August Newsletter 2010

We hope you enjoy reading our third newsletter of 2010 - a special PLASA/LDI bumper issue with extra news. We welcome any feedback you have. To subscribe to this newsletter, please click here.

PLASA just got better!

September 12th marks the first day of PLASA but this year’s different! The first PLASA International Rigging Conference will be held on the 13th and 14th September in conjunction with the main show. Our very own Ted Moore and Neil Darracott will be sitting on specialist panels helping to open up debate on standards, safety and all aspects of rigging and working at height.

Look out for our newest software innovation, Sculptor Animation Toolkit, which provides a smart interface with 3DS Max and promises to be every automation programmer’s dream! The toolkit will be available for viewing at the Innovation Gallery and for demo on the Stage Technologies stand (Hall 2 P-12). You can also see eChameleon work its magic on our range of control desks (including the wall-mounted Preset Station) and get a closer look at the mechanical craftsmanship on one of our winches from the popular, narrow-fit BT Lite range.

Not only that, you can find out more about our latest automation courses in September and join a prize draw to win a copy of Automation in the Entertainment Industry signed by Sir Cameron Mackintosh.

For those of you who can’t join us in London, we would love to see you at LDI Las Vegas or JTSE Paris later in the year.

Partners for life

Stage Technologies has recently joined the cream of the crop in the Siemens Solution Partner Programme (SSPP). The SSPP offers an index of solution providers qualified to a uniform, universal standard and aims to deliver two essential promises: contractually-agreed quality criteria and optimum processes for providing the best support possible.

It’s good news for our clients across the globe. Siemens worldwide distribution and support centres offer 24/7 service and replacement spares, should they be required, wherever Stage Technologies equipment has been installed. Spares are also available to us for an extended period, even in a situation where general production may be discontinued.

Continual assessment by our research and development team ensures that we use the most up-to-date advances in drive technology and position control software available on the industrial market. All our suppliers conform to strict safety and quality requirements and the choice of Siemens products is just part of a practical design and manufacturing methodology that reaches for the very best in system longevity, compatibility and reliability.

Supportline

Expert maintenance is vital for busy technical teams and theatres, more and more of whom are turning to our support and services department to maximize the efficiency and lifespan of their automation equipment and provide additional services such as LOLER-friendly inspections and remedial work on third party axes.

Our engineers have been inspecting and fine tuning in the background at venues around the globe including the Macau Cultural Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s Southbank, Götesborg Stadsteater, Brussels Opera House, the European School in Culham UK, Brooklyn Academy of Music,  Lyric Opera of Chicago and on board cruise ships in the Princess Cruises, P&O, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Cunard fleets.

Scheduled work in London is coming up at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Barbican Centre, Royal Festival Hall, and the Royal Opera House. Further afield, we'll be administering advice and polishing up performance at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Rotterdamse Schouwburg, the MTC Theatre in Melbourne, Cirque du Soleil resident shows in Las Vegas and our most recent customer, the Wales Millennium Centre.

For more information about keeping your venue equipment in tip top condition visit the support section of the Stage Technologies website.

We're off to see the Wizard!

The rentals services department has been as busy as ever working on a diverse list of projects from Australia to Antwerp. We’ve recently provided automation equipment for Theatre Complicite, Vlaamse Opera and Guildford School of Acting, as well as for prime time TV, touring theatre, rock concerts, and even the latest Harry Potter film.

Now we’re over the rainbow to report that we will once again be working with the Really Useful Group, having been awarded the automation rental contract for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new West End musical production of The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy and Toto were chosen in a BBC TV talent show earlier in the year. 

The set is designed by Rob Jones of Sound of Music acclaim and there will be around 70 major axes including performer flying, lifts, revolves, trucks counterweight assists and sliders.

The show starts the load in at the end of November and Dorothy will be putting her red shoes on to join the rest of the cast for rehearsals from early January.

Automation in Akureyri

Stage Technologies has been back in Iceland in the town of Akureyri, the second largest urban area after the Greater Reykjavík area, known as the Capital of North Iceland.

Due to open this month, the double-auditorium Hof Conference and Cultural Centre is designed for live music and other performing arts, with ancillary facilities for conferences and exhibitions.

Stage Technologies was contracted by Exton ehf to supply a low-noise automated rigging system including 21 BeamHoists and BigTow winches with variable speed drives for the main 500-seat raked auditorium. The system is controlled by an Illusionist console and motion control cabinets with local control touch panels. Training was recently provided for Hof’s technical team and we look forward to a successful launch of the venue in the next few weeks.