The automation equipment was initially set up at the Cirque Éoize venue in Canada to enable the shows' creative team to experiment with its ideas and allow the performers to become accustomed to the equipment. Working closely with performance rigging specialist Martin Kligman, this period of trial and rehearsals carried out in October 2004 ensured that the show was exceptionally well prepared when it relocated to the Toyota Group Pavilion at the World Expo in Japan in mid-January earlier this year.
The acrobatic display, which includes dramatic performer flying, is controlled with a Stage Technologies' Acrobat control desk. This desk has been used on a huge number of touring and permanent productions worldwide, and now operates with Stage Technologies' latest software Chameleon. The Acrobat, which is one of the most widely used automation desks in London's West End has flown performers on numerous productions including the Millennium Dome, The Witches of Eastwick, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and most recently for the London production of Mary Poppins. To fly five performers Stage Technologies has also supplied 17 BigTow winches for the Toyota show, some of which travel at speeds of up to three metres per second, and are capable of travelling up to nine metres per second.
