Have you ever wondered how props, lights and heavy curtains are operated during one of the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre's live shows?
It's all to do with special mechanics and highly trained technicians who work with ropes and pulleys called The Fly System.
Council's theatre technician Jakob Baumgartner has taken theatre lovers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Moncrieff to explain exactly how and why The Fly System is so beneficial.
“Essentially we use a rope and pulley system of counter weights to enable us to raise and lower sets, curtains, lights or even the cinema screen depending on events,” he said.
“From outside the venue you may have wondered what the odd high section of the building is.
“This is the tower that houses The Fly System.”
Jakob said the tower was installed in the mid 80s when the venue was being transformed from a cinema into a live venue.
“As you can imagine we needed to have the same amount of height above the stage as we do on the stage,” he said.
“This allows us to raise stage components above the stage so they are hidden from view of the audience.”
Jakob said the term ‘fly' meant to hoist components quickly, quietly and safely such as lights, curtains, scenery, stage affects and sometimes even people.
“A trained and qualified technician operates the system,” he said.
“Our fly operators have their doggers and riggers, which means they are trained on weight, loading, swinging and rigging.
“The second part is the mechanics of the structure, which are attached to the building and consist of pulleys, ropes bars and more.”
Jakob said The Fly System and staff behind the operations were an integral part of theatre and bringing stage shows to life.
To find out more about the Moncrieff Entertainment Centre check out the Facebook page here.
