 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Stage & Television Lighting |
| Founded | 1914 (London) |
| Headquarters | Dallas,Texas, United States |
| Parent | Signify, N.V. |
| Website | http://www.strandlighting.com |
Strand Lighting is an international theatre and television lighting company founded in 1914 in London's West End that supplies lighting fixtures and controls for the entertainment industry. Strand's products have been used on countless theatre productions and TV shows worldwide.
Strand Electric and Engineering Company, as it was originally named, was created in 1914. Arthur Earnshaw and Phillip Sheridan were both London theatre electricians when they set up their company. [1] [2]
In 1932, Frederick Bentham joined Strand. He would go onto revolutionise theatre lighting with his designs. [3] The Light Console was the first remote control theatre lighting console, while Pattern 23 (the first mass-produced spotlight) and Pattern 264 spotlights were further creations. [3] The company incorporated as Strand Electric Holdings in 1936. [4] [5]
In 1968, Strand Lighting was purchased by The Rank Organisation and thus became Rank Strand. [1] [6]
In 1969, Rank took over Century Lighting (Started in New York in 1929) which became Strand Century in the US. [1]
In 1976, Rank acquired Stagesound Ltd from Theatre Projects and created Rank Strand Sound.
In 1986, Rank Strand bought Quartzcolor, an Italian-based manufacturer of TV & film lighting. [1]
In 1990, Strand Lighting became the first company (and only North American company) to achieve ISO9000 Quality certification.
Strand was bought from Rank by a venture capitalist group called Schroder Ventures in 1996. [7]
On 11 July 2006, the Genlyte Group, a US company, announced its acquisition of Strand Lighting. Genlyte was acquired by Royal Philips Lighting in 2008. [8] The lighting division of Philips was spun off from the parent company in 2016, and in 2018, Philips Lighting became Signify. [9] Strand Lighting is run as an independent brand within Signify, along with Vari-Lite, and continues as a leading name in stage, television, motion picture, and architectural lighting and services. Following the shift from Philips to Signify, Vari-Lite and Strand regained their standalone brand status in 2019, with a renewed commitment from the business to innovate and support the visions of creative artists worldwide.
On Tuesday, July 11, 2022, Strand Lighting, LLC. voluntarily filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in a Dallas, TX court. When asked about the filing, Signify stated that this filing is a part of the ongoing unifying branding effort to centralize its entertainment lighting products in a single legal entity, Vari-Lite LLC, and with focus on the Vari-Lite brand for all new entertainment products. [10]
Koninklijke Philips N.V., commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is still in Eindhoven. Philips was formerly one of the largest electronics companies in the world, but is currently focused on the area of health technology, having divested its other divisions.
Eaton Corporation plc is an Irish/American multinational power management company, founded in the United States and incorporated in Dublin, Ireland, with a primary administrative center in Beachwood, Ohio. Eaton has more than 85,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries.
Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions 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.
A lighting control console is an electronic device used in theatrical lighting design to control multiple stage lights at once. They are used throughout the entertainment industry and are normally placed at the front of house (FOH) position or in a control booth.
Regal Cinemas is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with 6,853 screens in 511 theaters as of December 31, 2021. The three main theatre brands operated by Regal Entertainment Group are Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres.
Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous movie theatre locations in Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador. The company was owned by Viacom Canada but was sold to Cineplex Galaxy LP in 2005.
A Lekolite is a brand of ellipsoidal reflector spotlight (ERS) used in stage lighting which refers to the half-ellipsoidal dome reflector within which the instrument's lamp is housed. Introduced in 1933, it was developed by Joseph Levy and Edward Kook, founders of Century Lighting, which eventually became a part of the Strand Lighting Corporation. The instrument was widely used in theatre and entertainment venues into the 1990s, particularly in the United States. As other lighting technologies and products have taken the Lekolite's place, the term Leko has become a generic trademark for all ERS fixtures.
Intelligent lighting refers to lighting that has automated or mechanical abilities beyond those of conventional, stationary illumination. Although the most advanced intelligent lights can produce extraordinarily complex effects, the intelligence lies with the human lighting designer, control system programmer, or the lighting operator, rather than the fixture itself. For this reason, intelligent lighting (ILS) is also known as automated lighting, moving lights, moving heads, or simply movers.
Stage lighting instruments are used in stage lighting to illuminate theatrical productions, concerts, and other performances taking place in live performance venues. They are also used to light television studios and sound stages.
Blyth, Inc. is a Greenwich, Connecticut based marketing and manufacturing company that sells personal and decorative products. In 2001, it was the largest candlemaker in the United States. Subsidiaries include the multi-level marketing companies PartyLite and Visalus.
Regal Rexnord Corporation, usually referred to as just Regal Rexnord, is a manufacturer of electric motors and power transmission components headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia, with about 29,000 employees. As of year 2021, the company is ranked 763rd on the Fortune 1000, and was the 17th largest corporation in Wisconsin.
The Genlyte Group was a company that manufactured and sold lighting fixtures and controls. Products designed by the Genlyte Group include indoor and outdoor fixtures for the commercial, residential, theater, and industrial markets. Genlyte was bought out by Royal Philips Lighting on January 18, 2008.
Autolite or Auto–Lite is an American brand of spark plugs and ignition wire sets headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Autolite products are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. Until 2011, the Autolite brand was a part of Honeywell's automotive Consumer Products Group, along with FRAM and Prestone. Since then, it has been manufactured and marketed by FRAM Group. Autolite has been the official spark plug of NASCAR since April 2000.
Cambridge Arts Theatre is a 666-seat theatre on Peas Hill and St Edward's Passage in central Cambridge, England. The theatre presents a varied mix of drama, dance, opera and pantomime. It attracts touring productions, as well as many shows direct from, or prior to, seasons in the West End. Its annual Christmas pantomime is an established tradition in the city. From 1969 to 1985, the theatre was also home to the Cambridge Theatre Company, a national touring company. The Cambridge Arts Theatre was founded in 1936 by the Cambridge economist and statesman John Maynard Keynes.
Vari-Lite is a brand of automated, variable-colour stage lighting systems. Their intelligent lighting fixtures are commonly used in theatre, concerts, television, film and corporate events.
High End Systems is an Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of entertainment lighting and control systems. The company was founded, owned, and managed by Lowell Fowler, Richard Belliveau, David Blair, and Bob Schacherl before it was bought by Belgium-based Barco in 2008.
Kliegl Brothers Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company was an American manufacturer of electrical stage lighting products in the 20th century. The company had a significant influence in the development of theatrical, cinema, television, and specialty lighting. It equipped many major performing venues in the United States and its products were used in several other countries as well. Their eponymous product, the Klieglight, was the trade name for two quite different production lights manufactured by the company, and survives today in both industry argot and in popular idiom as a synonym for "spotlight" or "center of attention".
Signify N.V., formerly known as Philips Lighting N.V., is a Dutch multinational lighting corporation formed in 2016 as a result of the spin-off of the lighting division of Philips, by means of an IPO. The company manufactures electric lights, light fixtures and control systems for consumers, professionals and the IoT. In 2018, Philips Lighting changed its name to Signify. The company still produces lights under the Philips brand.
C T Holdings PLC, formerly known as Ceylon Theatres Limited, is an investment holding company and one of the largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka. The company was incorporated in 1928 by Chittampalam A. Gardiner and quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange ever since. In 2019, Brand Finance ranked C T Holdings eighth amongst the most valuable conglomerates in Sri Lanka with a brand value of LKR18,981 million. C T Holdings also ranked eighth in the LMD 100, a list of leading listed companies in Sri Lanka by the business magazine, LMD. The company holds a 71% stake in Sri Lanka's largest food company, Cargills (Ceylon).
Frederick Bentham FABTT FIES was a British theatre lighting designer and engineer who created the Light Console in 1932 and continued to influence lighting in theatres into the 1970s, firstly as the chief engineer before becoming the Research and Design director of Strand Electric and Engineering Company. Bentham would go on to become the editor of TABS, Strand's technical journal, and Sightline, the ABTT's journal, as well as an author specialising in writing on the subjects of theatres and lighting. In 1969 he was elected as master of the Art Workers Guild.
 | This article about a company of the UK is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This stagecraft related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
