When a Tornado Strikes, the Event Goes on
The event setup was almost complete. Then the tornado sirens went off
by Erin Schulte | Published in February 2009 plan b | production | Departments
The last few hours before an event often feel like a whirlwind of activity. Here in the Midwest, we sometimes find that to be doubly true — as our team experienced at a recent event.
The Kevin Kline Awards Show, hosted by the St. Louis Professional Theater Awards Council, is one of the annual productions our company works on that is nearest and dearest to our hearts. Our company was founded on the principles of theatrical design, and many of the participants in the event are close friends. The 3rd annual Kevin Kline Awards Show was not only extremely exciting for St. Louis, but also very special to us personally.
On the big day, we knew the forecast called for inclement weather, but we were hopeful that it wouldn’t rain on our parade — or at least not on our red carpet. To put the final touches on the setup, our team split into two directions, the outside crew and the inside crew. Just as the outside crew finished draping and lighting the two 40 by 80 tents, unrolling the 200 feet of red carpet and placing the graphics, the clouds rolled in and it started to drizzle. We weren’t worried about a little rain, however.
Inside, the rest of the team was putting the finishing touches on the amazing 20-foot fiber-optic curtain backdrop surrounded by luxurious silver metallic draping and a chic red-hot lounge area. We were considering taking a small break in the VIP lounge we had created when our discussion was abruptly interrupted by the sudden blaring of tornado sirens. A quick glance out the window showed our 15-foot Kevin Kline graphics turning into 15-foot sails ready to come crashing down onto the now soaking-wet red carpet.
We all rushed outside to stop the graphics from flying into space. Once that danger had been averted and we began to realize that the weather was not going to stop anytime soon and guests were scheduled to arrive in just 30 short minutes, our thoughts turned to the tents on the other side of the parking lot. The winds were kicking up and fear was starting to set in.
While some of our team members reassembled the graphics in a corner of the dry lobby, others dashed to the tents. Too late — the tents were leaking and the kaleidoscope of rich red velvet fabric overhead was now a dripping mess. Even worse, the lighting cords on the ground were now under a foot of runoff water. Immediately, the decision was made to pull the plug on the outdoor after-party: Safety had to come first.
We quickly disassembled the lights and put them in a dry place. We then raced back in the downpour to salvage the red carpet — only to discover that our beautiful red carpet that we had so carefully placed was now under 2 inches of water. It was a sopping wet muddy trail of red that weighed hundreds of pounds. Because it led up to the entry doors it had to be removed, now with only 10 minutes until guests arrived. Lifting it was not an option, so the crew of eight utilized our trusty knives and starting hacking the carpet to pieces to get it out of there as fast as possible.
By the time the guests started arriving just minutes later, the production crew — drenched to the core — had successfully completed an amazing décor setup, disassembled it and reassembled much of it in a matter of minutes, with no guests the wiser.
The sirens continued, and the rain poured, but this was a night for celebration. Needless to say, we left with the feeling that we had literally walked on water with this one.
About the author: Erin Schulte
Guest columnist Erin Schulte owns Exclusive Events Inc., a Maryland Heights, Mo.-based event design and production company. Contact:
erin@exclusiveeventsinc.com