Outdoor theatre company Royal de Luxe, based in Nantes, France produced a Giant Spectacular show staged in Liverpool using Adlib as the audio supplier for the event.
The extravaganza attracted an estimated 1.3 million people to the city centre over the weekend of 4-7 October 2018 to see the final tale and discover the fate of the much-loved oversized marionette puppets. The installation was the third Liverpool Giant Spectacular and having delivered the previous events in 2012 and 2014 so successfully, Adlib was commissioned by Production Manager, Stu Stalker of Event Design Co and Royal De Luxe’s Production Manager, Jeff Havart to provide audio for the city’s final Giant Spectacular.
The Giants route started at the St George’s Hall Plateau for the Little Boy Giant and over in Fort Perch Rock in the Wirral for The Explorer, ending at Canning Dock. The meticulous planning and detail needed to deliver a show of this scale and complexity started back in April 2018, with Adlib’s Phil Stoker and Stu Stalker.
The show involved onboard sound systems mounted to the supporting structures for each of the Giants and a custom Music Truck which featured a live band and provided several reinforcement PA systems, which travelled to the different gathering points along the 20-mile route.
Each Giant also had its own onboard monitor system which was used to communicate orders to the people who operated and drove the massive pullies and rigging systems that enabled the articulated joints and wheelbases to move the marionettes. Brosse used L-Acoustics systems exclusively for these shows, for the wide range and flexibility of its products, the efficiency of the enclosures.
The Explorer’s system included L-Acoustics KIVA-II and L-Acoustics KARA speakers with L-Acoustics SB18 subs, the Little Giant’s system included L-Acoustics KARA, L-Acoustics ARCS Wides and SB18 subs all powered by L-Acoustics LA12X amps, with a Midas M32R digital mixer on each of the Giants.
Adlib’s Leah Coyle was the Lead Project Manager and collaborated closely with EDC and Royal de Luxe’s Sound Designer, Stéphane Brosse to produce a specification suitable for such a dynamic event. Brosse had particular requirements for the onboard PA systems requiring them to featuring a standalone audio set up delivering special effects, each with the capability of being linked together to interact with one another if needed.
Much of the event comprised the Giants parading along the streets of Liverpool’s city centre, and throughout the journey, they were always accompanied by the Music Truck which contained a 24 element L-Acoustics KARA system and a DiGiCo SD10 mixing console chosen for its power and small size running with a collection of outboard effects.
Given the show’s fast pace, central location and audience size, Adlib utilised large cranes to fly the audio systems so the appropriate amount of PA could be used for the larger scenes.
Coyle commented, “The intricate planning by EDC’s production management team helped everyone in making this project flow so smoothly and seamlessly. Many of the technical aspects changed at the last minute due to the fluid nature of the performance, but with a dedicated team, we could be extremely flexible and react quickly to any changes throughout the rehearsal and show periods”.