A night at the Oliviers

17th April 2024

On Sunday 14th April, the who’s who of the theatrical world gathered at the Royal Albert Hall in London for the 2024 Olivier Awards, sponsored by MasterCard. Once again, Unusual Rigging was on board to rig the spectacular event, watched by an audience of 5000 in the magnificent menu and by millions of people around the world on the small screen.

Building a sustainable future

16th January 2024

We sat down with Lynne Walker, the architect behind the design of our eagerly anticipated new HQ and Research centre which opens later this year.

Visa La France

20th October 2023

Earlier this month, we travelled to France for a meeting with Stuart Andrew, minister for sport and culture at the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paris.

ITEAC 23 - a perfect example of the power of global collaboration

25th September 2023

The ITEAC 2023 meeting which took place last week was a remarkable event that showcased the immense value of connecting with the international community in a timely and effective manner.

A stroke of good Fortune

21st April 2023

There's nothing quite like a tight deadline to get the team at Unusual excited...and that's exactly what we had at the Fortune Theatre in London's West End which is currently home to Operation Mincemeat the Musical

The Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in affiliate theatre goes to...

3rd April 2023

The Unusual team put on their glad rags and walked the green carpet at the 2023 Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 2nd April.

A Christmas Message

21st December 2022

A Christmas message from Unusual MD, Tom Harper

Mental Health Awareness Week - the AJ Bursary Mental Health First Aider Course

13th May 2022

Our mental health, and the mental health of our colleagues, friends and family is something that we at Unusual feel is important to address all year round.

A New Year Message from Unusual's MD, Tom Harper

4th January 2022

Unusual's MD Tom Harper reflects on 2021 and shares his hopes for the industry in the year ahead.

2021 material shortages affecting theatre, predicted in 1972 report

12th October 2021

Reading the recent article in The Stage “Set materials ‘double in price’ as theatres struck by nationwide shortage got me thinking. This ‘news’ wasn’t news as such to some – a shortage of materials and long lead times for deliveries is something we’ve all been experiencing in this industry and in the wider construction industry for some time, an increasing consequence of the risks associated with a ‘linear economy’ (take, make, waste).

Supporting Women Making History

8th June 2021

Two years ago, we were privileged to be a part of Processions– a once in a lifetime mass participation artwork which celebrated one hundred years of votes for women.

A trip down memory lane on the Sultan's Elephant

10th May 2021

Last week we were reminded by a longstanding client of ours, Artichoke Trust, about an event that took place 15 years ago. To this day, Sultan’s Elephant remains one of the pinnacle moments in our history of rigging events.

Tony Lawrenson, Global Infusion Group

8th February 2021

We were saddened to hear of the death of dear friend and industry colleague Tony Lawrenson of Global Infusion Group.

Don't fall behind with mandatory inspections and maintenance

27th January 2021

It’s now a year since COVID-19 became a part of our consciousness. From the first murmurs on the news of a virus in China, little did we realise last January the devastating impact the pandemic would have on our industry.

Reflecting on a difficult year - a message from Tom Harper MD

23rd December 2020

After possibly the most tumultuous year ever experienced collectively, and continuing the tradition laid down by AJ of a Christmas speech of sorts; I wanted to say a few words before we break.

Building a reputation in the construction industry

23rd November 2020

Earlier this year, when the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the first national lockdown, we knew that as an industry we'd be hit incredibly hard.

Hard hats at the ready as work begins at the Adelphi

27th October 2020

Unusual's senior project manager, Mike Goodwin gets to work on Phase 1 of a major refurbishment at the Adelphi

Let's be candid - a photoshoot for #wemakeevents

22nd September 2020

Our support for the #wemakeevents campaign ramped up a notch last week when we invited some riggers and an aerial performer to take part in a photo shoot to highlight the plight of our industry.

Unusual loses another star!

7th September 2020

Unusual's technical director, Robin Elias pays tribute to colleague Paul Taylor who lost his battle with cancer in August.

#WeMakeEvents Red Alert!

29th July 2020

The events sector urgently needs government support to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

In response to the £1.5bn lifeline to the arts sector

7th July 2020

As the government pledged a £1.5billion lifeline to the arts this week, Unusual's Managing Director, Tom Harper gives his thoughts on the news.

The show must go on...but how?

26th June 2020

It's been three months since the UK's theatres went dark and life as we know it changed irrevocably.

Alan Jacobi: An Obituary (the Guardian 21/05/20)

21st May 2020

In the month since AJ's death, we've been overwhelmed by the hundreds of wonderful messages that have poured in. We wanted to share with you this beautiful tribute to AJ which was published in The Guardian today, written by Justine Simons, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries.

Stepping into the circle

28th January 2020

Following the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, it seems pertinent that we revisit the Circular Economy.

Let the bells ring out for Christmas!

19th December 2019

It's hard to believe a year has passed since our last blog about Christmas.

What goes up, must come down

29th October 2019

When people ask us "What is it that Unusual Rigging does?" we tend to regale them with tales of all the latest exciting projects we've been installing.

An Unusual Game, Set and Match

19th August 2019

Our cable camera jobs are earning us quite a reputation – so much so that this summer, we were honoured to be asked by ACS (Aerial Camera Systems) to provide our services for Wimbledon Fortnight.

Pole positions for Kartfest 2019

18th July 2019

Into its fifth year and showing accelerated signs of becoming the ‘go to’ industry event; Kartfest was yet again a resounding success.

Lets talk about the elephants in the room (actually, the garden)

24th June 2019

Smile! You're on cable camera

22nd May 2019

Our work with cable camera suppliers, isn't something we're all that well known for, but it's certainly become something we're doing more and more of.

A year in pictures

11th April 2019

It's been a really, really busy first quarter here at Unusual Rigging.

It's OK to not be OK

12th March 2019

Our operations manager Lizzie Richmond recently embarked on a two day Mental Health First Aid course run by the St John's Ambulance.

An Unusual commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

24th January 2019

Unusual's Tom Harper, Director and Head of Sustainability takes a look at how the company is committed to meeting the UNs Sustainable Development Goals

Happy New Year. . .or is that Busy New Year?

15th January 2019

We're well into January now – and it feels almost a little too late to be saying Happy New Year. Nevertheless, we ended 2018 on a high.

It's the most wonderful Slime of the year

10th December 2018

Given the time of year, chances are, if you told your friends you saw two 8m slugs flying above the skies of Chelsea, they'd think you'd had a few too many drinks at the office Christmas party.

When time is on our side....now that IS Unusual

4th December 2018

It's not often we have time on our side. So many of our projects see us brought in at the 11th hour to perform some sort of last ditch rescue mission that this is how we're used to working – quickly, efficiently and under immense pressure.

Christmas is coming...

16th November 2018

Thanks to a generous dose of sunshine this year, it feels as though summer has barely ended.

Head Above Water - let's talk about mental health

20th September 2018

If you were taking a stroll along London’s South Bank last weekend, you most likely spotted something: a giant wooden head mounted on the end of Queens Stone Jetty, standing between 15 & 20 meters above the water depending on the tide.

The nominations are in...

14th September 2018

Another year - another rigging conference - albeit in a different guise.

Some Unusual memories - Robin Elias

26th July 2018

I’ve been asked to blog about one of my most defining memories of working with Unusual...and this one is up there with some of the best. But of course, the best are almost always the most challenging.

Celebrating 100 years of the RAF

16th July 2018

The RAF celebrated its 100th birthday last week, with a line up of events that were covered by the world's media

This is a man's world...or is it?

25th June 2018

Guest blogger, Emily Egleton, our brilliant (female) design engineer, discusses how she sees herself in the industry, how things have changed and of course, how she thinks things need to change in order to attract more women into, dare we say it, one of the most rewarding jobs going.

Choose category

Sort by

Keyword search