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Brilliant Stages constructs staging for Take That tour

The Take That “Live 2015” tour is the sixth major tour for which Brilliant Stages has constructed bespoke staging for the boy band since the company first built a stage set for the band in 1994. The main elements of Brilliant Stages’ construction comprise a main stage with apron and artistic performer staircases, a multi-level band stage backed by a series of nine box lifts, an upper stage with an integral service lift, and a forestage with piano lift, all of which connect to a runway which loops out into the arena to a B-stage.

The 18 m wide x 13 m deep x 1.7 m high main stage is built on three levels with a 1.8 m high downstage edge, a 1.5 m high mid-section, and 1.65 m rear level band stage with additional drum riser. All stage decking units are fabricated using aluminium extrusion with a birch plywood deck and supported with an aluminium frame and beam assembly.

The whole set is painted black with an artistic finish executed by long-term Brilliant collaborator, Jacqui Pyle, to production designer Misty Buckley’s design which was inspired by ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’. “The monochrome backdrop gave us a base from which colour could grow,” Buckley explains.

Substage space for equipment, crew access and the integration of sub-bass speakers was included in the construction, and Brilliant built the stage in sections, into which the speakers could be installed in advance and the whole stage rolled into place, with speakers in situ, for speed of assembly and load-out.

A 6 m-diameter half-moon centre thrust stage, with piano lift and access steps to the arena floor, extends forward from the main stage. This is also designed with a minimal framework to give maximum space for storage below deck, and includes space for a grand piano and a piano lift onto which the piano can be rolled and raised for quick deployment during the show. The front access steps are fabricated in a similar style to those on the B-stage, and embedded with LED lighting in the treads. The whole stage is edged with front drapes.

Brilliant CAD designer Ollie Laight plotted a 20 m wide x 10.5 m deep x 3.6 m high upstage platform that extends to the outer limits of the arena stands and upstage to meet a central video wall. Built using the same aluminium and plywood construction as the main stage, Brilliant designed the lower part of the stage around the footprint of a service lift, taking the base and attaching a regular framework off this while creating as much open space as possible for crew activity and storage space.

Housed within the framework between the main and upper stages, Brilliant Stages constructed a curved array of nine electronic, chain-driven box lifts. Each box lift, which weighs 1.5 tons, is on wheels and loaded onto rolling platforms - three per platform - which are rolled into position to form an arc.

Each box lift is composed of two parts: the front section is clad with moving-head lighting fixtures on its downstage edge and forms part of an illuminated back wall behind the band that provides a focal point within lighting designer Tim Routledge’s design. The rear section is the telescopic box lift, each of which operates independently and can be raised from its home position (3.6 m at stage level) to carry performers to any height up to a maximum of 2.5 m above the stage.

The front face of each lift is clad with LED video panels, which are revealed as the lift is elevated, for which Brilliant built the interface framework. Each box lift has a secondary ‘dumb waiter’ lift inset into the main electronic lift, onto which a spotlight is loaded below stage and raised above stage level during the course of the concert.

The main part of the design for the box lifts was masterminded by Brilliant John Prentice and Tony Bowern, assisted by CAD Designer Giorgio Castronouvo. This is the first time this type of telescopic lift has been produced by Brilliant Stages in this format.

Brilliant Stages worked in conjunction with LS-Live’s automation department - Harry Heathfield, Mark Jackson and Ashley Phillips - who built the control racks and a motor gear box for the lifts. These control the position and speed of each box lift via a touchscreen interface which allows all nine lifts to be controlled from one computer.

Photos: Kris Goodman

www.brilliantstages.com

www.ls-live.com

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