“Catastrophic” EU plans would mean lights out for venues

New rules on stage lighting mooted by the EU would cause "thousands of venues, theatres and music festivals to go dark" after 2020, industry groups have warned

The National Theatre has lent its backing to the #SaveStageLighting campaign © Jason Addison

Venues and industry associations across Europe have warned some of the continent’s best-loved music venues and theatres face a black-out post-2020, under plans to regulate stage lighting under the same environmental rules that govern those sold for domestic and office use.

The European Union (EU)’s proposed Ecodesign Working Plan 2016–2019 would require all new stage lighting – from traditional tungsten bulbs to the latest LED fixtures – to meet new efficiency targets, from which they are currently exempt. According to the…

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