Our Consultant Matt Kingslake reflects on his time touring with the spectacular ice show, Holiday on Ice.

For eight unforgettable years, I lived out of a suitcase, crisscrossing continents and helping bring magic to arenas across the world. From Europe to South America, Scandinavia to South Africa, it was a whirlwind of lights, languages, and logistics.

Lighting up the world

I was part of the electrical department and toured with three major productions: Banjos and Balalaikas, Broadway Gypsy, and Asterix on Ice. I also had the honour of programming the lighting for the 50th year Jubilee production, touring with it for three months before returning to my home show. Each summer, I’d return to the workshops in Bern to help build the next season’s spectacle before heading to Nice or Grenoble to bring it to life.

The rhythm of the road

A typical season ran from August or September through to May or June. We’d often play a new city each week, performing up to ten shows with Thursdays reserved for “crew call,” a maintenance day. A regular week looked like this:

• Monday: Travel day
• Tuesday: Get in + 1 show
• Wednesday: 1 show
• Thursday: 1 show
• Friday: 2 shows
• Saturday: 3 shows
• Sunday: 2 shows + get out

Every so often, we'd land a longer stint in cities like Paris, a rare luxury. Later tour legs, especially in South America, allowed for extended city stops, which gave us all a much-needed breather.

A logistical ballet

Holiday On Ice travelled heavy. My first tour used 18 containers (not counting the ice equipment), and by the end, we were up to 26. We toured with our own ice floors and refrigeration units — glycol-powered systems that leapt ahead from city to city, so the ice was ready on arrival.

Moving the show was a dance in itself. One memorable mishap involved two containers falling off a lorry enroute from Mexico City to Veracruz — thanks to a driver detour. One container tipped, another flew 13 meters from the crash site, and a third showed up in a tipper truck full of clown noses and bent trusses. We spent days sorting costumes and salvaging electrics.

Culture, chaos, and character names

With its multi-language crew, Holiday on Ice was a melting pot of quirks. English was the default, but direct translations offered gems like “walking street” (pedestrian precinct) and “key” (spanner). Touring Asterix on Ice added complexity with character names varied by country, so calling cues for eight followspots became a multilingual memory game.

At times, the language barrier made get-ins feel like comedy sketches. I once attempted - whilst sleep-deprived and altitude-fogged - to brief a local crew in Mexico City, in German!

Lights, camera, chaos

TV appearances added another layer of pressure. Productions like Sacre Soiree in Paris and the Dutch Lottery show in Amsterdam meant sharing the stage with film crews, juggling our schedule around their needs, squeezing in rehearsals between performances. But they gave us rare chances to meet celebrities and experience live broadcast environments.

Reflecting now, it's clear those years taught me more than just how to wire a show or wrangle followspots. They taught me adaptability, patience, teamwork — and how to call cues in five languages while jet-lagged.

Life on tour was demanding, but the friendships, stories, and adrenaline of live performance made it all worth it. It was invaluable first-hand experience, leaving me with an appreciation for the requirements of touring companies and venues that I often draw from in my work at Theatreplan.