01 July 2010   DWR’s Duncan Riley with Alistair Kilbee & Nassim Bismilla from Gearhouse Splitbeam   Courtesy Louise Stickland Philips Vari-Lite’s South African distributor, DWR Distribution has recently delivered 120 brand-new Vari-Lite fixtures to Gearhouse Splitbeam, the specialist theatre lighting division of the Gearhouse South Africa Group of Companies.

29 June 2010   Courtesy Louise Stickland Robe ROBIN 300 Spot and Wash moving light fixtures are making a big impact in the World Cup Broadcast studio for SABC (the South African Broadcasting Corporation), which has been set up in Exhibition 1 at the Sandton Convention Centre, central Johannesburg. All

28 June 2010   A warm welcome to Derek Kruger, Nicolet Britz and Judd Harrison   Courtesy Louise Stickland   Johannesburg, South Africa based DWR Distribution has appointed 3 new staff members – two joining the technical support crew, and one new face for the office and admin team. The company

24 June 2010     Gearhouse South Africa supplied full technical production for the FIFA World Cup™ Kick-Off Celebration Concert, staged at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. The show was broadcast to tens of millions of music and football fans worldwide on June 10th, the night before the first match.

23 June 2010   Denis Hutchinson (right) with DWR Distribution’s Dan Riley and Gobo    Distribution recently loaned Denis Hutchinson (Hutch) Robin 300 LEDs and an MMX to use  a production at the University of Johannesburg. We asked Denis for his feedback. 1.    What was the name of the show

21 June 2010 Courtesy Louise Stickland Fusion is the latest destination restaurant/lounge bar/club venue to open in Northampton, UK, and has been an instant success with its blend of accessible international cuisine, elegant interior design and cool energy-efficient lighting. Owners Rochmills initially approached the UK office of leading LED brand

18 June 2010 Courtesy Louise Stickland   Gearhouse South Africa supplied full technical production for the 2010 Africa Day celebrations in Johannesburg, which moved from downtown to a completely different location in the leafy green environs of Dries Niemand Park in Kempton Park. Gearhouse SA built the 30 metre wide

17 June 2010   Courtesy Louise Stickland   Super talented jazz-pop singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Cullum is on the road again with great flair around the UK and Europe with an equally stylish lighting design by Hadyn Thomas.   The moving lights are all Robe, supplied along with the rest

17 June 2010   DWR Distribution were pleased to supply and install 48 Anolis ArcSource 3 RGBs and an Anolis ArcControl 1024 at Montecasino in Fourways. The LED fixtures are set up in the pit area where the game tables are situated.   Declan Randall from Congo Blue worked closely

10 June 2010     Article courtesy Louise Stickland Johannesburg, South Africa based DWR Distribution has hosted the first Philips Vari-Lite technical training sessions in South Africa, a 5 day intensive course led by Vari-Lite’s technical trainer Todd Kessler from Dallas, USA. The course saw 11 people become certified Vari-Lite

02 June 2010   Story courtesy Louise Stickland   Gearhouse SA were in the “Best” SAMA Production to date. That was the general consensus of opinion apparent to anyone watching the 2010 MTN SAMAs webcast, as countless winners and artists voiced their opinions on the awesome looking stage and set

13 May 2010 Photo courtesy Grant Williams   What a night! Sisters in Song which ran at The Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City Casino, had the audience on their feet and dancing in the aisles. This was a powerful performance held from 14 April to 9 May 2010, lit by

11 May 2010     Story courtesy Marcia Alves from Kilowatt AV and photos thanks to Willem van der Berg Friday 30 April, Klein Libertas Theatre, World Famous Artists, World Famous Technical Support! Yes, that’s right, Die Antwoord are back in S.A and this outdoor venue in Stellenbosch was the

10 May 2010     Survivor South Africa Santa Carolina has been in the limelight. GiGi won the third season of this reality television show which was aired on M-Net and saw South African celebrities compete for R500 000 which they could donate to their charity of choice. Blond Productions provided

03 May 2010   Tickets were sold out for the Tom Jones performance at both the Grand Arena, at the Grand West in Cape Town and the Superbowl at Sun City on the 7th and 10th March 2010 respectively. His concert on African shores has been described as “slick”, “seamless”,

14 April 2010   ABSA Bank’s Results Presentation for 2009 was a significant occasion held at the Sandton Convention Centre on the 16th February 2010 with MGG Production supplying the full technical rig.     “A rendering was sold to ABSA and we had to recreate this as best we

08 April 2010 Mannie Manim with Athol Fugard     Photography by Timmy Henny with special thanks to Gilly Hemphill from The Famous Idea Trading Co who supplied the photos     The Fugard Theatre, with performances by the Isango Portobello theatre company, opened in the District Six area in

07 April 2010   Robe lighting enjoyed a very positive Prolight+Sound 2010 in Frankfurt, a further indication to support the cautious optimism that the market is showing signs of recovery after a tough year in 2009.   Robe as always created a real buzz with their eye-catching stand in the

01 April 2010     Story by Louise Stickland   Gearhouse South Africa supplied technical production including lighting, video and sound for “It’s No Joke” the landmark 46664/Real Concerts comedy festival event at Sun City Super Bowl. This unique, side-splitting one-off event utilised the universal language of laughter to raise

31 March 2010   DWR Distribution is privileged to provide Prolyte truss to the South African Market. DWR will work closely with Prosound, who are already Prolyte distributors, to ensure customers continue to receive outstanding service. “The fact that we have two dedicated and very professional companies to distribute and

17 March 2010   Photos courtesy Danie Viljoen (coloured pics) and Deon Kriel (black and white pics)   For young revellers, the Potch Rag is an event not to be missed. This year’s concert, held on the 4 and 5 February 2010 at the North-West University, saw performances from Straatling Kinders and

15 March 2010     Photos with kind courtesy of Daniel Haywood   MGG Production’s ColorBeam 700s had hardly been taken out their boxes when they were set to work at the InniBosVeld 2010 Festival, held on the 20th February. Amazingly the show pulled in a crowd of 25 000 people which

11 March 2010   South African Freelancer, Thomas Peters, was tiding over the quiet January with a holiday in the USA, when he also had opportunity to visit the Vari*Lite factory in Dallas, Texas, where he received a guided tour from George Masek, Product Marketing Manager. He sent us this

11 March 2010     Congratulations African Event Architects, winner of the “Best Overall Stand” category for *Meetings Africa, a top business tourism exhibition held at the Sandton Convention Centre from the 24 – 26 February 2010. The stand utilized technology which may be standard internationally but is relatively new

05 March 2010   It gives DWR Distribution great pleasure to welcome Philemon Maepa to our team, who will assist with general installations, cabling and repairs. Philemon joined Calite in 1993 where he worked alongside Dan Riley. Duncan Riley joined Calite the following year, and a friendship was formed. At

05 March 2010     Brescia House, a Catholic school in Bryanston, saw five performances of the 1977 musical, Annie, brought to life on their stage from 17-20 February 2010. What a pleasure it was to meet the stars, both on and backstage, at this all girls’ school. Gail Jacobs

01 March 2010     When your imagination surpasses your equipment list, then you’re on the road to becoming a talented lighting designer. Kagiso Moima from Blackmotion will be sure to tell you that his equipment list for every gig is pretty standard: ● 6 x Robe Colorspot 250ATs ●

22 February 2010 Story by Louise Stickland For the fourth year running, Gearhouse South Africa supplied technical infrastructure to the Top Gear Live show, part of the 2009/2010 Top Gear Live World Tour on its recent visit to South Africa. The event was staged in the Coca Cola Dome in

17 February 2010   With courtesy Louise Stickland    Robe lighting enjoyed an “Awesome” PLASA 2011 exhibition at Earls Court in London, combining flair, innovation and action with many highlights including the showcasing of new products, plus the launch of the ROBIN DLX Spot – the world’s first RGBW LED

16 February 2010   A black tie ceremony and not a drop of rain was the order of the day for a very special occasion, the wedding celebration of Kurt du Preez and Cherine Viney.     Lighting Designer Kurt met DWR Distribution’s beautiful Cherine two years ago and they

15 February 2010   A celebration of Robin Wilter’s life (14 April 1944 to 7 February 2010) was held at Shepstone Gardens in Mountain View and was attended by some 600 people. We have taken an extract written by Katie, Robbi’s daughter which was placed on www.caringbridge.org/visit/robingwilter. Below also find

14 February 2010     LSC’s Clarity is the console of choice for Lighting Designer Dave Haus, for the current Wolfmother “New Moon Rising” world tour. Haus and his company Prodigy Lighting Design are based in Maryland USA. He is a lighting designer and programmer and owns a number of

14 February 2010     Australian Lighting Director/Operator, Sam Walters, selected LSC Clarity as his main lighting controller for the IGA Lord Mayors Christmas Carols held at the Brisbane Riverstage in December. Walters commented “I chose the new LSC Clarity system due to the efficiency in the way it handles

08 February 2010   If the units were running full time 24 hours a day then these LEDs would last 5.7 years. We are talking about the REDWash 3•192, and Stage Effects have purchased four of the powerful fixtures. “The LED hours may even outlive me,” says Theo, owner of

03 February 2010     In anticipation of upcoming festivals and other large scale events, MGG Productions have acquired six ColorBeam 700E ATs which will compliment their existing stock of 52 x 700E wash and spots. Mark Gaylard, owner of MGG (aka Stan or Norm to those who know him

02 February 2010 Czech Republic based moving light manufacturer Robe lighting announces a series of new appointments in a planned management restructuring exercise designed to position the company for a new decade of growth and expansion. Robe lighting has a new Operations Director and Sales Director, while LED manufacturer and

25 January 2010   Francois Buys, Gert Jonker and Carine Knouw from Bethany House with DWR’s Duncan Riley (far left) and Cherine Viney (far right) DWR Distribution were proud to hand over a sum of R20 000 to the Bethany House Trust, a place of safety in Krugersdorp for abused and

18 January 2010   Cape Town based rental company, Ultra Event Technical Solutions, have purchased eight Robin 300s and expect to order an additional eight during the year.   Costa Champanis, owner of Ultra Event, took ownership of four Robin 300 Spots during December while a further four Robin 300

16 December 2009 Story and pics courtesy Louise Stickland   Lighting designer Tim Dunn used nearly 300 Robe fixtures in his colourful and vibrant design for Miss World 2009, which was staged at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the largest number of Robe fixtures to

15 December 2009   With a blink of an eye, it’s Skouspel again, almost coming sooner than Christmas and anticipated as much by the South African audience, many of whom were at the first show ten years ago when Carike Keuzenkamp sang “Hoeka toeka” and “Ou ryperd” was performed by

13 December 2009   The East Coast Productions Team, Chris Graham, Jennifer Deegan, owner Neil Nadauld, Jacques Marais and Morris Riley.     You know you’re getting old (or perhaps running around with five year olds too much) when people talk about the Matric Rage Festival 2009 and you look all

09 December 2009   (Back): JC, Sizwe Muloko, Thabams Thebe (Front): Kenny Longwe, Nic Britz (DWR), Gif Mabaso   Story & pics courtesy Louise Stickland   The prestigious University of Johannesburg Theatre has invested in a new grandMA ultra light console as part of a major lighting upgrade. The 436

08 December 2009   R60, an empty Stimorol 3 – piece chewing gum wrapper and a love for retro music, was the only ticket required for a star studded event held at Carfax, Newtown, Johannesburg. Two dance floors grooving to a hip hop beat had staging, lighting, sound and av

04 December 2009   Flights to South Africa have been a little heavier over the last few days and although we can’t elaborate, 13.9 tons of Robe gear has arrived for Gearhouse South Africa. The Gearhouse guys taught the DWR boys how to load a truck but it was all

03 December 2009     When Christian rock band Third Day came to South African shores in November, they played to a full house at the Wave House in Durban. Insane Sound & Lighting was responsible for the technical requirements using an Avolites Pearl for control.   The show, which

30 November 2009   By Richard Neville and Alistair Kilbee     All photos with kind courtesy of Pat Bromilow Downing Prior to Cats moving off to Artscape in Cape Town, DWR Distribution had the privilege of receiving valuable insight to the production from both Richard Neville, associate lighting designer

29 November 2009   You have been amazing! So far R17 750 has been donated to the Light Relief Children’s Project where the aim is to make a difference this Christmas to the lives of 63 children at Bethany House. The team at DWR Distribution have been bowled over by

12 November 2009   Arriving in taxis, buses and cars, some 2 500 people from across South Africa attended one of the highlights of their year, the Tiens Annual Convention and Elite Gala Dinner, held on the 7th and 8th November 2009. Tiens offer a range of natural herbal products

11 November 2009   Many Joburgers have already seen the stunning Mandela exhibition which the Apartheid Museum created to coincide with Madiba’s 90th birthday. The exhibition resides in the temporary exhibit space at the Apartheid Museum and consists of larger than life high resolution text and image panels combined with

26 October 2009   Courtesy Louise Stickland The Gearhouse South Africa Group of companies supplied rigging, lighting, audio, LED screens and power distribution for the 2009 MTV African Music Awards, staged at the Kasarani Gymnasium at the Moi International Sports Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. The project entailed air freighting 55,000 Kgs