What it really takes to work on Strictly: stage disasters, last minute changes and VERY long hours
ok.co.ukIt’s easy to forget that the sparkle we see on stage every Saturday night on Strictly Come Dancing is the result of meticulous planning, grafting and the odd last-minute transformation behind the scenes.
Every routine, from Angela Scanlon's moody Argentine tango to Bobby Brazier’s 80s jive, is brought to life with creative sets that appear to magically change between each performance.The hard-working duo making it happen?
Performance designer Catherine Land and scenic supervisor Mark Osborne. “I design the set for every routine,” says Catherine when we catch up ahead of the show's famous Musicals Week. “If we start in front of a fish and chip shop, I design the fish and chip shop.” “And I put it on stage and then take it off very quickly,” adds Mark.
But of course it’s not that simple. Mark’s team has a tight window to prepare the stage for the next act. “Around 90 seconds, sometimes less,” he tells us.The big group pro numbers can be equally challenging. “Last year we did a whole Encanto house for Movie Week,” Catherine tells us. “Behind it was an absolute maze of platforms and tubes.
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