We have had the great honour of being involved again in the UAE Union Day Ceremony. This year marks the fifth consecutive year of our involvement and saw the creation of the single biggest piece of stage machinery we have ever produced.

The show was produced by our friends People&Co alongside Artistic Directors Ayesah Hadhe, Es Devlin and Sadeck Berrabah. The Organising Committee of the 52nd UAE Union Day commissioned a revolving theatre, complete with sliding doors that allowed elegant scene changes between seventeen different vignettes.

The audience watched from a fixed seating tribune in the centre of the structure as the performance platform revolved around them. The revolve had a diameter of 72m meaning that at its outside edge, a full rotation covered a distance of almost a quarter of a kilometre. At full height, the performance area stood at over 8m. Once loaded with scenic elements and performers, the total weight of this revolving theatre was close to 500 tonnes. The system was actuated by six friction drive motors and the sliding doors were driven at their base using a rack and pinion mechanism.

The combination of movement, lighting, projection, video, and live performers made for an exquisite visual feast. It provided a fitting tribute for the celebration of the UAE’s past, present and future.