The Chicago Flyhouse, Inc.

That’s a Wrap!

Two years after we first arrived on campus, our project with Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music has come to a close. The university’s 1,460 seat The Musical Arts Center (MAC) has been compared to New York’s Metropolitan Opera, and now boasts a Flyhouse-updated rigging system.

 

INSTALLATION, BY THE NUMBERS:

  • 5 chain falls, 9.5 tons each

  • 50 round slings, 21,000 pounds each

  • 50 shackles each rated for 24,000 pound capacity

  • 2 hydraulic jacks, 10 tons each

  • 80,000 pounds of static-hung equipment

  • 80,000 pounds of counterweight, raised

  • 19.5 horsepower of motors, installed

  • 13.465 newton meters of secondary braking capacity, installed

All of this work was completed without the ability to use a forklift or aerial lifts on stage. Our crew was able to dead hang the equipment and the counterweight, and replace all motors, secondary brakes, wire rope and terminations, bringing the venue’s system up to date. We also added a handheld pendant controller, allowing users to position themselves within a safe visual line of sight of moving equipment. This entire phase of the project was completed in less than two months.

Jacobs School of Music’s 2024-45 season kicks off next month with their production of Suor Angelica.