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.
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New grandMA2 control for new Emperors Palace venue
When Johannesburg based Emperors Palace upgraded their control desk, they decided on a new grandMA2 lite system. This forms part of an entire revamp as Emperors Palace Theatre of Marcellus has been transformed from a multi-purpose venue to become a complete state of the art, permanent 1 008-seater theatre.

Spectacular Ghoema Awards
The Ghoema Awards, described as South Africa’s own Afrikaans Grammy Awards, took place at the magical State Theatre, Pretoria on the 24 March 2015. The spectacular event, the initiative of Barry Pretorius, was filled to capacity and lit by Mauritz Jacobs of Dream Sets with the full technical supply awarded

Philips launches plethora of new products at Prolight + Sound 2015
Frankfurt, Germany – Philips’ entertainment lighting brands Vari-Lite, Selecon and Strand, alongside product range Showline, will be unveiling a broad portfolio of exciting new creative tools for lighting designers at Prolight + Sound this month. Following the success of the award-winning Vari-Lite VL4000 Spot comes the brand new VL4000

Multi-Media’s new VuePix 3.6 Series Wall
There is a new energy and visual enhancement to events – the inclusion of LED video walls – taking the South African market to another level. Multi-Media Events has taken ownership of a VuePix 3.6 Series wall. DWR Distribution took the opportunity to ask Tim Fish, owner of the company,

Ultra Events light fashion at vibrant film festival
Cape Town, a city filled with buzz, vibrancy and flair stepped out, for the second year running, for the Mercedes-Benz Bokeh Fashion Film Festival, held on the 27 and 28 March at the African Pride designer hotel. Rental company Ultra Events were the full technical supplier, as commissioned by their

Avolites soon to appear on How2Media’s ‘World’s Greatest!…” on US TV!
USA – Avolites Ltd. will appear on the popular US TV series “World’s Greatest!…” after having been recently selected and filmed to appear on the show by its creators, How2Media. Avolites, which works with New York-based Group One as its exclusive US distribution partner for lighting, was chosen for she

Renowned Liz Berry presents a Lighting Workshop in South Africa
With an estimated twenty visits to the country, International Lighting Designer, Liz Berry, is no stranger to South Africa. In fact, she says that when she stepped off the plane recently, it felt like coming home! While her adventures have included trips to Namibia, Botswana, and forming a good friendship

MGG Sets New Standards with over 200 Robe Fixtures on Massive Corporate Show
Leading South African rental company MGG supplied over 200 Robe moving lights for a recent Indaba at Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg for a high profile financial industry client. LD Kevin Rieck made the bold move of using front and back rigged Robe LEDWash 600s for all his key lighting,

Robert Juliat at Prolight + Sound 2015, Frankfurt
Find Robert Juliat at Hall 11 Stand D76, LightPower Village Robert Juliat will be out in full force in support of the 20th Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, where the company will exhibit alongside its German partners, Lightpower GmbH, in Hall 11 Stand D76. Robert Juliat will celebrate the

Robe Goes LARGE At Prolight+Sound 2015
Robe goes LARGE at the 2015 Prolight+Sound expo in Frankfurt, Germany with an expanded booth and lots of action, showcasing 10 new products on Stands B51 and B61 in Hall 11.0. These include the BMFL Blade – the next fixture in Robe’s new signature Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire (BMFL) range, which

Robe BMFLs Rise to the Occasion For Taeyang
K-Pop singer, songwriter and music sensation Taeyang recently played a show in Singapore with a lighting rig containing 30 x Robe BMFL Spots moving lights, supplied by leading rental company Showtec. The Lighting Designer, Mr. Juhyun Kim of Lite Factory in Korea, used them to replace another product for the

Le Maitre at Prolight & Sound
Le Maitre to launch new products at Prolight & Sound 2015, Frankfurt at Stand: 11.0/A64. The full line-up will include some of the following items: PureHaze Fluid Le Maitre hazers are known for their incredible output and low power consumption, not to mention the haze fluid which produces the

Subscribe and win with DWR
Every month DWR will host a competition where you can win SWAG, dongles and a few other fun items. To enter, simply subscribe to the DWR Newsletter. The DWR newsletter will keep you up to date with the latest training days, exhibitions and industry news. Winners will be announced on

Doughty Engineering introduces award winning Modular Rigging System
Faster rigging of stage and sets combined with improved safety are just two of the benefits offered by Doughty Engineering’s Modular Rigging System. A strong, safe alternative to ‘home made’ drop arms, which until now have been the only option for riggers, the system uses tried and tested connectors to

Anolis LED technology at Lighting Show Africa 2015
Establishing the Anolis brand in South Africa, it was a pleasure for DWR Distribution to exhibit at Lighting Show Africa 2015, part of The Power & Electricity World Africa, hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre from 24 and 25 March 2015. The exhibition was a first for DWR and

Robert Juliat in demand in Hong Kong
Robert Juliat sales have been on the increase for Pacific Lighting (HK) Ltd. “We have received several orders for Robert Juliat products over the past weeks, most of which have been totally unexpected,” says Pacific Lighting (HK) Ltd Director, Hugh Chinnick. The Tai Po Civic Centre, managed by the Leisure

Avolites will launch the live control-focused ‘Arena’ console at Prolight + Sound 2015
Germany – Avolites, the lighting control experts, are all set to launch the live control-focused ‘Arena’ console at Prolight + Sound 2015 in Frankfurt. Avolites is launching its new Arena console, with ‘more live control than ever before’, on stand D40, Level 0, Hall 11. The Avolites Arena is the

Happy Easter – DWR to close for long weekend
DWR Distribution will be closed for the Easter weekend on Friday, 3rd April and Monday 6th April. We will be back in the office on Tuesday, 7th April. We hope that you and your families have a good Easter! Make sure that the dogs are kept inside so that the bunny

Clay Paky B-EYEs illuminate the Andrea Bocelli tour
World Tour – LD Aldo Visentin, after the excellent impressions got in Frankfurt, has decided to include the Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE in his lighting design, and they certainly “contribute to the consensus and successes”, that Andrea Bocelli’s new concerts are achieving in the United States, up to the final

Robe Cyclones for Kaiser Chiefs tour
Four of Robe’s unique Cyclone – LED wash light with an inbuilt DMX-controlled fan – fixtures were in action on the most recent gigs by hugely popular UK indie rockers, The Kaiser Chiefs, which were the final dates of a UK arena tour that saw the band ride high on

Accra church lights up with GDS and DWR
Deeper Christian Life Ministry in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, have purchased a GDS system from South African distributor, DWR Distribution, for their 20 000 seater church, one of many branches throughout Africa. The church building has taken some twenty years to build and the brief from the client

London goes SA at Carnival City
London goes SA, a star studded line up including Bok van Blerk, Theuns Jordaan, Jay du Plessis, BlackByrd, Elvis Blue, Claire Johnston from Mango Groove, Peter Mitchell, PJ Cruz and Martin Bester (Jacaranda FM) showcased at Carnival City’s Big Top Arena on 27th and 28th February after running in London. With 70 Robe fixtures, the Big Top

Robe for Sono Centrum Brno install
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Sono Centrum in Brno, the Czech Republic’s bustling second city, is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Jiŕĭ Ŝtopl and is a vibrant live music club, a cool hotel and a cutting-edge restaurant all on the same site, bringing a brand new concept in entertainment and style

BMFLs & CycFX 8s for Maroon 5 V Tour
Photos by Adam Kaplan, words Louise Stickland US rock band Maroon 5 have begun their latest world tour in support of their chart-topping fifth studio album ‘V’, with lighting, visuals and stage design by Leroy Bennett. The massive rig includes eight Robe BMFL Spot and 96 x CycFX 8 moving lights supplied

VuePix visits South Africa
It was a great pleasure to welcome Cuono Biviano, the owner of VuePix and also the managing director of the Australian based ULA Group, to South Africa. VuePix is a dynamic market leader in LED screen technology and with a dedication to research and development are able to provide

Avolites to reveal the awesome full feature set of Titan V9 at Prolight + Sound
Germany – Avolites is powering up its latest consoles, dimmers and media servers for possibly the company’s biggest ever presence at Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, on stand D40, Level 0, Hall 11. On stand, visitors can experience the incredible capabilities of Avolites Titan V9, new networking functionality, and display of

The search is on for the best Battle of the Bands Lighting Operator
DWR Distribution and CUE Lighting are delighted to be sponsors for the St Mary’s Battle of the Bands Lighting Operator Competition hosted at the schools’ theatre, The Edge in Waverley, Johannesburg. While Battle of the Bands is an annual event schools look forward to, this is the first time this

The essence of lighting control: dot2 range introduced
MA Lighting is well known for its approach towards professional lighting control and enjoys a distinguished reputation for quality and reliability. Now MA presents a new range of compact lighting control solutions – the dot2. The dot2 range consists of three lighting consoles; dot2 core, dot2 XL-F, dot2 XL-B; two

Mexican based L & P Service Invests in Robe Quality
L&P Service is a new technical services, production and rental company based in the vast and vibrant urban expanses of Mexico City which has recently invested in Robe moving lights. It was founded in 2013 and is headed by Mariano Alfaya who is also a lighting designer, and his

16 Mythos shine at Metro FM Music Awards
South African Lighting Designer, Francois van der Merwe, incorporated 16 Clay Paky Mythos fixtures to his spectacular design at the 14th Metro FM Music Awards, hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban on the 28th February 2015. Dream Sets were the set and technical supplier of

More Pointes for Grand Production TV Studios in Serbia
Robe’s Serbian distributor Studio Berar Projekt has supplied the country’s leading music and TV production company Grand Production with 32 x Robe Pointes which have been installed at Studio 1 of the Filmski Grad studio complex in Kosutnjak, Belgrade. The company produces a host of different ‘Grand’ branded TV programmes

Robe BMFLs are Winners at 2015 Metro FM Awards
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Durban in South Africa once again came alive with the buzz and the excitement of the 2015 Metro FM Awards, with Robe BMFL Spots taking centre stage – as part of a rig of nearly 150 Robe moving lights – for a stunning stage presentation at

Robe BMFLs ‘Heart’ All Time Low
Photos courtesy Louise Stickland Lively US pop punk band All Time Low have just completed a co-headlining UK arena tour with UK rockers You Me At Six, and are kicking off their new “Future Hearts” album campaign. All Time Low’s Boston based Lighting Designer Jeff Maker lost no time in

RES provides technical know-how to the ambitious ‘Mexico dome’ installation in London
UK – London-based creative technology expert Realtime Environment Systems Ltd (RES) has provided the media server know-how in collaboration with LM Productions and Mapp3D Producciones for a ‘full dome’ installation celebrating Mexican culture. The temporary 25m white dome was constructed at Potter’s Fields Park on London’s Southbank for two weeks

Rigging legend Rinus tells his story
Prolyte Rigging Training at DWR in Feb 2015 Rinus Bakker, Consultant and Trainer of Rhino Rigs and one of the European pioneers of entertainment rigging (since the early 80s) visits DWR Distribution regularly in February to present the Prolyte Rigging Course to the South African market. He chatted about

Francois van der Merwe is an approved Vectorworks Trainer
South African’s own Francois van der Merwe from Wizardry Group has been recognized and approved as an International Vectorworks Trainer by Nemetschek. The announcement came during a Vectorworks Training Week from March 9 to 13, presented by Francois at DWR Distribution, the official Vectorworks distributor in Africa. Many players in

lighting effects and ice: Clay Paky and MA Lighting at the Wiener Eistraum
Photos: © stadt wien marketing / Jobst AUSTRIA – Vienna has hosted the Wiener Eistraum (Vienna Ice Dream) every year since 1996. This huge mobile ice rink measures over 75,300 square feet. It is assembled in Rathausplatz, the square in front of the town hall, and is one of the

DWR appointed distributor for Quartzcolor and IFF
DWR Distribution has been appointed as the exclusive South Africa distributor for QUARTZCOLOR and IFF. “These products are truly standard setters within the television and film industry,” said Dave Whitehouse of DWR Distribution. “The brands are synonymous with quality and will be a fantastic addition to our stable.” QUARTZCOLOR was

TUT students visit DWR for product training
Second year students from the Department of Performing Arts Technology at The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) visited DWR Distribution for an introduction to product training on 14 February 2015. With a revamped syllabus, developed by Hardus Koekemoer (Lighting Lecturer at Department of Entertainment) and Wandile Mogodo (Technical Manager

Robe Unites with Usher & Blake Shelton
Usher and Blake Shelton – two of the world’s biggest music stars – united the genres of R&B and country respectively in front of 35,000 people for a unique double-headline concert at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. The concert was part of a gala event celebrating the 90th anniversary of the

24 Robe miniPointes for Sound Stylists
Rental Company Sound Stylists have acquired 24 new Robe miniPointe’s from DWR Distribution which will be used at their branches in Durban and Cape Town. The new fixtures are not only able to produce sharp beams and aerial effects in smaller venues, but have the necessary punch to work hard

Eyes on Mediatech 2015
DWR Distribution are looking forward to exhibiting at the 8th biennial advanced media and entertainment technology tradeshow, Mediatech Africa, held from 15 to 17 July 2015 at the Dome at Northgate, Johannesburg from 10am to 6pm daily. Mediatech Africa has gained momentum and DWR have been pleased to see an

Clay Paky illuminates Milan’s Piccolo Teatro
Photo credits: Davide Barbetta Milan, Italy – the Piccolo Teatro in Milan was Italy’s first permanent theatre and was declared a theatre of major European importance by Ministerial Decree in 1991. It was founded in the immediate post-war period by Paolo Grassi, Giorgio Strehler, Mario Apollonio, Virgilio Tosi and Nina

Robe Announces New Expansion Plans for 2015
Robe Lighting announces 2014 as the best year in the company’s history, together with comprehensive expansion plans for its HQ and production operation in the Czech Republic, which is ramping up again in response to demand for Robe’s products worldwide. This is part related to the company’s planned medium-term expansion

Showline SL NITRO 510C is ‘LED strobe of choice’ for You Me At Six
Lighting designer Louis Oliver of Okulus has used an array of Showline SL NITRO 510C fixtures as part of his colour-rich and punchy lighting design for You Me At Six’s UK arena tour. Specifying 29 of the powerful LED units from Zig Zag Lighting, Oliver rigged 18 on spines
Robe BMFL
The BMFL™ – Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire – much anticipated new lighting fixture from Robe, brings a real game changer in the world of moving lights. The BMFL Spot™ has a custom light source designed for Robe and produces a staggering powerful 250 000 lux at 5 metres – no other

Robe for Garth Brooks Tour
Forty-eight of Robe’s LEDWash 1200s are in action on the current Garth Brooks U.S. tour, specified by the country megastar’s longstanding LD Dave Butzler, and purchased specially by leading rental house Bandit Lites. Brooks – whose staggering popularity continues to pack out arenas – has released his first studio album

Avolites Sapphire Touch and ART2000 dimmers used for ‘Maximum Impact’ on TNA UK Tour
UK – TNA (Total Non-stop Action) Wrestling stormed British shores this month for a series of adrenaline-fuelled shows with lighting operator Andre Huff running the show on an Avolites Sapphire Touch console, and ART2000 dimmers providing the power behind the scenes. The dynamic tour, featuring some of the biggest names

Clay Paky helps make corporate NYE event a night to remember
Moscow, Russia – Leading Russian consumer electronics retailer M.Video has had its “best New Year’s Eve event in history”, thanks to technical producers MAX’N’MAX and lighting designer Roman Stolyarov choosing the super powerful Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20, Sharpy Wash 330 and Alpha Spot HPE 1500 for the event’s live

Robe BMFLs On Call at CCI Awards
By Louise Stickland Gearhouse South Africa (GHSA)’s Ryan Dunbar became the latest South African lighting designer to be impressed with Robe’s new BMFL fixtures after using the Bright Multi-Functional Luminaire at the 2015 CCI Call Centre Awards staged at Durban International Convention Centre (DICC). The annual event welcomes 2000 guests

DWR stock take on Friday, 27 Feb
To all our clients, kindly be advised that a stock take will take place at DWR Distribution on Friday and Saturday, 27th and 28th February 2015. While our doors will remain open on Friday, the warehouse will be unable to process orders. With this in mind, we request that