Improving upon existing methods of moving stages and scenery, the company began utilizing motion controllers in the early '80s as PCs became more readily available. We have to maintain a sky-high level of confidence in our motion control systems, that they are continuing to perform timed, complex movements, involving sets, people and occasionally animals. The Paroo House is driven onstage, rotated and has extending stairs all under the control of a DMC 1540. The house travels in a curved path as it comes onstage. To keep its orientation consistent, the controller synchronizes both the onstage travel and rotation.
Stairs extend after clearing an offstage obstruction.
For example, in The Music Man, the town buildings, flagpole and flagpole base elevator are all moved by one controller. At the same time, the flagpole base telescopes out of the floor to meet the flagpole. A unit such as the Paroo house weighs approximately 4,000 lbs. All controls are hardwired for this production. One of the more powerful features of these controllers is their ability to store and execute complex application programs designed by the user.