Patrick Roberge Productions’s Stellar CountDown to 2010

 

COUNTDOWN 2010 was a nationally broadcast event to celebrate the official countdown to  the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. As the Producer and Director, PRP worked with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), the Province of British Columbia (BC) and the 2010 Winter Games Secretariat to produce the official countdown celebration.

 

PRP brought a showcase of more then 450 performers including past and future Olympians, members of the RCMP, a 150-member children’s choir, dancers, speed skaters and figure skaters for the celebration. BC Premier Gordon Campbell, along with representatives from all three levels of Canadian government were on hand as well as the International Olympic

Committee (IOC) President, Jacques Rogge and VANOC CEO, John Furlong. The entire event was announced bilingually in French and English, the national languages of both Canada and the IOC.

 

To enhance the venue for an Olympic Celebration, PRP designed and created a set with lighting and projections to highlight the architecture of the new Richmond Olympic Oval. The incorporation of the ice surface as part of the stage provided an extended performance area for an integrated dance and skate show. PRP’s successful combination of cast and special guests with the necessary ceremonial protocol brought the more than 1000 attendees to their feet. PRP overcame the complexities

of being one of the first companies to produce an event in this new venue in a short period of time. The entire event from conception, design and production was completed in less than four weeks.

 

Staged at the Richmond Olympic Oval, COUNTDOWN 2010 was hosted by the Premier of  British Columbia (BC) Gordon Campbell. John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC), greeted spectators with highlights from the many cross-country Countdown celebrations. President of the

International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, formally invited the National Olympic Committees and athletes of the world to gather in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.