Eurovision 2008 stage: Three nights, three themes

The Serbian broadcaster, host of the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest promises the biggest and most impressive stage, excellent lighting and the highest quality of sound to showcase the performances of the 43 countries participating this year.
Stage construction begins on 10th of April and will last for a month to ensure the audience inside the Arena and all over the world enjoys the spectacle. According to Serbian newspaper Blic, the construction of the stage has already begun in England.

Scenographist Goran Joksimovic says: "The stage dimensions are about 25 by 24 meters, but the exact size will depend on several factors. It will have everything that makes a Eurovision - and any World Festival stage- beautiful. There will be 500 square-meters of LCD display screens, behind the stage, on the floor, and I hope we will manage to get them on the ceiling as well." He also explains that LCD screens will be the dominant element of the stage, since that is the way to create a different look of the stage every evening and all the time during the show.

The theme of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest is based around the “Confluence of sound”. It is symbolic as Belgrade lies on the Sava and Danube rivers and is the place where the two European rivers meet.

According to RTS the stage represents native identities, history and modern themes, symbols and universally recognised messages. It was designed by Chicago-based David Cushing. The first semi-final is being created around a city theme, the second semi-final around the river theme and the final is based on the theme of confluence.


Source: http://www.esctoday.com