Techcrunch: "To paraphrase a travel-writing cliche, Las Vegas is a city of technological contrasts. Nowhere else on planet earth understands more effectively how to harness technology in order to deliver overwhelmingly physical experiences. And in Las Vegas, no experience better demonstrates that tech-reality hybrid than Cirque du Soleil’s ‘KÀ’.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
TechcrunchBackstage at Cirque Du Soleil’s ‘KÀ’: Part One – Setting The (Awesome) Stage
Techcrunch: "To paraphrase a travel-writing cliche, Las Vegas is a city of technological contrasts. Nowhere else on planet earth understands more effectively how to harness technology in order to deliver overwhelmingly physical experiences. And in Las Vegas, no experience better demonstrates that tech-reality hybrid than Cirque du Soleil’s ‘KÀ’.
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3 comments:
It's always nice to me to hear such an enthusiastic and awed reaction to a stage show from somebody outside the industry. That's who we're doing this for, and when they appreciate it like that, it means we did it right. This is the sort of thing that makes me take pride in my work, in the hopes that someday (maybe it's already happened) somebody will react like this to something I did.
I don't think any of us would act any differently backstage of KA, though - it's a technological marvel (or "techie porn", as Kevin Hines terms it). I appreciated reading this after seeing the show because it's amazing that for all the tech going on on the stage itself, there's so much more behind-the-scenes specifically designated for the safety of performers and the flawless execution of the show. There's an artistry to the backstage workings, which is something that all of us as managers and TDs should aspire to. And like Sam said, hopefully we'll have people backstage marveling over our work as well.
On the behind-the-scenes at KA front, the original Production Stage Manager actually kept a blog during the initial performance run and they're fascinating (especially one in particular about When Things Went Wrong - when an arrow in the deck struck an actress and how they handled it). You can read it at http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/ka/about/behind-the-scene/a-thomas/safe-practice.aspx
I'm shadowing with the KA automation crew in a few weeks, so I was really excited to see this article! I agree with Sam, this guy's excitement is a great example of why we do theatre. And, along the lines of what Brian said, I will be just as excited as this guy in a couple of weeks. What I find really fascinating about the set-up for KA described here is the airbag system. Talk about serious attention to safety. It's cool that technology is not just used to create an amazing show here, but is also used to keep the performers safe so they can do even more amazing stunts. It's easy to get bogged down by technology in today's world, but look at all the cool stuff we can do with it! I hope that automated scenery (and automated safety features, too) continues to become more feasible (in terms of finances, knowledge, etc.) for smaller scale shows. I just think we should all get to take advantage of the technology that is out there today.
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