The show was structurally very complex to design, with the understage area required to act as the main storage facility for the tour. To optimize this space, Total Fabrications, who have provided set design for Kylie Minogue’s ‘Fever’ tour, incorporated a donut revolve made from aluminium. The 15m diameter revolve is thin enough to provide sufficient height under the six foot high stage for performer and crew access and working areas; and with Stage Technologies compact rental equipment, including a Juggler control desk and six-way motor drive system, the tour’s requirements were easily surpassed.
Neil Darracott, technical director for Total Fabrications, who has worked alongside Stage Technologies for many years, commented on the collaboration: "I have complete confidence in Stage Technologies’ technology and ability to put on live shows." The close-knit partnership meant that despite the last minute addition of a second central revolve, both companies ensured the tour maintained its schedule and opened in style.
It is not unusual for music tours to work under these tight time scales, which is why Stage Technologies have built up an extensive rental equipment inventory. This means that they can cater at short notice, to any productions needs with an off-the-shelf solution. Ted Moore, head of show automation for the company, told us: "Sophisticated stage automation is no longer the exclusive territory of large theatre production companies. Our rental equipment is now being used on music tours both large and small and most of these necessitate a speedy and reliable automation solution that only an off the shelf package is capable of providing."
(Lee Baldock)
