Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009 - 68

design of these plate girders required in-depth
three-dimensional analytical modeling to accurately assess vibration characteristics to ensure
compliance with the design criteria.
The theater is laterally stabilized by four
braced frames that were strategically located
by the design team so as to not obstruct any
views while also providing the necessary resistance in the event of an earthquake. With the
site falling under Seismic design Category C
according to IbC 2000, ordinary steel concentrically braced fames provided an economical solution. The braced frames consisted of

rolled wide flange columns and beams with
either angle or tube diagonal members.

The Ceiling Supports the Structure
like any theater production, "Phantom-The
las vegas Spectacle" required numerous catwalks and equipment rooms above the theater from which technicians control lighting
and other operations. In addition however,
the theater designers also envisioned an intricate dome ceiling that houses a 2,100-pound
mechanized chandelier that can move about

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66

theatre

design

technology

2009

the theater. The existing roof structure did not
have the capacity to support such a structure.
To solve this challenge, the design team devised a long-span solution to take advantage
of the existing museum's crane rails, which
previously supported an operable bridge
crane (which had to be removed) within the
building. This bridge crane was supported by
beams 125 feet apart, and those were used to
support new steel box trusses which support
the new ceiling.

The Opera House Chandelier
Exactly how do you support a chandelier that
designers described as "exploding" and is so
integral to the production that it is thought of
as a main character? Early design discussions
included a turntable structure, a chandelier that
broke into several pieces, and a chandelier that
needed to move from its static position at the center of the domed ceiling to the stage itself, with
the Phantom in it.
The mechanized chandelier is introduced
to the audience in a grand fashion. The production begins as a dilapidated chandelier ascends
from the stage towards three other pieces of
chandelier and reassembles itself before gracefully rising to its static position in the theater
ceiling. later in the show (and to the surprise
of those sitting close to the stage), the Phantom
and the chandelier descend from the ceiling.
Then, in a flash, the chandelier rises back up to
its at-rest position.
The mechanization of the chandelier was
designed and implemented by specialty contractor Fisher Technical Services, Inc. (FTSI). during
an initial round of discussion and coordination,
FTSI described this installation as having never
been done before. With that challenge in mind,
we began accumulating all the pertinent load information from FTSI, piece of steel by piece of
steel, winch by winch, track by track-even the
weight of the actor playing the Phantom was considered. We then determined all the conceivable
positions in which the chandelier could move.
We were able to model and envelope all these
possible locations to efficiently design the ceiling
steel (roof trusses and beams). With the current
design software available, we could easily consider a large array of potential load locations to
provide the owner and show the maximum flexibility without overdesigning some of the critical
elements (i.e., the ceiling box trusses).

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2009