Posts by juliusg
Roadskills – Jim Jefferies
ROADSKILLS Jim Jefferies by Cat Strom Photo Credits: Andreas Heuer @AK Photography The days of a comedian shouting loudly down a Shure SM58 with little to no intelligibility are long gone. With comic acts such as Russell Peters playing to 17,000 people, the audio requirements for these comedic superstars are as big and exacting…
Read MoreEvents on hold until NSW state election
By Julius Grafton. As the NSW Government approaches the March 23 state election with a platform that includes a War on Festivals, the wider events community looks on in horror at the effects of a whim from the Premier’s office. Early February every event for over 2,000 patrons, indoors or outdoors, and no matter what…
Read MoreRoad Test: Claypaky Axcor Profile 600
ROAD TEST Road Test: Claypaky Axcor Profile 600 by Ben Morris and Ian Fynney. Ben Morris is the Executive Manager – Technology, at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre has a lot of flexible spaces and only limited opportunities to install equipment, so we operate as a…
Read MoreHow To: Moving The Stage Without Drama
HOW TO Moving The Stage Without Drama: Reliable energy supply for stage technology With moving energy supply systems such as the igus e-spool and the zig-zag system, complicated stage applications can be implemented even in confined spaces and with high loads. The challenge for every ‘stage builder’ is to create the perfect stage. Every…
Read MoreTauranga’s About to Blow its Own Trumpet
NEW ZEALAND Tauranga’s About to Blow its Own Trumpet New Manager at Baycourt Theatre by Jenny Barrett. ‘Ten dollar’ Tauranga is leaving behind its dubious reputation for stinginess, swathes of retirees, and its designation as a cultural wasteland following a 60% vote against a museum. A fresh face has landed at Tauranga’s Baycourt Community…
Read MoreBogota To Caracas, 1992
TOURING Bogota To Caracas, 1992 by Roderick van Gelder.  In 1992 Sydney Dance Company performed ‘Some Rooms’ in Bogota and Caracas as part of a world tour. I was the production manager and lighting designer. The challenge was to get the sets for ‘Some Rooms’ from Bogota to Caracas on a 3 day turn-around.…
Read MoreSydney’s event spaces shrink again
By Julius Grafton. Since the current NSW state government took power almost eight years ago Sydney’s venue stock has shrunk considerably, despite the addition of the new International Convention Centre. Now charity Ozharvest face losing their main fundraiser, the CEO Cookoff, a gourmet dinner for more than 1,400 vulnerable Australians that will raise $3 million…
Read MoreRoad Test: Riedel Bolero
ROAD TEST Road Test: Riedel Bolero by Ricki Cook. Writer Bio: Ricki Cook is Head of Audio, Production Infrastructure, and Network Architect at Hillsong Church About Riedel Bolero Bolero is a wireless intercom system capable of supporting 10 beltpacks per antenna and up to 100 antennas in a single deployment. When used with Riedel’s Artist…
Read MorePaul Kelly’s Making Gravy
ROADSKILLS Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy by Cat Strom. Photo Credits: Ashley Mar Next time there’s a drought anywhere, just book Paul Kelly for an outdoor concert. Many of us saw the footage on social media of the Melbourne leg of Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy tour where extreme flooding resulted in the ground stacked speakers…
Read MoreTour Smartly – Get Out There
TOURING Tour Smartly – Get Out There by Simon Byrne. Touring is different to one-off gigs in that when you are on a tour, you roll out the same production repeatedly. Therefore it pays to do it an efficient way. Efficiency gives you the gift of time which gives you the opportunity to refine your…
Read MoreNSW Government ‘reviewing’ noxious Music Festival Guidelines
By Julius Grafton. After widespread industry uproar peaked on Monday with Bluesfest director Peter Noble’s threat that Bluesfest would relocate after this year, the NSW Government has pulled the ‘Interim Guidelines for Music Festival Event Organisers: Music Festival Harm Reduction’ document offline ‘for review’. Hastily created by several bureaucrats in the NSW Health Department, the…
Read MoreHistory – Braithwaite: Tour Sells Out
History We have covered a lot of touring productions since 1990. Here’s a story about Daryl Braithwaite’s The Horses tour from Channels magazine, September 1991. Braithwaite: Tour Sells Out by Julius Grafton. When Daryl Braithwaite sold out three nights at Sydney’s State Theatre during May; his crew were relieved. After all, three nights…
Read More