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Staging the Perfect Performance
Using lifts, risers and fillers to raise the bar on your production

By Allan T. Duffin

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.