LONDON – At the 2010 ABTT Theatre Show, Stage Technologies' new split pulley mechanism, designed to enhance the ability for performers to fly at an angle out over the audience, was recognized as "Best Engineered Product 2010." The new design involves a new pulley sheave used for steel wire rope. The sheave is spilt in two, and an electrical signal causes the two halves to move apart on demand, enabling the rope to drop through.
Ted Moore, director of rental services at Stage Technologies, summarized the benefits of this design, citing its use in Mary Poppins as an example.
"For a flight out over the auditorium, you need to rig two winches," Moore noted. "In the original production of Mary Poppins, when Mary flew out over the audience in the finale, the second rope was static, and taped to the side of the proscenium with a bit of gaff tape.
"Before the flying took place, a stagehand had to clip the rope to Mary as part of the action, which broke the flow of the scene and required a bigger suspension of disbelief from the audience," Moore said.
"In the recent production of the show in Finland, we used the split pulley to enable pre-rigging and better rope management, so that the performer's harness is already attached to both ropes when she walks on stage, with no slack rope showing at any point."
The seemingly minor design change, Moore added, can yield significant benefits to the flow of the production. The performer isn't worried about lines and rigging, the storytelling isn't held back or interrupted, and it makes the lives of rigging teams much easier.
For more information, please visit www.stagetech.com.
