Mark Fisher
Theatre and set designer  

British architect Mark Fisher has earned an international reputation for his spectacular rock concert designs. His best-known work includes The Wall and Division Bell for Pink Floyd, Steel Wheels and Bridges to Babylon for the Rolling Stones, and Popmart and Elevation for U2. He's also created stunning stage environments for Elton John, Shania Twain, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, Janet Jackson and Cher. His other large-scale projects include shows for the Lisbon World's Fair and the Millennium Dome in London.

Fisher says the biggest difference between designing a rock show and a Cirque du Soleil show is that Cirque's artists interact much more with the set. "In a rock show the scenery is much more of a background," he explains. "Here, it's actually part of the landscape in which the performers live and move to create their show."

In his book Staged Architecture, Fisher describes designing rock shows with the audience/performer relationship in mind and using narrative themes to reinforce the message of the performers. And that approach makes him a perfect fit for Cirque's new show at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Fisher says he designed the stage set and the auditorium for Cirque as an integrated concept, not as separate entities. "The narrative starts at the transition between the casino and the theatre and then opens out as the audience come into the theatre, and then opens out more when they get the show."

According to Fisher, the most important thing is the memory the audience takes with them afterwards. "In the digital age you can 'own' every image you ever see," he says. "But the unique thing about going to see a live show like the Rolling Stones or Cirque du Soleil is that you can't own it. It only exists in your memory. And that's what we're creating when we do all this work to build the theatre and put the show in it. And that's its true value, the fact you have to go and see it to experience it."