J. R. Clancy Rigging Selected for University in Saudi Arabia

When Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, opens its campus to students early in 2012, its three theatres will be equipped with J. R. Clancy, Inc. rigging systems.

Within what will be the world's largest university for women is a theatre complex with a 2,500-seat performance hall, a 700-seat drama theatre, and a black box theatre for lectures and small productions. While each theatre has unique requirements, the contractor sought a single, proven supplier that could manufacture the complete package of under- and over-stage rigging for all three venues. Clancy's broad equipment portfolio and international experience in managing projects of the largest scale earned the company this project.

Clancy worked closely with Michael Burgoyne, of Schuler Shook, to provide the appropriate rigging system for the consultant's design concepts. Schuler Shook specified the versatility and high-end performance of powered rigging, eliminating the need for weight bridges and specially trained staff to operate the system.

As the culture of the region evolves, the university's theatres may be used for virtually any kind of production or performance. Schuler Shook designed these theatres to handle large or small productions, using Titan hoists, the largest standard automated hoist manufactured by Clancy. Titan was chosen for its zero-fleet angle design and its ability to move large payloads at production speed.

Tip-and-fly acoustical ceilings in the large and small theatres use Clancy orchestra lifts for simple conversion of the spaces from theatrical to orchestral productions. All of the hoists and lifts are controlled using Niscon's Raynok motion control system, completing the powerful, easy-to-use rigging system that converts the theatres quickly from one show type to the next.

Adding a level of complexity to the project, fire codes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are more demanding than comparable U.S. codes. Clancy rose to the challenge, providing a custom steel-framed fire safety curtain system using Zetex Plus 1210ZP fabric. Zetex 1210ZP's one-hour rating for fire protection meets all local codes.

The equipment list already made this project a major challenge, but the project's timetable added a significant level of difficulty. From contract award to turnover, the job had to be completed in only six months -- including design, fabrication, shipping, and installation. "Projects of this scope normally take twice this long, so this was a truly aggressive schedule," said Charlie Shatzkin, international sales manager for J. R. Clancy. "We were able to meet the challenge, in part because our ISO 9001 infrastructure provides a highly efficient design and manufacturing system. We can ramp up quickly and efficiently to meet high demand."