The Meridian Theatres

JOEL Rigging has a long history of working on the rigging at Meridian Hall (formerly the Sony Center, the Hummingbird, and for the people with a long memory, the O’Keefe Center). The Meridian Hall website notes that it, “is a major performing arts venue in the St. Lawrence market neighbourhood of Toronto. It’s the country’s largest soft-seat theatres.” Meridian Hall, along with Meridian Arts Centre and the St Lawrence Centre are a group of seven theatres, three rehearsal halls and other public spaces under the stewardship of TO Live that manages these landmark facilities.

Some of the most notable rigging improvements that JOEL Rigging carried out at Meridian Hall are: December 2015, Jan 2016 – we removed the existing screw jack orchestra lift system and replaced it with a Gala SpiraLift system with new controls.

Summer 2016 – we removed the existing counterweight system, hydraulic winch system, motorized lighting bridge and other obsolete equipment and then we installed new counterweight system, new loading gallery, chain motors and controls, ETC P-75 variable speed 1200 winches with control, trolley beams, and a high-speed hoist for the main curtain.

2019 JOEL Rigging installed a fall protection system in the FOH catwalk area.

More recently JOEL Rigging was active in upgrading the rigging at the Meridian Arts Centre where we removed the existing hand winch sets and installed a tension grid, JOEL Rigging Yoyo hoists with controls, and drapery.

TO Live continues to demonstrate its concern for the newest and safest technology to safeguard the safety of the crews and performers and to provide the audience with the most spectacular performances possible.

Visit this site soon for project updates.