La Nouba - Set and Technical Information

Set and Technical Information

The theater housing La Nouba is the first freestanding permanent structure built for Cirque du Soleil. The theater was designed by Michel Crête, Michel Aubé of Scéno Plus, Walt Disney Imagineering, and the architects of the Rockwell group of New York. It can seat a total of 1,671 people per show. The overall structure was created as a form of elegance, with the addition of fabric and tension reminiscent in that of the Grand Chapiteau.

The backdrop of the stage is a trellis measuring 60 by 200 feet (18 m × 61 m) and made of PVC panels and scrim. The stage floor itself has five elevator lifts, each with a 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) load capacity. These lifts can move at a rate of 1 foot per second (0.30 m/s) and rise to a maximum height of 16 feet (4.9 m). The center stage lift, in addition to elevating, can also descend 16 feet (4.9 m) below the stage on a second axis. Another movable set element includes the two téléphériques installed along the back wall which can transport acrobatic equipment, props, and scenery at a pace of 4 feet per second (1.2 m/s).

Another stage element includes the four retractable power track floors in the stage. Each floor weighs over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) and can move up to 2 feet per second (0.61 m/s). The trampoline bed is tighter and use second generation of spring, allowing the performers to jump higher and faster down the track which measures 60 feet (18 m) in length. As a Cirque du Soleil first, the trampolines are longer, wider, and woven together of two overlapping tracks as seen in Alegría. The entire stage deck is layered with impact resilient Mondo Sport Floor over wood in order to avoid injury.

The theater's immense height (ground level to fly height is 100 feet (30 m); ground level to top of the masts is 152 feet (46 m)) allows the scenic and acrobatic equipment to be stored in the ceiling. As yet another Cirque du Soleil first, the trapeze net is installed mechanically with no visible stagehands as it is lowered into place from the ceiling.