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Staging the Perfect Performance
Using lifts, risers and fillers to raise the bar on
your production
Expanding the surface area of your stage? Looking for a
clever way for actors and props to appear and then disappear during a show?
From hand-installed platforms to mechanically operated lifts, a variety of
staging products provide clever ways to maximize theatre space and add production
value to even the most basic theatrical presentation.
A variety of choices are available depending on your theatre’s requirements
and available budget. Vendors like StageRight, Inc., in Clare, Mich., create
portable staging equipment like choral, band, and seating risers; pit fillers;
orchestra enclosures; acoustical shells; and trap floor covers. According
to Kathleen Meadowcroft, sales research specialist and trade show manager
for the company, the firm benefits from having its manufacturing and distributing
operations located under one roof. Similarly, Serapid, Inc., builds equipment
like its LinkLift series of theatrical lifts at its facility in Sterling Heights,
Mich., a suburb of Detroit.
Types of products for various configurations
No theatre wants to use cumbersome equipment, especially if the available
space is limited. To that end, vendors including Minneapolis, Minn.-based
Staging Concepts work to create products that are easy to use and make the
most of a particular venue’s physical infrastructure. “Our SC90
platforms are modular,” says Kari Hayden, western regional sales manager
for Staging Concepts. “The SC90 legs can be made in adjustable heights
or specific fixed heights, and our bridging understructures allow for quick
setup and ample storage space beneath the stage.”
Lifts are a basic mechanical system that can be adapted to a variety of uses,
boosting production value and the venue’s versatility as well. “A
lift system helps make the theatre marketable to a variety of shows,”
says Ann Marie Fortunate, marketing manager for Serapid. “The lift can
be used to extend the size of the stage or create additional seating depending
on where the elevation of the lift is set.” In addition, lifts can move
production equipment on or off the stage or to and from storage areas. Most
recently Serapid’s lifts were installed in the Orange County Performing
Arts Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in
Los Angeles.
Mechanical lifts are useful for smooth scene changes. “The benefit for
directors is the ability to change locations and prop elements quickly,”
says David Cap, production manager at the Arizona Theatre Company in Tucson,
Arizona. “Often the lifts can be used for entrances by actors, making
transitions smoother and quicker.” Cap has used elevators for productions
of “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Sherlock Holmes” to bring furniture
elements up to the stage. For “Much Ado About Nothing,” the Arizona
Theatre Company used two lifts: one for actors and furniture, and the other
for a fountain.
During the Broadway musical production of “Titanic,” Gala Systems’
Spiralifts helped simulate the sinking of the gigantic ocean liner onstage.
According to Chris Shaw, sales manager for Gala Systems in St-Hubert, Quebec,
Canada, the introduction of the Spiralift in the late 1980s was revolutionary
in the industry. “It was originally designed for theatrical use, specifically
for orchestra lifts,” he notes, “and has since been used in industrial
applications.”
Until the introduction of the Spiralift, Shaw continues, most theatre lifts
used either hydraulic rams or bevel screw jacks—systems that required
a deep pit and caissons (chambers) to enclose the ram or screw that drove
the lift system. The Spiralift, by contrast, uses a more compact piece of
technology: a coiled steel spring that expands as a low-power motor purrs
away. This tool allows theatres to, for example, raise an orchestra 10 feet
from a pit that is only two feet deep.
For venues with smaller budgets that preclude such automation, Dan Culhane,
engineering manager at SECOA, Inc., in Champlin, Minn., recommends the orchestra
pit filler as a simple, cost-effective way to modify the physical infrastructure.
“The stage floor is one of the most important scenic elements for any
designer to use,” says Culhane. “Having an orchestra pit filler
increases the floor area significantly.”
In addition, pit fillers provide greater flexibility, allowing scenic elements
and actors to appear from underneath the stage. “Many orchestra pit fillers
can be designed so that there is a maximum of open floor space below,”
says Culhane. “This allows for an orchestra to be in the pit area and
still have an extended stage floor area above.”
Culhane notes that orchestra pit fillers are probably the lowest cost for
the return on investment in the high school and college market. The pit fillers
“provide and deliver the ability to project the actor or speaker forward
toward the audience allowing for a more intimate audience experience,”
he explains.
Culhane also recommends the use of stage traps. SECOA installed its largest
trap system at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. “It’s actually
two systems: one for the proscenium stage and a second for the thrust stage,”
he explains. The proscenium’s 48’-by-24’ system consists of
72 individual 4’-by-4’ modules, while the 880-square-foot thrust
uses 54 modules. The entire aluminum system is removable and can withstand
a fully loaded 14,000-pound forklift driving over its surface.
Go it alone, or work with consultants?
While smaller, simpler pieces of equipment can be set up and operated without
much fuss, the installation of larger and more technical staging gear can
benefit by hiring a consultant or technician to advise and oversee the process.
Previously the Arizona Theatre Company experimented with using consultants
and with “going it alone.” Currently the organization contracts
with a local automation expert to help with its productions. As for whether
to buy or rent the equipment, budget and space restrictions play a key role,
as always. “Currently we rent motors and lifts from a local company,”
says Cap. “They have worked with us for many years and have pieces tailored
to our spaces.”
Vendors also bring in the big guns to advise and design the staging products
that they create for theatres around the world. Serapid works with consultants,
architects, and engineers – among other experts – throughout the
design process to ensure that the staging equipment is the best choice for
a particular venue. Meanwhile, Staging Concepts employs eight degreed engineers
on staff and consults with other engineers as needed.
Construction materials and acoustics also play a large role in selecting a
certain type of staging product. For example, says Culhane, SECOA offers pit
fillers and stage traps featuring either an aluminum frame topped with a replaceable
wood deck or a laminated stress-skin construction. If the walking surface
gets damaged, the wood deck of the aluminum frame can be replaced. However,
if the walking surface of the more expensive laminated deck is damaged, the
theatre would need to swap out the entire deck.
On the other hand, an aluminum frame/wood deck with sound insulation is better
at muffling the sounds of actors’ footsteps as they move across the stage.
Which one is right for your theatre and budget? A consultant can help you
make the right choice.
Good advice about use, training, and operation
Given all of these options, where should theatre administrators start when
considering the purchase or rental of new staging equipment? Depending on
the theatre’s needs, sales managers and consultants can roll through
a variety of product offerings that fit the bill. “For example, if our
customers need an extremely quick set up and strike for their stage,”
says Hayden, “we recommend using bridge supports for understructures.
If they need a stage that can be set up by only one person, we recommend our
SC9000 EZ Stage. If there is a black box theatre that needs flexible seating,
we would recommend the SC2000 seating riser system.”
Theatres should also remember that their physical infrastructure might need
some modification as well. If a theatre is considering adding a lift like
ours and it is an existing space,” says Shaw, “they need to realize
that they may have some excavation to perform, electrical wiring requirements
and other infrastructure needs. We are more than happy to answer any of their
questions and offer suggestions.”
Staging equipment can provide distinct advantages for a theatre’s audience
as well as its box office. “Stage managers and theatre directors should
think about the type of productions the theatre currently hosts,” says
Fortunate. “If the space can be reconfigured with a lift system, it can
accommodate many different types of productions.” In addition, she says,
lift systems will also help increase sightlines for audience members. With
some careful layout design, theatres can “facilitate the best view for
everyone in the house.”
Electrical and safety issues must be solved before new equipment is installed.
“Do not do cheap,” urges Cap. “Pay attention to emergency stops.”
To avoid potential accidents, he recommends that elevator controls be tied
into emergency stops built into the system. Also, “whether you are using
AC or DC power affects emergency stops and procedures for power loss,”
Cap explains.
And of course, says Hayden, please read the instructions. “While our
equipment is modular and very easy to use, we do recommend reading the set
up instructions, as these will often answer any questions one may have.”
Once you’ve installed your staging systems, strong communication will
ensure a production that makes the most of the new lifts, platforms and other
assorted gear. “Be clear and concise with stage management, directors
and actors about the procedures and actions of the moving pieces,” says
Cap. Whether you’re simply erecting a group of modular platforms to extend
your stage, or bolting in a lift system to make the orchestra rise upward,
choosing the right staging equipment will increase the flexibility and creativity
of your productions while boosting your theatre’s public profile in the
marketplace.
To raise more questions on staging visit the DramaBiz Magazine forums
at www.dramabiz.com/forum.
