COSTUMES – THE FABRIC OF VOLTA

The stunning costumes of VOLTA echo the themes of alienation and self-realization. They also reflect the DIY (Do It Yourself) mentality of those who strive to “find their free.”

These stylish hand-made creations have been designed by Zaldy Goco, famous for his work with Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefany and for TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race.

WOW – In his TV show outfit, MR. WOW represents the ultimate level of celebrity: solid gold through and through. Gold colored dragon scales make up his hard, exterior shell. His shell is also a representation of the superficiality that is sometimes associated with fame.

Sympathy for the common man – In the world of VOLTA, the GREYS represent the everyman. In multiple shades of grey, the prints and patchwork-type patterns and textures of their outfits mimic the bleakness of the landscape and blend with the stage. The GREY’s costumes are held together with belting from head to toe. Some of the GREYS are in a transitional state to becoming FREESPIRITS; when they remove their coats, the backs of their shirts have colorful patterns showing their individuality.

Judgement of society – The JUDGES costumes are as big as the importance they want to have. Clad in metallic gold and black, the JUDGES are the anonymous, two-faced judgement that society imposes on us. Metallic glitter gives their flamboyant neo-Baroque costumes a hard shine that underscores their self-importance.

All out DIY – FREESPIRITS are open-minded, life-loving travelers who won’t hesitate a moment to veer off course for the sheer sake of adventure. On their travels, they collect meaningful objects and trinkets, which they attach to their costumes. The fabrics and prints call to mind extensive travel and encounters with many cultures of the world. The FREESPIRITS’ complex, richly colored outfits evoke handmade techniques such as macramé and crochet.

Costume close-ups

• The coat MR. WOW wears as the host of the MR. WOW SHOW, a golden coat – a super bling outfit truly befitting of an executive producer and supreme judge that demands to be the center of attention.
• WAZ’s distinctive headdress has approximately 1,500 blue feathers.
• More than 1,200 costume elements were produced by the artisans in the costume workshop at Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters in Montreal.
• The make-up designs for the life-loving FREESPIRITS are inspired by vibrant Hindu colors such as oranges and aqua blues. The colors on the characters’ bodies are applied with sponges full of holes or, in the case of the Swiss rings performers, using various paint splattering techniques.

SET DESIGN, PROPS AND LIGHTING – A BREATHING, PULSATING WORLD OF LIGHT

VOLTA’s stage has a pulse and a life its own. In a heartbeat, it can turn from a dark, stone-dead quarry into a cathedral of light.

Stone, light and the human element – The landscape – a granite quarry – looks like it was mined out of a gigantic rock. It is a manmade, geometrically variable environment, constantly changing and adapting to the storyline. The light breaking through the background and the stage floor and emanating from WAZ’s Cube makes the stage breathe. When the characters of VOLTA invade this seemingly cold environment, the set literally comes to life.

The outer ring of the circular stage is a revolving plate with footlights that illuminate the performances. It is used to generate kinetic energy on stage as well as move props and artists. Three slim, articulated hydraulic lifts emerge from the stage floor to populate the space above the stage. Higher up, a bridge that spans two of the Big Top’s four masts can move gracefully up and down to modulate the audience’s focus and serve as a second stage. All of the mechanics on stage provide a showcase for the story that is about to unfold.

The Cube, a magic box where past and present collide – The Cube, WAZ’s refuge where he keeps treasured childhood mementos, represents the duality of the main character. It is a 5,900 kg, highly versatile mechanical device – one of the iconic symbols in the world of VOLTA. The Cube can pivot and move upstage and downstage. Two of its movable panels are used for delivering video content.

But beyond the stagecraft and the mechanics, the Cube is a pivotal element in the VOLTA narrative. A theatre décor in its own right, it is the refuge where WAZ can conjure up memories from his childhood in private and out of sight. From WAZ’S dressing room, the Cube turns into WAZ’s childhood bedroom. Inside, WAZ rummages through a treasure chest of cherished mementos. At one point, the Cube metaphorically turns into a time capsule when WAZ plays family movies depicting his happy life at home; the two LED panels unfold from the sides of the Cube to deliver the cinematic content for all the audience to see. Past and present collide in this miniature world where big things happen.

A FULL-BLOWN SKATE PARK MOUNTED ON STAGE IN REAL TIME – Because of the limited space under the Big Top – the VOLTA stage is exceptionally deep –, the six massive ramps used in the breathtaking BMX act are of increasing size and slip one inside another, like Russian dolls, when stowed away. The ramps are made of thick, heavy-duty polycarbonate – a material used to make bulletproof glass – and are fully transparent so as not to block the view of spectators sitting in the front rows, who see riders through the ramp come at them at more than 30 km/h. And the material must be strong and resistant, because a rider landing on a ramp generates a force of 12 Gs: twelve times his weight!

Close-ups on sets and props

• The audience has a 240-degree view of the VOLTA stage.
• The bridge that moves vertically above the stage weighs 2,268 kg.
• The wallpaper on the back wall of WAZ’s Cube is perforated with tiny holes to let air through and cool down the two LED panels on its flanks.
• Red symbolizes WAZ’s childhood. All of his cherished mementos, including the chest, the hourglass, the bicycle and the lamp, are red.
• The electrical components of the Cube, such as the rotating motor and the LED panels, are powered by a 200-amp electrical source like the one used in an average home.

THE MUSIC OF VOLTA – A STREAM OF GRIPPING MUSICAL LANDSCAPES

VOLTA is propelled by a series of atmospheric, epic and poetic musical landscapes. The vast palette glides from synth-pop to more melodic lines, from ambient shoegazing to waves of symphonic and orchestral sounds to which stirring choirs, brass and string textures were added.

Written by composer Anthony Gonzalez (M83), the highly cinematic music of VOLTA evokes a complex array of emotions and moods that ebb and flow majestically like the tide, always in sync with the acrobatic performances on stage. It is a narrative tool in its own right, echoing the different arcs in the storyline and expressing the distinct personalities of the worlds of VOLTA – the GREYS, the ELITES, and the FREE SPIRITS.

VIDEO CONTENT – REVEALING THE LIGHT WITHIN

VOLTA is a luminous world chock-full of LED-clad objects. The Cube is equipped with two panels made of 4-mm LED tiles that deliver film quality video content. The stage is ringed with LED lights and is lined with a forest of movable lampposts that focus the audience’s attention on the performance.

The video content palette – The video content is divided into four sections: WAZ’s childhood memories, filmed in warm, cinematic fashion; the superficial, computer-generated world of QPQ, which has a colder, slicker look and feel; the calculated city world and its grid-like patterns; and the realm of the FREE SPIRITS, with its natural and earthy atmospheres. To create a sense of cohesion, these four palettes were tied in together through an overall photorealistic approach.

A nostalgic reverie – The short “family movies” played on the two LED panels that flank the Cube on both sides and transport the audience into WAZ’s past, evoke the main character’s simple, happy childhood out in the country. To give the impression that the observer is privy to the character’s innermost secrets and to create the warm, timeless look, the films were shot in a portrait-style vertical format using special vintage equipment.

An ultramodern digital Alexa XT camera was paired with German-made Zeiss Vintage lenses from the 1960s like the ones used by legendary director Stanley Kubrick to create the soft, film-based textures of the movies. When light enters into these lenses, it leaves a distinct signature that creates that classic vintage look.

Video content at a glance

The production’s video control system is 100% interactive and can be triggered by the simple kick of a drum or the sound of a voice.

Street sports and the spirit of adventure – The creators of VOLTA drew inspiration from the spirit of adventure that pervades the world of street sports and acrobatics. Whether they are on a bike, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, or double dutch rope skipping, urban sports enthusiasts constantly challenge themselves and defy convention.

Authenticity as an antidote to superficiality – VOLTA explores the themes of celebrating differences and unique qualities in a world where technology often isolates people from one another rather than freeing them. Using the rise of the celebrity culture and reality TV as a subtext, VOLTA teaches us that the path to fame, is not necessarily the path to freedom.

The MR. WOW SHOW – This is the show of all shows. The one that can catapult you from being a nobody to being a real somebody. MR. WOW, the chief judge, holds the power to make you or to break you. You never know which way he will vote.