Stay up to date with the latest happenings in the live events and technical production industry. From product launches and training sessions to behind-the-scenes stories and project highlights, our news section is where you’ll find it all.
Get the scoop on what’s new at DWR, follow our journey with industry partners, and discover the people and moments that make our community so unique. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, information, or innovation — this is the place to be.
ADJ Fixtures Power Festive Fury for August Burns Red’s ‘Christmas Burns Red’ Home Town Celebration
Thirty-six ADJ Jolt Bar FX multifunction linear LED fixtures and eight ADJ 40 HEX Panel IP LED-powered wash panels played an integral role in the lighting rig for the 2025 edition of Christmas Burns Red — the hometown holiday shows hosted by metalcore heavyweights August Burns Red. Designed, programmed
Neil Austin chooses Robert Juliat SpotMe for Paddington the Musical world premiere
© Johan Persson In December, Michael Bond’s much-loved children’s character gently padded into the silvered environs of London’s Savoy Theatre as Paddington the Musical erupted into a glorious, fast-paced confection of a production that enchants audiences of all ages. A co-production between Sonia Friedman Productions, STUDIOCANAL, and Eliza Lumley Productions
Robe brings Colour and Magic to Panto Season
Robe moving and LED lights – including the newly launched T3 Profile, appearing for the first time on a UK theatre show – proved a perfect choice for award-winning lighting designer Andy Webb during the UK’s 2025-26 pantomime season. Photo: Barry Rivett Andy, an expert at illuminating this very
Albany Entertainment Centre Chooses Anolis
Albany Entertainment Centre (AEC) is a contemporary performing arts and events venue famous for its stunningly cool architectural design, located on the waterfront in Albany, about 420 km south‑east of Perth in Western Australia, which has upgraded the auditorium lighting of its main theatre space – Princess Royal Theatre –
Introducing KLANG:1 & KLANG:1pro
Your perfect mix. Always within reach. Packing professional immersive in-ear monitor mixing into an ultra-compact format at unprecedented price points. Truly pocket-sized, the most portable KLANG processors ever created deliver a single immersive mix from 64 input channels, offering the most accessible entry into immersive monitoring for the pro
L-Acoustics System & Workflow Training, JHB
Join Richard Smith for an L-Acoustics System and Workflow Training Course on 3 February 2026 from 9am to 5pm at DWR Distribution in Johannesburg. Upon successful completion and certification, delegates will be eligible to attend future L-Acoustics training sessions. It is essential to have attended the L-Acoustics System &
Robe Hits the Highway with Billy Strings
Bluegrass musician Billy Strings’ 2025 tour, built around his hugely successful 2024 album, Highway Prayers, mixed headlining arena and amphitheater dates with festival slots and international shows. Lighting was designed by Colorado-based Saxton Waller, who chose 37 x Robe iFORTES and 26 x MegaPointes to be at the heart of
Fourier Audio Creates HYPERPORT Audio Protocol for transform Hardware
A breakthrough in low-latency audio connectivity for the transform.engine and new transform.go ANAHEIM, California – January 2026 – NAMM Stand #17901 (DiGiCo) – Fourier Audio announces HYPERPORT, a new low-latency, point-to-point audio protocol designed for seamless integration between its transform.engine or transform.go and DiGiCo’s Quantum and SD-Range consoles. With the
Robert Juliat to exhibit at ISE 2026, Barcelona Hall 6 Stand C300
(Above): Robert Juliat’s Bizet is set to show its true colours at ISE 2026 Robert Juliat is excited to exhibit at ISE in Barcelona (3-6 February 2026), on Stand C300 in Hall 6. The stand is located in a prime position beside the Live Events Stage area, which is hosting
Shattered Glass welcomes a new L-Acoustics sound system
Shattered Glass AV & Staging is based in Eikenhof, south of Johannesburg, and is run by Mick and Adriano Landi. They have grown their business through hard work, strong relationships, and a real respect for their craft. Most of their new clients come from word of mouth, thanks to their
TheOne Club Warsaw Defines New Dimension of Nightlife with L-Acoustics
Sound Experience and Audio Plus create seamless acoustic experience for Warsaw’s luxurious new multifunctional venue WARSAW, Poland – TheOne Club opened its doors in October 2025 in the heart of Warsaw’s premier clubbing district on Mazowiecka Street, unifying high-end hospitality with a club-caliber audio environment. Under one roof, this ambitious
BirdDog + mimoLive Promo Now Available!
BirdDog and mimoLive have partnered to deliver a new promotion designed to add immediate value to BirdDog camera bundles. For a limited time, customers who purchase selected BirdDog bundles will receive 6 months of mimoLive Studio for Mac at no additional cost. Qualifying BirdDog Bundles: MAKI Live 3-Camera Bundle. X1
Claypaky Open Night!
DWR Distribution invites you to meet Claypaky’s Alessandro Melegaro and Michele Brocchieri for the Claypaky Open Night on 20 January from 3pm to 9pm at our offices in Johannesburg. Get hands-on with the latest Claypaky fixtures: Ultimo Hybrid, Ultimo Sharpy, Mini Xtylos HPE, Volero Cube, and Arolla Aqua LT. Expect unbelievable technology and a time
Fantastic Response to the L-Acoustics House of Worship Tour in South Africa
After visiting worship spaces around the world, it was a great pleasure for DWR Distribution to host the L-Acoustics House of Worship Tour in South Africa, with events held in Johannesburg and Cape Town in November 2025. The tour received an outstanding response from the local church and audio community,
From basement to beacon
Once home to laser tag and line dancing, a forgotten basement in Secunda has been reborn as a fully-fledged performance venue. Thank you Simon Luckhurst from Pro AVL for the write up! Few people would look at a long-disused basement in the coalfields of South Africa’s Mpumalanga and immediately envisage
DirectOut appoints DWR Distribution as South African Partner
(Above): DWR’s Duncan Riley, Kyle Robson and Kyle Freemantle. “We received a phone call from Ian Staddon at DiGiCo, introducing us to Lorenzo Sassi and the team at DirectOut,” he says. “A lot of DiGiCo distributors across the globe also represent DirectOut, as it’s the audio backbone to signal flow, so I’m very excited about our new appointment! The company manufactures incredibly powerful solutions for
Inside ROXX’s Journey: Catching Up in South Africa
You only truly understand the sweat, grit, and tears that go into starting a new company if you’ve done it yourself. When German lighting pioneer Thorsten Sattler, Managing Director at ROXX Light, visited South Africa earlier this year for client demonstrations and an Open Day—his second visit following the first
Robe Launches New Products at LDI
Robe lighting added to the energy and excitement of the 2025 LDI expo in Las Vegas last week by launching five exciting new products in its versatile T-Series, the T10 Profile – available with rapid-change objective system for PC and Fresnel options, together with the T3 PC and T3 Fresnel
TT+ Audio showcases next-generation solutions at ISE 2026
Reggio Emilia, Italy – TT+ Audio returns to ISE 2026 with a focused showcase of high-performance solutions for installation and live sound, featuring next-generation cardioid systems and advanced control technologies designed to simplify integration while raising audio quality standards. “At ISE 2026, we are introducing TT+ Audio solutions that give
DiGiCo Quantum 338s Escape to Europe with OneRepublic
Formed in 2002, OneRepublic have enjoyed huge international success, with over 18 billion streams on Spotify alone. Their current tour, Escape to Europe, continues until the end of the year before escaping into the rest of the world in 2026. Accompanying the band are Justin Ripley at the front of
grandMA3 User Training, Johannesburg
You are invited to attend a three-day grandMA3 User Training Workshop, presented by Jaques Pretorius, from 20 to 22 January 2026, from 9am to 5pm at DWR Distribution’s Johannesburg office. This three-day programme is designed to familiarise participants with the essential functions of the grandMA3 software and lighting consoles,
Rugby fever at Silverstar with new Absen Outdoor LED Screen
If there’s one thing South Africans love, it’s putting on a green shirt and cheering for the Springboks. Silverstar Casino & Entertainment Complex, part of the Tsogo Group, in Krugersdorp, knows this well—and they’ve just made watching the big games even better. “The Square,” Silverstar’s outdoor hub surrounded by
Robe Blinds Friedrichstadt-Palast with Delight
One of Berlin’s most iconic venues, the Friedrichstadt-Palast, AKA Palast Berlin, a revue theatre in the city’s Mitte district, has made a substantial investment in Robe moving lights to help facilitate its newly launched Grand Show production, BLINDED by DELIGHT, created by Oliver Hoppmann, complete with a vibrant new lighting
DWR Closes for the Festive Season
Thank you to our clients and suppliers for a wonderful 2025. We hope that it’s a well-deserved break for everyone, and we trust that you will travel safely and have a chance to rest and enjoy this time. Please see the notification for our office closure, and we look forward
AIG 100 Event Dazzles with Robe
A special Afrikaans is 100 Jaar Groot (Afrikaans celebrates 100 Years) centenary concert was staged at the DHL Stadium in Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa, a magical location with breathtaking views of Table Mountain in the background. Produced by Coleske Artists and featuring over 30 special collaborations by leading
Clear-Com Showcases Critical Communications Solutions in South Africa
“Quite often, the person building a facility doesn’t think about communications,” says John Sparrow of Clear-Com. “But if you put the comms in first, you can use them throughout the build. It’s absolutely crucial—when you’re running a show, you simply can’t do it without comms. You can have graphics,
Showcom Clear-Com at Red Bull Shay’iMoto
When tyres screeched, and engines roared through Durban on 10 August, Red Bull Shay’iMoto lit up the streets — a motorsport spinning showdown born from South Africa’s township culture and fueled by pure adrenaline. (Above): Nick Chapman Behind the scenes, Nickolas Chapman from Showcom had just the right gear
Mastering the Art of Robe
Mastering d.o.o. is a busy Croatian rental and show production company based in Đurdevac in eastern Croatia, founded in 2018 by Đuro (Djuro) Kucelj, who was – and still is – also running a successful construction business and has been an active musician for the last 40 years, playing
YASTREB-Sound provides DiGiCo Quantum consoles for Uzbekistan’s first visit from A-list star, Jennifer Lopez
In August, the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan hosted Jennifer Lopez’s Up All Night: Live in 2025tour. The show was watched by over 31,000 attendees and marked the country’s first performance of an American A-list artist. With a DiGiCo Quantum 326 at front of house and Quantum 338 at the
Arts House Group’s Drama Centre Theatre upgrades to LED with Robert Juliat
(Above): Robert Juliat Dalis 860 cyclorama lights and Oz followspots installed at Singapore’s AHG Drama Centre Theatre as part of its LED upgrade. Photo credit © SRT The Little Company Singapore’s Drama Centre Theatre has invested in new Robert Juliat LED cyclorama lights and followspots as part of an ongoing
Lyric Theatre Belfast Becomes First on Island of Ireland to Deploy L-ISA Immersive Audio for World Premiere of Denouement
(Above): L-Acoustics partners with Forfey to install the first theatrical L-ISA deployment on the island of Ireland L-Acoustics partners with Forfey to realise first theatrical L-ISA deployment on the island of Ireland Belfast, Northern Ireland – November 2025 – The Lyric Theatre Belfast has become the first theatre on
Robert Juliat success at PLASA London with Live Technology
Robert Juliat enjoyed a successful and very busy time at PLASA, London, where it exhibited on the stand of its exclusive UK distributor, Live Technology. The RJ Bizet range of LED profiles and Fresnels were on show in pride of place, alongside the Tristan LED followspot and SpotMe followspot tracking
RCF Academy – Online Courses
Discover your new destination for expert-created online training courses, tailored for audio professionals and enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re looking to master your skills, build precision subwoofer arrays, or optimize complex systems like a pro, RCF Academy brings top-tier audio education right to your screen — in multiple languages, at your
Hippotizer Delivers Real-Time Control on MasterChef Live
San Francisco, California, USA — Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers fired up a central role in the U.S. touring production of MasterChef Live, providing real-time video control, camera integration, and playback management in a compact touring package. The system was specified, supplied, and operated by VUE Show Design Group, led by production designer Charles
L-Acoustics Opens Expanded APAC Headquarters in Singapore, Featuring New L-Acoustics Creative Studio
Expanded headquarters reflects company’s rapid APAC growth; new L-ISA Creative Studio empowers artists to create spatial audio experiences SINGAPORE – November 2025 — L-Acoustics, a leading global creator of professional audio technology, announced the opening of its expanded Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore. The new facility includes a dedicated L-Acoustics
SSL Media Rolls with More Robe Investments
Mumbai-based SSL Media Technology & Solutions is one of India’s largest event and entertainment technology production providers, and a company known for thinking innovatively and outside the box to provide clients with the very best and most appropriate technical production solutions. They have also made major investments in Robe moving
AVU at Tata Motors’ South African Relaunch
After a six-year pause, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) has returned to the South African passenger vehicle market. Earlier this year, Tata Motors celebrated its relaunch with a high-profile event at The Galleria in Sandton, Johannesburg. Four new models—the Harrier, Curvv, Punch, and Tiago—were unveiled on a bold, visually striking
L-Acoustics Debuts New Middle East Application Team at Dubai Technology Event
Newly formed regional team showcased L-ISA immersive audio and vertical market solutions at Theater of Digital Art L-Acoustics debuted its recently formed Middle East, Africa & Eurasia Application Team at an exclusive technology showcase on November 5 at Dubai’s Theater of Digital Art. The event marked the first major regional
Millions watch live German TV AR-enhanced visuals powered by Hippotizer
Leipzig, Germany — Multimedia visual production house LUPIXX GmbH tackled a combination of AR, large-format LED design, and synchronized playback for this year’s Goldene Henne entertainment gala, harnessing the power of Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers. The televised production, broadcast by MDR, celebrates Germany’s entertainment movers and shakers. It returned with a bold visual overhaul combining
Guelph Comes to Life with Anolis
Nine individual buildings magically come to life after dark as part of the Canadian city of Guelph, Ontario’s eye-catching ongoing public lighting initiative, “Illuminate Downtown Guelph,” in lighting schemes that utilise Anolis Eminere LED luminaires. Lighting for each individual building in this stylish and eye-catching urban transformation project has been
AJD’s 40 HEX PANEL IP
Bring your stage to life with 40 HEX Panel IP — a powerful, IP65-rated wash, blinder, and strobe designed for the demands of live production. Its rugged all-metal housing stands up to dust, rain, and humidity — ideal for theaters, churches, and live event rigs. The ADJ 40 HEX Panel
Want to buy a LED Screen? Latest updates from Absen Global
Absen Strengthens Global Presence with Professional Expertise and Innovation As a global leader in LED display technology and solutions, Absen has consistently demonstrated long-term commitment and innovation in the industry. From technological breakthroughs to market insights, Absen continues to drive industry progress while enabling partners, clients, and industry peers worldwide
International Rigging Training 2026 at DWR Distribution
DWR Distribution announces that renowned rigging specialist Ruud de Deugd will present the International Rigging Training from 26 to 31 January 2026, daily 9am to 5pm, at DWR Distribution, Johannesburg. As the founder of T & E Support, Ruud is celebrated globally for his expertise in rigging and safety standards.
L-Acoustics House of Worship Tour comes to South Africa
L-Acoustics House of Worship Tour comes to South Africa The L-Acoustics House of Worship Tour, which visits churches and worship spaces around the world, is coming to South Africa. Church technical teams, volunteers, consultants, and anyone interested in PA design or building audio systems are invited to attend the workshop in Johannesburg
Coldplay Circles the Globe with DiGiCo Desks on Music of the Spheres World Tour
Solotech supplies a Quantum852 for the FOH mix, while a Quantum7 serves at monitors LONDON, UK – November 2025 – Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour is a global concert trek without peer. Kicking off in San José, Costa Rica on March 18, 2022 and taking a hiatus
Lightweight Quick Trigger wins at Plasa
At this year’s Plasa Show in Olympia London, Doughty Engineering entered the Plasa Awards for Innovation, putting forward our new Lightweight Quick Trigger. Competing against 36 other entries, there was a lot of ingenuity on display for the 11 expert judges to assess. We are very proud to announce
Fourier Audio’s transform.engine Flies High with the Eagles at the Las Vegas Sphere
The live plugin platform lets FOH engineer Tom Evans keep his carefully crafted settings for history’s biggest hitmakers steady while it hosts key new plugins that adapt their performance for the Sphere’s one-of-a-kind environment (Pictured Above): Eagles FOH engineer Tom Evans, pictured at the Sphere’s house mix position, joins a
Southern Lighting invests in grandMA3 compact & compact XT
Southern Lighting, a well-known film lighting rental company in Johannesburg, has added MA Lighting’s grandMA3 compact and compact XT consoles to its inventory, supplied by DWR Distribution. Southern Lighting has been a trusted name for more than fifty-five years, providing specialized lighting equipment for TV, film, and events of any
DWR Distribution and Epson Celebrate Partnership with Projector Showcase
DWR Distribution officially welcomed Epson to its product portfolio on October 1st with a vibrant launch event that combined expert training, live demonstrations, and engaging activities. The highlight of the day was Epson’s cutting-edge projector technology, which took center stage as guests explored its capabilities and versatility. Held at DWR
ADJ Lighting Roadshow Impresses Across South Africa
The ADJ Lighting Roadshow toured Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in July, and was hosted by DWR Distribution. The event provided a comprehensive and hands-on demonstration of ADJ’s latest lighting innovations, leaving a strong impression on everyone who attended. Led by ADJ’s Jos Reulen and Rob Lang, the showcase highlighted the performance, design, and value of ADJ’s product
Visual Productions SPI Webinar – Available until 30 November
Visual Productions successfully hosted its first-ever live webinar last week, attracting over 200 registrants from 46 countries. With attendees watching more than 80% of each session on average, the SPI protocol and SpiNode topics clearly resonated globally. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this milestone event. While