Blackpool Winter Gardens

[Ellis]

Hi,

 

I am gong to be working on an event at the Blackpool Winter Gardens early next year.

 

Do any Blue-Roomers have any experience of the venue, can anyone advise me of any limitations/local policies/customs that I should be aware of?

 

Can anyone tell me anything that might be useful when workign on the stage management team for a show on the dancefloor of the Empress Ballroom.?

 

I think I know what I have let myself in for when it comes to the show itself (succor for punishment!) - is the venue likely to make it easier or harder for me?

 

Hopefully the promoter will get the official info from the management, but he is concentrating on a much larger event that the shows form part of.

 

TIA and Seasons Greetings

 

Ellis

[steveo]

Rigging is a nightmare as all of the points have to go through a small collet to get to the rigging points. Also you will obviously not be able to screw into the floor with any set.

 

Hope this helps

[trussmonkey]

I have worked in the winter gardens many many times. I have always put in a ground support truss system. The load in is through a double door with low head room ( just over 6ft )

 

If you're putting in a ground support I recomend get some more local crew. as you will need them.

 

it also has one of the largest sprung dance floors in the country if not the largest. depending on your audience a ground support can move a lot.

 

I have put Razorlight and Siscor Sisters in there and both times the Ground support was bouncing. The lighting desk was coming UP to meet the LD's fingers!!!!

 

It also has two balconies that over hang into the room more than the plan on the website shows. So depending on the orientation of the room ( I have only ever done it in gig mode i.e. end on ) you will need to bear this in mind. I would recommend a site recce first.

 

There are also some very large chandiliers to get in your way.

 

If you look on the winter gardens website they have info, plans and pictures to help out.

 

I hope this helps you

 

truss monkey

[Guest lightnix]

If you look on the winter gardens website...

And here is the link... ;)

 

Blackpool Winter Gardens

[sam.henderson]

Wow, sorry I'm not adding anything to help you but the venue looks spectacular!

 

Make sure you post some photos in the Show Your Show thread after!

 

Sam

[gareth]

Wow, sorry I'm not adding anything to help you but the venue looks spectacular!

It might look spectacular, but it's not an especially nice space to work, for all the reasons given above. I've done a couple of small-ish corporates in there (nothing as big as the ones Mr. Trussmonkey has taken in there, and I certainly don't envy him in having to put a big ground support system onto that floor!), and it's definitely not my most-favouritest-venue-ever, by a long way! But there are worse ........... ;)

[Ellis]

Thankyou everyone who responded. The Brit Salsafest shows were a success from a technical point of view.

 

The ballroom is indeed an impressive room, which from the coments on salsa fora so far really impressed the punters.

 

For future reference, the ballroom has three chorus-sized dressing rooms downstairs and three 2-4 person dressing rooms with a shared shower in the VIP suite upstairs. There is a plush "green room" called the Diana Princess of Wales Suite immediately behind the stage.

 

The installed lighting is rather basic (14 PAR Cans on a truss mid-hall in line with the small stage, a bar pf PARS above the stage and a few PARs on the wall above the lighting position on the balcony). The washes from these cannot cover the dancefloor completely, but were satisfactory for what the promoter wanted to pay or. The followspots are old strand units with card-in-gell-frame dimming - my choice would be to hire in more modern units to make the most of the skilled operators on hand.

 

All the Winter Gardens staff are friendly and helpful and the board operator did well with what he had to play with.

 

A pleasure to do a show there!