Vincent Lighting Systems (VLS) recently made several personnel changes.

Kevin Lowry was appointed to end user sales for the northern Ohio and Indiana area, as well as western Pennsylvania. A native of California, Mr. Lowry attended Otterbein College, located in Columbus, Ohio where he earned a BFA in design and technology. He worked for Rosco Laboratories in customer service, technical support and product development.

Joseph Tupa has joined VLS as project manager. He has more than 20 years of experience working Cleveland and Milwaukee venues as stagehand, rigger, and lighting technician and worked various commercial shoots and music videos as gaffer, grip, and everything in between. Mr. Tupa took a hiatus in 1998, when he was hired by Conrail as a conductor. There, he moved up the corporate ladder to hazardous materials manager where he realized a passion for emergency response. He still works closely with his local volunteer fire department.

In the Cincinnati branch, VLS appointed Debra Cecil as field service technician. A recent graduate of Western Kentucky University, she steps in for Matt Klasmeier, who was promoted to specification sales and will focus on southern Ohio, Kentucky and central/southern Indiana. Adam Hayward continues to serve end user customers in that same area.

For more information, visit www.vincentlighting.com.

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The new Unison architectural lighting system, which stars Paradigm, was one of the highlights of ETC's Lightfair 2008 booth. Paradigm is a feature-rich system that combines groundbreaking architectural lighting functions with the capabilities of entertainment lighting control. It offers advanced facility-lighting and building systems integration, handling the most complex installations with ease. The green-minded Paradigm puts together daylight harvesting, occupancy sensing, and time-based controls for critical energy savings. Paradigm's LightDesigner software takes lighting control to a new level with powerful features. SmartLink, ETC's budget-friendly architectural-lighting control line, is available as an option in the Unison DRd dimming enclosure.

ETC's Lightfair exhibit also featured the latest additions to the award-winning line of Pharos control products, including the new LPC X, Pharos AVC (Audio Visual Controller), and Pharos RIO (Remote Input Output).

ETC also unveiled a new addition to its line of Source Four fixtures at Lightfair. All Source Four HID units are available in an energy-efficient 70W version.

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Enthusiasm was in the air at the 59th Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Conference featured a new Tech Mixer opening event and a Design Reception. Class act performers, Aerial Dance with Fabric, provided entertainment prior to the main awards banquet, the closing event.

Mike Collins, south region sales manager for Entertainment Technology, delivered the welcome message to the attendees of the first ever SETC Tech Mixer sponsored by Vari-Lite and Entertainment Technology. The Tech Mixer was open to all attendees who work or study in any aspect of design or technical theatre.

The Design Reception and Awards Ceremony, also co-sponsored by Vari-Lite and Entertainment Technology, awarded undergraduate and graduate students for lighting design, scenic and costume design and technical/crafts. Three top industry designers, Kevin Adams, Jennifer Caprio, and Todd Rosenthal, critiqued the entries. Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash luminaires and VL1000 Spot luminaires lit Aerial Dance with Fabric while the troop performed suspended from the roof of the rotunda.

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The brand new, 250,000 square foot home of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue was well received when it opened on April 11. Located in Washington, D.C. adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall, the Newseum's seven levels of galleries, theaters, and event spaces blend news history with cutting-edge technology and hands-on exhibits. Besides offering museum-goers a behind the scenes look at how and why news is made, they also produce and broadcast in their own television studios.

The main funder of Newseum operations is The Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation. This Week with George Stephanopoulos on ABC is broadcast each Sunday from its Pennsylvania Avenue studio, which faces the Capitol and is all glass.

The Newseum project began in Arlington, Virginia where Barbizon provided all of the studio lighting. Barbizon helped design and build the two studios at the new site as well as supply the theatre. Barbizon was originally contracted as the systems integrator for lighting and rigging systems in the two Knight Studios, The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Theater, and the media screen in The New York Times – Ochs-Sulzberger Family Great Hall of News, but later was contracted to provide onsite project management and field coordination for the building-wide architectural lighting control system and the event lighting fixture package installed in the Great Hall.

For more information on the project or the company, visit www.barbizon.com.

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When Sight & Sound Theatres inaugurated its 2,080-seat Branson, Missouri venue, it marked a major milestone in the company's two decade-long collaboration with PRG. For the new theatre, PRG partnered with Sight & Sound's design team to build a leading-edge lighting system fully compatible with the company's 10-year-old Millennium Theatre in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

Known for biblical-themed productions featuring 40 to 50 performers, live and animatronic animals, massive sets, and awe-inspiring special effects, Sight & Sound came to PRG with a unique challenge to rotate productions between Strasburg and Branson with the same set, direction, and lighting. This required updating the original Millennium Theatre designs with today's technology while building in enough flexibility so the new system can serve for several more years.

Another challenge was the sheer size of the new facility. At 336,000 square feet, it is the largest building in Branson. The main stage is 110 feet wide by 100 feet deep with a 40-foot-high proscenium and is flanked by two side stages, each 80 feet long. Above the stage are six lighting trusses with wiring in place for a seventh.

PRG provided all the theatrical lighting for the facility. For more information on PRG, visit www.prg.com.

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To reinforce the need for safety in the use of rigging systems in all kinds of performance spaces, J.R. Clancy, Inc. offers instructional signs, batten end caps, index cards, and arbor labels to remind operators to take every precaution and use counterweight rigging in a safe, professional manner.

The signs and labels are available free to any facility with counterweight rigging. Each sign has guidelines for operating the rigging system safely. While many operators are seasoned professionals with years of experience using a rigging system, it's important to have visible reminders to be sure operators complete every step.

The index cards have a surface that accepts grease pencil or dry erase markers and are used at the locking rail to label the set. Each has a warning that meets ANSI requirements, reminding users that sets may be operated only by trained and authorized personnel. The index cards may be purchased from J. R. Clancy dealers in packages numbered from one to 30, 31 to 50, and 51 to 70.

The precautionary signs, cards, and labels are particularly important in high schools and colleges where students may not be trained by rigging professionals to use the system.

In addition to the signs and labels, J.R. Clancy offers bright yellow plastic batten end caps to cover the ends of standard pipe battens increasing their visibility in dark backstage areas. The end caps include set capacity information, so users know exactly how much weight each batten can hold, and when the batten is over capacity.

Clancy also offers free replacement manuals for its counterweight systems. Generic operations manuals are available on the website, www.rigging-safety.com, for anyone to download. If a manual has been lost or if it just disappeared, Clancy will replace it free of charge. For more information or to order the rigging safety materials visit www.rigging-safety.com or www.jrclancy.com, or call 800-836-1885.

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