Cooper Controls Ltd - Zero 88
USK House, Lakeside, Llantarnam Park,
Cwmbran, NP44 3HD. UK
Tel: +44 (0)1633 838088
Fax: +44 (0)1633 867880
Email: enquiries@zero88.com
Web: www.zero88.com
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Claire House
+44 (0) 1633 833111
Claire.House@cooperindustries.com
Zero 88’s ORB desk debuts in New York City
Zero 88 rounds off a highly successful year for their latest theatrical lighting console the ORB with a debut
at the ‘Brits Off Broadway’ festival in New York.
Cwmbran, UK 07/01/10 – Cooper Controls is pleased to announce that the ORB theatrical lighting console
from Zero 88, ended a phenomenally successful introductory year with a trip to New York City, starring
alongside actress Nicola McAuliffe in the production ‘A British Subject’.
‘A British Subject’ was originally performed at the Pleasance during the Edinburgh Festival and was
directed by Hannah Eidinow and produced by Pleasance Theatre Trust Ltd. Following an initial
consultation and training with ORB specialist Richard Lambert, Lighting Designer Mark Jonathon and
assistant George Bishop chose the ORB for pre-programming prior to their highly acclaimed festival run.
After the Edinburgh festival, ‘A British Subject’ was selected to appear in the Brits off Broadway festival,
which ran at the 59E59 Theaters in New York from November 3rd 2009 to January 3rd 2010. For the New
York production Pleasance Technical Operations Manager, Matt Briton, took on the job of relighting the
show. In order to cut down on the time required in the venue, Briton decided once again to use an ORB –
now running as the house desk in Pleasance Islington and specified for many of the Pleasances high
profile shows this year during the fringe.
“As someone who has used the Frog 2 for a number of years, the power, versatility, and user friendliness of
the ORB made it a no brainer to bring it across for the show. Once again the support from Zero 88 has
made this production an incredibly painless process. Their ongoing support is invaluable to the Pleasance
and as expected the desk performed flawlessly,” commented Briton.
The ORB is the latest lighting desk from Zero 88. Its development was led by user feedback including that
of the Pleasance technical crew. Zero 88 Product Manager, Peter Kirkup, commented “Working with the
Pleasance gives us an incredible opportunity to gain user feedback from every sort of user imaginable – we
deal with complete novices in some venues, right through to professional lighting designers and
programmers in the larger venues. Nothing beats hearing the feedback of a real user; they’re happy to tell
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you what’s right and what’s wrong, and hearing that is important to making sure we fix the ‘what’s wrong’
whilst maintaining the ‘what’s right’.”
It has been a busy first year for the ORB. Some of the many credits include Scott Mills the Musical (at the
Edinburgh Fringe), the opening ceremony of the GSSE (in Cyprus) and now A British Subject in New York.
Productions using the ORB have varied from plays to dance and from full scale musicals to stadium gigs –
once again proving the versatility of the ZerOS platform to adapt to a users needs. Zero 88 is also pleased
to see many of their key distributors taking ORB into their rental stocks including Stage Electrics in the UK
and Eenorm Facilitair in the Netherlands. A number of high profile venues have taken on ORB as their
desk of choice, including the Turkish National Opera and Stadthalle Langen near Frankfurt.
Lastly, Zero 88 is pleased to announce the imminent release of version 5.4.0 software for all ZerOS
consoles which adds Tracking Backup functionality to the consoles and offline editor (Phantom ZerOS).
Using a simple Ethernet connection between desks or console to offline, the current show file is
automatically exchanged between desks and continuously updated. Should the main (Master) console fail
in any way, the Backup device can immediately start outputting DMX and the show will continue as if
nothing had happened. This provides the ultimate security for mission-critical shows – if “the show must go
on”, can you afford not to run a tracking backup?
The ORB was featured at trade shows across the globe where it received overwhelmingly positive
feedback. For more information on the ORB please visit www.orbdesk.com where you can view demo
videos, download the offline editor, and book a product demonstration.
Editor’s Note: For additional information, contact Angela Maddox, Marketing Manager on:
770-486-4782 or email: Angela.Maddox@cooperindustries.com
About Cooper Controls
Cooper Controls is a market leader in energy management, architectural, entertainment and lighting controls. A
subsidiary of global manufacturer Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE), it was formed by its acquisition of Novitas Inc.
in November 2005, Polaron plc in March 2007 and PCI Lighting Control Systems in August 2007. Cooper Controls
includes leading brands such as iLight (iLumin – North America), Greengate, and Zero 88. For more information, visit
www.coopercontrol.com.
About Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries, Ltd. (NYSE: CBE) is a global manufacturer with 2008 revenues of $6.5 billion, approximately 88
percent of which are from electrical products. Founded in 1833, Cooper's sustained level of success is attributable
to a constant focus on innovation, evolving business practices while maintaining the highest ethical standards, and
meeting customer needs. The Company has eight operating divisions with leading market share positions and
world-class products and brands including: Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG
explosion-proof electrical equipment; Halo and Metalux lighting fixtures; and Kyle and McGraw-Edison power
systems products. With this broad range of products, Cooper is uniquely positioned for several long-term growth
trends including the global infrastructure build-out, the need to improve the reliability and productivity of the electric
grid, the demand for higher energy-efficient products and the need for improved electrical safety. In 2008, 61
percent of total sales were to customers in the industrial and utility end-markets and 37 percent of total sales were to
customers outside the United States. Cooper, which has manufacturing facilities in 23 countries as of 2008, is
incorporated in Bermuda with administrative headquarters in Houston, TX. For more information, visit the web site
at www.cooperindustries.com.
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