A backstage look into the Dr. Phillips Center and what it takes to bring the magic alive!
The Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center is in their 5th season, and this beautiful Orlando theater has hosted many Broadway shows, music events and more. This theater has continued to keep the arts culture alive in downtown Orlando with Broadway productions such as Phantom of The Opera, The Lion King, Wicked, Matilda and many more.
But as fascinating as the productions are in their own right, so is the behind the stage workings to put them on. We got a tour of this beautiful facility, to see a behind the scenes look at how these shows are made possible. The tour starts with a peek at the green room, where performing artists prepare to take the stage in costuming and makeup just before curtain rise and in between their scenes. In this area, they can monitor the show in real time on screens just outside of the changing areas so they know when their time for their next act comes on.
Next, we visit the interworking 80 feet high above the stage floor, the fly spaces that contain the 91 different fly systems with pulleys and steel cables that makes moving props and equipment possible. An example of a suspended prop is the infamous chandelier from the Broadway production, The Phantom of the Opera. We are also shown the interconnected spaces for routing cables and power through walls no more than 10 feet from one another.
Then we visit the multiple catwalks that surround the stage, where stagehands traverse to work the light systems, spotlights and move other equipment out of audience sight.
Lastly, we got a chance to step foot on the stage and look out into the audience! This is where some major performances have taken place like Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and some amazing upcoming shows for the next season! This is a view that left me speechless. I can see why performers rant about not only how intimate the Dr. Phillips Center feels but just how amazing the whole space is!
To learn more about the Dr. Phillips Center and to purchase tickets to the shows coming up, visit their website here!
