"We're always about trying to do things a little bit different."
That's how Media Pastor Greg Bacus of Grapevine, Texas' Fellowship Church describes their approach to providing a cleaner stage for their weekend services. They were finding the clutter of instruments and cabling used during the worship portions of their services distracting, and wanted to find a way to address the issue for the 2008 Christmas season. Preferable would be a different set, designed around the theme of the service. But tearing down one set and installing another during the transition between service elements would be impossible.
To solve this dilemma, they came up with the concept of a rotating stage. However, traditional rotating stages are designed and built into the facility at the time the building is constructed, and are very expensive.
Undeterred, they approached long-time ministry partners Xtreme Structures, located in nearby Sulphur Springs, Texas.
"We've done some work with Disney on Ice and with circuses, so we've been involved in projects where there's been moving or flying. But this was our first turntable project," states Michael Wells, president of Xtreme Structures.
The design takes advantage of their years of experience in designing custom structures for theater. "It is based on an aluminum beam substructure that rolls on casters that are mounted to the floor," describes Matt Panther, vice president responsible for production at Xtreme Structures. "The aluminum beams are covered with deck panels, making up the floor of the turntable on which the set pieces and band equipment are placed. It is 30 feet in diameter, and 20 inches tall. We used two friction drive motors which allow for variable rotation speeds, ranging from hardly moving to about two RPM. The system can handle a load of 12,000 pounds. Cabling for the band and other equipment are run through the center of the platform, so a limit switch is installed to prevent the stage from rotating more than 180 degrees."
Installation at the church by Xtreme Structures took just one day. If needed, church staff could remove it in as little as three to four hours, and re-install it themselves.
So how does this turntable solve their problem? "We have the band set up on the turntable with a two-sided backdrop across the back side of the turntable," Bacus describes. "Right before the message, we spin the turntable to present a clean platform for our pastor, Ed Young, Jr." This presents the reverse side of the backdrop to the audience which the teaching pastor stands in front of, hiding the instruments.
While the stage could rotate the 180 degrees in about 15 seconds, Fellowship production staff don't take advantage of that. "We have it set to take 40 seconds to rotate the 180 degrees, to keep things from falling off the stage," explains Bacus.
Fellowship Church is very pleased with the work. While intended to serve them just for the holiday season, they've continued using the turntable on a weekly basis.
Cost of this custom turntable came to about $45,000.
