Sight & Sound’s Millennium Theatre, which opened in Strasburg, PA with a production of Noah on Sept. 1, 1998, got an assist from Mountain Productions, Columbus McKinnon (CM) and Motion Laboratories on a new rigging solution for their productions at the venue, seen by some 800,000 visitors per year. For an updated production of Noah that featured 60 live animals, 100 animatronic animals and a cast of 52 along with 11 set elements used for the Ark’s interior, Sight & Sound’s Glen Broderson was looking for an alternative to the existing rigging setup that required the entire grid to be lowered for maintenance. The old truss grid was removed and replaced with seven rows of 115-foot truss with eight motors for each. Now, only the parts of the rig that need attention can be lowered, reducing the manpower needed for ongoing maintenance. The new system is expected to streamline the workflow required for major show changeovers as well.
From “Installations,” by Justin Lang, PLSN, May 2013.
