For the first time, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) turned to theatre planning and design consultants to help design two types of onboard theatres for its new Voyager class ships. FDA’s team of architects Wilson Butler Lodge, architectural lighting designers Fisher Marantz Stone, video designers Boyce Nemec, and acousticians Jaffe Holden was selected by RCI in a design competition among leading architectural and theatre design firms.

The elegant, 1,350-seat horseshoe-shaped La Scala Theatre is modeled after the legendary opera house in Milan. Some of its extraordinary features are: Broadway-quality rigging, highly versatile stage and orchestra lifts, and sophisticated sound, lighting, and video systems.

Technically, this theatre space provides a full complement of equipment for Broadway-style productions. The full-height flytower (a first on a cruise ship) allows the 25 foot-tall scenery to magically disappear on cue, while keeping the stage wings clear for a myriad of motorized scenic wagons that track on and off stage. A fast-moving turntable and multiple stage lifts accommodate both performers and scenic elements, while surround-sound speakers and hundreds of conventional and moving theatrical lights transform the theatre into a showcase for Royal Caribbean’s entertainment programs.