Independent judges unanimously selected RC4BlackMagic for wireless features, small size, and value for money.

RC4 Wireless was awarded Lighting Product of the Year by the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) in London for their RC4BlackMagic Wireless DMX and Dimming System.

“We are particularly flattered by this award because of the nature of the voting process,” said James David Smith, president and chief product designer at RC4.

RC4BlackMagic wireless dimming debuted at the ABTT Theatre Show. It is an incremental revision of the well-established RC4Magic series, featuring improved protection against dimmer overloading and overheating. “Our larger dimmers have been well protected for years – we’ve been doing this since 1991 – but we struggled with ways to reliably squeeze all that power circuitry into a very small space. Now, with RC4BlackMagic, even the tiny little DMX2dim and DMX4dim are fully protected.”

The ABTT show in London marks the first time RC4 Wireless has exhibited outside North America, despite having customers in England, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Japan, China, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and elsewhere.

Visit www.theatrewireless.com for more information about RC4 Wireless.

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USITT welcomes Georgia College & State University as a new Sustaining member.

Karen Berman is Theatre Chair & Artistic Director of the university, which is based in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is Georgia's public liberal arts university.

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On June 8, the doors opened on the 2009 Session of Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (SILV). Students from 15 U.S. states and seven countries are attending sessions with SILV this summer.

Training includes drafting/CAD, theatrical rigging, automated rigging, lighting technology, moving lights, sound technology, special effects and make-up with each course formatted to an intensive five-day segment. Each segment can be taken for three college credits.

For more information, visit the SILV website.

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Serapid, Inc. stage lift systems will be installed in the Cobb Great Hall at the Wharton Center at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan as part of the theatre renovation project.

Twelve of Serapid’s LinkLift Rigid Chain Lift columns will be installed to replace the existing hydraulic lift systems at the center. Eight columns will be installed for the Down Stage Lift, and four columns will be installed for the Up Stage Lift. These new lift systems are a part of the first renovation the Wharton Center has undergone in more than 25 years.

Serapid is a leader in stage, orchestra and piano lifts. For more information, contact Serapid at 800-663-4514 or on the web: www.serapid.com.

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2009 has been a landmark year for Stage Technologies and the 16th year since its formation by John Hastie and Mark Ager.

This year the company received The Queen's Awards for Enterprise: International Trade for the second time. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the United Kingdom's most prestigious awards for business performance and are widely recognized throughout the world. Stage Technologies opened its doors June 26 to several key suppliers and partners in the industry to celebrate this award along with staff. A commemorative bowl and Grant of Appointment were presented.

Never forgetting its roots in the West End of London, Stage Technologies is now a prominent world leader in pioneering automation technology in live performance industries across the world.

Automation in the Entertainment Industry - A User’s Guide, written by Mr. Ager and Mr. Hastie, is now available. It reveals the common-sense thought processes that go into using automation in the theatre. All proceeds that the authors make from the sale of the book will be donated to the Stage Technologies charity, which supports individuals at a grass roots level who want to follow a career in theatre automation and allied industries.

To purchase copies of the book, visit www.etbooks.co.uk or www.amazon.co.uk.

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Solaris products were part of the 54th Eurovision Song Contest in May. Contestants from European Union nations and beyond gathered in Moscow, Russia to compete, each hoping to become the next ABBA. The event has become one of the world’s largest production spectaculars. TMB is the exclusive distributor of Solaris products.

This year TMB launched several new products at InfoComm. They included UberPan from Green Hippo, amBIENT XC from amBX, ProFan, ProPlex RMT, ProPlex GBS, ProShell, and Solaris CF-35 strobe.

Find out more about the products and services offered by TMB at www.tmb.com.

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TOMCAT was at the InfoComm Exhibition June 17 to 19 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. TOMCAT is a manufacturer of staging, lighting and support systems to the entertainment and leisure industries. The company also partnered with InterAmerica Stage, a specialty equipment company that provides rigging and show system solutions to the broadcasting and entertainment industry, in the promotion of SkyDeck, a modular wire grid system that provides safe access to theatrical lighting, audio cables, loudspeakers, stage rigging, and effects. Accompanying the InterAmerica SkyDeck system was TOMCAT’s Sky product, a ladder beam truss product with a sturdy spigot connection. It’s designed for light, medium and heavy duty applications over short and large spans.

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Leviton Manufacturing Company, North America’s leading producer of electrical and electronic wiring devices, relocated its global corporate headquarters to Long Island’s Suffolk County on June 15. Leviton outfitted the four-story, 140,000 square foot facility, located at 201 North Service Road in Melville, with the latest “green building” materials and systems. This includes a variety of Leviton’s own devices and controls -- from sophisticated lighting energy management systems to box-mounted designer switches, outlets and dimmers.

The state-of-the-art office complex serves as a showcase for the Company’s installed products and as a model high-performance building. Comprehensive interior renovation of the complex took 18 months to complete and included a new floor plan design and building systems makeover. Backbone systems such as Leviton’s daylight harvesting, occupancy detection and high-speed data networking products combine to maximize energy efficiency, enhance operating efficiency and reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

For more information, contact Leviton Manufacturing, 201 North Service Rd., Melville, NY, 11747, www.leviton.com.

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An easy-to-navigate graphical interface highlights the redesigned Wybron website launched June 24.

With detailed information and photos for every model of each product, the redesigned site should make it easier for customers to find exactly what they need.

The redesigned site also offers some new features, including an online chat program that allows customers to connect instantly with a Wybron customer service representative. It will soon feature tutorials for Wybron’s products, giving a detailed look at how to use each one.

Visit the redesigned site at www.wybron.com.

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Schuler Shook Theatre Planners was appointed the theatre planning consultants for the renovation of Hamer Hall at The Arts Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

The $128.5 million (Austrailian dollars) redevelopment of Hamer Hall is part of a larger revitalization project for The Arts Centre and the first step in the Southbank Cultural Precinct Redevelopment plan. The Arts Centre is the largest and busiest performing arts complex in the southern hemisphere.

Robert Shook, ASTC, is the principal in charge of theatre planning. Joshua Grossman, ASTC, is the senior theatre planner, and Lisa Bernacchi is Schuler Shook’s CAD leader. Schuler Shook’s presence in Melbourne is led by Project Manager Jim Hultquist, ASTC, LEED AP.

Mr. Hultquist recently joined Schuler Shook as a project consultant with nine years of theatre consulting experience ranging from black box theatres to multi-venue performing arts centers, capitalizing on his experience as a theatre lighting designer with designs for regional, civic, and touring productions, as well as architectural lighting designs. His specialty is technical equipment design and specifications from stage lighting to rigging with a special emphasis on coordinating stage equipment with building systems. He has also been working with manufacturers and other partners to increase the sustainability and energy efficiency of theatre buildings.

For more information, visit www.schulershook.com.

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