Still Game Live 2017 Arena Show
Still Game Live 2017
Still Game is a Scottish comedy institution and is a TV series predominantly. However, from time to time the cast decide to do an arena show in the SSE Hydro. This was last undertaken in 2014. For this version we manufactured a series of set pieces in line with the TV production centred on the Clansman bar, Navid’s shop and Victors flat.
Second time around they decided to go big! In addition to the set pieces mentioned above we manufactured Tam’s flat, a community centre flat, Craiglang flattage along with street lights.
These parts all formed part of act 1 based around the goings on in Craiglang a fictional area of Glasgow. The set pieces were predominantly 4.5 metre long x 2.3 metres wide and 2.7 metre tall with castors on to allow movement on and off stage. The Clansman bar featured additional separate seating and entrance areas along with built in stools around the bar. This bar was dual sided so once spun around 180 degrees it appeared as the front of the bar. Navid’s shop was also a dual sided set piece with a counter and food racks. In addition, it had to house a flying carpet for one of the scenes which deployed out of the counter above it, so Navid could sit upon it and look like he was flying.
We had to buy and modify second-hand furniture which had to be mobile so they could be moved around integral to the two flats for Victor and Tam’s flat. These set pieces were also double sided to show their exteriors for some of the scenes.
We created a series of flats depicting the Craiglang skyline which were in 6 pieces 12 metres tall and altogether 18 metres wide. These were on tracks so they could be deployed and retracted on and off stage.
Act 2 is where we go big. The script read that the characters were to go on a cruise!
First of all a 25m long x 12 metre high ship with 9 metre long gangplank had to come on stage at the end of act 1. The set had to change in the interval into a typical cruise ships deck with planked flooring and a cylindrical poop deck. The white poop deck was huge at 9.1 metre diameter x 3.8 metre tall with an accessible upper area with typical ship hand rails. There we also offstage hand railed walkways to complete the scene with lit globe lights on columns.
The poop deck sat upon a revolve and in true cruise ship fashion some of the scenes we in the ball room area which was revealed when turning the revolve through 180 degrees. This ballroom had its own swept stairs both sides of an art deco designed curved proscenium and stage complete with working gold material Austrian blind. Above the stage was a captain deck complete with authentic ship wheel.
Upstage centre of the revolve we supplied a scissor lift which housed a lifeboat which was deployed towards the end of the show to rescue Tam who had jumped overboard!
All this was designed and manufactured in just 4 weeks which was an extremely compressed time line given the complexity of the show.
