Chicago Scenic Studios recently worked with Massachusetts-based, live-action entertainment firm 5 Wits Production, Inc. to help build castles for two of their 1,200-square-foot hands-on adventure experiences.
“This was a really great work collaboration,” said Doug Pokorny, project manager for Chicago Scenic. “Being engineers, the 5 Wits production team knew exactly how they wanted the castle built. They had very specific requirements to integrate mechanical and special effects. On the other hand, they were very receptive to our suggestions regarding construction and implementation.”
Pokorny added that, just like a puzzle, the project was challenging, but in a good way. Since the 5 Wits team had such specific specifications on the materials and construction techniques they wanted, the Chicago Scenic team approached the projects in a different way than we might otherwise have done. This, in turn, led to new and innovative ideas on how to produce this project and expanded Chicago Scenic's fabrication versatility, Pokorny added.
Under the design leadership of 5 Wits, Chicago Scenic built the scenery for their attraction’s three major rooms—the Bell Tower, Dungeon, and Throne Room—as well as a crawl space; the Library entryway; and select props. Special build treatments for the rooms included faux-brick walls, engineered wood beams, and a steel tube grid to support the ceiling. The two Drago’s Castle immersive adventures Chicago Scenic helped produce are now entertaining audiences in Albany and Buffalo, New York.
