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Filament Eleven 11 Gets Creative with Astera

The costume/set piece from ‘Scenes from a Yellow Peril’. Photo by Andi Crown

Auckland, New Zealand-based design studio Filament Eleven 11 is a creative tour de force combining the talents and imagination of lighting and visual artists Rachel Marlow and Brad Gledhill. Working across multiple genres – theatre, opera, dance, rock ‘n’ roll’ live events, installation, and light art – and embracing a mix of media and light forms, the company is known for its innovative and fun approach to enhancing storytelling with this unique form of expression.Read More »Filament Eleven 11 Gets Creative with Astera

Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX Installs Vari-Lite Luminaires to Enhance Professional Learning

The new lighting systems includes a Neo and Vision.Net control system, VL800, Acclaim LED and Coda LED fixtures, and Aurora LED Strips. Photo by Cindy Roberts

Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX opened its doors in August 2022 with a state-of-the-art performing arts wing designed to elevate student learning. It is equipped with an array of luminaires from Vari-Lite including a Neo and Vision.Net control system, VL800, Acclaim LED and Coda LED fixtures, and Aurora LED Strips.Read More »Chaparral High School in Killeen, TX Installs Vari-Lite Luminaires to Enhance Professional Learning

Nine Inch Nails Tour 2022

Nine Inch Nails played a limited number of make-up headlining dates on their spring and fall 2022 tour. PLSN caught up with Toss Film & Design’s Paul “Arlo” Guthrie about his work as designer, director, and programmer for the NIN tour. We also checked in with Lighting Technician Matthew “Matt” Schiller for some fixture details in the design, with lighting supplied by tour vendor Upstaging.

Ghost – A Design Like None Other

The Swedish rock band Ghost recently wrapped up the third, North American leg of its Imperatour tour for which Brazil-based Lighting Designer, Erich Bertti was once again back designing along with the band’s lead singer Tobias Forge. Also returning to support the Ghost tour and Bertti was Senior Account Manager, Steven “Creech” Anderson and Madison, TN-based Premier Global Production, providing lighting, rigging, truss and crew. Bertti and Anderson fill PLSN in on the design and their working relationship for Ghost’s tour.

Upstaging Celebrates 50 Years

Live entertainment lighting and trucking company Upstaging marked its 50th anniversary in 2022. During the past half century co-founders, brothers Robert and Don Carone, and Robin Shaw, joined in 1979 by John Huddleston, have turned Upstaging from a garage-based pioneer into a stalwart of the industry. The four share with PLSN some of their reflections growing a company alongside the concert touring industry—the beginnings, the milestones, and what they hope people know about Upstaging today.

JRLX’s Sustained Success

Based in Tinley Park, IL, JRLX provides touring production, lighting, and visual solutions beyond their Chicago region in addition to their offerings in technical sales and integration. Today the business is about 75 percent sales and integration and 25 percent touring. Partners Jason Reberski (CEO) and Kevin Rosenhagen (COO) tell PLSN how their taking a measured approach to growth in this often-volatile industry has allowed JRLX to thrive.

LDI 2022 Helps Industry Gear Up for Busy 2023

The LDI Show returned to Las Vegas after a busy year of live event productions across North America. The aisles were busy with production pros seeking to gear up for another busy year ahead, with exhibitors unveiling as many new products as steadily improving supply chain conditions would permit.

A Lighting Panel with Marsha Stern’s Heartbeat Of The Dance Floor® Episode #012

Lighting Designer Marsha Stern started out lighting for discos in the 1970s before transitioning into architectural and architainment lighting projects in the 90s. She has a podcast, Heartbeat of the Dance Floor® that looks back fondly on the glory days of disco. In episode #12, Stern has assembled a lighting design panel to discuss lighting in those early days. Here is the video replay of A Lighting Panel with Special Guests Ken Billington, Jason Kantrowitz, (KB Associates / The Red Parrot),  Anne Militello (Vortex Lighting / California Institute of the Arts), and Paul Gregory (Focus Lighting / Saturday Night Fever dance floor):

Read More »A Lighting Panel with Marsha Stern’s Heartbeat Of The Dance Floor® Episode #012

Vari-Lite University Outreach Program Delivers VL2600 Uplift for the University of Houston

The University of Houston recently took advantage of the University Outreach Program from Vari-Lite, the originators of the modern moving head and Signify entertainment lighting brand, which enables emerging lighting design students to elevate their production looks and facilitates hands-on professional fixture experience. The latest collaborative project saw Andrew Archer, who is undertaking a BFA in Technical Theatre Production, create an inspired design for the play The Learned Ladies using VL2600 SPOT luminaires.Read More »Vari-Lite University Outreach Program Delivers VL2600 Uplift for the University of Houston

Product News: November 2022

PLSN provides details on two Featured Listing items – DTS’ Synergy 7 Profile framing spot luminaire and Harlequin’s Liberty Switch multi-use floor system, which changes from rigid to sprung at the push of a button. Regular listings include details on Cameo’s S Series IP65 LED Soft Panel, the hazebase ultimate IP64 fog machine, Utratec’s EZ Kleen preventative maintenance fluid, and Vari-Lite’s X15 X-Series console.

Swedish House Mafia: Designing A Circular Paradise

We hear all about the massive circular structure rig on Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise Again world tour from Ben Dalgleish and the Human Person design team, the architects of this rave arena experience. We also talk to All Access about the build and with ER Productions about the laser design by Derek Abbott.