MAGIC IN A CATHEDRAL - Lighting & Sound America · 34 •April 2005 •Lighting &Sound America Pink Floyd, Steel Wheels and Bridges to Babylon for the Rolling Stones and Popmart and

32 • April 2005 • Lighting&SoundAmerica

THE STORY OF KÀ, PART I

MAGIC IN A CATHEDRALThe designers of KÀ

discuss the concepts

behind their workBy Mike Falconer

Copyright Lighting&Sound America April 2005

(Editor’s note: Even by its extraordi-nary standards, the new Cirque duSoleil production in Las Vegas, KÀ,represents a rarely seen fusion ofdesign ideas and sophisticated tech-nology. For that matter, it’s often diffi-cult to tell where the production’sdesign ends and the theatre’s designbegins. For this reason, we are pre-senting a trio of stories, examiningdifferent aspects of KÀ.)

Yes, it’s another Cirque du Soleilshow in Las Vegas. This time, thevenue is the MGM Grand, in thespace vacated by the extravaganzaknown as EFX. In case you haven’tbeen counting, KÀ is the fourthCirque entry to open along the Vegasstrip; many have wondered how manyCirque productions this town canbear. This time, however, the French-Canadian troupe has redefined itself;it has also managed to bowl over thisoverly critical journalist—not an easytask! All it took was $165 million…One thing that instantly sets KÀ

apart from other Cirque du Soleilshows is its linear storyline. Unlikemany other Cirque attractions, this isno dreamscape with acrobats; thevarious feats are built into a storyabout a pair of Imperial Twins whoundergo a series of wild adventuresbefore their enemies are vanquishedand peace comes to their kingdom.Another unique feature is a piece ofstage machinery that many will con-sider to be the star attraction; the 25’x 50’ Sand Cliff Deck (much moreabout this later) is simply awe-inspir-ing—from the moment it first appearsin the guise of a canoe to itsCatherine-wheel curtain call.

Of course, if you take a risk, you’recertain to be criticized. Some journal-ists have commented that KÀ’semphasis on a story has caused it tosacrifice its soul. To quote the lateDouglas Adams, this is “a load offetid dingo’s kidneys.” Although itmay be more difficult to read somekind of deep spiritual meaning intothe assembled craziness of KÀ—compared to the assembled crazinessof other Cirque productions such asO or La Nouba—it’s only because theaudience member has a general ideaof what is going on and why.The bottom line is that KÀ is sheer

entertainment and spectacle, ratherthan entertainment and spectaclemasquerading as something else. InKÀ, the story drives the acts and thetechnology. And what technology—the Sand Cliff Deck may not be thestar of the show but it is certainly inline for a best-supporting role.Then again, each aspect of KÀ’s

staging, projections, lighting, andsound design features unique ideasand innovative technology, as a chatwith each of the designers reveals.

Mark Fisher: Decompressing

Las Vegans

Mark Fisher, who designed both KÀand the theatre that contains it, firstsat down in April 2002 withwriter/director Robert Lepage to dis-cuss a new show for Cirque du Soleil.Lepage is probably best known forhis work with Peter Gabriel on the1992 Secret World tour and the 2002Growing up Live tour. He is also thecreative force behind such avant-garde theatre pieces as The SevenStreams of the River Ota, The FarSide of the Moon, and The Busker’sOpera. Fisher, of course, requires nointroduction; he has created some ofthe most spectacular rock shows everseen: The Wall and Division Bell for

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 33

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The Imperial Twins enlist of the help of

the Forest People in their fight against

the Archers.


Pink Floyd, Steel Wheels and Bridgesto Babylon for the Rolling Stones andPopmart and Elevation for U2, toname a few.“Robert had a neat diagram with a

squiggly line,” remarks Fisher, stand-ing in the transformed and completelythemed foyer of the KÀ Theatre. “Itstarted in the sea, then on a beach,then up a mountain, then down themountain, into a forest, a meadow,and finally ended up in a city. This

squiggly line was to be a journey, andthe journey a metaphor for the transi-tion of a child—eventually a set oftwins—from childhood to adulthoodthrough a series of tests.” Thus hewas introduced to the first Cirqueshow with a true narrative.Fisher’s design has two main

goals. First, to tell this story to anaudience overstimulated by the fre-netic pace of the Vegas Strip, Fisher

decided he would need to “decom-press” them. With martial arts and aFar-Eastern influence already in placeas key components of Lepage’svision, the designer showed thedirector a picture of a 16th-centurytemple, in Kyoto, standing off the sideof a cliff on a vast undercroft of treetrunks. “Imagine what it would be likeif we carved our theatre out of thisundercroft, so that we created acathedral-like space?” says Fisher,

remembering his conversation withLepage. “You would recognize itinstinctively as a cathedral, eventhrough it wasn’t one. It would have arhythm, an uplifting sensation, height,openness, and spirituality. That iswhat the audience needs to feel inorder to be in the right frame of mindfor the show.” Second, with Hollywood churning

out movies, typified by the Matrix tril-

ogy, where the physical laws ofnature and gravity do not apply,Fisher and Lepage were keen to cre-ate a live show that would challengethe special-effects expertise of film. Intheir vision, the traditional theatreexperience, where the physical rela-tionship between stage and audiencemember does not change, would beradically re-envisioned. “When you goto a movie, the director moves thecamera everywhere and gives you dif-

ferent points of view,” explains Fisher.“We had to defy gravity, and the per-formers had to defy gravity. My jobwas to provide the armature uponwhich Cirque could do all this.”The end result was a “stage” area

that is, in fact, a void; its dimensions


The Post and Beam network of catwalks,

highlighted by Color Kinetics LED units,

connects the stage area and auditorium

and is central to Fisher’s immersive design.


are 120’ wide, 120’ deep, and 149’high. The distance from stage level tothe high grid is 98’, with the lowestfloor level at 51’ below that. Althoughthe theatre has a proscenium arch—Fisher pointed it out to me—thedesigner has gone to great lengths todisguise it. The performers appear onan array of five stage lifts, the 30’ x30’ Tatami Deck, and the enormous25’ x 50’ Sand Cliff Deck. Bridging, literally, the staging area

and the auditorium is a network ofcolumns and catwalks called the Postand Beam, which covers each side ofthe theatre. It is central to the immer-sive quality created by Fisher’sdesign. “I wouldn’t have done it like this

had we been starting from scratch,”says Fisher; “I think we would havehad a much more immersive experi-ence. Not in-the-round, but some-

thing that is much more. We couldn’treally change the structure of thebuilding, because the casino was allaround it.” Nevertheless, the designerremoved the false ceiling of the EFXtheatre and increased the width of theauditorium, essentially leaving onlythe front and rear walls of the theatreintact. However, given the enormousamount of open space in the the-atre—almost 2,000,000 cu. ft. whenyou include the stage area—the fur-

thest any audience member is fromthe stage is 116’. This creates anincredibly intimate performancespace for a 1,950-seat theatre aimingfor a cathedral like ambiance. Onstage, the various platforms are

the key set elements. Of them, theSand Cliff Deck arguably provides themost visually stunning moments inthe show. It is supported and con-trolled by an inverted gantry crane—amechanical arm attached to four 80’hydraulic cylinders that run along twoplainly visible support columns.Controlled, like all of the show’sautomation, by a Stage TechnologiesNomad system, the gantry crane canlift the Sand Cliff Deck up and down,

rotate it by 360° and tilt from flat to100° simultaneously. It first appearsas a canoe, becomes a beach, then acliff, and so on. The effect is anincredible suspension of disbelief.From the opening moments of theshow, it is obvious how the Sand CliffDeck works, yet it still astounds, evenwhen performing the most obviousactions. “Way before anyone else knew the

project even existed, we were dis-cussing the proposal that the beachwould turn into a cliff,” says Fisher,recalling an early meeting withLepage. “I asked, ‘What do you dowith the sand?’” The reply: “We willtip the sand off, and in the process ofthe deck becoming a cliff, the audi-ence will see the sand tip off.” It’s atruly magical moment, worthy of theapplause it receives.Nevertheless, says Fisher about

the deck, “It is only the frameworkthat the performers use to make theirperformances on. It is not the star ofthe show. It came about as a piece ofequipment from the analysis of thisstorytelling proposition. It was not atall the kind of process where we said,‘Let’s think up the most ridiculousmachine we can and then build ashow around it’. It was absolutely thereverse. Robert is a very technology-savvy director and I have obviouslyspent most of my life doing this kindof thing. Our conversations were verysolution-driven and we just took it forgranted that neither of us was goingto sit around talking about things wedid not know how to do.” Although at first Fisher may seem

like a something of a left-field choicefor a piece of acrobatic theatre, itdoes crown a growing trend in hiscareer. Since 1997, he has beeninvolved with circus and acrobaticshows. In addition to the MillenniumDome in London, which featured a

Fisher : “We had to defy

gravity, and the per-

formers had to defy

gravity. My job was to

provide the armature

upon which Cirque

could do all this.”

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central Cirque-style show with musicby Peter Gabriel, the designer hasworked on two large circus shows inJapan with a Russian company. “Itwas a fantastic opportunity to go toanother level with something I’d beenvery interested in,” he says.“Otherwise, I never could have heldmy own against the other creativeguys—it would just have been acomplete nightmare. Although therehave been a lot of other creative

people involved, it is not that differ-ent, in the end, from working with aband like the Stones or U2, wherethey are really involved. By the timeyou are spending these amounts ofmoney, it is always a highly interac-tive process.”

Holger Förterer: Interactive

Projections

If you have never heard of Holger

Förterer, you are forgiven; neither hadI. I suspect, however, we may behearing a lot more about him in thefuture. Originally a computer-sciencestudent from the southwest ofGermany, he has installed his inter-active projection system in severalmuseums in that country. However,the KÀ installation is five times largerthan anything he has done before.Förterer’s interactive projection

system uses infrared-sensitive cam-

eras sensor tiles built into the SandCliff Deck to follow an artist’s move-ments and turn the stage into what isessentially a huge touch-screen. Theinformation that the cameras gatheris used to influence the imagery pro-jected onto the stage. The most obvious example of this

takes place during the extraordinarybattle scene at the end of the show.The battlefield itself is the Sand Cliff

Deck—standing vertically on end.Sixteen artists, suspended on wiresperpendicular to the ground, moveacross the battlefield in this gravity-defying sequence. High-speed wire-less remote-controlled winches areused by each artist to control theirmovements and complete the illusion

of looking down on the field of battlefrom above. As each artist ‘steps’onto the battlefield, the deck reactslike liquid, pooling around their feetand creating an effect not normallyseen outside of a movie theatre.“To get the audience into the land-

scape, we are showing them somebasic elements and these elementsreacting to people,” remarks Förterer.“All the images are generated by the

The performers appear on an array of fivestage lifts, the 30’ x 30’ Tatami Deck, andthe enormous 25’ x 50’ Sand Cliff Deck.


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computer at the instant they areshown. No video has been taken andno pre-recorded material is used; it isall done live.”Förterer has been developing his

handcrafted software since 1998 andcustomized it for KÀ with his team offour programmers. The software,which is written in C++ and runs on aconventional dual-processor, PC-compatible computer, outputsimages at 1,280 x 1,024 to three18,000 lumen Barco ELM R18 DLPprojectors mounted at the rear of thetheatre. Fisher, in particular, is significantly

impressed with what Förterer asbeen able to achieve. “If I didn’t havethe privilege of working with Holger,I’d be up to my eyes in trying to fig-ure out how the Sand Cliff Deckcould be a beach, a this, a that, andanother without being able to changeit,” says Fisher. “In the end, all I havehad to do is paint it grey. I think pro-jection makes my job much easier.Particularly the interactive stuff thatHolger is working with, you justcouldn’t do it any other way. Theunderwater scene is absolutely fan-tastic. You couldn’t do it with light-ing—it is so dynamic—it puts it on adifferent level.” The underwater scene Fisher is

referring to is a moment when thefemale Twin and the Nursemaid, afterbeing shipwrecked, are showndrowning. Förterer’s interactive pro-jection system allows for bubbles ofair to escape from them as theydescend underwater. Förterer’s work is remarkable—all

the more so because it is so under-stated and subtle. It augments thescenic design, but unless you arelooking for it, you will be hardpressed to find examples of itsunique nature before the battle thatis the climax of the whole show.

Luc Lafortune: Sourcing the

Cinematic

Luc Lafortune is a constant inCirque du Soleil shows. His keensense of the theatrical has defined, inmany ways, the look of Cirque overthe years. It is, therefore, all the moreastonishing to see what he has beenable to achieve with KÀ. Many designers look to films,

such as Ridley Scott’s futuristicthriller Blade Runner, for inspiration—but few of them come up with any-thing as successful as the originals.Lafortune has created a future-noirlook on a live stage without relyingon the sleight of hand that is avail-able in film. As the saying goes, it isthe quality, not the quantity. Thedesigner has disproved this para-digm, however, by using 3,238 light-ing fixtures, of which only 44 areautomated. This is all the moreastonishing when one realizes that,other than the walls, all the scenic

elements, including the stage(s),can—and do—move. “I’m always a little skeptical of

automated lights,” smiles Lafortune.“I like automation because it can getyou out of a jam really quickly; youneed light there, you move it there.But an automated system would nothave been able to achieve what wehave achieved with KÀ. This is why Iwent for the kind of lights you’d findin a parking lot. This is why I wentand bought 48” neon tubes andbeam projectors from Mole-Richardson.”Lafortune’s eclectic choice of fix-

tures is plainly in evidence as youwalk around both the backstage andfront of house. The use of significantnumbers of smaller fixtures is proba-bly the single most important factorin creating the show’s cinematic lookand feel. The Post and Beam is lit,for the majority of the show, by 436Color Kinetics’ 6” ColorBlast fixtures.The walls backstage are dotted with400W HTI floods, fitted with customdousers from Wybron, plus fluores-cent tubes and neon. Noting thesechoices, Jeanette Farmer, lightingdirector for KÀ, adds, “Luc does thisvery fun thing with unusual fixturetypes in that he enhances the stagesetting not only with the light comingout of those fixtures, but also withthe physical looks of the units.” “The number of fixtures is just an

arbitrary number,” remarks Lafortune.“In order to keep things three-dimen-sional, you need a lot of fixtures—butsometimes it can be a lot of verysmall fixtures. They define the spaceand create a sense of depth. Wetalked about cinematography a lotwhen creating this show, but youcan’t really use fixtures from the cin-ema, because there you are workingin a 16 x 9 format and you don’t carewhat happens out of the frame.

A view from above of the final battle, in

which the audience’s perspective is

manipulated to emulate a cinematic

point of view.

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Theatre is very different. You carewhat happens everywhere because itis part of the environment.”Nowhere is the depth of the envi-

ronment that Lafortune creates morein evidence than in the penultimatesequence: the Slave Cage. Two artistsbalance and control a “Wheel ofDeath” from their opposing cages onthis spinning apparatus. The Wheel ofDeath is placed at center stage;Lafortune shows us the depth andspace of the stage area by using therear of the KÀ Theatre as a scenicelement, with the shape being high-lighted and accentuated by lighting.“In a space such as this, you want

fixtures that have character,” com-ments Lafortune. “It helps define thespace. A normal spotlight defeats thatwhole purpose. Despite the fact thatthere are over 3,200 fixtures, you lookup and say, ‘Where are they?’ Well,they all over the place, they are in the

basement, they are on the walls, theyare on the Post and Beam. We con-taminate the auditorium and, ultimate-ly, the lobby with what is happeningon-stage. The theatre is a majorinvestment, so we have to make surethat it looks good.” Farmer adds,“The single largest element that need-ed to be lit was the Post and Beam; itwas decided early on that this ele-ment would be considered theatrical,rather than architectural, lighting, soLuc and the lighting team [includingassociate lighting designer Nol vanGenuchten] took on this massive proj-ect.” ) In fact, continuing on thetheme of the venue’s size, Farmersays, “The stage area is so big thatsome of the cueing has to be takenoff of video monitors.” With 3,238 fixtures requiring

22,528 control channels and 2,260dimmers, lighting control is a majorissue for Lafortune and his team. AStrand ShowNET fiber-optic networkis used to distribute DMX throughoutthe theatre. The main conventionalcontrol is in the shape of two Strand550i consoles, three Strand 520i con-soles, and two Strand 510 consoles.According to Farmer, the use of theconsoles breaks down this way: OneStrand 550i is used to control dim-mers, scrollers, and Color Kinetic’sLED units. One Strand 520i is incharge of smoke, pyro, flame effects,and theatre air handling. An additionalStrand 520i is used to handle 750DMX-controlled relays used for non-dimming power for lighting, projec-tion, and special effects. The Strand510 controls dimming for architecturalunits, rehearsal looks, stage managercuelights, and the front lobby lightinglooks. Moving lighting and strobes arecontrolled via a Flying Pig Systems’Wholehog II console. A Dell Precision650 workstation is used for projectionimage feed. Each control unit has a


Another view of the Forest People: With

no stage as such, each performer must

be suspended on wires or standing on a

moving stage element.

Lafortune: “An auto-

mated system would

not have been able to

achieve what we have

achieved with KÀ. This

is why I went for the

kind of lights you’d find

in a parking lot.”

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tracking backup. A Le Maitre Surefireis in charge of pyro cues.Lafortune’s approach to KÀ is a

response to the very different workingmethod of the clasically trainedRobert Lepage. “Robert works withwords and is very literary,” he says.“My approach is less literary becauseof my background, but I have learnedto work like him. I started pickinggroups of characters and writing asmall dictionary to define them.” Using these words and sharing

them with the rest of the creativeteam, Lafortune hunted on theInternet for images that would visuallyconvey the emotions of each group ofcharacters. The protagonists, whoultimately become the Emperor’sCourt, were summed up by suchwords as “lightness of being,”“warmth,” “flow,” “incandescent,” and“a midsummer’s night.” The antago-nists, who would ultimately becomethe Archers and Spearmen, weresummed up by the terms “industrial,”“oppressive,” “immensity,” “monolith-ic,” “arc sources,” “structural,” and“architecture.”“Once I’d defined the space in

terms of words, feelings, and emo-tion, it was easy to pick the types offixtures I needed to make it happen,”remarks Lafortune. “When you sitdown with the director, you discardimages—sometimes a lot are dis-carded. At some point, you say,‘Okay, this is it. This is the show; thisis the character of the lighting. Now,how do I make this happen technical-ly?’ It goes way beyond illuminationand way beyond the technology; youare having a conversation at a wholedifferent level with the director beforeyou start talking about fixtures and

colors. I think it is a more intuitiveaspect of lighting design.”Leafing through Lafortune’s book

of ideas, it is easy to see why he likesworking like this. It provides him witha safety net of sorts with his director,a method of checking that they areboth on the same page. “It is scarywhen you don’t have this,” he says.“The technology is not rocket sci-ence; it is not that intimidating. It isintimidating when you don’t knowwhat to do with it, when you don’t doyour homework, don’t know the char-acter of the space, or what it is goingto look like, and you are then facedwith purchasing fixtures.”Lafortune knows what he’s talking

about, because, typically with aCirque production, he begins workingin a vacuum. Since construction ofthe theatre commences before thereis little, if any, idea of what the finalshow will look like, the designer has

to do a certain amount of crystal-ballgazing and covering his bases. (Aswell as designing the show, Lafortuneworked with Farmer, specifying thetheatre infrastructure.) “It is always abit of a challenge,” he laughs.“Contractually, we have to makesome decisions early on in theprocess. We want to be financiallyresponsible, so we don’t delay thedecisions too much. However, there isan old expression: ‘You can pay menow or you can pay me later—but ifyou pay me later, it is going to costyou a whole lot more.’ We try todesign a system that is fairly conven-tional. We knew with KÀ what thethrows were going to be, so we knewthat we were going to be using small-er apertures. We also have a greatrelationship with the various manufac-turers when it comes to swapping outequipment.”In KÀ, Lafortune has designed a

Let battle commence! The Sand Cliff

Deck is raised into place to become the

battlefield for the production’s finale.

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cinematic experience for theatre. Theirony, of course, is that he has done itat a time when more and moremovies are creating theatrical effectsusing moving lights. Lafortune’s useof fixed instruments—I hesitate to usethe word conventional, consideringthe disparate sources—makes thisachievement all the more remarkable.Perhaps the greatest compliment thatI can pay him is to say that, for themost part, the lighting is not notice-able, even to those looking to reviewit. It blends in effortlessly with the restof the production and is integrated tosuch an extent that it is difficult toknow when the lighting design endsand the scenic design begins.

Jonathan Deans: Focused

Sound Design

“As a sound designer, one thingthat I have always wanted to do isput speakers in the seats,” laughsJonathan Deans.And so he has done it. Each seat

in the auditorium has a pair of driversmounted into each headrest, whichmakes up the lion’s share of the2,296 loudspeaker cabinets, usingover 4,700 drivers, employed in KÀ.In addition, the designer also has aMeyer MILO line-array system inplace as the main PA, which is aug-mented by Nexo, EAW, Turbosound,and additional Meyer cabinetsaround the theatre and backstage. “Ninety percent of the time, there

is audio going into the seats,” saysDeans. “You are only aware of it 15%of the time; however, if you turn theseats off, everyone notices. I wouldgo into all these meetings with peo-ple saying they could not hear theseat speakers. I would run the sys-tem for them without the main PA,and say, ‘This is the level it is runningat during the show.’ They’d say, ‘No,this can’t be; we don’t hear it during

the show.’ To which I’d reply, ‘Do youhave to?’”At the heart of the audio in the KÀ

Theatre is an LCS Variable RoomAcoustics System (VRAS) which wasspecified by acousticians PMK(Pelton Marsh Kinsella) Consultants.Forty microphones placed in theauditorium and stage are used tocapture the sounds of the room.These sounds are fed through a mul-titude of magic boxes and reverbera-tion algorithms and are sent backthrough the loudspeaker system.Unusually for VRAS, Deans is usingthe KÀ loudspeaker system ratherthan a separate loudspeakers andamplifiers. “The cost savings are huge as

opposed to other systems, where thespeakers and amplifiers are sepa-rate,” says Deans. “I worked closelywith PMK to make sure that thespeakers were compatible and whatthe intention of each speaker was.That way, we knew what I wanted todo, and what they needed. If I wasmissing an area that they needed, orI was doing something that they did-n’t need, we’d play around to see ifwe could balance the system whileusing the same speakers and ampli-fiers.”The KÀ Theatre is a dry room, as

Deans demonstrates by clapping hishands in the auditorium. VRAS, how-ever, allows him to change theroom’s acoustics and create an envi-ronment as the audience enters theauditorium. “Cirque wants to be ableto have the infectiousness of audi-ence members being aware of theperson next to them when theyapplaud—while still having a dryroom. That way, we can produce thelevels that one needs without itsounding like we are in an aircrafthanger. VRAS is an acoustical toolthat got put in because it allows us

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to do that. We can basically tunethe room to simulate any space ofthis size.”VRAS, however, is not just an

environmental tool, as Deans con-tinues to explain. “VRAS is cue-able. We can tell it what kind ofreverberation time we want it to beand we can also have early reflec-tions. As a designer, I can chooseto break VRAS; I can do somethingand it says ‘No, you can’t do that.You are going to have early reflec-tions and echoes,’ and I say, ‘Ohyeah, cool.’”By manipulating the time delay of

the seat loudspeakers, Deans focus-es the sound to provide an extra

subliminal hint as to where the audi-ence’s attention should be, so asnot to miss anything in the vastenvironment of the KÀ Theatre. Theauditorium is split into 16 separatezones, each with a left and rightoutput. Each zone is as short, front-to-back, as possible, normally fouror five rows, depending on auditori-um’s curve. A zone is defined by thepoint where the time delay goesbeyond what is controllable.

“We can be in the middle of ascene, enveloped by it, and thenzoom out,” remarks Deans. “Itshould be a subliminal addition tosupport the story. It is actually bet-ter than headphones, because weare able to move or pan the soundout of the seats overhead, into therear, into another zone of seating,into the side walls or into the linearrays. With headphones, you arestill trapped within them. It is as ifwe are using a zoom camera but inaudio terms.”The sound for KÀ is superb.

Listening for the seat loudspeakers,one can be aware of the subtleacoustic manipulation taking place.That said, for the majority of theshow, I sat immersed in the worldthat Cirque du Soleil has created .Even being aware of what wasgoing on technically does notdetract from the overall experi-ence—and in some ways itenhances it.

A world of special effects

In addition, the story of KÀ is punc-tuated by an extensive lineup ofspecial effects, including show,mist, wind, atmospheric haze,ground fog, smoke, propane gas,pyro, and showers of sparks. Thesewere designed by special effectsmaster Gregory Meeh, of Jauchemand Meeh, with engineering and

installation handled by AdvancedEntertainment Systems. MatDillingham of AES notes that sixmonths were required to install thespecial effects into the theatre.Several companies were involved

in this aspect of production.Dillingham says that 60 MDGmachines were installed to create allof the show’s atmospheric effects.Sigma Services installed thepropane gas equipment and thespark effects were created by PhilCory Special Effects. DMX distribu-tion is handled by the StrandShownet system. Mist, he adds, “iscreated by atomized water vapor—asystem built and installed by us.”The wind effects, adds

Dillingham, consist of “approximate-ly 40 fans placed in strategic places,mostly to distribute the fog andsmoke effects.” Perhaps the biggestchallenge, here, he says, was get-ting fog effects into the elevatorsdistributed around the set. “Weneeded a hose delivery system thatcould distribute fog up to 35’.” Thesystem, he notes, “is based on vol-ume chambers placed under theelevators, equipped with fans.Injections of smoke are pumped upthrough hosing into these chambers,which contain machines to add sup-plemental smoke.” Dillingham alsonotes that a six-man crew, headedby Jeff Schaen, is required to keepon top of all the show’s effects.

KÀ is entertainment pure andsimple; it is also live technical the-atre at its very best—pushing theenvelope of what is possible whilenever losing sight of its goal: toenhance, rather than detract orovershadow, the performances on-stage.

KÀ is worth every extortionatepenny the box office is asking. I’llsee you there.

Above: The Archers make plans on the

Tatami Deck. Below, left: The Wheel of

Death in motion.

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After 20 years in the business, it’s rare that I see a live show andsay, “Wow—how did they do that?” But when I saw KÀ, I wasso amazed that I felt compelled to write a behind-the-scenesdetail piece, something I haven’t done in many years. Under the brilliant creative leadership of Robert Lepage and

the Cirque team, the technology in KÀ is completely at the serv-ice of the art. While KÀ certainly could be called a spectacle, itcertainly is not a case where the technology trumps the art, likeone of those depressing high-concept special-effects actionmovies. In many ways, KÀ is an example of the kind of show I’vebeen hoping would exist—and have been advocating for—formany years, because the performers are often in control of thetechnology, rather than the other way around, and the technolo-gy is integral to the performance, not a gimmick. In KÀ, the tech-nology allows the show to connect with and reach the audience,extending the performance; it doesn’t get in the way.

Scenic Automation

There is no stage in KÀ. There is simply a huge pit, from whichenormous performance spaces rise, descend, track, tilt, andswivel. The scenic elements were conceptualized by Mark Fisher;the Tatami Deck and the Gantry were designed by the entertain-ment team at the McLaren Engineering Group in West Nyack,New York, starting in late 2002; McLaren also engineered the


THE STORY OF KÀ, PART II

AMIR PIRZADEH

Above: performers rehearsing one of the vertical battle scenes under

work light on the Sand Cliff deck. Above right: The Sand Cliff deck

rotated to a different position.

HOW DID A look at the scenic automation,

By John Huntington

AMIR PIRZADEH

Sand Cliff deck, which was designedby Tomcat. (The other scenic pieceswere done in-house at Cirque duSoleil, with the company also han-dling the integration of the pieces.)“Mark is a very clever man,” saysMcLaren Engineering presidentMalcolm McLaren. “He thinks motionthrough, and he has a very goodunderstanding of the mechanics thatit takes to drive these things. Sowhen he gives us his thoughts on

how something could be actuated, herespects the laws of physics.”

The Gantry Lift

The enormous 50’x25’ Sand CliffDeck is actuated by the Gantry Lift,the largest and most incredible ele-ment of the scenic automation sys-tem—a mechanism you’d be morelikely to see in an aluminum smeltingplant than a theatre. The Gantry Liftmechanism can rotate the Sand CliffDeck 360° at 2RPM (which is 12° persecond) tilt it from flat up 100°(beyond vertical), and track the wholething up and down vertically nearly70’ at 2’ per second. Determining themaximum speeds of the Gantry Liftmechanism was a critical part of thedesign process, since a faster movemeant more horsepower was needed.To make these horsepower calcula-tions, McLaren made extensive use ofsophisticated MSC Nastran design

simulation software. However,Nastran “was designed for mechanicsand assembly lines and so forth,”explains McLaren’s Murphy Gigliotti,“so we actually had to write a cueautomation front end for Nastran inExcel.” The smallest amount of power

needed to make the gantry lift workas desired was “just less than a loco-motive,” says McLaren. After calculat-ing all the trade-offs and determining

the maximum move velocities, theresulting KÀ hydraulic power plantwas designed for 1,250 HP continu-ous from electric pumps, and,according to McLaren, about6,000HP stored as hydraulic pressurein giant accumulators for peak usageduring high-power cues. “Thehydraulic power plant,” explainsJames Tomlinson, the head ofautomation for KÀ, “will fully pressur-ize the accumulators (approximately1,700 gallons) in about five minutes.The accumulator bank is reminiscentof the missile tube scene from [the1990 film] The Hunt for Red October.”The Gantry Lift mechanism itself

tracks on two enormous 4’ diametersteel tubes that run from the lowestfloor of the building to the roof, made,along with the rest of the “static”steel, by Fabriweld, of Salt Lake City,Utah, a company whose primarybusiness is roller coasters and other

enormous structures. McLarenEngineering was initially told thatthese tubes could be connected tothe massive existing structure of theMGM’s roof, but, partway through thedesign process, compliance withseismic regulations resulted in a newanswer of no. Therefore, the teamhad to come up with an enormousbracing structure for the tubes, creat-ing a sort of freestanding 75’ tall“building within the building,” accord-

ing to Stephen Sywak of McLaren.Many details were considered; theenormous vertical tubes are even fit-ted with acoustical dampers to keepthem from acting like “pipe organtubes.”A massive 6’ diameter cross tube,

called the “torque tube, connects thetwo ‘hammerheads,’” says Tomlinson,“which are guided by 75- and 150-toncapacity Hilman rollers traveling onsteel wear plates on the columns.”The rollers, made by the Hilman com-pany of Marlboro, New Jersey, aregenerally used to move massiveloads, like oil rigs components, entirebuildings, and bridges.Perpendicularly attached to the cen-ter of the torque tube is an arm whichgoes out, towards the audience, to apivot joint called the “wrist,” which,according to Tomlinson, “includes a10’ diameter Rotek bearing typicallyused in tower cranes,” and connects


THEY DO THAT? projection, and show control systems in KÀ



to the Sand Cliff Deck itself. Themoving parts of the Gantry Lift weremade by Timberland Industries fromWoodstock, Canada, a companywhose primary business is offshoreand timber harvesting equipment,giant winches and other huge mecha-nisms. The whole torque tube assem-bly and arm gets lifted, saysMcLaren, “by what we understand tobe the longest cylinders ever pro-duced in North America—a 70’stroke. When they are fully extended,the cylinders are 145’ long.” Thecylinders are so massive that theymust only ever be in tension—if putunder a compressive load, they mightbuckle.The cylinders were made byParker, of Cleveland, Ohio and sup-plied (with the rest of the hydraulicsystem) by Atlantic IndustrialTechnologies, of Islandia, New York,working in conjunction with GS-HydroU.S. Inc., of League City, Texas. Evengetting the cylinders to the siteproved a challenge. “We had to getspecial trusses fabricated,” saysMcLaren’s integration project manag-er, Jay Reichgott, “just to support the75’ hydraulic cylinders during transit.”

The Sand Cliff Deck

The 80,000lb. Sand Cliff Deck wasmanufactured by Tomcat USA inMidland, Texas. Longue Vue Sceniqueof Montreal, according to Tomlinson,“supervised the artistic treatment ofthe playing surface by Tomcat staff.”The deck is over 6’ thick, and,according to William Gorlin, McLarenEngineering VP, consists of, “a steelprimary truss structure that bolts tothe slew ring. Mounted to that steelstructure is an aluminum outer struc-

ture and deck system; it’s configuredso that you can have techniciansinside to service all the pieces.”During one part of the show, addsTomlinson, “an 8 x 16’ ‘refuge’ plat-form flies in from the grid and attach-es to one end of the vertical SandCliff Deck, then moves with the SandCliff Deck as it rotates, tilts, anddescends to the basement. It has atrap door for access to and from theSand Cliff catwalk system.”In addition to lifts and other fea-

tures of the deck, there are 80 pegs,each roughly 2’ long, manufacturedby Microtrol of Montreal, that canshoot out at 8’ per second. At thatvelocity, the pegs appear to the audi-ence in a quarter second, which issurprisingly fast since they are run byelectric linear actuators. These pegswere designed so that performers canslide, swing between, and catch themwhen the Sand Cliff Deck is vertical.Many performers slide more than 60’from this platform to their “deaths,”where they land on an enormous,hydraulically tensioned safety net inthe pit, out of sight of the audience.Some falls are so extreme that airbags are placed on top of safety netsto break the performer’s fall.In one stunning scene, the Sand

Cliff Deck is covered with “sand;”then the deck is raised before oureyes and the sand pours off. Realsand was originally considered butabandoned, due to weight and dustissues. The team considered walnutshells and Santoprene, but eventuallychose cork. The material is containedon the edges of the deck by 3” “flip-pers,” run by 18 electrical actuators,which are retracted when the materialis dumped.

The Tatami Deck

The 30 x 30’, 75,000lb. Tatami deck is

“No one wanted to be

the one to flip the

switch the first time.

The system was so

expensive and massive

that there was no room

for error.”

A view into the pit at one of the safety nets.

AMIR PIRZADEH


an amazing feat of engineering andconstruction, but it’s actually the“small” piece on the show. The deckwas named, according to Tomlinson,“because the opening scene withTatami mats was to play there,” butthat scene was later moved to theSand Cliff Deck. The Tatami deck issupported by a giant, 65’ long, two-stage “drawer slide” mechanism,which is tilted at a 4° rake towardsthe audience from its anchorageupstage, with 45’-6” of cantilever.The Tatami deck and mechanism isactuated by 75 and 150 HP electricmotors, and was built by Show-Canada in Montreal, with scenic treat-ment again by Longue Vue Scenique.

Scenic Automation ControlControlling all this scenic automa-

tion equipment was the dauntingchallenge taken up by StageTechnologies, which has offices inLondon and Las Vegas. The compa-ny’s Nomad system for KÀ controlsover 40 arbor winches; 16 high-speedwinches for the performers in the bat-tle scenes, each axis with individualradio control; five lifts controlled by26 motors; a giant bird flown over theaudience, controlled via five 2,200lbwinches with wings flapped by per-formers; the 80 pegs in the Sand Cliffdeck; three small pod lifts [called“sand traps,” according toTomlinson]; 12 winches for the forestscene; 18 hydraulic safety net winch-es in the pit; and 16 actuators for theSand Cliff deck’s edges. Control is highly distributed

throughout the system. “We have 17nodes in the theatre, each controllingup to 40 axes,” explains Kevin Taylor,Stage Technologies’ director of elec-trical engineering. “The desk sendscommands to the nodes, and thenodes do the housekeeping, whilstthe axes deal with actual positioncontrol. There are the Delta Tau[hydraulic control] nodes, 12 Siemens

S7_400 PLCs, and the entire safetyEstop [emergency stop] system isdone using a Siemens safety PLC. Inaddition, we have two extra proces-sors, one for the interlock system andthe other to run the 3D flying of thebird. The consoles are connectedover the primary command network,which is Ethernet, and the MaxisIDinternally positioning drives connectto the node PLCs over ProfiBus. Aseparate high-speed deterministicnetwork is used for synchronization.The crew uses four desks during theshow, with a fifth backup in the eventof a failure, and, happily, we have hadno desk failures to date. In addition,we provide a local backup networkwith a completely independent pathfor controlling axes via a hand heldHMI in a crisis. In the worst case, dur-ing the climb scene using the pegs,we could be running 90 axes at once.

The majority of the time, we are run-ning 20-25 axes at once. In the eventof a motor failure, we can continue torun the lifts right down until only twoare left. The lifts are the show, sothere is a huge amount of redundancythere.”

Hydraulic Control

While the Stage Technologies systemprovides overall control of thescenery, the hydraulics control is han-dled by Tisfoon Ulterior Systems, ofRaleigh, North Carolina, using a DeltaTau motion-control system as a basis.“We provided Tisfoon with a spec atthe beginning of the project,” explainsTaylor, “to enable us to make it mimicstandard axes [in the Nomad control

In this work light shot, the massive Sand

Cliff deck is at about mid-height, with the

Tatami deck retracted upstage.

COURTESY OF M

CLAREN ENGINEERING

46 • April 2005 • Lighting&SoundAmerica46 • April 2005 • Lighting&SoundAmerica


system]. The operator can instruct theaxes to move to a different dead [tar-get position] at a different speed forevery cue as he so wishes.” TheTisfoon system takes it from there,and also provides a local controller sothat the hydraulic systems can be runindependently of the Nomad. To pro-tect the cylinders, the Tisfoon systemprovides “a closed loop ‘charge-up’of the rod side of the cylinder beforereleasing the brakes,” explains thecompany’s president and chief soft-ware engineer Amir Pirzadeh. “Thisinsures that the valves are operationaland that there is oil in the rod sidebefore the brakes are released. The

load balancing is a closed-loop sys-tem on top of the regular positioningloop. This system uses the load cellinformation from the four cylinders tolead or lag an upstage axis (relative todownstage) for proper load balanc-ing.” The Tisfoon system incorporatesa “VCR” feature, where all data relat-ed to the hydraulic systems is loggedevery 100ms continuously for 24hours; if a problem develops, preciseinformation is later available for trou-bleshooting. “No one wanted to bethe one to flip the switch the firsttime,” says Pirzadeh, only partly injest. “The system was so expensiveand massive that there was no roomfor error. I was not only the developer,but became the de-facto operator, aswell.”

Performer Winches

Some of the most incredible scenesin KÀ are the “vertical battles,” whereperformers appear to defy gravitywhile battling on the Sand Cliff Deckin an almost vertical position. In fact,they are supported on high-speedwinches supplied by StageTechnologies. Each of the 16 per-formers controls his own movementthrough a radio control, with thetransmitter in his costume, using ahandset controller. “The winches”,explains Stage Technologies’ Taylor,“are capable of running at up to 14’per second, and accelerating anddecelerating in .75 seconds. Theradio units are a standard componentsupplied from Germany, meet thevery highest standards, and, in theevent of [interference], shut down toprevent unauthorized movement.” Malcolm McLaren, summing up

the team’s experience on KÀ, says,“When the Ford Motor Companyreleases a new car, they design it,test it, crash it, run it around the tracka few thousand times, tweak it, alterit, and value-engineer it. We have tobuild one prototype and it has towork, with time and budget con-straints. It’s not easy, and the tricksjust keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Projections

One of the most groundbreakingaspects of KÀ is Holger Förterer’sinteractive projection design. “Iattempt to express poetry, emotion,and content in the language of math-ematics and algorithms,” he explains.“This is my artistic language, and theresult on-stage is referred to ‘aug-mented reality.’ We do not use anyreal video footage in the imagery ofthe production—all images are gener-ated on-the-fly by the projection com-puter in real time using physical orartificial simulation. Water, stone,clouds, air are all completely synthe-sized by the image computer—at the

McLaren's schematic view of the Gantry

Crane mechanism and bracing structure.

COURTESY OF M

CLAREN ENGINEERING

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 47www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 47

same instant they are shown—andreact to the action on stage.” This isthe hallmark of Förterer and histeam’s work on KÀ—the performersare actually controlling the imagerythat surrounds them in a fully interac-tive and meaningful way. While, ofcourse, there is a tight structure and

some general predictability to theperformers’ motions for story andsafety reasons, Förterer says, “Wegive the performers the freedom toimprovise and follow the set wherev-er it moves.” Tracking the Performers

The freedom to which Förterer refersis quite apparent when you see theshow. In one example, a scenecalled “The Deep”—a giant ship fullof performers is raised, and perform-

ers fall off and “drown,” descendingalmost the entire stage space, fol-lowed by a trail of bubbles. Förterer istracking the performers, creating thebubble images in real time and pro-jecting them onto the scrim. “Here,we are using camera tracking,”explains Förterer. “We are lighting theactors with invisible infrared LEDlight. The IR camera acquires theirmovement through a scrim ontowhich we project the bubbles. Theuse of infrared light is necessary toavoid feedback of the projectedimage into the camera and be able tolight the scene brightly without theaudience noticing anything. My track-er picks up movement in the sceneand generates bubbles based on thesize and motion of the objects caus-ing it. This is one of the scenes whereprojection helps in telling the story.”

Scenic Interactions

In “The Climb”, “The Blizzard,” and—the most astonishing scene of theshow—“The Battle,” Förterer not onlytracks the performers themselves, butcan sense how they are interactingwith the scenery. For example, underthe Taraflex performance surface ofthe Sand Cliff Deck, are sensing tilesmanufactured by Les AteliersNumériques of Montreal, which turnthe entire deck into (to overly simplifyfor the purposes of explanation) agiant touchscreen. Förterer uses thisinformation to create graphical wavesand other images that radiate outfrom where the performers’ feet con-tact the deck, or to create interactivefalling “rocks” that they must dodge.“The system of sensors in the deckwas specifically created for this showby the interface designer and inventorPhilippe Jean from Montreal,”explains Förterer. “It works on a tech-nology comparable to the musicalinstrument theremin, which allowsmusicians to control electronicinstruments by moving their hands in

McLaren's schematic view of the enormous

Tatami Deck "drawer slide" mechanism.

McLaren: “When the Ford Motor Company

releases a new car, they design it, test it,

crash it, run it around the track a few thousand

times, tweak it, alter it, and value-engineer it.

We have to build one prototype and it has

to work with time and budget constraints.

It’s not easy, and the tricks just keep getting

bigger and bigger.”

COURTESY OF M

CLAREN ENGINEERING

48 • April 2005 • Lighting&SoundAmerica48 • April 2005 • Lighting&SoundAmerica


the air. The deck is literally able to‘sense’ the proximity and presence ofthe artists to and on the surface. Themaximum sensor depth is approxi-mately 4”. So it makes a difference ifyou are very close to the surface, tip-toeing, or sliding across it at a certaindistance.” JT Tomlinson, Cirque’shead of automation, adds, “The sens-ing tiles system detects performerlocations on a 6” grid pattern allacross the deck and can simultane-ously report every one of those coor-dinates, at 60Hz, via Ethernet.” With all that imagery created in

real time, Förterer then projects itonto real, physical, three-dimension-al, moving scenery, and the approachis so effective that many in the audi-ence won’t even realize they arelooking at projections. To accomplishthis, Förterer must track the move-ments of the scenery exactly. Theprojection system “listens to posi-tions that multicast out through theNomad system,” explains KevinTaylor, Stage Technologies director ofelectrical engineering. “The positionsfrom this system are sent every50msec, and because of the size ofthe pieces a lot of the data is sent in1,000th or 10,000th of a degree reso-lution.” To cope with the latency of

the various systems, and potentialencoder error, Förterer says, “Weactually use an adaptive physicalmodel that predicts the position ofthe stage into the future and smoothsthose values correctly to avoid bothlag and jitter, so we’re always on. Iwas surprised myself to see this worksmoothly after punching in the mathsfor a month, but I think we mastered

something you could never pre-cueor plan, since every show will notonly be slightly different on the artis-tic, but also on the technical side.”

Projecting it All

Three converged Barco Director R18DLP projectors are used to give therequired brightness and project fromthe back of the auditorium to createa canvas across a large part of theperformance area. “Theoretically, wecould project onto any moving sur-face within the show,” explainsFörterer. “We are using different con-vergence files [which call up differentprojector settings] to take care of thedepth ranges. We are also usingdousers in the drowning scene toavoid hard edges of video blackresulting of the coupling, and to beable to kill all projection in an emer-gency.” All projections on the main

Förterer: “I attempt to express poetry,

emotion, and content in the language of

mathematics and algorithms. This is my artistic

language, and the result on-stage is referred

to ‘augmented reality.’”

Förterer's projections can be seen clearly

in this photo, although to fully appreciate

them you have to see them in motion.

TOMAS M

USCIONICO

www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 49www.lightingandsoundamerica.com • April 2005 • 49

moving stage use 3D modeling, “butwe use a technique [similar to] thebubbles in the drowning scene tomatch the position of the actors one-by-one,”says Förterer. “A two-dimen-sional distort[ed] image would nothave hit the main stage without caus-ing warping on the close or faredge.”

Infrastructure

Förterer needed a lot of computerhorsepower and I/O for this project,and also had to ensure that the sys-tem can be maintained and updatedover the projected 10-year run of theshow. “We are using dual-processorPCs,” he explains, “to ensure fastcalculations and display of all virtualsimulation and imagery. We keptaway from most proprietary pack-ages. Windows-dependency wasreduced to a minimum; we are usingOpenGL, and we skipped using theIntel Performance Libraries, since Istrived for minimum dependency onthe platform or processors used. Nottoo many portions of the code wouldhave to be rewritten if the [IT] marketwent berserk for whatever reason.”With projections so critical to the

show, Förterer had to also ensurethat there was sufficient redundancyin the system. “We have a backupPC for all vital systems,” he explains.“Switching to backup systems ispartly automated. On a crash of themain computer, the backup computerwould automatically take over withina maximum of two seconds, causingthe Barco projectors to smoothlyfade into the new system’s video out-put. This would be much faster thanthe operator could diagnose theproblem and react by himself.”The front end for the system is

actually a lighting desk, and, saysFörterer, “we are not connected tothe rest of lighting, to avoid both sys-tems going down at the same time.Luc Lafortune prepared backup light-

ing if projections should fail—and if acertain part of lighting should, we arestill ready to go.”

Show Control

As a show control guy who has seenand enjoyed almost every Cirqueproduction since 1991, it has alwaysbothered me that some of the cuetimings across and between depart-ments were not as tight as theycould have been. This is not thecase on KÀ, and this is partlybecause of the use of show controlfor certain aspects of the show. Awidely misused and misunderstoodterm, show control simply meansinterconnecting more than one pro-duction element control system(scenery, projections, sound, etc.),and on KÀ, says Förterer, “our sys-tem is networked to quite a few sys-tems in the theatre.” The projectionsystem receives positional data fromthe scenic automation systems asdetailed above, and then also com-municates via Ethernet to sound.“We get data from projections,”explains sound designer JonathanDeans, “and then convert it (via MAXMSP [software]) to MIDI to triggerour effects.” In some scenes, thisstructure allows performers to notonly generate imagery interactively,but trigger sound effects as well.Cirque has recently been implement-ing show control systems on itscruise ship projects. However, for themore traditional shows, KÀ is “thefirst attempt for two departments tolink,” according to Deans, who hasworked on many Cirque productionsfor more than 10 years.Rigid, time-based control is what

most people think of when they thinkof show control, and this approachhas become routine in many showstoday. However, the distributed andinteractive interconnection seen onKÀ and other recent projects is aneven more interesting and powerful

way forward, and is one that I hopewe will see more of in the future fromCirque and others.Everyone I know is tiring of me

talking about this show, but I have tosay that KÀ is now Mecca for any-one interested in the intersection ofart and technology for live perform-ance. You should make the pilgrim-age yourself, and it’s worth ploppingdown $150 for the ticket, as I did.KÀ sets a new standard in artisticuse of technology, raising the bar sohigh I’m not sure who will have theimagination and resources to exceedit.

(John Huntington is an AssociateProfessor of EntertainmentTechnology at NYC College ofTechnology, and is author of the firstbook on entertainment and showcontrol: Control Systems for LiveEntertainment. He can be reachedthrough his consulting company athttp://www.zircondesigns.com/.)

Two screen captures from the Stage

Technologies Nomad scenic automa-

tion system showing some of the

show’s systems.

COURTESY OF STAGE TECHNOLOGIES

The theatre that houses KÀ has beendescribed here as a unique space; itsmost extraordinary aspect may bethat it was achieved within the con-fines of an existing building. The for-mer home of EFX was reduced to ashell and a completely new theatreand lobby put in its place, accommo-dating the design and productionrequirements of Cirque du Soleil. Although Mark Fisher is the

designer of the theatre, its executionwas an ensemble effort, involvingarchitect Marnell Corrao Associates,theatre consultant Auerbach PollockFriedlander, acousticians PeltonMarsh Kinsella, production manager

Stéphane Mongeau, technical direc-tors Paul Bates and Matthew Whelan,vice-president/production LucPlamondon, assistant vice president,production Gabriel Pinkstone, andsenior supervisor/theatre projectsDon MacLean, among others. In addi-tion, architectural lighting wasdesigned and specified by AuerbachGlasow. The two Auerbach firms willbe familiar to readers of this maga-zine—their many credits include theJudy and Arthur Zankel Hall atCarnegie Hall, the Borgata HotelCasino and Spa in Atlantic City, andthe theatre for Zumanity, anotherCirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas.

Pelton Marsh Kinsella has providedservices for numerous theatres andperforming arts centers across thecountry as well as venues such as theGolden Moon Hotel and Casino inChoctaw, Mississippi Marnell Corraohas worked for such hotel/casinoplayers as Harrah’s, MGM/Mirage,and Wynn Design and Development. As has already been stated, per-

haps the most unique aspect of thetheatre is that it lacks a traditionalstage. Instead, the show takes placewithin a 50’ deep cavity filled withmoving scenic elements. (Accordingto Michael McMakin, project manag-er, a basement was already in place


THE STORY OF KÀ, PART IIIMARK FISHER/COURTESY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

INSIDE THE THEATREHow a Vegas showroom was remade into the home of KÀBy David Barbour

from the building’s previous life, but,he adds, “A fair bit of excavation wasrequired for the gantry liftingcolumns.”) Because the performanceextends into the audience, theboundaries are blurred between showand spectators, a unity that couldprobably only be achieved in a situa-tion where the theatre and set design-ers are the same person. First, the floor area of the stage

was removed, creating an abysshousing the five stage lifts, resultingin a total of 4,950 sq. ft. of flexiblestaging area. In addition, the theatreconfiguration was altered, from acabaret space filled with booths,tables, and chairs, to a theatre thatseats 1,951 audience members. Inaddition, a new set of catwalks andgrid decking over the seating areawas added for performer access andlighting and technical systems in thefront-of-house area. The controlbooth was reconfigured to allowspace for the production’s extensivelighting, audio, projection, andautomation controls. The control suitefeatures 2,850 sq. ft. of booth spaceand 170 linear feet of glass; it offers aview of the entire performance area. Meanwhile, the building’s infra-

structure had to be totally reworkedto accommodate the production’sextensive technical needs. All spaces,including rehearsals halls, technicaloffices, training rooms, dressingrooms, shoe and costume mainte-nance areas, green rooms, and a newannex (housing Cirque du Soleiloffices, support facilities, and arehearsal room with a full-span over-head gridiron) were interconnectedwith sound, video, and communica-tions from the stage area. New struc-tural supports were added for theextensive automated rigging system,

including an 82’ long hoist-supportstructure in the arbor pit, as well as a37’ long “battle-hoist” structure onthe grid. A series of new companyswitches and equipment power weredistributed throughout the theatre, forchain hoists, special effects, and spe-cialty equipment. And a new multi-tiered rigging system was developedat the grid level to allow for sophisti-cated stage automation systems.(Jaque Paquin conceptualized anddesigned, with Pierre Mase the the-atre’s rigging and acrobatic systems;project manager Jeremy Hodgson,working with Tom Neville ofAuerbach, developed the system).Also, three high-speed data and

communications networks wereinstalled in the space. These inde-pendent systems are set up to ensurethat the automation, lighting, andhydraulic systems can function sepa-rately and also be synchronized. Eachsystem is provided with a minimumRAID-1 shared-drive array to helpensure system redundancy.In order to achieve many of the

staging effects discussed in the previ-ous articles, Auerbach PollockFriedlander developed an infrastruc-ture for the stage machinery toCirque’s criteria. This included a num-ber of elements, such as the fivestage lifts previously referred to. Also,40 individual counterweight-assistautomated hoists were mounted inthe newly configured arbor pit area.These hoists automate the operationof lighting pipes, special effects, cur-tains, and scenic elements. Five1,000kg specialty hoists weredesigned for flying human scenery ina circular path over the audience andback into the stage area and six1,000kg specialty hoists weredesigned for large scenic transitions.

An additional 16 high-speedhoists are used for flying humanscenery for a dynamic encountersequence involving several perform-

ers. Here is another instance in whichthe performers control the technolo-gy: each of them controls his or herown hoist via a wireless controllerintegrated into his or her costume.Using this system, one can travel upor down at a maximum of 4’ per sec-ond. There are also 18 high-speedmooring hoists to enable the rapiddeployment of the safety nets used inthe battle sequence. These hydraulichoists can deploy the safety nets inless than 10 seconds. Then there arethe 80 high-speed scenic pegs, men-tioned earlier, which are actuatedfrom within the Sand Cliff Deck.The implementation of the Gantry

and Sand Cliff Deck was also a groupeffort. Jay Reichgott, the systemsintegrator of McLaren Engineering,coordinated the installation, tuning,and acceptance-test procedures ofthe Gantry. Jeremy Hodgson,Cirque's automation project managerkept an eye on the project. Projectmanager David Prior coordinated thefabrication, installation, and integra-tion of the Sand Cliff Deck, workingwith Tomcat. During the acceptancetest procedures, Tom Neville ofAuerbach, served as facilitator. TheSand Cliff Deck system, the largestever installed in a theatre, makes itpossible to move a 280,000lb. scenicelement at 2’ per second. There were extensive rigging and

automation issues to be addressed,as well. The theatre’s fly tower wasre-rigged with manual and counter-weight-assist linesets. The workingareas over the stage and audiencewere equipped to support motorizedspot winches. Working together, the lighting staff

at Cirque du Soleil, including lightingdesigner Luc Lafortune and lightingdirector Jeanette Farmer, andAuerbach Pollock Friedlander devel-oped one of the largest and mostcomplex theatrical lighting networksever designed for a single venue. A


Mark Fisher’s stunning picture of the the-

atre reveals many key characteristics,

including the Post and Beam structure.


THE STORY OF KÀ, PART III

completely new dimmer system wasinstalled, consisting of 24 Strand SLDseries dimmer racks in three dimmerrooms. Two thousand twenty-six 20Adimmers and forty-five 50A dimmersare network-controlled. All dimmersare status-reporting, with local PCsrunning Reporter Pro for this purposein each dimmer room. In addition tothe main dimmer racks, two remotedimmer packs are located in theSand/Cliff Deck and are controlled viawireless Ethernet. There is extensive distribution of

20A and 50A dimmed circuits, utiliz-ing custom-fabricated plug boxes. Awide-ranging system of cable trayswas installed throughout to allowmulti-cable distribution from these cir-cuit boxes to virtually any light fixturehanging in the theatre. Emergencypower transfer to selected architec-tural circuits is handled with six 24-circuit, UL 1008-compliant emergencytransfer panels. All networked powercircuits for consoles, PCs, and othersensitive computer-grade compo-nents are on dedicated centralizedUPS circuits. A large system ofswitched loads of 120V single-phaseand 280V single-phase are distributedthroughout the theatre and are undernetwork control. Lighting control is provided by two

Strand 550i 54-submaster consoles,each with 6,000 channels and quadvideo displays; four Strand 520i 24-submaster consoles with 6,000 chan-nels and dual video displays; twoStrand 510i rack-mount consoles with6,000 channels, and two High EndSystems Wholehog II consoles withStrand ShowNet network nodes.Forty universes of DMX can be mixedand matched to any of the 100 dou-ble-network taps distributed through-out the theatre. Sixty portable SN 110nodes are available, all using powerover Ethernet ports. There are fivewireless data access points allowinguse of handheld wireless remotes,

and/or a remote wireless notebookfor console video displays anywherein the theatre. (Michael Lay was proj-ect manager for Strand).All network equipment is housed in

nine racks interconnected with threefully redundant fiber-optic backbones.All network switches/hubs are man-aged and patch bays are included forall taps and nodes. AMX-based cardracks are also located in the racks foruse of touch screens for network,house, and work light controls, andnetwork video distribution electronicsfor touch screen feeds. In addition,the racks include space for systemfile servers and rack-mount consoles.Remote AMX-driven color touchscreens, in both fixed and portableconfigurations, are located throughoutthe theatre for use by stage managersand lighting technicians to control cuelights, rehearsal lights (featuring digi-tal virtual sliders) and to view remotestage video feeds.Beyond lighting, extensive sound,

video, and production communica-tions systems were designed for thespace in close cooperation withCirque du Soleil’s audio staff andJonathan Deans. The Level ControlSystems (LCS) computer-controlledaudio matrix and processing systemis in three sections: front-of-house,stage monitoring, and VRAS. Thefront of house system controls 144sources in 184 matrix outputs. LCS is

also used to control the stage moni-toring system with a 112 x 80 matrix.Modular Cue Console control sur-faces are used for sophisticated livemixing and routing control of micro-phones and other musical instru-ments and effects sources. The LCSVirtual Room Acoustics System(VRAS), as has been previously dis-cussed, is used to enhance and aug-ment room acoustics, providing real-time ability to alter reverberation timeand delay characteristics as needed,using a 40 x 128 routing matrix andspecial DSP processors. Much more gear was specified for

the production. Eighty-eight channelsof Aphex remote-controlled micro-phone preamplifiers are provided.More than 90 primary and surroundloudspeaker systems by MeyerSound (MILO, CQ, and UPA series)Nexo (PS series), and EAW are locat-ed throughout the stage and auditori-um. Effect processors are by t.c.electronic, Presonus, dbx, KlarkTeknik, and Aphex. Sennheiser pro-vided 16 wireless mic channels.In terms of communications sys-

tems, a 72-port Clear-Com Matrix-Plus-3 digital intercom system isinterconnected with a Clear-Com72x8 analog matrix and 24 channels

In Fisher’s design, even though the the-

atre is quite large, it retains a notable

sense of intimacy.

NILS BECKER


of Telex wireless intercom. More than16 channels of in-ear monitors and 10IFB monitor channels feed 100receivers. Backstage monitoring isprovided by a BSS Soundweb com-puter-controlled monitoring and pag-ing system. The lobby playback sys-tems use Tascam 2424 hard-driveplayers and BSS Soundweb comput-er control and routing systems, whichfeed Electro-Voice special effectsloudspeakers. Custom theatre seatingwas supplied by Irwin Seating; asLeonard Auerbach himself notes,“The customized chairs were criticalto the integration of a stereo pair ofloudspeakers for each patron con-cealed in the back of each seat.”Also, more than 25 production

fixed-focus and remote-controllablecolor video cameras are routedthrough a modulated video system formonitoring performers, musicians,and critical backstage systems. AnFM assisted-listening system for thehearing-impaired is provided. The theatre is designed to provide

lighting that will begin transportingaudience members to the magicalworld of KÀ as soon as they enter thetheatre. Guests enter from the casinointo a dark, low-ceiling space withlights the color of glowing embers.Large tree trunks, banded with light,marks the edge of the main lobby,where the ceiling soars to expose thefull height of a wall, which appears tobe an inverted ancient ship’s hull.Colored light plays on the surface ofthe vessel wall. Before the perform-ance, musicians located in the treesplay the strings of a giant harp.The main lobby theatrical lighting,

designed and project-managed byFarmer (drawing inspiration fromFisher and Lafortune) is provided byETC units, using color and patternprojectors to light the floors, metalmesh wall curtains, and stringedharp. ETC Source Four Zooms lightthe vessel wall. Other Source Four

Zooms with gels light the lengths ofthe harp strings. Mole-RichardsonNooklites mounted to the exposedstructural beams are inspired by thePost and Beam design. Surface-mounted MR16 monopoints, by BKLighting, are recessed into the floor toreinforce the shape of the curvedglass wall and uplight the glass fins.Openings in the vessel wall led to

the concession counters and publicrest rooms. These spaces have anindustrial feel, with metallic paintedfinishes and glow acrylic panels inthe ceiling, walls, and the fronts ofthe counters. Fluorescent strips withdimming ballast and T8 lamps aremounted so as to be visible behindthe acrylic panels. Prescoliterecessed adjustable MR16 down-lights with colored lenses light thecounters. Compact Shaper Lightingfluorescent sconces with dimmingballast create a sense of glowingportholes leading to the rest rooms. Entering the audience chamber

from the lobby, one passes through asheet of saturated blue light into aglowing blue entry vestibule. Theblue light is created by a fiber-opticnarrow beam wall-grazer by GlassIlluminations mounted in the ceilingbehind the first set of doors.Mounted on the ceiling line at theside walls are Color KineticsColorBlaze fixtures with blue LEDs tofill the void with blue light. RecessedPrescolite adjustable MR16 units withblue glass filters provide pools oflight at the entry doors.In the audience chamber, the ramp

is lit with Architectural Area LightingOcculus fixtures above the entrydoors. Architectural MR16 and PARlamp fixtures are integrated into thePost and Beam structures. Thehouse lighting system uses KurtVersen fixtures mounted halogendownlights, each customized with ayoke and top relamping feature. Thefixtures are mounted to the technical

catwalks above the house and havenarrow or medium distributionsbased on throw distances. ETCSource Four PARs mounted to thePost and Beam structure andPrescolite recessed adjustable down-lights under the control booths sup-plement the catwalk fixtures to pro-vide uniform lighting. Bega low-volt-age halogen step lights are recessedinto the walls for egress lighting.Tivoli warm white LED seat lighting,on dimmers, provides egress lightingduring the performance. (Again, divi-sion of labor was key; Auerbach’shouse lighting system, with theexception of the Occulus fixtures anda few others, is mostly used as worklight; Lafortune designed the pre-show lighting).All this happened in a very short

12-month schedule. It’s another caseof typical Cirque magic, with a littlehelp from their friends.

An early Fisher sketch shows the absence

of a stage with one of the deck’s rising up,

bearing performers and scenery.

MARK FISHER/COURTESY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL



Production Team

Founder/CEO: Guy LalibertéCreator/Director: Robert LepageComposer/Musical Arranger: René DupéréChoreographer: Jacques HeimTheatre/Set Designer: Mark FisherCostume Designer: Marie-Chantale VaillancourtLighting Designer: Luc LafortuneSound Designer: Jonathan DeansInteractive Projections Designer: Holger FörtererPuppet Designer: Michael CurryProps Designer: Patricia RuelAcrobatic Equipment and Rigging Designer: Jaque PaquinAerial Acrobatics Designer: André SimardMakeup Designer: Nathalie Gagné

Assistant to the Director: Neilson VignolaAssistant to the Set Designer: Ray WinklerAssistant to the Costume Designer: CharlineBoulericeAssociate Lighting designer: Nol VanGenuchtenAssistant to the Sound Designer: LeonRothenbergAssistant to the Interactive ProjectionDesigner: Madeline Jean, Domink RinnhoferAssistant to the Acrobatic Equipment andRigging Designer: Pierre MasseAssistants to the Makeup Designer: FlorenceCornet, Marie RegimbaldFlame/Special Effects Consultant/Supervisor:Gregory MeehPyrotechnic Consultant: ChristopheBerthonneau of Groupe F

Technical Department

Production Manager: Stéphane MongeauAssistant to the Production Manager: Anh-Dao BuiProduction Stage Manager: Neilson VignolaProduction Coordinator: Lucie DoyonTechnical Directors: Paul Bates, Matthew WhelanTechnical Coordinator: Nathalie RailSet Project Supervisors: Guy Lemire, David Prior, Jean ThibaultAutomation Project Supervisor: Jeremy HodgsonRigging Project Supervisor: Joel SvobodaAcrobatic Project Supervisor: François LaurionRigging Supervisor: Ewen SeagelCostumes Project Supervisor: Johanne AllaireProps Project Supervisor: Jasmine CatudalSound and RF Project Supervisor: Steven DubucHead Draftsperson: Michel HébertAssistant to the Head Draftsperson: Simon LimeuxDraftspersons: Marcel Lamy, Nathalie OuimetAcrobatic Draftsperson: Philippe Rivrais

Projections Project Supervisor: Steve MontambaultProjections – Programmers: Mykel Brisson,Daniel Fournier, Peter Ibrahim, Alain TrépranierSFX Project Supervisor: Markus MauretteIT Project Supervisor: Brad GuilbaultMoving Light Operator: Hubert TardifCostumes Coordinator: Geneviève-Isabelle CaronVideographer: Marie-Pierre GuayScenic Painter: Christine Giguère

Theatre Design

Senior Supervisor, Theatre Projects: Don MacleanSupervisor, Theatre Projects: Eric ListonProject Supervisor, Theatre Construction: Richard DobbieProject Supervisor, Lighting and Electrical: Jeanette FarmerInterior Design Supervisors: Gabriel Pinkstone, Luc PlamondonSound, Video, and Communications: Jonathan Deans

Project Architect: Marell Corrao AssociatesStructural: Bennett and JimenezTheatre Consultants: Auerbach Pollock FriedlanderAcoustics: Pelton Marsh KinsellaArchitectural Lighting Design: Auerbach Glasow

Infrastructure and Stage Machinery

Stage Lifts: Gala Systems, Montréal, Quebec

Gantry Crane: McLaren Engineering Group, West Nyack, New YorkAtlantic Industrial Technologies, Islandia, New YorkTimberland Industries, Woodstock, OntarioHilliard Corporation, Elmira, New YorkFabriweld Corporation, Salt Lake City, UtahParker/Hannafin, Cleveland, OhioSick Stegmann, Dayton, OhioGS Hydro US Inc., League City, TexasSiemensDelta Tao, Citrus Heights, CaliforniaStage Technologies, London, EnglandTisphoon Ulterior Systems, Raleigh, NorthCarolina

Tatami Deck Drawer Slide: McLaren Engineering GroupShow Canada, Montréal

Post and Beams in House: WW Steel, Las Vegas PCI, Las Vegas

Masking: J.D. International, MontréalGerriets, Allentown, New Jersey

Seating: Irwin Seating, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Scenery

Sand Cliff Deck: Tomcat USA, Midland TexasLongue Vue ScenicLes Ateliers Numérique, MontréalMicrotrol, Montréal

Tatami Deck:Show CanadaCirque du SoleilLongue Vue Scenic

Forest: Arcofab, St-Foy, QuebecSM Hydraulic, MontréalCirque du Soleil

Pillars: Cirque du Soleil

Post and Beams Onstage: Service d’acier International, Montréal, QuebecCirque du Soleil

Lantern: Show CanadaSigma, Orlando, Florida

Hydraulic Crane Arm: Cirque du SoleilShow Canada

Scenic Hand Rails: Great Lakes Scenic, Burlington, Ontario

Lighting Pods:Great Lake Scenic

Spinning Sun:Copper Creek Studios, Las Vegas

Acrobatic

Harnesses: Cirque du SoleilClimbing Sutra, Las Vegas

Nets: Magneto Hydraulique et Magnétique, Boucherville, QuebecBanonetti, Milan, ItalyCirque du Soleil

Air Bags/Stunt Devices: Precision Safety Stunt Specialties, Universal City

Bird: Cirque du SoleilCurry Design, Scappoose, Oregon

Boat: Atlantix Innovations Marines, MontréalFalko, MontréalCirque du Soleil

Wheel of Death: Cirque du SoleilShow Canada

Forest: Cirque du SoleilMicrotrol


Acrobatic Pegs: MicrotrolAcrobatic Winches: Stage TechnologiesFisher Technical, Las Vegas

Acrobatic Mats/Padding: Qued (div. Seaway Plastics Ltd.). MontréalDistribution Sports et Loisir, MontréalSpeith Anderson, Toronto, OntarioRobes and Cables: Sécurité Landry, MontréalCordage Barry, MontréalSamson, Ferndale, WashingtonChaines et Elingues St.-Pierre Ltd., Montréal

Theatrical Rigging: JR Clancy, Syracuse, Stage TechnologiesAMC Fabrication, Las VegasEngineers/Consultants: McLaren Engineering GroupMartoni Cyr et Associé, MontréalSeneca Expert Conceils, MontréalSBSA, MontréalGeiger Gossen Hamilton, LIAO, Suffern, New YorkBennett and Jimenez, Las VegasSadec, Inc., MontréalSRS Technologies, MontréalInsta Design, MontréalSteve Killing Yacht Design, Midland, Ontario

Special Effects

Pyrotechnics: Advance EntertainmentServices, Millersville, Maryland

Flame Effects: Sigma Systems, Orlando

Products Used: Le Maitre, Port Huron, MichiganRES Specialty Pyrotechnics, Belle Plaine, Minnesota

Smoke Effects: MDG, MontréalInteresting Products, Chicago, IllinoisLook Systems, Ronnenberg, Germany

Various Effects: CITC, Lynnwood, WashingtonMee Industries, Monrovia, CaliforniaReel EFX, North Hollywood, California

AutomationControl System: Stage Technologies

Lighting

Assistants to the LightingDesigner: Paul Copenhaver, Alexandre TougasMoving Light Programmer: Hubert TardifLighting Consultants: Auerbach, Pollock, FriedlanderCDS Infrastructure Design: Luc Plamondon,Gabriel Pinkstone, Don Maclean, Eric Liston, Rick Dobbie, Jeanette Farmer

General Contractor: Marnell Carrao andAssociates. General Foreman: Randy KuiperElectrical Engineering: JBA and Associates. Project Lead: David Magdefrau

Electrical Contractor: Bombard Electric.Foreman: Ron HatteLighting Equipment: PRG Lighting. ProjectManager: Maggie BaileyLighting Cable: TMB Associates

Operations Team

Lighting Director: Jeanette FarmerAssistant Lighting Director: Nils BeckerLighting Operations Crew: Larry Carrasco, Selina Davenport, Chris Escher, Cliff Guiterrez, Danny Grose, Gabriel Hernandez, Martin Isaac, Bernie Lehman, Curt McCormick, Jon Mytyk, Majid Khazal, Liz Koch, Chris Kortum, Jeff Kyrish, Alan Pilukas, Stuart Pitz, Jon Pullen, Doc Roth, Tony Saurini, Mike Wescoatt, Susan Wilson

Dimming and Control: Strand Lighting

Lighting Equipment: ETC, Selecon, Altman, James Thomas Engineering, Strand, McMaster, Mole-Richardson, Robert Juliat, Pani, LTM, Arri, Hubbell, Clay Paky, Vari*Lite, Martin Professional, Lightning Strikes, Rosco, Gamproducts, City Theatrical, Color Kinetics, Encapsulite, MGM, McAllister, Wybron

Projection Equipment: Barco, Dell, Wybron, Cisco

Sound

Assistant to the Sound Designer: LeonRothenbergAudio Consultants: Auerbach ConsultantsSenior Audio Consultant: Paul GarrityAudio Consultant: Matt EzoldSound Contractor: Solotech, Inc.Project Manager: Bob BarbagalloSales Director: Mario DuchesneInside Sales Coordinator: Mathieu TallionOnsite Supervisors: Patrick Marleau, Mario LamyElectrical Contractor: Bombard Electric

Sound Equipment

FOH Cue Console Mixing/Processing System: Level Control Systems, Sierra Automation, Klark-Teknik, Aphex, Solotech

Monitor Control/Equipment: LCS, Apple

Monitor Console Position: LCS

Backup Switching: Sierra Automation, Klark-Teknik, Yamaha, t.c electronic, Akai, TascamWireless Mic System: Sennheiser

Signal Processing/RecordingPlayback: Presonus, True Systems, Alesis, Avalon

FOH Console Position: LCS

FOH Sound Effects

Position: LCS, Lorg, MOTU, Apple, Aphex, Yamaha, Sierra Automation, Compaq

Console Processing: t.c. electronic, Helicon, Presonus, dbx, MIDI Solutions, Peavey, Denon, Henry Engineering, Littlite

Loudspeaker Control

Processing: EAW, Klark Teknik

Power Amps, Stage

Surround: Crown, Crest

Loudspeakers: Meyer Sound, Turbosound, NEXO, EAW

Paging System: BSS, 83, Solotech, QSC, Electro-Voice

Fiber-Optic/Cat 5 Cabling: Leviton, D-Link, Corning Cable, Black Box

Intercom System: Clear-Com

Digital Stations: Clear-Com

Wireless Intercom

Equipment:Telex, Sennheiser, ProfessionalWireless, David Clark

IFB Listen-Only

Equipment:Sennheiser

Analog Units: Clear-Com, Sennheiser

Wireless In-ear Monitor: Sennheiser, Shure

CCTV: Panasonic, Leitch, Marshall Electronics, American Dynamics, Blonder Tongue, Rane

Announcement Mic System: Symetrix

Control Room Monitors: Panasonic, Peerless

Dressing Room Monitors/

Receivers: Sony, Panasonic, Peerless

Microphones: Shure, Neumann, AKG, Whirlwind, Sennheiser, DPA, Audio- Technica, Ultimate Ears, Beyer.

VRAS Equipment: LCS, Apple, Marathon Computer, True Systems, Middle Atlantic, Whirlwind, Tannoy, Crown, Shure, Solotech, Audio-Technica, Crown



Show StaffCompany Manager: Jerry Nadal

Assistant Company Manager: Victoria Webb

Operation Production Manager: Ray Forton

Production Assistant: Christina Petras

Artistic Coordinator: Eric Heppel

General Stage Manager: Armand Thomas

Stage Managers: Julie Aucoin,

Sylvain Collette, Stacey Myers

Assistant Stage Managers: Grace O’Brien,

Mikhail Petrov

Administrative Assistant, Technical

Department: Kirstine Palmer-Tveleneva

Technical Director: Dave Churchill

Assistant Technical Director: Martin Crawford

Technical Buyer: Rhonda Roueche

Production Runner: Andy Ray

Head of Audio: Mark Dennis

Assistant Head of Audio: Brian Hsieh

Audio Monitor Mixer: Kevin Owens

RF Technician: Gary Trenda

Audio Technicians: Michael Atwood,

Jonny Lee Tempest

Head of Automation: Jem Hodgson

Assistant Head of Automation/Show

Operations: Bonnie McDonald

Automation Technicians: David Ball,

Jason Burges, David Geving, Kyle Howe,

Joe McCunney, Lloyd Monteiro,

Jason Potter, Rick Sylvester, Jay Withee

Head Carpenter: Scott Stevens

Assistant Head of Carpentry:

Kenneth Ramsey

Carpenters/Technicians: Bill Allen,

Byron Barker, Russell Bruce,

Frank Coombs, Stephen Emmerson,

Scott Fadale, Timothy Frankfort,

Michael Garrett, James Hutcherson,

Aaron Hutsch, Nicholas Kreway,

Micharl Mansfield, Michael Mattox,

Dale Medina, Josh Misegades,

Raul Mullera, Mark Myatt, Michael Norris,

Ronald Reed, Wayne Robinson, Joshua

Russell, Scott Smith, Jack Stanford,

Dallas Tankersley, David Turnbull,

Christopher Velvin, Anthony Vergot,

Catherine Walsh

Lead Electrician: Michael Wescoatt

Assistant Lead Electrician: Chris Kortum

Electrics Technicians: Lawrence Carrasco,

Selina Davenport, Chris Escher,

Cliff Gutierrez, Gabriel Hernandez,

Majid Khazal, Jeffrey Kyrish,

Bernie Leman, Curt McCormick,

Alan Pilukas, Stuart Pitz, Jon Pullen,

David “Doc” Roth, Tony Saurini,

Susan Wilson

Moving Light Operator: Danny Grose

Projectionist: Jon Mytyk

Lead Spot Operator: Martin Mawalimu

Kawakou Isaac

Lighting Console Operator:

Elizabeth Koch-Lichter

Head of Rigging: Tony Galuppi

Assistant Heads of Rigging: Albert Gregor,

Joel Svoboda

Riggers: Eric Anderson, Kevin Candiotty,

Vincent Cavaretta, Jason Cavazos,

Eric Davis, Reid Draper, Robert Fejer,

Michael Ferraro, Charles Haga,

Mike Harbin, John Hegyes,

Andrei Kazantsev, Vladimir Lagrev,

Tom Lapp, Curtis Legacie,

Marcus Minguela, James Moran,

Steve Oxford, Joseph Percelly,

David Piccola, Alex Poline, Glenn Priestly,

Sergio Ramos, Dan Rowland,

Joseph Sabo, Vincent Schonbrodt,

Frank Simpson, Scott Stanley,

George Stingel, Jose Tejada,

Vinicio Vazquez, Juan Vazquez

Rodriguez, Joseph Voelkel,

George Wilson, Brendan Yeager,

Wilson Zamudio

Head of Wardrobe: Ruben Permel

Assistant Head of Wardrobe: Sandra Fox

Wardrobe Attendants: Ryan Chin,

Paul Franklin, Marina Goubenok,

Sarah Haman, Jennie Hollander,

Paul Ludick, Jo Ann McKee,

Bridge Savadge, Yelena Tokey,

Margaret Uesugi-Oh

Wardrobe Costume Technicians:

Jason S. Brass, Kelly Burton-Gilmore,

Kelly Lance, Mary Ann Racheau,

Liann Rawlings, Teresa Soto,

Cathe Sowin-Puckett, Elisabeth Wilson,

Eric Wood, Kathy Wusanack

Head of Props and Puppets: John Gallagher

Props and Puppets Technicians:

Jason Armuo, Gracie Buckner,

John Rager, Drew Reardon,

Jannelle Rivers, Sam Souza,

George Verbinski, Merrill Whittenberger,

Gary Wong

Head of Special FX: Jeff Schaen

Assistant head of Special FX: Richard Friday

Special FX Technicians: Eric Johnson,

Melvin Lovelace, Karl Seymour,

Douglas Talley

Left to right: Members of the design team include Holger Förterer (interactive projections), Luc Lafortune (lighting), Jonathan Deans

(sound), Mark Fisher (scenery/theatre design), and the director Robert Lepage.

TOMASZ ROSSA

TOMASZ ROSSA

TOMASZ ROSSA

DENISE TRUSCELLO

DENISE TRUSCELLO

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