Where Carnival's Shows at Sea Are Born and Bred

By GERRY and PAMELA BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Published September, 2019.

DAVIE_​Over two years ago, we wrote about the launch of Carnival Studios, the cruise line's massive new facility that centralizes development and training for the scores of shows staged on Carnival's fleet of ships. Three years in development, its 44,000-plus square feet house over 21 studios where musicians, dancers, singers and technicians can hone their craft.

All the shows you see on Carnival ships, from string quartets and specialty acts to full-blown, Broadway-caliber productions, are developed and produced here.

Now is a particularly exciting time as they put the finishing touches on two new Playlist productions that will debut on the newest ship, carnival Panorama, in December. (Read more about that HERE.)

One of the shows is "Rock Revolution," in development for over a year and the first Carnival show to feature interactive drones. While we didn't get to see the drones (they will be added later), we did get to preview the show and take an extended tour of the facility.

Join us as we take the tour:

Photos and Video by North Palm Beach Life

Listen to Pam's Podcast

Let's Go behind the Scenes ....

Lots of shows and lots of ships ... how do you keep track? Not with a computer, but a big wall-to-wall,
color-coded chart. John Geertsen, Carnival Studio Manager, explains what it all means.

This is where they store the scenery and train the technical staff.  You can store a lot when the ceilings are 35 feet. 

Can you guess this is the wardrobe department? A lot fo amazing costumes are designed, sewed and fitted here. 

The wardrobe wizards, Lucio Boliver and
Jim Buckovich, asked Pam to try on one of the dresses created to represent
New York. I think she's ready to
take the stage! Too bad security made sure nothing in the department
​ left with the tour group!

There are 21 studios in this massive 44,000-square-foot facility, designated for music, dance, vocals,
plus show rehersals and development. We got to drop in and enjoy an amazing variety of talent.
​Take a listen ....

​In the dance studios, we learned the difference between a "singer-dancer" and a "dancer-singer." A singer-dancer's strong suit is singing first and dancing second, or vice-versa. Here we got to see an excerpt from the popular production, "Celestial Strings."

Floors are criss-crossed with lines of various colors. They mark the different stage configurations on the various ships. 

​The highlight of the tour was a performance of "Rock Revolution," one of two Carnival Playlist shows that will debut in December aboard Carnival Panorama. Inspired by the music from the summer of '69, it's been over a year in the making. The high-energy singing and dancing, along with the costumes, lighting and music, had us cheering. It will be even better on the ship when the interactive drones are added.  Audiences are in for a real treat.

Of course, Gerry couldn't resist trying to get in on the act. Pam is pretty sure he needs to stick to his day job!