Disney Imagineering shared how one theater transforms for three different Broadway-style shows aboard Disney Cruise Line in their latest video.

Three Stages in One Theater on Disney Cruise Line

One of Disney Cruise Line’s signature offerings is its Broadway-style shows, which take place in the Walt Disney Theater aboard each ship in the fleet. This theater has to do some heavy lifting as it transforms into three different shows for each voyage, necessitating three shows’ worth of complex set pieces and props. But where does everything go once the curtain drops?

The latest video in the “Great Moments in Disney Live Entertainment” series spotlights the Technical Direction Team, who are in charge of the practicality behind the magic, which is a magic trick in and of itself.

The trio of Imagineers takes us on a behind-the-scenes and below-decks tour of the Walt Disney Theater on the Disney Destiny, which offers three Broadway-caliber shows: Frozen: A Musical Spectacular, Disney Hercules, and Disney Seas the Adventure. The theater occupies space on Decks 3-5, but also has an unseen storage space on Deck 2, and it’s that compact space that dictates the scale and complexity of the set pieces the team can create.

The secret to staging three complex shows in one theater over the course of less than a week is packable sets that can be “Tetris’d” into this small space on Deck 2. The Imagineers actually plan how everything will fit into this space before anything gets built.

As they point out, the column scenery used for Hercules literally touches the ceiling in the storage area. The team makes use of all possible space. For example, wheeled stairs used onstage become storage for small props backstage.

Oh, and the Deck 2 space is also a giant elevator. Massive chains lining the walls can lift the entire space to yet another storage area on Deck 4, where the set pieces are transitioned out between productions.

Some bulkier set pieces permanently live in the theater, secured in the wings until needed, regardless of what show is being performed. These include elements like Frozen‘s Rock Titan (shown strapped up against a wall).

Watch the full feature on the Walt Disney Imagineering YouTube channel:

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