NewSubstance Creative Agency employed the TAO Group to provide logistics support, production management, CAD planning, health & safety and event consultancy for four shows in Hsinchu and Taipei
To achieve the client brief, head of TAO Andy Cotton flew a crew to Taiwan, including TAO's Ben Price (production), Darren Wring (lighting); Steve Waddington (rigging) and Gareth Lewis (sound).
Now in its 21st year, the Deaflympics, features 20 sports, from athletics to taekwondo. The event was previously known as The World Games of the Deaf, having been granted permission by the IOC to change names in 2001.
The opening ceremonies and parades were produced by Mirage Entertainment from Los Angeles, which contracted TAO Group through NewSubstance Creative Agency to manage all elements for the ceremonies. This included site CAD plans, safety, crane management, production and travel logistics. In addition TAO provided event consultancy services for dramatic performances of the aerial Heliospheres and the Italian Extreme Theatre Company 'KitonB' and its performance of Carillion.
The Carillion Flight of Time performance was a large urban theatre spectacle produced by Angelo Bonello that plays out between the earth and the sky; with six aerialists performing from a crane 80m above the stage.
Andy Cotton said, "It was an interesting set of events with language barriers between Chinese, Italian and English providing challenges; particularly at one point when specifying the PA equipment. Quite frankly I could have been ordering a Big Mac and Chips."
The specifications arranged by TAO were for a 16m by 12m stage; 1 x 300 tonne Crane with an 80m reach; 2 2.5Kw Long Throw Follow Spots; 2 Large Confetti Canons; 32 Mac 2000 Lights, 1 Grand MA Desk; 58 Le Maitre Stage Pyros; 26 Handheld Smoke Canisters; a Meyer Sound MICA Line Array System and a Yamaha PM5D Sound Desk with all associated mics and monitors.
The team from TAO Group spent 19 days in Taiwan to produce the shows, which were changing constantly in their planning. Cotton said, "We planned the Taipei shows and produced CAD plans for the event upon arrival in Hong Kong. On a stopover we were called by Blueman, who informed us that the site for the shows in Taipei had changed as there was an underground car park below the site which wouldn't take the weight of the crane."
Ben Price of TAO said, "The nature of the production was a challenge, as was the language barrier, as we had Angelo and his technicians from KitonB, Blueman Kau and his production teams from Friendly Dog Productions of Taiwan, together with our TAO crews from England and Wales. All went extremely well however due to the immense professionalism and patience of all crews, everyone was so willing to help."
(Jim Evans)
