GLP started its U.S. operations in 2009

German Light Products is now a Sustaining Member of USITT. As part of their plan to expand their footprint in the U.S. the company has joined with USITT to advance their mission to connect performing arts technology communities.

The Soundcraft Vi4 at FOH, and an unfamiliar site at Shakespeare’s Globe: A line array hung from the rafters.

The Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is a recreation of the original Elizabethan playhouse on London’s South Bank. Made of wood, a full-loaded audio reinforcement system has never been allowed in the space, thanks to weight and structural concerns. But for a recent celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday, that all changed. ARC Sound supplied two symmetrical hangs of six JBL VerTec VT4887A compact line array elements, with two pairs of JBL VT4880A subs recessed under the stage apron, for the celebration, and a Soundcraft Vi series digital mixing console at FOH. ARC was careful to ensure that the line array elements didn’t put more than a quarter-ton of weight on the oak beams in the ceiling, and that they were all aimed in such a way as to not direct any sound directly out of the Globe’s thatched roof.

A moment from Hello Dolly! At Ford’s Theatre. Lighting design by Colin K. Bills. 4Wall D.C. supplied the gear.

Colin K. Bills was tapped by D.C.’s Ford Theatre and Virginia’s Signature Theatre to design lights for a co-production of Hello Dolly. Bills, in turn, tapped 4Wall D.C. to supply the gear to fulfill his vision. The opening number needed a number of specials for solos, and Bills’ design called for those specials to be tightly focused, but soft and sepia-toned. Bills decided on Martin MAC Auras and Vari*Lite VL3500 fixtures (along with some conventionals) to make it happen, and 4Wall D.C. supplied the fixtures he needed.

PLASA has brought two draft standards regarding arena rigging into public review.

PLASA has two more draft standards pertaining to arena rigging available for public review through July 7. are BSR E1.6-4, Portable Control of Fixed-Speed Electric Chain Hoists in the Entertainment Industry, and BSR E1.39, Entertainment Technology – Selection and Use of Personal Fall Arrest Systems on Portable Structures Used in the Entertainment Industry.

Nilo Cruz’s Anna and the Tropics is now available in Scene Partner

Scene Partner has added eight new e-Scripts from Nilo Cruz to its library. The scripts, licensed by Dramatists Play Service are Anna in the Tropics, Two Sisters and a Piano, Life is a Dream, A Bicycle Country, Beauty of the Father, Doña Rosita The Spinster, Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams and Night Train to Bolina. These scripts are currently available for purchase with Scene Partner, the line-memorization app, and cost $9.99 each.

The Cunningham Performance Hall has many possible configurations, with sound in each handled by a Meyer Sound Constellation system.

Meyer Sound’s Constellation acoustic system allows the Cunningham Performance Hall at Mansfield ISD Center in Mansfield, Texas, to sound good no matter what configuration the room is in, from its full 5,500 seat configuration all the way down to 1,800 seats with the side walls moved to create side rooms and an acoustic banner blocking off the balcony. The Huckabee architectural firm of Fort Worth designed the Center, and Infinity Sound of Grand Prairie handled system integration for the AV systems, including Constellation.

Hosts Sheridan Smith and Hugh Bonneville in front of video gear supplied by XL Video at the 2013 Olivier awards

XL Video supplied the video equipment for the 2013 Olivier Awards (the U.K. awards that honor the best of British theatre) and sponsored the Olivier Award for Best Set Design. XL supplied the center-stage LED screen, built from 84 Pixled FX-11 tiles, two side screens made up of 5 x 6 tiles and 5 x 8 Pixled panels in portrait mode. XL Video also supplied scenic LED for the band risers in the form of Barco MiStrips as well as video for the live outside broadcast site in Covent Garden Piazza. Full details about the kit and the video set up after the jump.

Ken Kimura will head up DPA’s new office in Hong Kong.

DPA Microphones has opened a new office in Hong Kong. The office will be headed by Ken Kimura, DPA’s Asia and Pacific general manager. The move comes after a record year of sales for DPA in the region. DPA plans to supplement its existing team in Hong Kong with new sales staff and is interested in hearing from any suitable candidates. For more information, please contact Ken Kimura at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sharidan Giles, 1957-2013

Sharidan Giles, a pioneering production manager and technical director, died Friday, April 26 in Kissimmee, Fla., after a brief illness. Giles was one of the first women admitted in IATSE Local #50 in Sacramento, Calif., in the early ‘80s. Once she joined she quickly left her mark, taking on the position of training chairman, and developing the standardized tests which the Local still uses to test apprentices before they achieve journeyman and full union membership. She was a mentor to countless technicians through the years, and made it a point to help women understand how the union worked and how to become a part of it. Giles served as a stage manager for the Sacramento Symphony from 1986 – 1992 and the production manager/technical director for Chico City Light Opera from 1992-1995. In 1995, she relocated to Orlando, Fla., where she worked at Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts as an entertainment manager for stage and fireworks shows for the past 18 years. iTheatrics, an educational theatre consultancy firm, has established an annual Sharidan Giles Technical Theatre Award Scholarship in her honor. The annual award, the first of which will be awarded in January, 2014 at the Junior Theatre Festival, will be given to the technical theatre student who “most exemplifies commitment, curiosity, collaboration and creativity in technical theatre” and includes a cash award as well as mentorship sessions from a technical theatre professional.

The Theatre Resources Directory is always available online at trd.stage-directions.com

Stage Directions, in anticipation of its annual Theatre Resources Directory issue, has expanded the Directory online. In addition to its Theatrical Retailers and Suppliers section—which will be part of the printed version of the Directory for the first time this July—another new category will be included: Stage Automation. Any company that provides stage automation services or gear, including everything from hydraulic lifts and pumps, to turntables, winches, and computerized control packages—even those who build automated sets—now has their own category in the Directory.