Here in the Tech Department we are always excited on “load-in” day. This is the day when the scenery and props arrive at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and are moved into the backstage area of the theater.
The Simon Boccanegra scenery traveled to Los Angeles from London’s Royal Opera House via ocean freight in five (5) forty-foot shipping containers. The route from the UK to Los Angeles included a sailing through the Panama Canal. The total distance traveled was 5500 miles with a transit time of about 30 days.
After the arrival in the Port of Los Angeles, the containers were trucked to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and unloaded by a union (IATSE 33) stage crew. The unloading of the containers was completed in one day and the assembly of the set will be completed in three days. For Simon Boccanegra, by the fourth or fifth day we are focusing hundreds of stage lighting instruments. By the evening of day six, we will be ready to begin stage rehearsals.
LA Opera stage carpenters unloading structural scenery elements for Simon Boccanegra
You can see more photos from the Simon Boccanegra load-in on the LAO Facebook page.