Celebrating the release of the ‘Born This Way’ album and bring it to life for a world tour, STUFISH collaborated with Lady Gaga and the Haus of Gaga to design the ‘Born This Way Ball’. Mother Monster wanted to bring the audience on a journey to G.O.A.T (Government Owned Alien Territory). The tour was described by Gaga as “electro-metal pop-opera”; the tale of the Beginning, the genesis of the Kingdom of Fame. How we were birthed and how we will die celebrating.
On G.O.A.T we discovered a gothic/medieval inspired castle, the ‘Kingdom of Fame’. This three storey sculpture filled the width and height of the arena and had a large catwalk that surrounded the ‘Monster Pit’ A place for fans to get up close to the action and a way for Lady Gaga and her dancers to get out into the audience with choreography and props.
The castle had kinetic walls that could open and close to reveal a doll house like inside. A series of windows, doors, moving staircases and rooms became additional vignettes where specific sets and scenes could be played out. There were turrets and multiple levels to allow the performance to break away from just the stage level.
Large prop lifts in the main stage and a goods lift on the back of the set allowed many props to be used on the stage or up in the castle rooms throughout the show. All props were developed by Art Director, Marla Weinhoff. This mammoth task was created as one of the most complex touring structures ever created.
The tour had to play in arenas and also in stadiums (in a roof structure) and so had to be weather resistant which made it even more complicated. The whole castle was integrated with mechanical roll drop doors and window coverings that could open and close as needed. LED lighting was integrated into the architectural details of the structure to allow it to light up.
An overhead track allowed a floating holographic face of ‘Mother G.O.A.T’ to move through the sky above the stage. A large Austrian curtain surrounded the stage to allow it to closedown when needed to receive a projection. As a backdrop to the stage we created a large 60m wide backdrop that was hand-painted to create the landscape of G.O.A.T. The catwalk and the backdrop were created twice to scale for the indoor or outdoor shows. The choreography of assembly for this show was a testament to the team that came together to collaborate on the show.
Creative Haus of Gaga, Lady Gaga, Josh Thomas and Richard Jackson Director Richard Jackson Choreographer Richard Jackson Art & Props Director Marla Weinhoff Production Executive Mo Morrison Stage Architecture STUFISH Fashion Director Nicola Formichetti Stylist Brandon Maxwell Promoter/Producer Live Nation Global Touring Lighting Design Woodroffe Bassett Design Production Manager Jason Danter Stage Fabrication Tait Towers Stadium Stage StageCo Unicorn Prop The Jim Henson Company Mother G.O.A.T. head Contour Entertainment Sculptural propsJet Sets Inflatables Rob Harries, Air Artists
