Raising the roof

Step by step, a new water show theater takes shape on the skyline of Wuhan. The structure will be the first of many spectacles to follow next year, Sun Yuanqing reports.

Acclaimed British architect and stage artist Mark Fisher died in June, but his creation in China continues to grow and thrive.

The Han Show Theater in the Central Chinese city of Wuhan, the Chinese mainland's first permanent water show theater, took a big step forward in late July with the raising of its steel-trussed rooftop.

"This is a groundbreaking moment for the Han Show Theater," says Zhang Zhen, architect in charge at the Wanda Cultural Tourism Planning & Research Institute, developer of the theater.

Best known in China as the senior designer for the Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, Fisher was a rock-tour design specialist who staged concert spectacles for the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U2 and many other top bands for two decades. He tailored the Han Show Theater for a water show created by Franco Dragon, founder and artistic director of Franco Dragon Entertainment Group.

The show will be the third of its kind after Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas and the House of Dancing Water in Macao, both of which were directed by Dragon. The Han Show will be on a larger scale than the previous two, integrating dance, swimming and acrobatics, as well as special water, sound and light effects.

Han Show "is the culmination of everything that we've done so far", said Matthew Jessner, project artistic director for The House of the Dancing Water, in an interview with the Blooloop website.

All these require a space that is stable, creative and technically supportive, says Zhang.