CRUISE SHIP THEATRES
A BESPOKE DESIGN FOR SAGA
The theatrical equipment on Saga’s Spirit of Discovery includes
Digico audio consoles, GrandMA lighting consoles, Robe stage
lighting, Martin Audio speakers and amplifiers, QSC QSys audio
DSP and networking and Green Hippo media servers.
“The configuration, layout and design of the system is
completely bespoke for Saga,” says Darren Harvey of Creative
Project Design. “A lot of the equipment is digital and can be
modelled and configured in advance of installation and even
tested in virtual reality to ensure the best results.”
This also means lighting designers and audio engineers
can program their settings before embarking.
Much of the passenger-facing equipment has been
customised to blend seamlessly into its surroundings – from
speakers to brackets and cables. “We also spend time with
the shipyard to customise the foundations of equipment,
particularly the subwoofers, to minimise the transmission
of noise and vibrations to the ship’s steel and surrounding
rooms,” explains Harvey.
The entertainment equipment was supplied and integrated
by Wartsila-Funa, under the direction of the shipyard.
we would suggest small storage carts that take
up the smallest footprint.”
Harvey says back-of-house areas are carefully
calculated to make use of every millimetre.
“Clever set design, modular staging, innovative
storage solutions, split-level floors, overhead
hoists and scenic lifts are all used to reduce
the storage footprint,” he says. “After all,
if you run out of space you can’t build an
extension or knock the back wall down!”
Above: The Playhouse
on Spirit of Discovery,
Saga’s first theatre at sea
Most finishes
and materials on
board must have an
International Maritime
Organization (IMO)
In fact, venues on ships are surrounded
by steel on all six sides, which presents
challenges for sound quality. “We spend
a lot of time thinking about acoustics
and using techniques such as breaking up
flat surfaces, adding soft furnishings and
strengthening ceiling tiles to avoid vibrations,
evaluating speaker placement and even
perforating steel in key locations to obtain the
best acoustics,” explains Harvey. “There is also
quite a high noise floor on a ship, coming from
things such as air conditioning and the engines.”
While many of the regulations are the same
as those for buildings on land – for example for
head-height clearances – Harvey says there are
also many unique to ships. “All equipment, from
“The stage towers on today’s cruise ships
normally extend over three decks, which
limits the height of the scenes and their range
of motion. Nevertheless, the theatres have
capacity for 1,000 spectators or more.”
Creative Project Design is often tasked
with ensuring technology is integrated
subtly. “We find or commission products
that fit into specific recesses, under
furniture, behind panels and so on,”
says Harvey. “We also have to ensure
access for maintenance and inspection.
Coordination with other departments
is vital, as behind every decorated wall
or ceiling there is usually a network of
cables, pipes, safety systems, services and
steelwork – all competing for space with
entertainment technology.”
Storage space
Courtney Schmitz, sales associate at Staging
Concepts – which has provided staging products
for various cruise lines – points out that storage
has to be carefully planned. “Ships cannot easily
add to their storage space, so we must be
cognizant of what’s available. For instance,
fire rating
AUDITORIA 2020 VOLUME ONE 37