The Ultimate Guide to Building a Portable Performance Space
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Portable Performance Space
October 11, 2023
There are many different components that go into building a portable performance space. The gear you need can also differ greatly based on different factors such as the size of your space, your location, or the types of events you’re going to be hosting. Here’s a blog post we wrote about what you’ll need when hosting an event in a gymnasium. This post will expand on that and will talk about portable performance spaces as a whole.
Platforms
It all starts with a platform. In most cases this will be a portable stage, but it can also be a set of tiered risers if the event is a choir or orchestra concert. This will be where the performance takes place.
As you can imagine, there are a ton of different options available for this. Many decisions on the details for the platforms need to be considered. These would include stage configuration, size, and best performance surface for the type of event.
The key to getting the system that’s going to work for you is to talk to an expert and let them help. This will set you up for success in the long run.
Audience Seating
There are two primary options when looking at audience seating in your portable space. You can use seating risers or you can just set up chairs in rows on the floor. The benefit to having seating risers is the improved sightlines your patrons will get to experience. When just using chairs, guests in the back may not be able to see well and can potentially limit how large of an audience you can have at the event. At the end of the day, you want your patrons to have a positive experience and seating risers will provide that.
Sound Projection
This can occur in two different ways and will depend on the event. It can either be an electronic sound reinforcement system such as amps and microphones or you can use acoustic shells to help direct the sound to the audience. A portable shell will be required for a choir or orchestra concert to project sound towards the audience if you are in a stage house or gymnasium. It is placed directly behind the risers. Some events won’t need a shell, though, and will project sound through a portable sound system.
Accessories
Accessories can provide added safety and functionality to your space along with giving it a more finished look.
There are a variety of different options available for portable spaces. Outdoor spaces may need to use barricades to keep fans away from the stage whereas that’s not something the high school band needs while playing a concert in the gymnasium.
For most events, there’s probably a place for things like backdrops, guardrails, stairs, and skirting. Take a look at what you’re doing to see if there’s a need for any of these items.
Conclusion
As you’ve probably realized, every portable space is going to be a little different, which means there isn’t a one size fits all solution. Your best course of action if you’re building or using a portable space, is to talk to our experts so they can recommend the equipment that’s going to be perfect for you.
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October 15, 2020
