Live Design: Fred Gallo from PRG provided us with some shots he took during the initial load-in of Spider-Man at the Foxwoods Theatre.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Gallery: Spider-Man Load-In
Live Design: Fred Gallo from PRG provided us with some shots he took during the initial load-in of Spider-Man at the Foxwoods Theatre.
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6 comments:
I have a problem with even calling this a "Load-in". So much of this seemed like they were building the show as they went. And with eight months of previews and edits and changes I would be curious to see what they "Loaded in" actually made it into the show. I do wish there was an article with these pictures. It seems like they were renovating the Foxwoods from the ground up. The shot of the lift of the main deal was impressive but it seemed like they could have put this show into an abandoned lot easier than they tried to fit it into a preexisting theatrical space.
* In response to Dale's comment, I think this is a case of Load-In vs. Install semantics. The load-in of a commercial venture such as this one is not only a milestone on the calendar as it is here at CMU, but has HUGE budgetary implications. Though there may be some initial setup that happens before load-in commences, moving in to the theatre comes with the highest rental rate being charged, regardless if there is an audience in the venue or not. I also agree with Dale that they seem to have done significant alterations to the theatre space itself. I'm sure the producers expect the show to run "forever", so the ample fees that occur from doing such modifications aren't a significant factor in the scenic design.
To comment further on Dale and Brian's comments, I think the major renovations to the Foxwoods Theater were before actually bringing in the set itself, which is what we see in these photos. I see the bulk of the actual set pieces being brought into the theater for the first time rather than just the and being put in on top of the infrastructure they have been working on within the theater, and I think that's why it constitutes more of a Load-In. As to the pictures itself, it's pretty amazing to see things getting brought in and put up for the first time due to the amount of elements in the actual show. It's nice to be able to see the elements in the grid and below the stage that make everything possible, and the man hours needed to get this altogether is hard to fathom, but as long as you have the money... anything is possible
In some areas load-in is just the change from building in the shop to building in the venue, and even that might not be a complete switch, it might just be a few pieces being loaded on a truck and sent. As was said above, we have certain semantics we use here, and assuming that everyone else uses the same vocabulary is probably not a safe assumption. The next ambiguity is where the set ends and the theater begins. While Spiderman is a show that required substantial alterations to make work in the space, there are other examples (such as Ka or some other Vegas Cirque shows) that needed far more
I don't think it will ever cease to amaze me when I see what shows are actually composed of. When I work on a show I can see it progress slowly over time so it isn't very shocking to go backstage and see that the walls are just flats and the food onstage isn't real. However, seeings something this massive and this unknown to me is incredible.
On another note, I really like the style of this set. From what I can see, it looks like being in a comic book, but it's done tastefully. (That concept could potentially be a little cheesy.) I like how the set pieces play with perspective - I assume that's to helpt the audience feel like they're flying through the city like Spiderman. I love the look of the light blue spiderweb on the black background. At first I thought it was a projection, now I'm not so sure.
Despite all of the injuries, drama, and criticism of this show, I would love to see it. It sounds thrilling.
These pictures are pretty awesome. I like the winches in the grid. I assume they were built with the idea that with the motors straight up they would block fewer adjacent lines. The understage view of the ramp is also pretty impressive. I can't tell if they were lifting it with the trusses or if the steel truss ultimately supports the aluminum box truss. The pure volume of cable also says something about the complexity of the show.
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