|
One of the challenges of the Olympics was to entertain patrons outside the sporting venues. Absurd Entertainment held the contract (along with event producers Great Big Events) for grounds entertainment for the Common Domain as well as being extensively involved in many areas. ASE talked to Managing Director Nigel Collin.
Nigel outlined the brief and the challenge “The Entertainment Program for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was indeed vast and diverse. There were many venues where entertainment was used and in each of these the purpose and objective of the entertainment varied, depending on the brief and the venue itself.
What was important was to ensure the entertainment not only meet the brief given but was also of the highest calibre, after all the eyes of the world were upon us.”
Absurd coordinated entertainers for a number of key areas. At Sydney Olympic Park – the Millennium Marquee, The Common Domain and the Athletes Village. Sports venues such as Baseball, Equestrian and Soccer. And in the city at the Olympic Live sites.
Overall Absurd managed and co-ordinated over 350 individual performance calls of between 1 and 5 performers.
ASE asked Nigel what he looked for in selecting appropriate acts. “As with all good street entertainment programs we looked at achieving a blend of Visual (ie stilts), Musical (roving and theatrical bands) and Interactive (both character and skill based). Where possible, acts which incorporated more than one of these elements were used”.
The specific requirements
Following is a list of the venues and how the entertainment was best used.
The Millennium Marquee:
This was the Sponsor’s Village, and entertainment here needed to create a festive atmosphere. The idea was to entertain guests and give them an “experience” of the games. Within the Millennium Marquee there were 2 individual venues, and as well as a daily program of street entertainment, there were two large events conducted (one on Opening and the other on closing).
The Common Domain.
The Common Domain was the public area within the boundaries of Sydney Olympic Park. The brief here was quite specific.
As Nigel comments,
“Our brief here was two fold:-
- To entertain queues as people left the park. (At Bus and Train Terminals in the North, South and Central Sectors)
- To entertain the masses within the park as they moved to and from venues.
The challenge with each of these was that we had to entertain patrons but, under no circumstances, were we to block, stop or hinder the flow of pedestrian traffic – in fact the opposite, we needed to help facilitate it’s flow”.
The most notable (some would say notorious) of these was the comic lifesavers, who surveyed the crowds from their lookouts and through loudhailers somehow directed, cajoled, lovingly insulted and entertained the crowds. The lifesavers were added to the mix on very short notice. Three days after the Games opened the OCA (Olympic Coordination Authority) decided that the crowd control needed some gingering up. Nigel and his team were set the task and came up with the idea of a very visible performer, who adhered to the image of the games, was very Australian and who could, by using humour, give directions to the crowd in an entertaining fashion. These lifesavers informed the crowd of such things as “for the safety of all involved please stay within the flags of your own Nation” and “any unaccompanied children will immediately be confiscated”.
Other Venues
Other venues such as Baseball, Equestrian and Soccer also required performers to entertain queues and guests waiting for events to start. This varied from creating characters such as comic popcorn sellers who actually sold nothing at all, to umpires and a referee who had inadvertently shown up at the wrong game, to simply providing roving musicians.
Athletes Village.
Street entertainment was also used at the Athletes Village where the athletes stayed and the brief here was to entertain athletes at the transit terminal. This was one of those areas that performers raved about. The athletes were certainly willing to get involved, let of some steam and get into the spirit of the games.
CITY LIVE SITES:
The Live Sites were designated areas throughout the City itself where public could meet and enjoy the flavour of the games. These sites hosted stages for shows and bands, and giant screens where people could watch the games. These sites were managed directly by the OCA.
The brief for Absurd was to entertain the public in the areas surrounding the Live Sites. Amongst the very popular acts involved in this area were ‘The Baroquials’, ‘The Garbage Bags’ and ‘The Fabulous Fat Bros’ from Melbourne (2 over sized stilt walkers in inflatable fat suits dressed as fitness instructors).
As ticket sales continued into the games period, entertainment was also used to entertainment the public as they queued to buy tickets. Entertainment again varied from living animatronic robots, to comic paparazzi who unwittingly mistook people for celebrities.
ALL IN ALL:
The Sydney 2000 Olympics offered the opportunity for the best street entertainment in Australia, and indeed the world, to strut it’s stuff.
“I spent a lot of time floating between venues, and although I was on call I couldn’t help but be drawn into the vibe and excitement of it all”, said Nigel, “certainly a gig to remember, I’ve even framed my accreditation pass for prosperity”.
Congratulations to all involved from the organisers right through to the performers. Well done.
|
