Teamwork has made the dream work at the Yuen Long Theatre in Hong Kong – which now features a switchable dance floor on top of a revolving and movable stage.

Yuen Long Theatre in Hong Kong is a hub for a wide range of performances, from dance to music and contemporary theatre, bringing local and international talent to the stage. The theatre opened in 1999 and was recently upgraded. Harlequin Floors and Tait worked in close partnership with the clients – Hong Kong’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) – to create a modern performance space including a switchable dance floor on a revolving, movable stage. 

“Yuen Long needed to undergo a massive refurbishment, bringing its equipment up to the technical standards required by today’s industry,” says Steven Snow, VP of operations for Tait Asia. 

With a history of working together on various global projects, it was an easy decision for Tait and Harlequin to continue the partnership. “It’s been a great partnership all the way through the project,” comments Snow. “It’s allowed us to deliver a world-class venue on  time that we can all be proud of.” 

Revolving stage 

The transformative upgrades to Yuen Long Theatre marked this as a world-first project. Harlequin collaborated with Tait to install a Tait Stage Machinery System and a 16m x 12m (52.5ft x 39.4ft) wagon with an integrated 11m (36.1ft)-diameter revolve topped with Harlequin Liberty Switch, all on a compensating lift so that it can align precisely with the rest of the stage floor. Harlequin and Tait have collaborated on multiple projects across the globe “The challenge with having a revolve is the curves and the locking mechanism,” comments Craig Thomson, contracts director at Harlequin. “We’ve had to invent a brand-new locking system for this application to be successful. It has been a brilliant collaboration, and the team has worked really hard on this project.”

Flooring system 

The revolving part of the stage is 11m in diameter Harlequin Liberty Switch is an award-winning, multi-use flooring system designed for venues that regularly put on both dance and theatrical performances. The system has won awards across the world, including the Best Debuting Product Award at LDI Las Vegas in 2022; the DTHG Technology Product Award at Showtech Berlin  in 2023; the Innovation Award at JTSE in 2023; and the Engineering Product of the Year Award at ABTT in 2023. 

“These multiple awards speak volumes about its exceptional design, functionality and impact on the performing arts industry,” says Thomson. 

The switchable floor system operates using moving carriages that engage with stop blocks on the underside of Harlequin Liberty panels, creating a rigid floor, and disengage to create a sprung floor. It means venues can easily transform their performance space using an intuitive touchscreen display. “It’s more cost-effective than an equivalent ballet wagon, making it a game-changing feature for spaces offering a variety of entertainment,” says Thomson.“The initial concept for Harlequin Liberty Switch was born during the COVID-19 pandemic and since then, a great amount of time has been spent perfecting the design.” 

Complete control 

The partners believe this was the world’s first deployment of stage machinery with so many integrated features (wagon, revolve, lift and switchable floor all-in-one) of its kind. It is controlled using Tait Navigator and two epiQ consoles, which present a simple graphical representation of the stage to the operator, who can see the status of the Harlequin surface alongside all other axes, at all times. 

A Tait Automated Flying System was chosen for this project.“Tait was the only bidder who could devise a way to install a densely packed flybar winch array into the challenging confines of the existing building, such that the local staff team would have access for maintenance and regular rope inspections,” says Snow. The vertically mounted BT2 winches in the basement, along with complex rope paths to the grid, simultaneously solved all the challenges.

EN 17206 standard 

Although the EN 17206 standard was relatively new at the time the project was designed and installed, the Tait Automated Flying System meets the demanding requirements of EN 17206, as well as SIL3. Therefore, it is suitable for use cases including 3D performer flying, while the ELL capacity of one ton on each flybar provides for heavy scenic motion enabling smooth midshow scene changes. The Tait Stage Machinery systems also meet the standard’s requirements  for on-stage use cases. The Tait Navigator control system unifies operation and safety interlocks for all automation, both above and below the stage, along with control and feedback for the Harlequin Liberty Switch system, which is deployed on the revolve. The Navigator system also enables productions to devise closer integration between automation and other technical departments (such as lighting, audio and video), by using timecode and live real-time millimetre-accurate 3D position-tracking, via the PSN protocol. Enabled by a partnership mindset from the start of the project, through planning phases to design delivery, and subsequent support of the local team, the combination of all of these systems makes the Yuen Long theatre a world class multi-genre performance venue. The facilities can now support technically adventurous spectacles of many different kinds, while also providing efficient change-overs between shows. “We all look forward to seeing how this  un-limits the imaginations of designers whose work is showcased in Hong Kong,” says Snow. 

Efficiency Benefits

In addition to its operational versatility, Harlequin Liberty Switch is designed to offer a more sustainable alternative to the traditional portable sprung floor or ballet wagon. By using one multipurpose floor instead of two separate floors, fewer resources are required and there is no need for the floor to be stored, moved, installed or uninstalled between performances – reducing manpower, energy consumption and change-over time. The system requires no power to stay in the selected mode, minimizing energy use. All timber used in its manufacture is responsibly sourced from FSC-certified forests.

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