The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opened and closed at Alexander Stadium with two major ceremonies celebrating the history, culture and people of Birmingham and the West Midlands.
John joined Birmingham Ceremonies as a CAD Operator, supporting the Technical department throughout the development and delivery of both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Working closely with the Technical Directors, Technical Managers and Operations team, John produced and coordinated CAD drawings, plans and technical overlays covering the wide range of disciplines required to deliver the ceremonies. These included scenic, lighting, audio, pyrotechnics, special effects and operational information.
A significant part of John’s role was the development of a detailed technical storyboard for the Opening Ceremony. Working directly with the relevant departments, he documented the sequence of technical activity throughout the show, creating a central reference used by the production team to plan and coordinate tasks across the two-hour ceremony.
The role required continually evolving production information to be communicated clearly between departments throughout installation and rehearsals, supporting the delivery of two technically complex ceremonies within a live stadium environment.
John’s level of dedication in producing detailed technical drawings for both ceremonies was outstanding. This was never more evident in the detailed work he undertook in talking to all relevant departments to produce a technical storyboard of every step of the opening ceremony. This highly accurate and important document was used by all team members to plan their tasks during the two hour ceremony.
Tom White, CAD Manager, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Ceremonies
