaking production, allowing us to offer listeners an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the intricate work involved in lighting a show,” says Declan Randall, outreach and training specialist at ETC. “From conceptual discussions to the creation of lighting groups and presets, each episode of On Headset provides invaluable knowledge for both seasoned professionals and aspiring lighting enthusiasts.”

Spanning five episodes, season two of On Headset delves into various aspects of lighting design, including collaborative processes, programming techniques, and the integration of lighting effects. It offers listeners the unique opportunity to experience real-time programming, guided by Constable’s audio instructions, alongside supporting materials such as show files, a lighting plot, and a lighting operator’s guide.

Each episode provides a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies involved in lighting design and programming through the collaborative efforts between Constable and Frost, allowing listeners to witness the evolution of the lighting design from its initial stages to the polished production seen on stage.

“Our goal with On Headset is to bridge the gap between conventional classroom training and the practical experience of operating an Eos desk in a theatre,” adds Randall. “Whether you’re seeking to enhance your understanding of context or improve your muscle memory, our ‘console flight simulator’ caters to both needs, offering an engaging and educational experience for all.” “We’re excited to unveil The Paule Project and invite listeners to join us on this immersive journey into the heart of theatrical lighting,” concludes Randall.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the magic of theatrical lighting design firsthand. Tune in to season two of On Headset now, available on all major podcast platforms. And for those eager to delve deeper into the world of theatrical lighting, all the supporting materials are available at etcconnect.com/onheadset

For more information about ETC range of products, you can visit www.etcconnect.com

2024 was the second year that South African lighting designer Renaldo van den Berg has lit the prestigious Metro FM Awards, which is a leading celebration of African musical talent and creativity. Renaldo specified over 200 Robe moving lights to ensure that the high-energy-high-profile live broadcast on SABC was enjoyed by a massive TV audience as well as several thousand excited music fans catching the action in Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

This year, 19 sizzling hot Awards were presented, with the lifetime achievement award going to Oskido, and multiple live performances followed the Awards, with a full-on festival-style concert offering another glittering line up of Africa’s finest.

Johannesburg-based MGG Productions supplied a full technical, structural and set solution and Renaldo collaborated closely with MGG’s technical stylist and project manager, Tamsyn Strydom, to imagine an epic production design for their client, the agency Dzinge Productions. This year’s Metro Awards theme ‘Black to the Future’ offered plenty of creative scope.

Tamsyn and Renaldo received a brief from their client, Shandu Nesengani MD of Dzinge Productions, regarding the look and aesthetic he wanted to achieve, which was slick and futuristic.

They proposed a series of complementary geometric shapes created with LED video elements which set the architectural parameters and assisted the narratives by showing tailored content, and the set developed from that base idea.

When it came to lighting, Renaldo has always been a big fan of Robe products and like many in South Africa, he’s grown up with the brand which has had a strong presence thanks to the proactivity and hard work of distributor, DWR Distribution.

“We needed bright fixtures to punch through the numerous LED screens, and feature-rich lights with multiple options to keep the energy pumping and ensure that all the segments looked different and distinctive,” he explained.

Shandu was keen on having a progressive and unique portal appearance, so Tamsyn and Renaldo created several different ‘worlds’ within their defined stage space and decided on the very ‘technical’ look for the broadcast space.

Three double-sided triangular screens were flown above mid-stage, and upstage at the back was a masked semi-circular screen. An array of 5 x different sized LED columns were hung on both sides of the stage at different heights, and all the surfaces were of different pitches for added texturing.

Having worked on several projects with MGG, Renaldo knows their inventory which includes hundreds of Robe products purchased via steady investment over the years.
He started with key lighting.

“I knew that Esprites were available and that was great for quality light output, intensity and power, plus the excellent shuttering system, all of which were exactly what I needed,” he commented. Twenty-eight Esprites were dotted around the overhead trusses.

Renaldo then chose Robe BMFLs, a combination of Blades, WashBeams and Spots, for his secondary keys and specials utilising 38 x BMFL fixtures in total. “BMFL is still one of my favourites moving lights,” he enthused.
Once the screens were all in place, the lighting positions were calculated so the Esprites and BMFLs could light from behind or across the whole set, and also function well for additional effects and looks capturing the action.

Robe Esprite.

BMFL WashBeam

They specifically paid attention to multiple camera angles and how to fill the back-of-shots with both lighting and video, explained Renaldo, “We focussed on creating big, beautiful production shots and close up detailing, taking inspiration from broadcast and live show production visuals.” Renaldo worked in tandem with Watchout operator Dylan Findlay who was outputting all the screens content, which was mostly supplied by the producers, to make sure that lighting would support or contrast the video content at any given moment.

He chose Robe’s Spiider for his primary wash lights: “They are reliable and predictable in terms of lighting characteristics, so overall great fixtures!” As they can be pixel mapped, he could programme and run corresponding sequences to match with the video effects at specific times.
In between the triangular screens were lighting ladders rigged with 16 x MegaPointes and 24 x Pointes which enabled an abundance of different scenes, looks that transformed the stage and set looks. They were positioned at different heights to enhance the depth of the whole space.

Robe Spiider

Robe MegaPointe

“I programmed a number of different layers of lighting that I could grab and mix into the bigger pictures, and into the large production scenes, some of which I needed to create on the fly,” he stated, alluding to the pressure and fast pace of this broadcast.

For set and performer dressing, 20 x Robe Tetra2 moving LED battens were deployed on the floor and these helped merge the stage with the LED screens. The pixel map-ability of the Tetra2s helped this plan, and Renaldo ensured that there was always some content running through the Tetra2s even if extremely subtle. “They really pack a punch and are also great as side lights,” he commented.

Thirty-six LEDBeam 350s lined the two ramps, grouped in clusters of three and on the deck for dressing. “I needed something small and unobtrusive that could be tucked in amongst the presenters and guests.” The lighting was designed and programmed so all angles were covered with plenty of movement, colour changing and other kinetic effects for the camera positions to feast on.

LEDBeam 350s

Another major objective was to ensure that the long shots really captured the scale and stature of the stage and the substance and impact of the design. “It’s an outdoor stadium show, and it needed to have that grand sense of occasion,” underlines Renaldo, adding, “All these Robe products worked brilliantly in helping to achieve this goal.”

While Robe moving lights were the main fixtures, the rig which also had some strobes, moles and other linear LED battens, adding up to a total of 40 DMX universes running via a grandMA full-size console. The challenge was balancing all the design elements that were technically driven by it being a large broadcast event in a dynamic live show environment … that needed to be controlled enough to work for TV.

“It was all about finding equilibrium between the live, live broadcast and staging in a big outdoor venue element,” concluded Tamsyn. “I wanted an impressive overall look that translated for all media, and that also worked when cutting to close ups and SFX,” for which she and Renaldo worked closely with camera director Leticia Masina and the team from the SABC.
On site, the lighting team was co-ordinated by MGG crew chief Lefeti Kambile who did a fantastic job of ensuring that the build process was efficient and well organised. All of this great teamwork brought spectacular results and another Metro FM Awards show for everyone to remember.

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit www.robe.cz

ETC has announced plans to expand its business with the relocation of its London operations to a new, state-of-the-art eco-building. The move supports ETC’s expanding business and service offerings as well as planning for future growth.
The new space, which is located in west London’s Greenford, is more than double the size of ETC’s existing building and will feature enhanced facilities to accommodate the needs of its customers and workforce.

The design of the new building is being developed by ETC with its own in-house team, in-line with the company’s global design approach. There will be more capacity for training, logistics, meetings, and dedicated areas for ETC’s customers and employees.
The company’s dealers and end users will benefit from having access to an expanded training program and bigger demo spaces. The additional logistics space will better support the business’s growing operations and will hold significantly more inventory to meet the needs of ETC’s customers.

Another key consideration for choosing the new building is its focus on sustainability the space holds a BREEAM Outstanding certificate and a -32 A+ EPC Energy rating. It is the first industrial refurbishment of its type in the world that is completed to BREEAM Outstanding standards, meaning it is in the top 1% of non-domestic buildings in the UK.

Power is derived from roof mounted solar panel banks generating 180 kW with on-site battery storage of up to 80 kWh of energy. The building also has electric vehicle charging points, and a rainwater harvesting system feeding a 144 m2 external green wall.
With plans to move by the end of the year, the expansion reflects ETC’s continued business growth and a focus to better serve its customers and end users with a larger physical presence in London.

Matthew Brookfield

ETC General Manager, Matthew Brookfield comments: “At ETC we recognise that building great products for the industry is only part of the story. We want to ensure that we can give our customers the best possible experience by offering the best facilities.
This new building will allow us to speed up the time it takes to get products to customers, improve our ability to showcase and demo our products, and increase the scope and frequency of our training programmes, all whilst significantly reducing the business’s carbon impact. Our existing building in North Acton has been our home for nearly 30 years and we’re looking forward to our next chapter in the new building.”

For more information about ETC

Lighting designer Andre Beekmans from design studio The Art of Light buckled up for some hardcore techno rave action with legendary band Scooter on their “Thirty Rough & Dirty” tour celebrating 30 years of success, innovation, energy and larging it at the cutting edge of dance music!

Andre’s technical rider specifies several Robe moving lights, 78 x Pointes, 45 x Spiiders, 82 x Tetra2s and three Fortes used as follow spots on a remote follow system, all picked for their speed, functionality, and robustness for a genre of music that seriously challenges the build quality of any piece of lighting kit!

Andre, whose clients include Armin van Buuren, Afrojack and a string of other high profile dance artists, started working with Scooter in 2022 on a stadium tour of German-speaking countries.
One of Andre’s starting points for Thirty, Rough & Dirty’s production lighting design was Maarten Hoogland’s set which includes six large LED screens complete with LED headers which largely dictated where the lighting positions were, so Andre filled up all the gaps with fixtures, mostly rigged on custom ladders between the video surfaces!

In addition to using lights he knew could keep up with the furious pace of the music, it was important to have bright fixtures to punch past the large amounts of LED screen onstage.

Ahead of imagining the design, Andre had also chatted to Scooter lead singer HP Baxxter who is very ‘light-minded’ and well aware of how fundamental lighting is to any show and especially a techno extravaganza! “He really likes lighting to have a great impact onstage and is very tuned in to how this emotionally affects the fans,” explained Andre.

The 82 x Terta2s outline the set and all the LED screens. He wanted Tetras specifically for the dramatic lensing effects and the power of the movement enabling big sweeps of light to flash across, up and down the performance space.

Robe Tetra2

This many fixtures “worked brilliantly in adding proper layers of lighting,” he explained, which provided hi-impact accenting for those sumptuous big beats and climactic synth breaks.

As they had the relative luxury of time ahead of the tour at lighting vendor TDA Clair GmbH’s facilities in Bottrop, Germany, he was able to craft numerous cool and relevant Tetra2 looks and to really maximise the fixture’s features.

These included playing with varying zoom effects to create laser thin beams of light that could instantly be fattened out to big solid sheets of luminance engulfing the whole stage. Andre also utilised the Tetra2’s flower effect with great impact, bringing yet another dimension to the show.

“Scooter shows are very colourful and lively,” stated Andre, “So having the Tetra2s to hand I was able to create some real optical and brain teasing effects.” He also explained that HP loves beams and actively wants them in the show to help get the energy off the stage and out into the audience.

Robe Pointe

With nearly 80 Pointes, Andre again had capacity to produce some stunning looks, aerial effects, and moments, combining beam technology and super-quick movement.
“Pointes have everything we needed,” said Andre, “prisms, fast colour changing, and rapid movement and they are small, lightweight and unobtrusive.”

Spiiders have long been one of his favourites and go-tos, and they can be found in most of his designs. Here they are positioned in a matrix grid below the ceiling set piece above the two centre most screens.

Robe Spiider

They were added to the big looks as beams and at other times were zoomed out to bath the whole stage, band, and dancers in smooth, rich colours.
The dynamic zoom and extra features like the Flower Effect make Spiiders far more versatile than an average LED wash light, and great value as a fixture enthused Andre.

Two of the three Fortes are positioned on the front truss with one upstage centre, all linked together and used as follow spots via a remote operating system. Andre loves the intensity, quality, and CRI of the Forte.

Talking about the challenges of lighting the tour, Andre says, “While it is essentially dance music, there’s also a lot of rock in there so it covers a vast range, all of which is vibrant and present, so there is a lot of nuances needing to be detailed with lighting.”

The show is mostly run from timecode which makes operating a bit more flexible, Andre programmed the show and was out on the first 6 gigs, then handed over to Rik Verschuren as on-the-road lighting director and operator for the rest of the tour, with Maxim Rath touring with the band for all the summer festival shows, both employed by The Art of Light.
Scooter will be playing festivals over the summer which will involve a special set up and adaptation of the design, with UK touring dates scheduled for Autumn.

Andre, who often designs epic one offs, has enjoyed working on a touring show with the continuity of the same setup each night. “You can plan design ideas that will work and can evolve over a longer period, and there is also room for refinement and developments as needed.”

For more info about Robe lighting, you can visit www.robe.cz

The Olivier Awards 2024 took place on Sunday 14 April 2024 at the Royal Albert Hall, from where it was broadcast by ITV1, and streamed internationally on YouTube and by BritBox. It was presented by Emmy winner and multi-Olivier nominee Hannah Waddingham who opened the show, accompanied by the London Community Gospel Choir, with a powerhouse jazz performance of Anything Goes.

Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre, and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. The three-hour long Awards show was interspersed with performances from the casts of West End musical theatre including Hadestown, Sunset Boulevard, Operation Mincemeat, and Guys and Dolls.

Lighting designer Ben Cracknell, lighting the Olivier Awards for his 11th year, chose 78 Ayrton Perseo Profile fixtures, provided by White Light, as his work horse fixtures. He wanted to modernise and unify under one fixture type his previously mixed rig, so he took advantage of White Light’s generous stock of Perseo Profiles, having enjoyed using them on previous designs.
These he predominantly used for key lighting on the performers and audience, rigging some overhead for back lighting performers and creating stage washes, with more rigged in front-of-house positions in the Gallery at a distance of 40m+ from the stage, and around the Circle rail and on custom shelves that clip onto the RAH box fronts, to provide front and side key light positions to the stage.

“It was wonderful to have such colour consistency across the rig from the one fixture type,” says Cracknell. “It meant that once we had created balanced colours for camera across the rig, we could simply replicate it in all the Perseos and not go through the same procedure across different fixture types – a great time saving benefit which was very welcome in the tight schedule. The Perseos are really punchy too and held their own all the way from the Gallery to the stage. We never felt like we were running out of light.”

Whilst the Olivier Awards are broadcast, Cracknell was very keen to maintain a theatrical aesthetic, keeping the performance lighting sculptural and dynamic, and lighting performances like that from Hadestown in a very theatrical way. “The Perseos as side lights from the shelf positions were really instrumental in creating that look,” he comments.

The Perseo Profile shutters also played an invaluable part enabling Cracknell to create zones easily around the auditorium or focus on lighting the entrance ways to the aisles during the winners’ walk ups. “We were also able to introduce gobos in the overheads to break up texture on people on stage and in the audience, and make full use of the colour mixing and CTO,” he says.

Ayrton Perseo Profile

“I didn’t want the show to appear cold for the live audience so rather than balance cameras to daylight we brought the colour temperature back to nearer the tungsten zone to make it feel more pleasant.
The CTO allowed us to balance a 6500K fixture at 4300K, yet because the Perseos have a really good output, even when adding the CTO, we still had plenty of intensity left.
Having a fixture with plenty of punch means you can use what colour correction filters you like and still have enough punch left to deliver the brightness you need.

Perseo has another quality which Cracknell points out is often underrated: “Perseo Profile is not only consistent and punchy, it’s reliable. Reliability is a very important consideration on shows with such tight time constraints. For the Olivier Awards we began fit up in the early hours of Friday morning and went live on Sunday evening, with 11 performances and an awards show to rehearse in that time, so there was a lot of time pressure. At times like that you need to be able to rely on the equipment not to let you down so you can just keep on working. That’s when you can get to enjoy the creative side of it all.”

Cracknell’s design was subsequently nominated for a Profile Award, the new awards organised by Durham and Jennie Marenghi, in which White Light also sponsored the Lighting Design Award. “It was all because of the Perseos!” laughs Cracknell.

More details on Ayrton Perseo Profile, and the full range of Ayrton LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures can be found at www.ayrton.eu

Ayrton is distributed exclusively in the UK by Ambersphere Solutions www.ambersphere.com

Adriano Candeloro is a founding director and technology guru at Sightline Productions – a busy and successful NSW-based AV and rental company specialising in delivering the very highest technical production values to a range of corporate and B2B clients across Australia, New Zealand and much further afield with a variety of international work.

Joe Murray is also a founding director, and they and the team are all big fans of Astera, having first started hearing about the brand a few years back when the neon lighting look was very popular in Australia.

The first Astera products to arrive at Sightline were AX1 PixelTubes that joined the inventory in 2019, a figure that’s now jumped to over 50 fixtures.
In addition to these, they also have AX2 LED battens, AX3 LiteDrops, AX5 TriplePARs, AX9 PowerPARs, as well as the 2 metre Hyperion Tubes and the half metre Helios Tubes, totalling over 200 Astera battery-powered LED products.

These have become invaluable for all types of event scenarios and the continuing commitment has recently seen 2 cases (16 total) of AX3 LightDrops added to stock joining 80 domes for the AX5s which can be used as set enhancements. They are now looking at Astera’s Fresnel series.

Sightline’s biggest project to date using Astera involved over 200 x AX1 tubes that lined an interactive entrance tunnel to an event for software and graphics brand Canva, at The Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Technically Directed by Sightline’s Kim Louey-Gung.

AX1 tubes were also used for the Netflix season launch of the newest Stranger Things series where they – together with other Astera fixtures – help to create an actual “upside down world”. It’s almost become an in-joke at Sightline in terms of how often AX1s are used, as Astera products are perfect for so many applications and as ultimately useful creative tools, frequently requested on different jobs.

The Sightline team feels the tubes in particular are a brilliant ‘gap filler’ for streamed shows or presentations with cameras and is impressed with the selection of rigging and mounting accessories that come with an Astera package making the lights “super quick and convenient” to deploy pretty much anywhere.

Astera AX3

AX3s are super-handy and were recently used on a corporate event fitted to the top of a set piece due to their tiny size, and they are regularly dropped into stage as they are so easily concealed yet have great visual impact.

“Being able to use this many battery-powered fixtures on a show, event or stage set is amazing and so practical… allowing for quick and cable-free looks,” explained Joe. Mostly the Sightline crew will use the Astera App on an iPad for controlling the fixtures.

The quality of the light output from all the different Astera luminaires “is excellent” notes Adriano, especially the AX5s and AX9s which are frequently used for set and key lighting on stage and in studios. They appreciate the colours, especially the pastels and the warm whites and AX9s can produce an excellent stage wash.

Astera AX5

Astera AX9

“The batteries will last all day, so combined with the very organic look that blends in so well, the accessibility and incredible versatility of the luminaires, they are good for anywhere and everywhere,” says Adriano. When LDs, lighting directors, operators or clients know that a company has Astera onboard, “everyone takes you seriously, the name has proper kudos and industry standard status,” he enthused.

On average, Sightline will supply equipment to around 30 projects a month of different sizes, often including the lighting design, and Astera fixtures will invariably be somewhere on the event.

A vital element of investment in any kit is the service expected from the supplier, and Astera’s Australia and New Zealand distributor ULA Group is “second to none. For any busy rental / production company, knowing you have great service, support and backup when needed is all important,” Adriano concluded. They look forward to continuing their symbiotic relationship with Astera.

For more info about Astera LED, you can visit Astera-Led

ShowTech Productions, based in Riffa, Bahrain, has recently added to its extensive Robe moving light stock with the purchase of 12 x iFortes LTX luminaires. Currently Robe’s most powerful hard-edged Led moving light, these were delivered by Robe Middle East in Dubai.

Robe Middle East’s general manager Elie Battah on the left with ShowTech Productions’ CEO Lawrence Rodricks.

The company is a leading event production and technical services provider working across multiple sectors including concert touring, live events, and corporates. They also have a base in Saudi Arabia, and work across the GCC region.

These join several hundred Robe products including Spiiders, MegaPointes and BMFLs already owned by ShowTech, following steady investments in recent years. “Robe products have consistently been on all the international riders we have seen in the last 10 years” commented owner and CEO Lawrence Rodricks, adding that this plus the brand’s reputation for quality and well-made products has driven the purchases. This was also the motivation for the first iFortes to join the inventory.

ShowTech Productions’ CEO Lawrence Rodricks.

ShowTech’s clients include the 10,000 capacity Dana Amphitheatre which is the main concert arena in Bahrain. Visited by numerous touring artists since its inauguration in 2018, it has helped put Bahrain on the international ME touring circuit.

“Typically, we will supply Robe moving lights for shows in this venue,” explained Lawrence, “The brand is very often on their specs already, and if it’s not, then lighting designers and directors are always happy to use Robe.”

The iForte LTXs utilise Robe’s newest Led innovations and the range is an obvious successor to the flagship BMFL series of the last decade which are still going strong! These iFortes are the first hard-edged Led luminaires for ShowTech.

With eight RoboSpot systems already part of the Robe inventory, this is another reason to have iForte LTX onboard as this fixture works perfectly as a remote-controlled follow spot as well as for general use, boosting the versatility of the purchase. ShowTech’s chief lighting engineer Rasha Mihalek is equally as enthused about the arrival of the iForte LTXs, as he was pushing for them as well.

Rasha will design the lighting set up once an artist rider has been received, based on the kit available, which then goes back to the production LD or operator for approval. If it’s a touring show, sometimes they will bring in elements of their own production, typically a floor package, but invariably ShowTech will supply full production, including audio and video, for all the Amphitheatre’s major shows, currently averaging two per month.

Lawrence is confident the iFortes are a “great investment and an amazing, super bright, excellent quality and popular product that ticked all our boxes and also has value as a cross-rental item.” The iForte LTX’s were delivered to ShowTech immediately after the recent SLS expo in KSA, and their first show will be the Scorpions (lighting designer Manfred Nikitser) whose rider contains 50 x iFortes, complete with additional fixtures from dry hire specialist Perfect Ovation.

(From left to right) Nuwan Patabandige: (technician, Robe Middle East), Patrick Haddad (technical manager, Robe Middle East), Elie Battah (general manager, Robe Middle East), Lawrence Rodricks (CEO Showtech Productions, Bahrain) and Tarek Abou Gosh, warehouse co-ordinator for Robe Middle East.

Lawrence and his team also underline the importance of and appreciate the excellent service and support available from Robe Middle East which is based in Dubai. Headed by general manager Elie Battah, the subsidiary provides next-level service to Robe customers and end-users across the Middle East and GCC.

ShowTech Productions was started in 2002 by Lawrence specifically to specialise in offering the very best show and event production values. Prior to that, Lawrence had cut his industry teeth at Maestro Music Equipment, an acclaimed music tech enterprise founded by his father Vincent in the 1980s.

Music has always been a big part of Lawrence’s life. Vincent was a drummer and DJ who then started renting out equipment, so Lawrence was born into the fabulous world of production technology and has inherited his father’s passion and zest for the industry, plus a commitment to ensuring audiences embracing all performance genres enjoy the thrill and excitement of the very best shows!

For more information about Robe, you can visit www.robe.cz

Home of Zarzuela, a form of Spanish traditional musical comedy, central Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela was restored to its historic beauty in 1913 after a fire destroyed the original 1856 building.

Tribute Concert to Victoria de los Ángeles soprano, courtesy of the Teatro de la Zarzuela.

Now owned by the Ministry of Culture and a designated Asset of General Interest with Monument status since 1994, the Teatro is Spain’s first and only Spanish lyric theatre. The most famous Zarzuela performances have premiered here and the best works of its repertoire are still sung and heard here to this day to audiences in excess of 1200.

Theatre, television and event rental company, CityLight Iluminación, has supplied 32 Robert Juliat Dalis 860 Cyclorama lights to the opulent venue, procured from Robert Juliat’s exclusive distributor for Spain, EARPRO & EES.

Teatro de la Zarzuela’s technical team carried out some in depth research when choosing their latest cyclorama lighting, making extensive enquiries on their requirements within its own team of experts and with visiting lighting designers before making their choice.
“Our investments are always a collegiate decision based on the views of all they affect, and on our need to improve our equipment while providing each lighting designer with a wider range of resources,” says Antonio López, Technical Director at Teatro de la Zarzuela.

Dalis 860 answered all the team’s wishes: a 300W 1m long batten with 48 asymmetrical reflectors housing an array of 8 coloured LED emitters, including warm and cool white. The original and award-winning Dalis 860 is a well-engineered cyclorama light created to deliver powerful, smooth coverage and a huge variety of pastel and saturated colours.

Robert Juliat DALIS 860

Shortly after receiving their new Dalis fixtures, the team installed them in readiness for a series of concerts: “We rigged 9 Dalis 860s on a lighting bar set 1.8m behind the cyclorama cloth and another 9 units on the ground at the same distance,” says López.

“From here we projected onto a pearl grey PVC cyclorama, successfully covering the 12m wide x 8.5m high surface with ease and obtaining a beautifully smooth result with fabulous colours. We found every aspect of the Dalis to be both useful and outstanding!”

The Dalis 860 fixtures have since been put to good use on a number of productions including the Gal·La Placídia Opera, the Lied Recital, a Symphonic Concert of Spanish Music, and of course the tribute to the soprano, Victoria de los Ángeles, where the coverage and colour palettes, from saturated to subtle, have proved exceptional.

“The performance of the Dalis 860s has far exceeded the expectations of the lighting designers in charge of these productions,” says López. “They all report very good output and good colour quality, and are very impressed in how accurately the Dalis can be tuned to match LEE Filters or Rosco colours to a much higher standard compared to any other fixture on the market.

Teatro de la Zarzuela’s technicians are also very happy: “Despite Dalis being a recent purchase, the team considers them to be of a much more robust construction than other lights with a similar purpose,” reports López. “We are very happy with them and with the service we have received from CityLight which has been, as always, very professional and efficient.”

For more information on :

– CityLight Iluminación
– EES
Teatro de la Zarzuela

For more information on the Robert Juliat Dalis 860 and the full range in that family of fixtures, along with and Robert Juliat’s extensive range of followspots and lighting fixtures, you can visit www.robertjuliat.com

An army of Kyalami integrated into the Ayrton Prolight+Sound show with an intense beam and strong contrast thanks to its laser source.

By combining cutting-edge technologies and innovative design, Ayrton fixtures are creative instruments born from a ceaseless quest for innovation and an overflowing passion for light. Their performance is exceptional, their versatility remarkable, and their aesthetic is both elegant and refined.

Prolight+Sound has once again revealed new flagships, the mini Kyalami with a laser source which won the SLU innovation award, the Nando 502 Wash, and in preview the Mamba, a powerful Beam with a 500 W laser source presented by Yvan Peard in the following video.

Yvan Peard

Yvan PEARD, a visionary designer and daring entrepreneur, is tirelessly committed to pushing the boundaries of imagination and innovation. He embodies a singular vision, harmoniously merging cutting-edge technology and boundless creativity. His unwavering commitment constantly pushes him to explore new horizons and challenge technological limits.

Kyalami: SLU’s innovation award

The Kyalami is a mini laser beam fixture of incredible power. heir to the MagicDot XT concept is the first luminaire in Ayrton’s Creative Solution series to use a through-phosphor laser source.

A  Laser source in the ball-like part of this mini fixture: is only 265 mm in diameter.

To remain ultra-compact and IP65, this jewel fits in only 265 mm with its 100 W laser module equipped with a heat pipe cooling system.
Its design allows a remarkably tight spacing of a few centimeters between the fixtures installed in a line.

The Kyalami offers exceptional performance, with an output of 400,000 lux at 10 meters. Its 126mm front lens, combined with a three-lens proprietary optical system, produces a sharp and intense 1° beam, with adjustable focus to accommodate different operating distances.

Its new-generation laser source guarantees impeccable color reproduction via the progressive CMY mixing system and a multi-position color wheel.
It also offers 29 static metal gobos, which can be combined with two rotating prisms to produce a multitude of spectacular volumetric effects.

Rated IP65, in an aluminum body, with infinite pan/tilt rotation, the Kyalami is a versatile Beam capable of working in all conditions even in a salty environment, and offering designers and architects a unique tool to create lighting experiences immersive in a wide range of creative projects.

Whether on television to produce a ceiling of beams or on the ground, in a cluster, it will find its place. In concerts, at festivals, it isn’t afraid of big stages. This beam fixture is proud to have its dedicated place as shown in this video of the Ayrton show, designed by Stéphane Migné for Prolight+Sound.

AYRTON – Prolight+Sound 2024 from Ayrton on Vimeo.

The Nando 502 Wash: quality, simplicity and versatility

The Nando 502 Wash, designed for versatile indoor and outdoor use (IP65), is a minimalist multi-source wash, compared to the Zonda. No independent control of its 12 x 40W LED sources but a choice of RGBLime chips which results in a full white placed on the black body with a color rendering index greater than 86 and an extended palette of pastel and saturated shades.

Nando 502 Wash, a compact IP65 fixture, is known for its light output quality.

Its proprietary optical system involves for each LED source a glass guide-lens ensuring a homogeneous mixture of colors at the output of its proprietary optical system, a cluster of 12 70 mm PMMA lenses. Additionally, a comprehensive library of pre-programmed colors allows you to quickly create a variety of contrasting lighting effects.

The versatility of the Nando 502 Wash is demonstrated by its ability to instantly switch between beam or wash, with a zoom ratio of 15:1 and a range of 3.5° to 53°.

Compact (342 x 467 x 268 mm; 14.5 kg), powerful (10,000 lm), and elegant, Ayrton’s Nando 502 Wash is destined to become part of the arsenal of any lighting designer looking for a multi-source Wash producing a high-quality white and powerful colors.

A small, powerful wash with additive color synthesis, which benefits from a large zoom amplitude.

Whether in television to cover an audience, for close-up backgrounds, in a cluster, or as a foreground stylish “object”, it will quickly find its place. In concerts, at festivals, big stages won’t scare it. Both in small venues and for small projects, the Nando 502 Wash will have its place thanks to its small size. Finally, for theaters that dream of having a silent, all-purpose fixture, it will also do the work required for backlighting, or from the front.

The Mamba in preview

Ayrton also revealed the prototype of the Mamba, an impressively powerful beam equipped with a 500 W laser source. Its front lens was deliberately limited to 250 mm to keep dimensions and weight reasonable (42 kg).

The Mamba, whose official launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024.

With its 0.6°–15° zoom, the Mamba is synonymous with raw power and dazzling brightness (more than 2,700,000 lux at 10 m).
Just like the Cobra, it is designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor use, with an IP65 rating ensuring optimal performance even in the harshest conditions.

In terms of functionality, the Mamba offers the full set of Cobra features and new parameters, multiple cumulative prisms for new 3D effects: the fixture has 28 motors!
This robustness is combined with timeless elegance, making the Mamba not only a powerful beam but also a magnificent object on stage.

For further information on the Ayrton website

The Italian brand was able to arouse our curiosity during this PL+S 2024 with the creative Volero Cube with multiple facets: beam, wash, strobe, and pixels and the new proximity fixture for cycloramas Orkis CYC with an old school look which won an innovation award from SLU.

Video presentation by Dylan De Matteo, Sales Support Engineer for Claypaky

ADB Orkis CYC – Innovation award from SLU

SLU is committed to awarding an innovation award to products that present new functions or design details that are decisive during their operation, promoting R&D performance.

The new cyclorama fixture from the ADB Orkis CYC range has a design… which is unlike any other! For my part, I see a subtle mix of old car headlights, wedge-type speakers, and portholes… it sounds vintage. But beneath its retro appearance lies a major innovation by Claypaky.

The new cyclorama fixture series by ADB by Claypaky, l’Orkis CYC.

Let’s continue. The Orkis CYC is a single-source asymmetrical cyclorama-type fixture. Its rather cubic and compact body (29x27x23cm) has only one large lens from which the light emanates.

This round optic in which the structure of the beam resides is unique. When we get closer to it, we imagine through its shapes and lines the work necessary for its development.

Details of the single lens with a unique design.

Behind it hides a COB-type LED source from which six colors emanate, the traditional Red, Green, and Blue but also Cyan, Amber, and Lime.

This combination gives the fixture an extended color palette going hand in hand with a very high CRI (advertised as greater than 97!) which can be controlled as desired in HSV, RGB, CMY, and RAW.

The Orkis CYC user interface: touch screen and direct access potentiometers/knobs.

Management of the dimmer claimed to be “ultra-smooth”, is ensured via four curves depending on the user’s choice. Another nice point, the fixture which is compatible with DMX/RDM, Art-Net, and sACN can be used easily by everybody via a few buttons and potentiometers/knobs present on the Case to send light and color “on the run”.

The great innovation of the Orkis CYC lies in its cooling, designed to make the product as compact as possible but also to minimize possible ventilation noise. Called “Flow”, it is nothing more and nothing less than the first active water cooling system embedded in a show fixture, which, unlike heat pipes, uses an active fluid circuit coupled to a pump to force the cooling of the liquid. and thus increase the efficiency of heat exchange. A Bella Macchina that wins an SLU innovation award!

Claypaky Volero Cube

Created with the aim of modularity and versatility, the Volero Cube is a controlled moving head that can be classified in the category of effects washes. Its trendy robotic look is downright cute and the features it contains are just as cute!

With its square head and four large pixels, the Volero Cube does not go unnoticed!

First, the light source. The square head of the device houses four powerful 60 W RGBW LEDs, which can be controlled independently. These LEDs are focused by four large mobile collimators (each 80 x 80 mm) attached to the same unique zoom module to open and tighten the beam between 4 and 55°.

The space available between these lenses has been filled by four lines of white LEDs whose control can be divided into eight segments. Perfect for creating a second pixelated effect or bursts of strobe.

Concerning the movements, the pan of the Volero Cube has continuous rotation. We are also told that it can be deactivated via the fixtures menu… but why?
We arrive at the third chapter, namely modularity, another strong point of the fixture. Claypaky has integrated a quick junction system to combine several units together, thus creating a cluster or line of concurrent Volero Cubes, hence the usefulness of being able to deactivate the pan.

As an added tip, there are retractable spacer pins, ingeniously hidden in the handles of the base unit. So by using them, you obtain the minimum space necessary to place your fixtures, during a tight setup, without the risk of the slightest shock (or hitting each other) during their pan/tilt choreographies, it’s smart!

To finish this summary of the capabilities of the Volero Cube, the fixture integrates the “Shield Family”, translation: it is IP66! In terms of protocols, DMX/RDM, Art-Net, and sACN are there, and the network connectivity integrates RJ45 input and output.

ADB Orkis CYC and Claypaky Volero Cube were part of the Claypaky show at the Prolight+Sound 2024

For more information www.claypaky.it

Ayrton is delighted to announce the appointment of Briony Berning as its new Design, Training and Business Development Engineer as part of the continuing expansion of its international team. The appointment takes place with immediate effect.

Briony Berning joins Ayrton as Design, Training and Business Development Engineer.

Berning’s multi-faceted role will be to formalise Ayrton’s product training on fixtures, key technologies and developments to the markets and its global network of distributors. Alongside this she will develop the theatre markets on a global scale, paying close attention to the specific needs of these sectors and the relevance of Ayrton products within them. Finally, she will maintain a close relationship with her specialism, the theatre market, to keep abreast of developing trends and technologies and ensure Ayrton product development continues to answer these needs.

UK-born yet spending her formative years in France, Berning is fluent in French and has a spent her entire professional working life in the performance lighting sector, specifically theatre lighting. She returned to the UK to study at the University of Glasgow, becoming the first technical apprentice at the National Theatre of Scotland in 2009 before moving to Scottish Opera, and then to the National Theatre for nearly a decade.

“I am so excited to be joining the Ayrton team in this role,” says Berning, who previously held the position of Key Account Manager at Ambersphere Solutions, Ayrton’s exclusive UK distributor, for 4 years. “During my time at Ambersphere I felt myself becoming more and more curious about the technical details and creative ecosystem of product development. I discovered this aspect was now closest to my heart, which in turn determined my move to Ayrton. I feel this role is perfect for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

“We are excited to welcome Briony to this new role at Ayrton”, comments Michael Althaus, Global Sales Director at Ayrton. “Growth comes with many challenges and with Briony we found the perfect asset with a wealth of experience in theatre, training and engineering. So glad we can continue to strengthen our growing family with talent and passion.”

For information on Ayrton’s full range of LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu