CABARET CIRQUE CASE STUDY

Trinity Powers a Fresh Twist on The Greatest Show On Earth

From sword swallowing to the flying trapeze, the circus has always been a place where the boundaries between possible and impossible become blurred.

That space between reality and fantasy is where Bacio Rosso promises to take its patrons, who experience the spectacle at the centre of the action, amid the acrobats and the clowns.

Touted as Canada’s first Gourmet Cabaret Cirque, the event promises an evening of reality-defying circus acts, a four-course meal designed by an award-winning chef, and an atmosphere of cabaret.

“The show is all around you,” explains Ric Spruijt, the event’s Site Manager. “There’s a live band on stage, there’s a beautiful four-course gourmet meal and it goes on all night.”

The spectacle takes place within the red velvet walls of an antique tent — a Belgian “Spiegeltent” which goes by the name of Carrousel, to be exact. Without power, however, the tent could not be brought to life. That’s when Spruijt reached out to Trinity Power.

Spruijt reached out to Trinity Power because the tent was missing just one thing to bring it to life: power.

“Without Power, We’re Lost”

The Trinity team began talks with Spruijt back in June 2018. “We had multiple meetings over the phone, just building that trust,” recalls, Stephen Hanna, Project Manager at Trinity Power. “The quality of our equipment is great, but the customer service and the confidence that they had that we were going to answer the phone when they called is what I believe won us the job.”

Spruijt needed to have complete faith in the company he was entrusting with the event’s temporary power. “We have to feed 325 people in 10 minutes in one go,” he explains of the show’s logistical challenges. “The power needs to be extremely reliable because there are 325 people plus staff in the tent; without power, we’re lost.”

With so much riding on reliable power, choosing the right temporary power partner was key — and Trinity Power had both the right equipment, and the depth of experience required to carry out a flawless mission.

“We’ve had experience on so many events, and we’ve seen many different types of problems,” says Hanna. “If we haven’t seen it before, we have a great team here that can collaborate and make sure we solve the issue quickly.”

Bringing the Tent to Life

Bacio Rosso is a multi-act production, complete with special lighting effects and live music. But the lights and sound equipment were only a part of the whole power requirement picture. “They had an entire trailer just for washing dishes– it took 60 Amps,” explains Hanna. “There was power all over the tent and it required different receptacles and different cabling.” A dressing room, full service bar and kitchen, complete with a stove, also needed power.

Luckily, Trinity’s extensive inventory was able to handle the diverse distribution equipment requirements — even when some of those requirements turned out to be a little bit transcontinental.

While most of the equipment on-site was compatible with Trinity’s fleet, two of the event’s power receptacles had a European configuration that was incompatible with standard North American power equipment.

Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the Trinity team found a solution.

“We actually happened to have two European panels from the 2010 Olympics that we took down and used,” recalls Hanna, “so that was a challenge that we overcame.”

Another challenge facing the Trinity team was a series of city noise bylaws, making generator use a delicate affair. To solve the problem, Trinity provided three 125kW studio generators — chosen because they emit next to no noise.

In addition to the gens, Trinity provided a 3000A I-line panel with breakers, three 100A distribution panels, twelve 50A distribution panels and a whole lot of Camlok cable, pin and sleeve cable and extension cords.

In the end, it wasn’t just Trinity’s wide array of distribution equipment that impressed Spruijt and contributed to a successful show; it was the way the Trinity team partnered with the client to produce the best possible show for Bacio Rosso’s customers.

“I’ve worked around the world,” says Spruijt. “I’m looking for a reliable partner, and that is what Trinity Power was for me.”