Unusual Rigging supplies We Will Rock You tour

21st February 2011

Unusual Rigging has supplied a range of rigging and stage machinery to support the tour of We Will Rock You, which is just about to make its second move, this time from Glasgow’s Kings Theatre. Working closely with producer Phil McIntyre Entertainments’ head of production, Andy Gibbs, Unusual developed a number of time saving solutions for this new touring version.

Project manager for Unusual Rigging, Richard McIlhiney says: “Unusual supplied all the hanging points and trussing, as well as tracks for floor moving winches.

Various pieces of scenery move up and down stage throughout the show, including a throne for one of the main characters, The Killer Queen, to sit on. An Unusual-designed nylon block under the show deck is pulled by a chain track and Kinesys-controlled motor, which in turn moves the set pieces.

“There are four LED video screens which the producers wanted to be able to fly in and out individually, so we attached them to winches, also operated by a Kinesys system. That way, each could be controlled easily and discretely.”

In Manchester, Unusual, had to work out a special trussing solution together with their structural engineer to resolve an issue where the central speaker cluster and other loads were greater than expected. Rather than hanging directly off one of the points, the weight needed to be more evenly spread – a regular challenge for Unusual.

We Will Rock You is a futuristic tale – featuring the music of Queen – telling of a massive corporation ruled over by the Killer Queen, that sends computer generated music to everyone on the planet. However, a lone ‘Dreamer’ appears who can fulfil a prophecy that will enable the return of rock ‘n’ roll.

The tour takes the show across Great Britain, ending in Edinburgh at the beginning of 2012.