Christmas Newsletter 2009

May we wish you all a very enjoyable festive season and a prosperous 2010. We are pleased to send you our seasonal eNews 2009 which contains information intended to keep you up to date with developments at Stage Technologies.

We welcome any feedback you have.

Welcome to our new online world!

December marks the official launch of our new content-rich website. With a look-and-feel that reflects both the trademark technology behind our design and automation business and the vibrant energy of the entertainment world.

Now, anyone can register on the site to download literature in one easy-to-access area. Simply go to the log-in page and fill in a registration form to gain instant access to the resources pages. If you do not find what you are looking for please let us know using the feedback link above.

Our support department is here to make sure that the advice and maintenance provided by our experts are available to everyone, and the new web site complements the existing services with a dedicated resources area for clients with maintenance contracts. Clients will be contacted directly with more information in the New Year.

If you are a registered press user, we can give you additional access to our press gallery, where you can download press releases and images for use in your publications. Please contact our press department if you would like to be added to this group.

You can also now follow us on Twitter (stagetechworld) and keep an eye on YouTube (StagetechGroup) for new postings.

Happy browsing!

2009 Round-up

The world seems to shrink every year and no more so than this year for Stage Technologies, with projects all around the globe including Canada, United States, Singapore, Germany, Australia, Italy and Qatar.

It’s been a great year of firsts for us: our first project working with Dragone automating ‘The House of Dancing Water’ at the City of Dreams in Macau, and also providing rigging and control for their rehearsal studio in Lint, Belgium; our first full year of business with Delstar Engineering as part of the family; our first collaboration with ZFX Flying Effects in the US; our first project in Africa at the 40-year Celebrations in Libya; and the first print run of the book Automation in the Entertainment Industry.

Our research and development department have had a year of firsts too, some of the highlights of which were: the first use of F:light – our award-winning moving light and automation synchronisation software, for the Royal Shakespeare Company's  production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; the first installations of the BT250 Lite packaged hoists in US venues, including the Musical Instrument Museum in Arizona; the first use of a Medialon show controller with our systems instead of an automation control desk; the first integration of our automation systems with Open Sound Control at EMPAC; and the first application of our new anti-sway software.

But it’s also been a year of seconds! We accepted our second Queen’s Award for International Trade and our Explorer second generation free-ranging stage trucks gave free rein to the technical team at Cirque du Soleil’s Elvis at City Center, Las Vegas.

We hope you join us for another exciting year in 2010!

Celebrating over a decade of Drama, Dance and Divas in the UK and beyond!

A massive, automated stage wagon rolls on stage carrying the set for a Wagnerian opera, the corps de ballet rehearse with a bit of extra lift from overhead hoists, a dramatic hush descends as the scenery flies onto a set in the round .....

It’s been over ten years since Stage Technologies control systems and equipment were installed at three iconic venues in the UK. Along with their stage engineering, they are still going strong. The partnerships are also flourishing, with our service team providing routine support.

The site of the Royal Opera House has a rich history of three centuries of theatre but the last 10 years has been a milestone decade, the start of which was marked by the installation of a sophisticated 214-axis, whole-house automation system. The Opera House’s main stage and the new Linbury Studio have delivered a diverse range of exceptional performances, from Mozart, and quintessential Britten to breakdancing artists at the popular urban Firsts nights.

Sadler’s Wells set out to remodel itself as a purpose-built receiving house for modern dance and lyric drama and has surpassed all expectations. The venue has been a champion for bold and collaborative performances, commissioning or producing no less than 39 new dance works by leading artists since 2005. Its programmes sweep from contemporary dance to tango, hip hop to flamenco, and tap to kathak.

The Royal Exchange Theatre is an extraordinary construction – the main auditorium is a capsule suspended from marble pillars – a glass theatre in the round where the audience can truly suspend their disbelief. In 1999, the Royal Exchange was awarded the title of Theatre of the Year in the Barclays Theatre Awards, in recognition of its successful refurbishment and ambitious re-opening season. Its productions are just as fresh and thought-provoking 10 years on - from shaking up Shakespeare to adaptations of sociopolitical classics such as Orwell’s 1984.

Around the same time as these landmark installations, Stage Technologies was also automating entertainment venues in cities such as Stockholm, Barcelona, Chicago, Reykjavik, Porto and Rotterdam.

We congratulate these venues on their remarkable success and wish them an even greater and dynamic decade to come.