Serious Stages at WOMAD

by Jim Evans, 19 August 2008

UK - Serious Stages continued its 19 year relationship with the WOMAD (World of Music Arts & Dance) Festival, supplying three main stages for the 2008 event held at Charlton Park, Malmesbury in Wiltshire. Serious supplied the main open air arena with a stage and roofing system, and indoor stages for the festival's Siam and the Big Red tents. WOMAD 2008 featured over 70 live acts from 35 countries.

The Main Stage consisted of one of Serious's 15.6m, four-arch Supernovas - their new steel framed heavy load bearing structure launched earlier in the year. The Supernova offered 16m of stage depth, a trim height of 11m and six tonnes of weight loading per arch for sound, lighting and video production.

Serious also supplied all the stage decking for this, plus two 3.6 x 2.4m 'cowshed' extensions stage left and right, to house monitors and dimmer areas. They built 12m high satellite PA towers either side of stage, a large wheelchair access platform out in the arena, and a FOH mixer riser platform.

The Siam Tent was the three-day event's second stage, and consisted of a 15.6m wide by 15.6m deep Serious decking system located inside a massive Kayam style tent. Serious also constructed a FOH mixing area and wheelchair access platform. The Big Red Tent featured another 15.6m wide Serious decking system.

The Serious team of eight led by Jeremy "Moz" Mosdell took four days to build the different structures. Serious has also worked with WOMAD on their events in Spain and Gran Canaria.