New Product Presentations Dominate the ABTT 2012 Theatre Show

With more than a hundred exhibitors preparing for the first ABTT Theatre Show to be held at the Old Truman Brewery in East London, many are taking the opportunity to demonstrate new products to the technical theatre community. Visitor registrations have exceeded the previous two years, and the choice of the new venue seems to have increased the excitement of the Theatre Show, which will be celebrating its 34th year on June 13-14.

The ABTT 2012 Theatre Show has attracted exhibitors from all areas of technical equipment supply and service provision. The prominent sectors of sound, lighting, projection, and staging equipment are joined by companies showing scenic materials, stage flooring, books, seating, cables, as well as support services to the live entertainment industry. Show director Roger Fox said, "The ABTT Theatre Show really is a place to meet the widest cross section of industry dedicated to live theatrical performances. We are catering for colleagues wanting to be updated with the latest technologies and techniques, but equally we are offering those who are starting out, or who are just interested in the backstage business, a chance to meet the associations and educationalists who serve the industry."

LED is a key development in stage lighting, and several companies have announced that they will be showing their newest LED products. ETC, Philips Lighting, MT Pro, Robert Juliat (in the White Light stand), RVE (in the Cartey & Co. stand) will demonstrate conventional-style LED theatre spotlights, Fresnels and cyc lights that are either recently launched or previewing at this show. Ambersphere will be showing their recently-launched LED GlowUp fixture and the Alpha Spot from Clay Paky. Chauvet will be showcasing a range of LED video wall panels and LED moving lights.

Sound technicians will see new products from Orbital Sound, including the recently launched Clear-Com HelixNet all-digital intercom platform, the new Yamaha CL Series mixers, d&b audiotechnik's V-Series loudspeakers, and the Shure Axient radio microphone system. d&b audiotechnik are themselves launching the miniscule E4 and E5 loudspeakers from their Black range. MT Pro is showing a new compact mid/high speaker cabinet designed for use in theatres and conferences for the first time, and for those who have to rig speakers, there's the launch of the new Atom 35mm speaker stand clamp on the Doughty Engineering stand. The award winning Green-GO digital intercom over Ethernet will be on show on both the Cartey & Co. and Stage Electrics stands.

Stage engineering visitors and scenic designers will find a new acoustic baffle from ShowTex, and the launch of Triple E's new acoustic banner. Le Mark is using the Theatre Show for the launch of not only their new Coda digitally printed stage floor but also the Tripline safety system to mark the edge of the stage with a row of LEDs. The recently-launched Tüchler Zoom 1200 stage platform will be on display in the stand of Independent Studio Services and Metool Reeling Products Ltd. are launching the Twisterband contactless cable reel that eliminates slip-rings for cables feeding moving equipment.

For the traditionalist readers and the e-bookworms visiting the Theatre Show, there are three more product launches to explore. Nick Bromley, the well-known company/stage manager and theatre personality, is launching his new book, Theatre Lore, A dictionary of backstage language, expressions and useful stage knowledge for those theatrically bent or of a curious nature. It is illustrated by Simon Bond (his last illustrations before his death in June last year) and has a foreword by Simon Callow. Richard Pilbrow will be on the ABTT stand signing copies of his book A Theatre Project and introducing a new interactive multimedia version for the iPad. Finally, the ABTT Historical Research committee will be welcoming Graeme Cruikshank for the launch of a revised edition of his booklet on the Victorian theatre engineer and inventor Walter Dando.