Anatomy: What Happens When the Circus Comes to Town?

Cirque du Soleil’s Totem comes to National Harbor August 15 through September 16. Before the show—billed as a “journey into the evolution of mankind”—can go on, Cirque’s crew has to raise its blue-and-yellow tent and assemble an elaborate set. Here’s how.

Day 1: Sixty-five trucks arrive with 235,000 pounds of equipment. The
team installs eight generators (which produce enough electricity for about
2,000 homes), assembles work spaces and backstage tents, and raises the
big top’s four 80-foot masts.

Day 2: The big top goes up. Workers install one of the set’s key
pieces, the moving “scorpion bridge”—it uses eight hydraulic motors and
weighs 10,000 pounds. Technicians also install a trampoline-like floor
under the stage for the acrobats.

Day 3: The crew builds the rest of the stage and installs 86 speakers
and nearly 500 lights. The musicians’ platform is constructed, and
winches—cranks to raise and lower the ropes—are set up for the
artists.

Day 4: The set’s centerpiece—a turtle shell weighing 2,700 pounds—is
built. Ropes are reeved onto the winches, the audience bleachers are
built, and lighting and sound consoles are set up. The show uses more than
15 miles of electric cable.

Day 5: Chairs are installed on the bleachers. The winches and rigging
are tested, and the lighting is focused. The show’s internal-communication
system and video monitors are installed.

Day 6: The crew continues to adjust the set until the artists arrive
at 11 am. The band does a sound check, and the moving lights are preset.
The crew works with the artists to make sure everything works
properly.

Day 7: More technical adjustments are made.

Day 8: The show premieres.

This article appears in the August 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.

Sophie Gilbert