TAMPA, Fla. — An advanced form of technology, once only used by the military to lift things on and off aircraft carriers, is now being installed at The Straz.
“We are replacing our orchestra pit lift system, which is a mechanical system that operates half of our stage and has the ability to raise and lower from stage level all the way down into our basement,” said CJ Marshall, Vice President of Operations at The Straz.
In the span of 90 days, crews will install a two-million-dollar state-of-the-art rigid chain lift system that can carry up to 75 tons.
“You can see the length of the columns. The total travel is about 20 feet vertically, and it goes down as much as three levels,” said Marshall.
The key is being able to efficiently move 400 seats up and down three floors to and from the auditorium when needed, depending on whether a show has an orchestra.
The old lifting system went straight into the ground.
“Flooding is certainly a concern here, more so water penetrating from below. It’s something we have been managing for years. We regularly pump water out of this location,” said Marshall.
However, all 26 holes will be cemented over with the new system.
“And hopefully, we’ll be able to keep it high and dry without having to do any pumping,” said Marshall.
The plan is for the lift to be up and running just in time for the season-opening production of Beetlejuice The Musical on Oct. 24.
“We take a lot of pride in what we do behind the scenes. Most of our audiences, most of the time, don’t know the hard work that goes into it, but we are just glad we can share that with everybody,” said Marshall.
The Straz would also like to acknowledge Hillsborough County and the state of Florida for their funding contributions to the project.
