The Hangzhou Suntiandy Theater Delights with Technology for Cirque du Soleil X: The Land of Fantasy In the company's seventh collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, Auerbach Pollock Friedlander provided theatre and audio-video consulting for the Hangzhou Suntiandy Theater -- a custom, one of a kind venue in China and home to Cirque du Soleil X: The Land of Fantasy. The purpose-built theatre, created in collaboration with CUC Architects (the Local Design Institute), has been designed for an immersive experience for 1,500 spectators and blurs the line between performance, spectacle, and special effects, quite literally moving the spectators to a different realm. The audience chamber, the size of a soccer pitch, encompasses two separate seating wagons each of which can revolve 360 degrees and traverse 27.5m; giving rise to two different experiences in one show package. To further enhance the possibilities of the story, the upstage great wall itself is segmented into nine individual moveable parts, which shift during the course of the drama. Designed by Auerbach Pollock Friedlander in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, the video projection system allows for complex mapping of virtual scenery and visual effects throughout the stages and auditorium. Making use of the latest technology, the sound system is comprised of nearly 1,700 loudspeakers under digital control that allows voices, music, and effects to be discretely mixed to any combination of loudspeakers. The audience is completely enveloped in an unparalleled visual and sonic environment. 
|
