Blue Man Group has come a long way since the original stage production’s debut in the early 1990s. Today, the wildly inventive troupe has expanded from their New York City home to nine permanent venues across the globe, with their latest location at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
The Orlando production opened in 2007 and is housed in the custom-built Sharp Aquos Theater, a state-of-the-art, 1100-seat venue. Helping maintain the new facility is Show Production and Entertainment Business graduate Mike Stokely, who was hired as one of the show’s Automation Techs after graduating Full Sail, and is now Automation Supervisor.
“There were about 30 thousand things going on at one time before we opened,” Mike explains of the installation. “Every morning we’d show up at 6:45 and leave at 8 at night. It was very hectic, but at the same time very cool to be a part of. And it’s been really rewarding watching it go from nothing to what it is now.”
Mike’s role on the crew basically puts him in charge of almost anything on stage with a motor attached to it – from moving scenery to timed show effects. Even after helping build the automated systems from scratch, Mike finds that keeping this equipment running smoothly for two shows per night, six days a week offers a nonstop set of challenges.
“We are the second biggest Blue Man show next to Vegas, so we’ve got a lot of things on our plate,” he shares. “I have a three-person crew and we all work together to keep everything running and deliver a great show each night. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into the prep, but we’re in a really good spot right now. People have settled in and we can move forward and start to really tweak the show.”
Blue Man’s original creative team are still very involved with each production, and help the Orlando crew continually fine-tune the show for the diverse audiences that flock to the area each year. Over a year into the run, Mike still enjoys watching the reaction their elaborate sequences get from younger viewers night after night.
“It’s a very different experience from the other shows,” Mike explains. “We want this to be a family-oriented place, so we’ll actually bring kids up on stage and have them interact with the performers, and really make them a part of the experience. And just knowing that families leave the show happy – no matter if what kind of day I’ve had – that’s the best part for me.”
If you’ve seen Blue Man Group in person, you know the unique feeling their shows impart upon audiences, and thinking back on the number of people that have passed through the Orlando theater, Mike is thrilled to be a part of delivering that experience to new fans.
“Blue Man has been quite a movement, and it’s really been a whirlwind from the early days to now,” he shares. “It’s their passion about what they do that’s the secret, and there are a lot of passionate people here who all want the show to be as great as it can. We have some of the most talented people I’ve ever met working here, and it’s definitely the best crew I’ve ever been with.”
