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When King David brings his harp onstage for Psalms of David June 18, he will find a very different place to perform. Living Waters Theatre has been updated to bring audiences into the very court of the Bible’s best-known king.
Transforming a theatre and launching a new show is no small feat – it’s even more challenging when you’re premiering two new shows in the same summer. Teamwork and talent brought this project from paper to stage.
The past theme inside the theatre had included walls that could transform from snow-covered rocks to budding vines. These rock walls have been completely removed and replaced with palatial stone walls and arches. The walls are now an extension of the sets on stage. While sitting in the Living Waters Theatre, the impression is that you are sitting in an outdoor amphitheatre, just outside of King David’s porch.
Just two days after Making Memories – A Christmas Watershow closed on January 7, 2005, the project began. Under the direction of Sight & Sound’s scene shop, stage technicians removed the rock walls and old stage floor. They then installed a brand new sub-floor. To support the greater role dancing will have in the story, a special dance floor tops the stage. The rigging crew removed nearly 9,700 lbs. of outdated or unused equipment from overhead, and then installed the new drops.
As the new walls were being installed in the theatre, the scene shop finished placing the show’s sets on stage, preparing everything for the premiere. The same painters who painted the sets also painted the walls to continue the unified feel of the theatre.
Psalms of David is a very different show than Sight & Sound has done in the past, and the design of the show demanded new ideas and plenty of innovation. To support the stage crew of only three technicians, motorized and mechanical sets are used. Several sets travel to their mark in sight of the audience without assistance. The porches used for David’s palace include automated parts that transform from one scene to the next.
With live musicians, colorful costumes, and a story spanning centuries of time, the setting had to live up to dramatic demands. With the characteristic care and artistry of Sight & Sound, those demands were met - and exceeded.
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Painting walls in the theatre.