Major Sir Michael Parker, producer of many royal events during the past 15 years, conceived the show. ESS has previously worked alongside Major Sir Michael on events such as the VE and VJ Day celebrations. The show, an equestrian spectacular, involves a cast of 3000 performers and 1000 horses performing in front of a specially designed stage which will hold an orchestra, a choir and a company of dancers. The night-time event will also feature a floodlit Windsor Castle as a backdrop.
ESS is providing a 25m arched Orbit stage system with a split-level plinth to accommodate the orchestra and choir. The stage will be finished without a back wall, to allow for an uninterrupted view of the Castle. The show’s design calls for a crown, a unicorn and a lion decoration to be positioned on the proscenium arch. ESS has provided two Lite-tower structures as part of its solution to allow for these additional features to be located where the designer wants them. The site, a sensitive green field location, requires ESS to employ it’s broad knowledge of low impact installation techniques.
Tim Norman, managing director for ESS said: "We are delighted to see yet another Golden Jubilee related event join our 2002 projects portfolio. As with the earlier Waltham Forest event, All the Queen’s Horses forms part of Her Majesty’s tour of the UK, leading up to an early June culmination of events at Buckingham Palace and on the Mall, where ESS will be on hand with a substantial consignment of staging and infrastructure".
(Lee Baldock)
