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A cool job
By LORRIE P. LYKINS ST. PETERSBURG -- It is 10 a.m. Thursday, and the guys from Local 552 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Union could use some coffee. The six men have spent the past two hours unloading a 40-foot shipping container of parts that will become a 10,000-pound ice rink on the Mahaffey Theater stage. For the second time this month, the sounds of Tchaikovsky's 110-year-old ballet classic, The Nutcracker, will fill the Mahaffey at Bayfront Center. This time, the performers will strap on ice skates instead of toe shoes. The stars of the Russian State Ice Ballet, with 50 musicians from the Florida Orchestra, present an iced Nutcracker this weekend. "Okay, okay, guys," Igor Grebelsky says with a thick Russian accent, glancing at his watch. "You go have a break now; then we work!" Grebelsky, 59, is standing at center stage, arms folded as he surveys the lumber framework on the stage. Bald and fit, he bears a striking resemblance to Yul Brenner. As president and owner of New York-based IDM Silver Ice Inc., he constructs temporary ice skating rinks anywhere there is enough stage space and access to ice and water. "We spent the summer touring Europe doing Sleeping Beauty on ice," Grebelsky says. "It was difficult when we returned to the United States. U.S. Customs held my equipment for five weeks and unpacked all of it to inspect. Then they couldn't fit it all back in right, and they confiscated a lot of it, but what can you do?" Grebelsky and his technician, Sasha Arkipov, 55, speed back and forth carrying sheets of polystyrene, stacking them next to the rink's frame, bantering loudly in Russian. "Sasha and I have worked together for five years," Grebelsky says. "He and I both came to America from St. Petersburg; it was Leningrad then. Now I am an American." Grebelsky worked for the Public Broadcasting Service in New York City for 20 years. He started the portable ice rink business six years ago. The crew has 24 hours to transform the stage into a wintry scene in which sugarplum fairies glide and toys spin on ice. That's the minimum time it takes to prepare the rink and allow the surface to freeze solid. Once the framework and polystyrene are in place, multiple layers of construction-grade plastic sheeting are spread across the 40- by 41-foot area. Grebelsky says he frequents Home Depot stores in every city the group performs in. He cannot risk reusing the plastic, which is weakened by extreme temperature changes. A final tarp is put into place and secured before the crew lays down a three-mile network of narrow plastic pipes. When the crew breaks for lunch, Grebelsky and Arkipov slowly creep over the network of pipes, ears pressed to the coils. They are listening for escaping pressurized air, pumped through the pipes to test for leaks. Satisfied the system is solid, they inject more than 800 gallons of cooling fluid through the coils to freeze the surface. A total of 8,500 pounds of ice then is spread around the circumference of the rink, and crew members stand vigil overnight, continually watering the rink surface as it freezes to a thickness of 2 inches. Grebelsky's worst nightmare: "The skater -- she jumps and maybe she makes a hole in theice. If it's not frozen, then whoosh! You have a big fountain in the middle of the ice! We don't want to see that!" The Nutcracker on Ice is in its fourth season in the Tampa Bay area (it previously has been at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and the St. Pete Times Forum). Because of space limitations with this production, just 50 members of the Florida Orchestra will perform, conducted by Leo Korkhin. The ballet is staged by Konstantin Rassadin of the Kirov Ballet. As a truck delivers the ice into the loading dock, the crew gathers around to haul the 35-pound bags to the edge of the rink. "This is a lot of work, yes," Grebelsky says. "But the show, she must go on, eh?" PREVIEW: The Nutcracker on Ice, with stars of the Russian State Ice Ballet and the Florida Orchestra, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Mahaffey Theater at Bayfront Center, St. Petersburg. $20-$38; half-price for children 12 and under. (727) 892-5767 or (727) 892-5700.
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From the wire |
