Stage performances, concerts, festivals, museums, art galleries, even the odd display in a shopping mall foyer intended to divert potential customers for a moment or two while they consume something from a fast-food outlet – all of these count as entertainment. Venues range from the permanent, such as a national theatre, to the temporary – a weekend jazz festival in a field. From the simple, like a stretch of pavement hosting a street busker (with or without an amplifier) to the technologically dazzling – think half the long-running spectacles in London, Las Vegas or New York. Lifting of scenery, props and performers above the stage and above the audience is generally part of it. Lights have to be rigged, speakers set in place and where would the Christmas production of Peter Pan be without Peter, Tinker Bell and the rest flying across the stage suspended on (nearly) invisible wires to thrill the young audience?
And, just occasionally, the lifting can go wrong. As Beyoncé experienced in June, when she had to interrupt her ‘Carter Cowboy’ stage performance in Houston when the ‘flying’ Cadillac stage prop she was riding suddenly tilted in mid-air. Something had clearly gone wrong with the synchronisation of its lifting hoists.
In lifting for entertainment, therefore, as in any other form of lifting, safety is of the essence. There are, though, other requirements. Festival stages need to be set up, frequently in open fields, and taken down after the event – and both operations must be easy and quick to perform. Lightweight is a desired requirement in entertainment hoists. For outdoor festivals, weather-proofing is a must. (For a typical Glastonbury, mudproofing would seem to be needed also.) And – a seemingly-trivial requirement, but necessary all the same – the colour and finish of the hoist matters. It should not catch or reflect stage lighting onto the audience as the producer will not want his carefully designed effects spoiled.
So matte black is the standard colour – and not only for the hoists but the visible chains too. Most manufacturers, CMCO among them, offer optional black finishes. For small, intimate productions and settings, hoists can be handpowered as they are simple, cost-effective and amateur productions can use them with ease.
Horses for courses
Hoists – often referred to as a ‘motor’ within the theatre industry – that are intended for use in the sector must satisfy legal requirements. However, the requirements differ according to jurisdiction. For example, the UK, EU and US each have different sets of rules.
In addition, in most jurisdictions, safety requirements for entertainment hoists differ according to what they are being used for. There is static lifting, installing scenery before a theatre run, for example. There is dynamic lifting above the stage – a suspended load (or performer) moves in sight of the audience as part of the performance. And there is lifting above the auditorium, where the audience are seated. Different categories require increasing inbuilt standards of safety.
In the UK, the new entertainment standard is ‘BS EN 17206:2020 Entertainment technology. Machinery for stages and other production areas. Safety requirements and inspections’, which was published in June 2020. It replaces the previous standards BS 7906-1:2005 and BS 7905-1:2001.
It applies to hoists and lifting equipment for stages and production areas in theatres, schools, concert halls, sports facilities and the like. It divides entertainment lifting into six categories, each with its own requirements. Categories UC1 and UC2 are hoists for the movement and suspension of loads during setup, stage preparation and the like, which do not move when people are in hazard zones, that is underneath the load or nearby. UC1 covers statically determinate loads, UC2 is for statically indeterminate ones. Hoists for UC1 and UC2 uses are recommended to have safety functions including, among other things, emergency stops and protection against overload and improper winding. If a safety function is not implemented, then the rationale behind not using it should be detailed.
Categories UC3 and UC4 cover such lifting when people are in the hazard zone, such as lifting over the heads of actors during a performance or rehearsal. UC3 is for loads lifted in a single axis of motion, UC4 is for when movement is in multiple axes. Such hoist should have additional safety features including (but not limited to) protection against position and speed deviations, slack rope conditions and brake failure.
The final categories, UC5 and UC6, are for people-carrying entertainment hoists – the ones that support actors who are ‘flying’. (UC5 covers single hoist lifting, UC6 is for flying using triangulated and synchronised point hoists or people riding a platform suspended from multiple hoists.) Here, of course, still further safety functions are called for. They include protection against underload and against loss of hoist synchronisation.
GIS are hoist manufacturers based in Switzerland, who have a long history and division specialising in hoists for entertainment. “With regard to safety precautions, we classify our chain hoist range according to the applications they are used for, into D8, D8 Plus and C1. However, you must be aware that there are country-specific differences in safety regulations and their designation,” explains Lukas Bühlmann, a representative of GIS, of the EU regulations.
“The German IGVW quality standard SQP2:2024 is the relevant one in entertainment applications. Under those standards, a D8 hoist is an industrial chain hoist which can be used for stage technology.” It can be used on its own in applications where no people are underneath, however, when used to hold loads above people a secondary safety device – such as a sling chain or wire rope for twice the load – is necessary.
“A D8 Plus hoist is an electric chain hoist specially designed for holding loads above people – for example, a video cube above an ice rink, or a truss with speakers, LED wall and spotlights above a concert stage. In contrast to the D8 motor, no secondary safety device is required to secure the load.
“It is important to note,” he adds, “that a second brake can be fitted to GIS hoists, but this does not automatically turn the D8 hoist into a D8 Plus hoist. The required safety criteria for the D8 Plus chain are a static chain safety factor of at least 8:1, double nominal load capacity of all components in the flow of forces and the addition of a second brake.”
For loads being held and moved above people, there are specific high safety requirements that apply and a C1 hoist must be used, Bühlmann explains. “There must be a dynamic chain safety factor of at least 8:1; double nominal load capacity of all components in the power flow; a second brake; a geared limit switch with additional emergency stop contacts; and a load sensor for overload protection. Often a path measurement by means of an encoder is also required to determine and track the position of the load hook.
GIS hoists in the D8 version can be used without modification as climbing or stationary hoists up to 4,000kg safe working load (SWL) in one-fall or 6,300kg SWL in two-fall operation. Our D8 Plus hoists can be used up to 2,500kg SWL in one-fall or 3,200kg in two-falls operation. Capacities of our C1 version are up to 2,000kg SWL in one-fall or 2,500kg in two-falls.”
In open-air situations, such as festivals, Bühlmann points to GIS’s LPML and LPL S chain series, which were specifically developed for D8 rigging applications. With IP 65 protection and a lifting capacity of 500, 1,000 and 2,000kg available, they are dust-tight and protected from water jets, and can be used outside without any issues.
“Control systems for entertainment hoist brings in another level altogether. Here, too, it depends very much on which safety requirements must be met and which features the chain hoists are equipped with,” says Bühlmann. “For simple group applications in the D8 and D8+ range, we offer case controls. These briefcase controllers are distributed worldwide. Things get a little more complex when the chain hoists are equipped with position and load measurement, as is required in the C1 range. We only take on projects involving complex control systems in our local market in Switzerland. For the global market, we are a component supplier of chain hoists and our partners develop the appropriate solution in collaboration with their control engineers and providers.”
And for the US, regulations are different again. But if we seem to be in a maze of overlapping requirements, there is a simplification available. Entertainment is increasingly an international business. Few performers are content to limit their touring to just one jurisdiction and re-organising the rigging for each new country is impractical. For that reason, the most rigorous standards tend to become the most universal and to be used beyond their region of origin.
CMCO, the division of US hoist makers Columbus McKinnon that specialises in hoists for the entertainment industry, puts it succinctly: “European regulations and standards are increasingly being applied in the US as well.”
There is also an International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging. While this is not statutory, it is instead a response to the trans-border needs outlined above. In its own words, “Rigging professionals from around the globe have voluntarily collaborated to create this International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging (ICOPER). Recognition and acceptance of this universal code will help promote regulatory harmony and reduce potential conflicts between regions around the world. The resulting improvements in communications and relations with regional and local regulators will be particularly beneficial to those professionals involved in international production. Acknowledging that regulations and standards differ around the world, ICOPER is not prescriptive, rather it provides a series of guidelines that, if followed, will produce uniformly predictable results and enhance safe practice. Adopting and supporting ICOPER, therefore, benefits everyone involved in event production.”
The show must go on
There are other requirements besides safety. Kube Rigging, based in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, supplies construction and electrical rigging to film and TV productions, commercials and fashion and pop promotions. The BBC, Netflix, Amazon and Disney have all been among their clients.
Suzie Wrennal is their co-director and a LEEA registered technician as well. “In 2024 we achieved full LEEA member status,” she says. “This means that our customers know that Kube Rigging follows extremely high safety standards.” LEEA is the Lifting Equipment Engineer’s Association and all members go through rigorous training and audits, with continuous professional development as a priority. “Our riggers are working at heights a lot. They are all members of BECTU [the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union] and that effectively makes sure they are all certified.” BECTU’s Creative Industries Safety Passport is an internationally recognised health and safety course for riggers in the entertainment sector, and is accredited to the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
“Most of the productions we work on have non-disclosure agreements, so I cannot talk too much about them; but I can say that we supplied the hugely successful Disney production Cruella with equipment and riggers. We have filled rigging requirements on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and on the Amazon Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series that came out last year.” Paddington 2 used their services as well. “And we have done commercials for Habitat, Jimmy Choo, F&F, Nissan, Audi [and] Mercedes- Benz…” They do music productions as well, including artists such as Stormzy and Lily Allen.
Think of a UK film studio and they have probably supplied it: “We currently have rigging equipment at Shepperton, Pinewood, OMA, Dukes Island, Black Island and Bray studios, as well as out on location. One of our issues is keeping track of where our equipment is – everything needs to be labelled, from the half-tonne hoists down to the last cable. That’s not about theft, it’s simply about logistics.” And they are expanding: the day we spoke, Kube was taking possession of a new large warehouse for their hoists and lighting equipment.
“We hire out equipment to productions, or we supply a full rigging service. Typically, it could be the construction manager or a rigging contractor that contacts us. They may already have done the calculations, and have a list of the hoists and capacities that they need to hire from us – so many half-tonne hoists, so many quarter-tonners and so on; or we might take on the whole job of planning, supplying and rigging,” says Wrennal. On top of hoists, Kube Rigging also uses electric motors, cables, beams, as well as a dozen other fittings and fixtures. As Wrennal explains, they have load cells, trusses, a large l-beam, blackout drapes, with a waterproof option for open-air shoots and green screens, which all need to be lifted into place.
“Lights and sound equipment need lifting of course; but so do props. The other day we were lifting some huge pretend trees. Lifting false ceilings is a very common thing that we have to do,” adds Wrennal. “Most lifts are not too heavy. Our hoists are mainly quarter-tonne and half-tonne capacity. At the moment, I am looking at a Pro-star 250kg from Columbus McKinnon; we use their Lodestar 0.5t hoists as well.
“We have to be able to transport all these things to the studio or location, and bring them back again, so lightweight and ease of rigging and de-mounting are valuable. Some productions call for synchronised lifts, which in turn need good control systems. We use various controllers from small portable fourway models controllers to six-way, eight-way and 12-way controllers, depending on the size and requirements of the production.
Electrical hoists, Wrennal continues, are great for moving lighting boxes and trusses, while ensuring that precise, simultaneous control at multiple lifting points. However, manual chain tackles are still regularly used across many productions with great demand. “Typically 0.5t is adequate but, in more recent years, our longer 15m chain hoists with the one-tonne WLL have become increasingly popular as well. And, of course, on locations where power could be an issue, the manual hoists are particularly useful.”
While it’s hard to say what is lifted the most, according to Wrennal, it all depends on the individual production. “We worked on the TV mini-series Devs. On that, our co-director and founder Darren Flindall was head of department rigger. He organised manoeuvring the very large and delicate glass and gold lift that was an integral element of the set and the storyline. So much could have gone wrong without the required knowledge and experience using such hoists.”
Not, of course, that such knowledge and experience are seen by or known to the audience. The lifting experience, and the lifting machines, are strictly behind the scenes and out of sight. But they are a key part of the show all the same. Ah well – that’s entertainment.
