The change-over from Ireland, to Cyprus, to Norway is one of the most difficult blocks the Eurovision Song Contest has ever seen. Thus says Richard van Rouwendaal, Stage Manager of this year’s Eurovision. His crew needs to move props on and off the stage in a matter of seconds.
“We are going to rehearse this block over and over again. We only have 40 seconds to move those props, it’s almost like an army situation.” Cyprus makes life difficult for Van Rouwendaal and his crew. “They have letters, El Diablo, and there is pyro coming from underneath. So those letters are hot. But they need to go off stage immediately.”
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Norway is the country that follows Cyprus. Norway too will use a lot of props. “We have the boxes where black angels are standing on, the chains, and the wings are kind of heavy,” says Mattias Carlsson, staging director for Norway’s broadcaster NRL. “It has been quite a challenge to put this together.”
Carlsson also speaks about the communication with Van Rouwendaal and his team. “We needed to be clear from the very beginning. It will be a challenge, but they will manage it in the end.”
