"I chose Brilliant Stages because their stages are always beautifully built. They present you with good 3D drawings at the design stage, which means alterations can be made early on and there is far less to change during production rehearsals," says Vaughan. "All the components fit together accurately and quickly which is vital in allowing me to fulfil our tight touring schedules."
The initial structural design was carefully thought out and planned by Brilliant Stages' CAD department to ensure a sound and solid structure. The main stage, at 2.25m high, incorporates full access to all areas below stage level including dressing rooms, stage mechanics, props and crew areas.
The whole construction is built using heavy duty castors so it can be assembled away from the lighting rig and then pushed into place once the lighting rig is flown out. On breakdown, it has been designed to flat pack into dollie-sized sections which load eight to a truck for convenient road transportation.
Screamers to either side of the main stage conceal technician bunkers for the monitor sound engineer and guitar technician, with each technician having a sightline to the main stage through sloping louvre panels.
Completing the stage area at the front is a lower thrust platform, 1.5 m high, and accessed through bi-parting stairs from below the main stage. The thrust has built in propane flame-throwers and a lighting shelf to hold moving lights and provide adequate safety space between the pyro effects and the audience.
The set consists of six rolling risers of varying heights which lock together to form a 'Giant's Causeway' on which the band and dancers perform. Each riser has a front fascia of mesh and diffusion gel to facilitate backlighting. Risers are bolted together in clusters. rather than flat-packed, to keep assembly as fast as possible, are lightweight and designed to be forked off and dismantled remotely.
Brilliant Stages also supplied four rotating and rolling lectern props for the top of the show which are used again for the lap dancing sequence. In addition to the main construction, Brilliant Stages also implemented the design concept for some complex specialist effects.
Brilliant Stages also devised the best method and material - a white stretch lycra formed in overlapping sections - to create the giant 12.2m walk-through Japanese fan which emerges out of, and folds back into, the stage. Acting both as a projection screen and a stage partition, the band members must also be able pass through it with ease.
Finally, a 35m suspended catwalk was required to access the B stage. This was flown in on chain hoists above the audience so Take That could make their way up a ramp to the walkway, walk half the length of the arena, and alight down a hinged set of steps to the secondary stage.
(Jim Evans)
