The biggest acts from Australia and around the world will now perform on new, state-of-the-art rolling house stages at Melbourne & Olympic Parks (M&OP) – the first technology of its kind in Australian arenas.
The rolling house stages (RHS) were produced in England by TAIT Towers, the world leaders in touring staging who are responsible for all 20 of the highest-grossing concert tours in history, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce.
The RHS is a revolution for global touring and allows crews to install overhead rigging at one end of the venue safely on the ground while the stage is built at the other end. Once it is complete, the rigging is raised, and the pre-loaded stage is rolled into place – saving time for the hirer and improving safety.
In the age of modern touring, where a show might be in one city one night, and another the next, it will prove a game changer.
Danielle Bleazby, Director of Venues at M&OP said the new rolling stages were a major draw card for the precinct and put M&OP at the cutting edge of the industry, both in Australia, and globally.
“For many years, M&OP has relied on fixed in-house staging systems. These types of stages can’t be moved once they are built, so if the promoter wants to change the position, it all needs to be broken down and rebuilt,” she said.
“Our new custom-built rolling changes change that equation entirely. We can now build the stage and set backline, foldbacks and other stage equipment down one end of the floor, whilst the rigging, lighting and PA are being set and flown down the other end. We then simply roll the loaded stage down the floor and underneath the equipment flown in the ceiling.”
“It provides promoters, crew and other workers with a safer and more efficient set up and pack down, which is important as shows continue to get bigger and more complex.”
“It is a big step forward for the industry, and M&OP is excited to have partnered with TAIT to set the standard for touring stages in Australia,” she said.
Travis Hogan, Chief Production Officer at Mushroom Group said the stages would be revolutionary for major touring acts travelling through Melbourne.
“Any time saved on an international tour is a big deal for promoters. From the moment an act enters the venue, the clock is ticking for the stage to arrive and get set up. Once the show is over, the stage and equipment need to hit the road overnight to the next city on the tour.
“For the next major show at Rod Laver Arena, The Killers, you’re going to see a full-size show with all the bits and pyrotechnics which is made so much easier to set up because of this investment by Melbourne & Olympic Parks.”
M&OP has invested in rolling house stages at its three arena venues – Rod Laver Arena, John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena. The investment comes off the back of a record-breaking year for the precinct, where over 3.8 million guests attended nearly 500 events across 2023–24. With M&OP continuing to grow its diverse calendar of events, the stages are slated to play an important role in ensuring the precinct maintains its reputation as Victoria’s live events epicentre.
Image – James Pemblington, Project Manager at TAIT (Left), Glen King, Head of Production Operations at M&OP (Right)