BBC – Boom Box Stage

The Request

“We need a tall stage which we can dress with scenic panels to form a boom box, the performers will need to be able to dance on top so it needs guardrails all around and stair access. We will also need a lower stage level and the performers need to have access onto this at the upstage centre section with the access extending out onto both sides at the front.” “We also need everything to be on wheels, be able to be broken down into three sections for ease of manoeuvring on and off the main stage – and we need to be able wheel-on and set during the commercial break of a live television show.” So just another day in the office for the Alistage design team.

The Solution

With the design brief set – work started on a CAD stage configuration proposal which was emailed to the client.

Fortunately we had worked with this client on a couple of previous occasions and had an understanding of what was likely to be required, even beyond the fairly comprehensive brief provided.

With a few tweaks to the design following some further conversations and emails, the specification evolved into a rolling stage system 6.71m long 2.44m deep and 2.4m high with 1.22m wide step access and a 1.22m square top landing to the rear.

The system provided the top level and low level performance areas with the access through the rear of the lower level allowing the performers to appear onto the wings and exit out of the front of the system.

Alistage riggers delivered and installed the system at the studios a few days before the show date to allow the scenic manufacturers to construct and fit the cladding that turned the bare stage into an oversize boom box.

It was found during the rehearsals that the system proved to be more manoeuvrable than expected allowing the main area to be broken into only two sections rather than three.

The Result

On show day the studio crew were comfortably able to set the system in position during the commercial break and, unless you had a keen eye, you would never have known that an Alistage stage system existed under all of the dressing. The show choreographers made the best use of the available space and access for both the singers and the supporting dancers during the performance, and the final affect was more akin to what would be expected of a show that was to run for a number of performances over several weeks or months, rather than for a single performance all arranged within a week for a single show.