The event and entertainment were staged by Birmingham City Council, ending in spectacular style with a massive firework finale. They wanted the stage in this specific position so when fireworks went up at the rear of the structure, the effects would have an ethereal and magical quality as they shimmered in the dark, reflecting back on the lake's glassy surface, giving the audience a visual double-take.
The Serious crew was led by Leo Barcala, and liaised closely with the Council's project manager John Adkins. The first task - undertaken by divers - was to blast all the silt away from the bottom of the lake, clearing a stable surface on which the stage could sit. Standards with jacks were then rigged in position at the bottom of the lake and the height adjusted to just above the waterline. Once this had been done the stage build could continue as normal, one bay at a time.
The stage was one of Serious's new 20m Space Roofs, 9m x 2.4m bays wide by 3m x 4.8m bays deep, giving a 12m trim height. It also had PA wings with a footprint of 7.2m x 7.2m. Once the base was complete, a pair of 12 metre high Space Roof Goal Post PA Towers was craned into position - used for rigging the LED video screens for IMAG. The 100-tonne crane was also used to lift the roof onto the stage. This was assembled in its entirety on the shore side, manoeuvred over the water and fixed to the base in an arch-by-arch precision operation. Serious then built the FOH platforms and four 'dandelions' on the lake banks, providing single mast flying frames for the PA stacks and outfills.
The biggest challenge, says Barcala was working underwater on the stage left section of the structure which needed extra scaffolding supports and props down below to avoid it resting on a fountain mechanism beneath. Serious also built a small front-of-house platform and a followspot tower. The stage was utilized by various performers including the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
(Lee Baldock)
