On June 2, 2011, I reported to the Cirque du Soleil US Headquarters for the Resident Shows Division in Las Vegas, NV.  I met the 6 other interns who will be working on various shows up and down The Strip.  The first thing we had to do is take care of our paperwork and get pictures made for our ID badges.  After close to an hour, we were through and I drove over to the Mirage Hotel and Casino.  I met up with Leu, the Show Operations Production Manager, and John, the Head of the Electrics Department (lighting and effects).  The first thing in store was a tour of the facility.  The show I am working on, The Beatles LOVE, is the only Cirque show performed in the round.  This means that the audience is seated completely around the stage.  Backstage areas are underneath the seating, and access the stage through 6 runways, which make the stage look like a Union Jack, fitting for the British heritage this production showcases.  The center runways are cut out of the old proscenium wall that used to be there in the theatre’s past life.

The Mirage used to be home to Siegfried and Roy, two entertainers whose main act included a white tiger.  In 2003, tragedy struck and the lion bit Roy on the neck while trying to drag him to safety.  Roy survived, but the recovery process was long and he would never return to 100% of what he was before the accident.  The Mirage decided to close the show, which gave way to Cirque occupying the space.  The place was completely gutted and redesigned specifically for LOVE, something I find unique about Cirque shows.

The stage has 5 different lifts that move up and down, 4 sections at the corners that fold down, and 2 sections that slide sideways to allow the center lift to rise up.  A lot can be going on at any one time, which makes safety of primary concern.  The basement is where I have been stationed this first week.  As the lifts ride down, they come even with the floor in the basement.  Large set pieces and actors can then move onto the lifts and ride up onto stage level.  Some pieces have to be plugged in or turned on, which adds to the thought process when making scene changes.

The four corners of the room are “garages” which house spotlights, tech booths, and platforms where props can fly in and out of.  There is also a grid above the stage where props and actors can fly in and out of.  For example, in “Here Comes the Sun”, a sun is turned on in the basement, attached to a cable, and flies into the grid.

My job this week has been running the cues in the basement.  The track includes everything from checking on the fog, to plugging in the skate ramp, to greeting the artists and they climb onto the piano riser and play with bubbles for a few minutes of the show.