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| News & Events | Press Releases |
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| Blackout on Board the Queen Victoria |
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February 2008
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Blackout played a substantial role in staging the naming ceremony of Cunard's Queen Victoria.
Images: Mark Fisher
Blackout played a substantial role in staging the naming ceremony of Cunard's Queen Victoria.
Images: Mark Fisher
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London, UK, 14 February 2008 - With nearly 1,000 staterooms and an interior style that evokes the elegance of a bygone age, Cunard's Queen Victoria is the most talked-about new cruise liner on the planet. The vessel has embarked on its maiden world cruise after a lavish naming ceremony at Southampton Docks in December 2007, presided over by Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
Blackout, the largest supplier of drapes, starcloth, track and rigging, played a substantial role in staging the event. Working for Robbie Williams Productions with production designers Stufish.
Ala Pratt, designer at Stufish (www.stufish.com), outlines the work involved.
"The Stufish design for the Queen Victoria naming ceremony stage invoked the luxury of a Victorian-style theatre," says Ala Pratt. "Blackout helped to create the atmosphere by providing drapes for the Royal and VIP areas, the main tabs plus the blacks, and gauze used for the final reveals.
"The red velour stage curtain was stencil painted with a gold lower border, and was inspired by great opera houses of the past. Blackout, with scenic artist Marie White worked with Stufish to achieve an elegant look for the application of this pattern. The main curtain was enhanced further by the movement that Blackout achieved with a tableau-style lift, in collaboration with automation provided by Stage One."
Creating the illusion of a grand, historic theatrical venue within a temporary, tented structure - for an invited audience of 2,000 guests – was no mean feat. The look and feel had to be spot-on, not least because the ceremony was a genuinely star-studded occasion. It began with the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines playing 'God Save The Queen', and included a performance by renowned mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a theatre show depicting the history of Cunard starring Sir Derek Jacobi, and performances by three of the world's best-known tenors: Jon Christos, Alfie Boe and Gardar Thor Cortes.
Describing the work undertaken to create the right ambience around the stage, Blackout's MD Steve Tuck says: "We provided a complex and sumptuous set of plum velour drapes, all with 100% fullness, with plum and gold velour swags and tails to backdrop the VIP areas either side of stage, all the forestage area and for the stage main tabs. We also used a host of black wool serge drapes for stage masking and around the structure and seating blocks.
"The main tabs were 29m wide and over 10m high; they had 100% fullness sewn-in and the bottom 2m were embellished with an ornate, gold-painted pattern. These drapes opened vertically, lifted by two Qmotion-controlled Stage One 2m-per-minute winches."
"Similar Stage One winches were used to speedily track open a grey gauze curtain and rear-stage black tabs as the bow of the ship was finally and dramatically revealed to the audience, the whole assemblage being carried on Blackout truss, motors and tracks."
"From the outset, we knew that the client wanted to put on a spectacular show," concludes Steve Tuck, "and while it was hard work, it was very rewarding to see such an important and prestigious ceremony come to fruition."
For further information, please contact:
Katinka Allender
PR Consultant
Phone: +44 (0)1491 571402
Email: katinka@katinka.org.uk
Kevin Monks
Project Manager
Blackout Ltd
Phone: +44 (0)20 8687 8400
Email: kevin.monks@blackout-ltd.com
About Blackout Ltd
As a premier supplier of drapes, rigging, starcloth and track, Blackout can transform any venue into the right atmosphere for a diverse range of events, concerts, conferences or corporate occasions. With offices in London and Paris, Blackout primarily services Europe, which we are always happy to provide a consultation to customers on any project with enthusiasm. Having a large and well stocked warehouse enables Blackout to give back up support and ensures that tight deadlines are always met on time and within budget. |
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