News

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.

Robe for TPI Awards 2014

-Courtesy Louise Stickland Robe once again sponsored the annual TPi Awards with the supply of over 300 moving lights for the 2014 event. Produced by TPi Magazine and Mondiale Publishing and staged at the Novotel West London in Hammersmith, the event honours the technical and creative achievements of the live

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MA Lighting Open Day at DWR

    DWR Distribution will be hosting an MA Open Day on Tuesday, 25 February at our offices, and we’d be delighted if you could join us any time from 9am onwards. MA Lighting’s Michael Althaus, Managing Director, along with Axel Fischer and Martin Rupprecht will be visiting South Africa.

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Spotlight on Event Hire Network

As South Africa mourned the loss of former President Nelson Mandela, Event Hire Network were honoured to supply a ground support, screen, sound and lighting for some of the many memorial service broadcasts held across the country. Event Hire Network set up three stations in Mthatha as well stations at

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New kit for the Breytie

Corporate events make the entertainment industry tick because they are, to a large extent, the very lifeblood of the business. But there is something quite mystical when walking onto a theatre stage, like the Tshwane University of Technology’s well-loved Breytenbach Theatre, or the Breytie as ”she” is affectionately called. Even

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The power of Robe

Love is in the air, everywhere I look around! Love is in the air, I see Robe right on the ground! Oh its MJ doing their thing, you just ring and they bring, for Montecasino’s love day, the Robins are doing their thing. Now that you’re in the groove, well

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Ai for Kilowatt AV

Dillon Jearey is the Managing Director of Kilowatt AV, a Cape Town based Rental Company. In an environment where technology constantly evolves, Dillon gives feedback on his newly purchased Ai Media Server. What made you decide on the Ai Media Server? This was a very difficult decision for us. Kilowatt

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Robe Robin MiniMe

ROBIN MiniMe® Ideal for bar, club, restaurant and retail lighting, the MiniMe is an effects lighting luminaire with the addition of full video output. This small, neat, fast moving fixture is LED driven with a 20,000hour lifetime lightsource. Colours, gobos and beam shapes are all digitally generated by the on-board

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Ai Server Infinity Series

 Award winning,ultra high specification Media Server The award winning, record breaking Ai Infinity server is the talk of the industry.  Its 8 unique full HD DVI outputs, each with internal EDID management and production & preview connectors are the envy of the competition. The Infinity server includes many more unique

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4U Rage Festival

When 4U Rage Festival hits KwaZulu Natal at the end of each year, an event aimed at students who have finally completed school, its party, party, party for the next two and a half weeks. If you have young children of your own, there’s still time to save up and

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The Hexagon Theatre

It’s rare to come across a theatre that’s cared for in every way from the entrance to the vacuumed walkways and even the management offices and FOH. It’s a place where billboard posters of previous shows are framed and neatly hung up on walls and you’ll be surprised to know

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DWR in Cape Town

DWR Distribution is pleased to announce the appointment of Bradley Bruchhausen who will provide sales and support to clients in Cape Town. “Having a full time representative in Cape Town is something we always hoped for,” said Duncan Riley of DWR. “It’s so much easier for our clients to make

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Innibos coming in July

If you are someone who is so busy that you sometimes, regrettably, only hear of an event after it’s done and dusted, be sure to diarise 2 -5 July 2014 for the 11th annual Innibos Festival. Held once again in Nelspruit, the organisers are expecting over 300 artists and over

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Robe on Syzygy

  Syzygy, a dance production by the Break Thru Dance Company and in particular, the work of choreographer Taryn Makaab, ran at the Izulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino in Durban from the 25 – 28th September 2013. Lighting the show, which consisted of a range of dance styles from contemporary

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Magical Christmas with Clay Paky

MILAN, ITALY – Piazza della Scala, a meeting place for Milan’s high society and home to its iconic opera house, was the scene of “Polvere di Stelle” (stardust), a beautiful son et lumière show which extended throughout the Christmas holiday period, from 16 December 2013 to 7 January 2014. Seven

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The Springbok Experience

The Springbok Experience – a museum with a difference Courtesy: Pro-systems In the world of loved and recognizable brands, Springbok rugby holds its place alongside the best. In addition to its pure sporting value, the Springbok brand is associated with braaivleis, sunshine and all things South African. Anyone who remembers

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Robe sparkles at New Year in New York

Words by Louise Stickland, Picture by Kirk Fitzgerald An estimated 1.2 million people packed into Times Square, New York City on December 31 to party into 2014 with the New Year’s Eve Ball drop. Billions watched the broadcast worldwide as Lighting Designer Paul Miller updated the old annual tradition this

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Sensational Durban Day with Insane Sound

Photos courtesy East Coast Radio, by Abhi Indrarajan East Coast Radio’s Durban Day was a huge hit with a sensational line up including The Kickstands, Toya Delazy, Zakes Bantwini, Lira, Mango Groove, Prime Circle, MiCasa and Goldfish. The show, which attracted around 14 000 people, was hosted at the People’s

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Robert Juliat Shining Moments

  Outside of the traditional theatre market, Robert Juliat has again proven a hot and sparkling favourite, not only for television, corporate, architectural and retail applications, but for large-scale spectaculars and live music events too. Robert Juliat is delighted to have this confirmed by Billboard Magazine’s list of Top Ten

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Doctors Awards

South African doctors were recognized for excellence at the Annual SAMA Doctors Awards held at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre, Johannesburg in August. The full technical and decor for the gala event was supplied by Showgroup. The show ran off an Avolites Titan Mobile and included Robin fixtures and

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Hirezone at Fact Durban Rocks

Preparations are in motion for Fact Durban Rocks 2014 after the success of last year’s event where Hirezone supplied the full technical for a record crowd of 13 000 people. Hirezone were involved with numerous festivals and corporate events in KwaZulu during 2013, their ongoing successes attributed to a dedicated

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UK Report by Hugh Wyllie

It was a delightful surprise to see Hugh Wyllie at DWR Distribution once again. He has been living in the United Kingdom for the past two years and visited South Africa over the festive season. We sat him down with a toasted cheese, ham and tomato sandwhich, and as he shared

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Transnet with MJ

For the third consecutive year, MJ Event Gear supplied the full technical including sound, lighting video and set elements, for Transnet’s annual breakfast and media briefing hosted at the Hilton Hotel, Sandton. The event, which took place earlier in 2013, was identified with a fresh, crisp look. It was a

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One Harmony Choir Festival

  Choirs from 12 African countries competed in the 9th annual One Harmony Choir Festival at the Joburg Theatre. Having supplied the full technical since the show’s inception, Showgroup were honoured to be involved once again. This competition recognises the commitment, sacrifice and hard work of all the choir members,

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AV Unlimited Shine for Samsung

AV Unlimited was again appointed by Mela events to supply full technical for the South African leg of the Samsung Note3 World Tour launch. The event was held in Cape Town at the CTICC on September 26th where invited guests were flown in to the beautiful mother city to attend

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Nedbank Awards

Like a kaleidoscope with forms constantly shifting and changing, Showgroup orchestrated a captivating production for the Nedbank Top Achiever Awards held at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. The kaleidoscope theme was the brainchild of Showroup’s Johan Els who focuses on the aesthetic and decor elements of an event, and Andries Liebenberg,

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Prolyft in SA

  It was a pleasure to welcome Jasper van der Sluis, Brand Engineer at ProLyft, to South Africa for the second time. Jasper provided training to the team at DWR Distribution, who are the Prolyte and ProLyft distributors in South Africa. This included training on service, maintenance, certifying hoists and

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In-House AVO Training

The DWR Team were invited by Nick Britz to attend a basic Avolites Training course which covered the infrastructure and operational instructions of the console. The day kicked off with a short briefing from Bruce Riley on his recent travels to PLASA. Then it was over to Nick Britz. Bruce Riley

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Showgroup Light Prime Circle

The much loved rock sounds of Prime Circle played at PM Ideas Marketing Awards, held on the 1st November at Theatre on the Track, Kyalami. Showgroup supplied the full event from technical to decor. “There was no specific brief for the event,” said Andries Liebenberg, Lighting Manager at Show Group.

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B-EYE triumphs at LDI Awards

LAS VEGAS – Another success for the new Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE. The spectacular LED moving head the Italian manufacturer launched at Plasa 2013 has won another award in addition to the one it won at the London event. It was presented with an LDI Award during the annual trade

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Robe rocks award winning LDI 2013

27 November 2013     Robe Lighting enjoyed one of its busiest and best LDI exhibitions to date at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, which saw their stylish, eye-catching all white booth – complete with spectacular lightshow designed by Nathan Wan – win ‘Best Big Booth Design’ category of the

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SABC Crown Gospel Awards

21 November 2013   LIVE broadcast on SABC (South Africa Broadcast Corporation) By Ryan Dunbar (Lighting Designer at Gearhouse SA) The 6th SABC Crown Gospel Awards was filmed live by the SABC for the first time this year. The event was held at a packed Durban ICC Arena and all

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Robe for Gadget Show

18 November 2013   Photos and story courtesy Louise Stickland Robe’s latest technologies  – including the PLASA Innovation Award winning MiniMe LED and digital effects luminaire plus DLS Profile, DLX Spot, MMX Spot, LEDBeam 100s and LEDWash 600 moving lights – were specified by Lighting Designer Steve Sinclair for the

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Idols Finland

18 November 2013   Photos courtesy Mikki Kunttu Leading Finnish Lighting & Visuals Designer Mikki Kunttu is putting his own creative stamp on the current season of Idols in Finland, for which he is lighting, visuals and set designer. Finnish Idols is in its seventh glorious season and also celebrating

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Robe in latest Idols South Africa

13 November 2013     Photos and story courtesy Louise Stickland Robe moving lights are in action on the 2013 series of Idols South Africa, with lighting again designed by Joshua Cutts from Visual Frontier and supplied by technical production specialists Dream Sets for series producers Sic Entertainment. The 10

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Big Beat celebrate a year of success

11 November 2013   The Big Beat team It was party night as the reggae sounds of Undivided Roots (whose main guitarist is ten years old!), floated through the warehouse of Big Beat Productions. October marked Big Beat’s first year in their new premises in Pietermaritzburg, and invited clients celebrated

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Robe definitely thinks it can dance in SA

07 November 2013   Photo courtesy Louise Stickland By Louise Stickland Robe’s latest LED moving lights are being used in great style to light the current series of ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ in South Africa, which is being recorded at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)’s Renaissance Centre

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Clay Paky on 311 Tour

05 November 2013   Clay Paky Lighting Fixtures Wrap a Summer on the Road with the 311Tour USA – Omaha-based alternative rock band 311 completed its summer Unity Tour 2013, and a large complement of Clay Paky lighting went along for the 26-show ride coast-to-coast.  The tour marked the eleventh

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MA Lighting University

04 November 2013     You are invited to join us for our grandMA2 training week. The training week will be presented by Nic Britz and will consist of three short courses over a period of five days. Basic User Course Cost: R1000.00 incl VAT Time: 9am to 4pm Venue:

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Prolyte Rigging Training

29 October 2013     PROLYTE RIGGING TRAINING COURSE Once again DWR Distribution takes pleasure in inviting you to attend the Prolyte Rigging Training Course in conjunction with Prolyte and Rhino Rigs. The course is set to be more practical but will also include important aspects like safety, machinery and

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Good response for Titan Training

25 October 2013   An Avolites Titan Training Course was hosted at DWR Distribution’s new premises in Laserpark, Johannesburg, from 21 to 23 October 2013. Due to a wonderful interest from rental companies in and around the Durban area, the same workshop will be held in KwaZulu Natal from 28

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Robe is Made in Sud

17 October 2013     Story and photos courtesy Louise Stickland Robe LEDWash 1200s and LEDBeam 100s were specified by Italian TV Lighting Designer Sandro Carotenuto for the live shows in the latest ‘Made in Sud’ comedy series. These were recorded in the 600 capacity Auditorium venue at the RAI

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51 years of The Guild Theatre

16 October 2013   Images courtesy The Guild Theatre If one had to allocate the epicentre of the Performing Arts in East London – a city that lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River and which hosts South Africa’s only river port

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New from Doughty

15 October 2013   Seen for the first time at PLASA was Doughty Engineering’s innovative motorised lectern, as well as its new and stronger range of truss adaptors. The unique lectern – the first of its kind – is fully DDA compliant and visitors on the stand were able to

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Freedom Park //hapo Museum

14 October 2013   Photo: Sarah Rushton-Read     With courtesy Lighting & Sound International   The latest addition to the Freedom Park heritage site in Pretoria, the //hapo Museum is an interactive exhibition telling the story of Southern Africa… Sarah Rushton-Read reports from South Africa   South Africa –

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Revolutionary SuperNova 3

11 October 2013     LumenRadio debuts the revolutionary new SuperNova 3 software at PLASA this year. Utilizing the Art-Net and RDM management protocols, SuperNova 3 enables system-wide control of the entire lighting infrastructure. Alerts and monitoring can be configured for each element of the system – when a temperature

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McFly use Robe Pointe to celebrate

10 October 2013   Chart topping, award winning and enduringly popular UK pop rockers McFly celebrated 10 years at the forefront of the music industry with great panache and some help from Robe’s latest technology … in four sold-out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The RAH’s Lighting department were

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Robert Juliat at PLASA

07 October 2013   Robert Juliat, French manufacturer of tungsten, discharge and LED lighting fixtures and followspots, will be exhibiting at PLASA 2013 on stand T76 in the Ambersphere Solutions area. “We are pleased to be part of the exciting changes as PLASA moves to its new venue at London

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Robe at PLASA

07 October 2013   Robe lighting is showcasing nine innovative new products on stand L80 in Hall 5 at the PLASA lighting & sound exhibition at ExCeL London, October 6th – 9th 2013. Products will include all those launched at Prolight+Sound, Frankfurt in April – The Pointe, MiniMe, CycFx 8,

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