Vari-Lite Seals Deal With Clearwing Productions to Increase Product Accessibility; Wisconsin-based Production Company Expands With VARI*LITE Products.

Business Editors

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001

Vari-Lite, Inc. (Nasdaq:LITE) partnered this month with Clearwing Productions Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis., to increase availability of VARI*LITE(R) automated lighting equipment for a variety of entertainment, corporate and special events throughout the nation. Clearwing Productions evaluated the future of the automated lighting market for several months before adding VL2402(TM) wash luminaires and VL2202(TM) spot luminaires to its wide variety of production services.

"The partnership with Clearwing Productions is another step in our ongoing effort to increase the availablity and use of VARI*LITE products," said Ken Matthews, vice president sales and marketing at Vari-Lite. "Clearwing is a proven leader in production services, and we are proud to associate Vari-Lite with a company that has secured a solid reputation for delivering only the highest quality products and services."

Tony Trovato, lighting department manager at Clearwing Productions, said Clearwing purchased VL2402 wash luminaires and VL2202 spot luminaires as part of an ongoing effort to expand its in-house services to include intelligent lighting equipment.

"When Vari-Lite finally made fixtures available to own, we just had to purchase some," said Tony Trovato. "As the innovators of automated lighting, I've always believed Vari-Lite to be ahead of the pack. We've always felt strongly that Vari-Lite was the trendsetter of the industry, but these new fixtures are over the top. And the Vari-Lite reputation speaks for itself."

Clearwing Productions provides sound, lighting, staging and backline services to one of the country's largest music festivals, Summerfest, as well as numerous other prestigious corporate, festival and concert clients.

About Vari-Lite

Vari-Lite International is a leading worldwide designer, manufacturer and distributor of proprietary automated lighting systems. The Company also provides related equipment and services to the entertainment industry, serving markets such as concert touring, theater, television and film and corporate events. The Company sells and rents its VARI*LITE automated lighting systems through a domestic and international network of Vari-Lite offices and independent dealers. For more information, visit www.vari-lite.com.

Vari-Lite International, Inc. shares are traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol LITE.

The foregoing paragraphs contain certain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the Company believes the expectations contained in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These expectations may involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, factors detailed in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.