Inside The Production Of Les Misérables: The Arena Spectacular

34 cities. 17 countries. 40,000 miles. Built to move.
We supplied the complete rigging, control and automation package, creating a touring system capable of transforming one of the world’s most iconic musicals for venues across the globe.

“How do you take Les Misérables out of the theatre — and into the arena?”

Moving Les Misérables into arenas meant rethinking how scenery, lighting, video and rigging could work together on a much larger scale.

The production needed to preserve the storytelling and visual identity of the musical while adapting it to changing venue sizes, wide audience sightlines and the demands of a major world tour.

The solution was a fully integrated automation system where lighting trusses became scenery, screens moved to preserve sightlines and a suspended bridge became part of the iconic barricades.

Engineered for Touring

This system wasn’t designed for one arena. It was designed to travel.

The mothergrid, trusses, automation, power distribution and control infrastructure were engineered around efficient load-ins, load-outs and transport. Custom trusses and bracketry allowed the mothergrid itself to pack into approximately two-thirds of a standard trailer.

  • 28 × Kinesys Apex 500kg hoists

  • Apex V2 drives

  • Kinesys Mentor SIL3-compatible safety system

  • 10 automated scenic / lighting trusses

  • 2 × 8-metre Litec DST tracking trusses

  • MSA motorised tracking trolleys

  • Kinesys Elevation 1+ drives

  • Encoder-equipped Chainmaster hoists

  • Kinesys DigiHoist system

  • Separate Vector control

  • Custom MSA touring racks and dollies

The complete system was built around safety, precision and the requirements of EN17206 stage machinery standards.

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Behind The Automation

From moving barricades and flying bridges to tracking screens and touring infrastructure, explore some of the systems behind the production.

Ten automated lighting trusses double as scenic elements, moving and tilting to reconstruct the stage and form the production’s iconic barricades.

Suspended from eight Apex hoists, the central bridge transforms from fragmented scenery into a performance platform above the orchestra.

A nine-ton touring mothergrid creates a consistent automation environment from arena to arena — carrying all 28 Apex motors and drives.

  • “I was very pleased to hear that MSA would be delivering the whole rigging and automation package. They are an excellent supplier.”

    — Roger Smissen, Head of Rigging & Automation

  • “The equipment is of the highest standard and once on the road, the after-service has been second to none.”

    — Chris Boone, Technical Director

  • “It’s particularly gratifying to see automation designed as part of the show from the outset, rather than being a special effect or an add-on.”

    — Jimmy Johnson, Motor Stage Automation

The Result

From complex overhead rigging to precise scenic movement, every element was designed to support the production without taking focus away from the performance. A large-scale arena setup, delivered with the control, reliability and flexibility needed to keep the show moving — night after night.

That’s what we do. We make ambitious ideas move.