We welcome Ocean Optics, producers of the new SeaChanger color engine for stage lighting, as a Contributing member of USITT. SeaChanger is described as a dynamic CMY technology that "creates millions of brilliant, rich, reproducible colors using patented dichroic filtering." The self-contained changers install easily into ETC Source Four ellipsoidals and provide smooth, quiet color transitions across a wide color spectrum and from white to full saturation in a second. Rob Morris is director of marketing and customer relations for the company. To learn more, visit www.seachangeronline.com.

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PRG has rejoined USITT at the Contributing Level. The company recently introduced its Series 400 Power and Signal Distribution System. The patent is pending on the system which integrates power and data into one custom-designed trunk cable. It can carry DMX and Ethernet data and includes Ethernet switches with the ability to route any DMX universe to any DMX output connector in the system, along with electrical isolation. The system is modular and user-configurable, according to the company.

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The Best Seat lamp insertion tool, on which a patent is pending, is being offered by Production Advantage, Inc. The tool facilitates the safe installation of HPL 575W and 750W lamps into luminaire sockets without damaging the lamps. It is designed to eliminate the danger of contaminating the lamp envelope with residue from fingers, and prevents lamp breakage when first seating a lamp in a new stiff set of lamp socket contacts. Even if a lamp should break, it will be contained in the plastic housing to help prevent injury.

The ergonomically-designed Best Seat comes with a safety ring so it can be attached to a lanyard for overhead use, or can be hung on a work bench. Contact Production Advantage for more information and pricing.

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Vari*Lite helped ensure the success of the Diverse City Worldwide Tour featuring one stage but two headliners and two lighting designers. Jeff Lava designed for Audio Adrenaline and Matt Waldner designed for tobyMac assisted by 10 VL2500 spot luminaries supplied by Bandit Lites. "Matt and I had to put our heads together and come up with a design that would work for the both of us," Mr. Lava noted. "We had to pack everything in one truck, so we were very limited, but the fun part of it is we had to think outside the box."

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Texas Scenic Company recently installed new theatrical equipment at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas and Saginaw High School in Fort Worth, Texas. Theatre consultant on both projects was Rene Garza with Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon and Williams, Inc. of San Antonio. The TSC package included stage lighting, dimming and control, motorized rigging, curtains, and audio systems.

The two almost identical schools were the first United States projects to feature the Illusionist rigging control console manufactured by Stage Technologies in London, England and distributed in the United States by TSC. Guyer High School has 29 fixed and variable speed rigging sets. Saginaw has 27 sets of the same type.

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