The Muziektheater has four stages, each one 16.2m by 13.5m in size: one principal stage on which the performance takes place, and three assembly stages, where the scenery can be set up or stored, with approximately 60 percent of the scenery pieces hanging in the fly tower.
Het Muziektheater has 102 fly-bars, each 24m long. Renovation of the venue began in 1997 when a mechanically operated flying system was installed. At that time the type of fly-bar used had several disadvantages, for example they were very heavy, they tended to flex laterally, and diagonal bracing could cause obstructions.
Several concepts were tried and rejected to improve the situation until at the end of 2001, Rinus Bakker, external consultant for the Muziektheater, introduced the venue to Prolyte, who were working on ProTrac, a new type of fly-bar. Two prototypes were tested in situ before the final design of ProTrac was agreed. ProTrac was extensively used and tested in full operational contexts from October 2002, then after some cosmetic changes to the design, the final version was tested in April of this year.
The technical staff of the Muziektheater are working hard to complete the installation of the 102 bars before the theatre opens on September 12 for its production of Berlioz's opera Les Troyens. The total capacity of the flying system will be used, which means that all the installed ProTrac bars will be fully loaded.
As Huub Huikeshoven, head of Stage Department, stated: "If we were not fully confident of the ProTrac system, we would not have installed it. This production is too large to take any risks. The choice of Prolyte was a deliberate one, we have to be able to rely on service and technical backup and we felt Prolyte could offer us that."
Prolyte will be on stand F30 at the PLASA exhibition.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
