In 2003, not long after the dust had settled from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, we were asked to put together an aerial rigging design for the Opening ceremony.

The rigging system was similar to the Olympics Ceremonies, just not with the high speed winches and automation. It was a basic system that was able to raise and lower the fabric columns in the centre stage that were to provide a surface to project images and art onto.

Building the system required several span lines from the East roof main truss across to the West roof main truss. Each rigging system had a hand operated capstan winch that the "grinders" operated to fly the props.

With every large scale event there are always difficulties to overcome that for smaller productions we take little effort to overcome, but as always a challenge arises its usually worked around, and the audience, in this case millions across the world watching the televised event, as well as the live audience who most had sat through the pre rehearsal the night before.

It was a great visual effect, and complimented the action out on centre stage. By far the largest stage Sydney had seen since the 2000 Games.