George Tsypin Designs The Sochi Opening Ceremony

Three billion viewers worldwide. 500 stagehands. Perhaps the biggest opening ceremony show ever, when all eyes were on Sochi, Russia, for the start of the Winter Olympics at Fisht Olympic Stadium on February 7, 2014. The three-hour show, filmed and produced by OBS and Russian host broadcaster VGTRK (Channel 1), had massive scenery designed by Russian émigré George Tsypin, who lives in New York City, and also co-scripted and co-directed the production. 

“I was contacted by FiveCurrents, an American production company in California,” recalls Tyspin. “I know Russian culture and Western technology.” And of course he speaks Russian, which would give him a leg up working with the Russian team. “My approach was very instinctual, to include obvious things that every Russian knows but present them to people who don’t know anything about Russia,” he explains. “The images came easily.”

Tsypin admits he had been thinking about the project even before he was contacted. “I have been gone from Russia for 30 years and perhaps it is easier to see a presentation of Russian history from the outside.” Thus the show was divided into five sections embracing various periods: The birth of Russia, from its mythology to fairy tales; Pagan Russia; Imperial/Classical Russia with its iconic onion domes; 20th-century Russia and its strong avant-garde art scene; and a look to the future from the Cosmos.

Inflatable onion domes

Tsypin started his design process with quick computer renderings that he took to the first meetings; the project eventually took two years from start to finish. “This could be the biggest show ever in terms of complexity,” says the scenic designer, who took a look at the stadium built for the opening ceremonies, and found it unacceptable. “It had an open roof over the playing area, and is located on the shore of the Black Sea. The weather is terrible there, from rain to a little snow, with a lot of wind.”

After Spider-Man on Broadway, Tsypin has been “obsessing about cutting-edge technology,” and knew that the stadium needed a roof to be an actual theatre, so the producers added a roof, which made the construction process late. “We wanted six months for programming,” he says. “But we got six weeks.”

Populous roof design

Tyspin sketched a flat-roof to augment the roof that was already over the 40,000 seats, but the UK-based architectural firm, Populous, added a complex curved roof they indicate was based on the form of Russia’s famous Faberge eggs. “We also needed wing space, so they added two huge hangars, one at the north end and the other at the south end of the stadium, to load and unload scenery,” says Tsypin. Stage One in the UK added nine rails and 81 carriages to move the scenery. Also added were hangars for storage, as well as three rehearsal spaces the size of the stadium (which will now be converted to a World Cup soccer venue).

Show Canada installed the show floor with elevators, while scenic pieces were built all over the world—including Sweden, UK, Russia, Australia, and the USA—and shipped to Sochi. Michael Curry Design in Portland, OR, provided 18 medieval figures 20’ tall, each with three people inside. “They moved around the playing field in interesting, grotesque ways,” notes Tsypin.

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The most complicated set piece was the iconic Russia troika, built by Visual Act in Sweden. The unit was as tall as a five-story unit, with three animated horses. The Islands, built by Show Canada, featured realistic scenery representing various Russian regions, with elevated villages and birch trees floating across the field. The famous onion domes were helium-filled and made by Imagine Inflatables in the UK, along with oversized toys, horses, goblets, in what Tsypin calls “a surreal mix.”

Tsypin's view of the Cosmos

In terms of the lighting for the show, Tsypin refers to his collaborator, UK-based Al Gurdon, “as a genius. We cooperated very closely. He is experienced with shows of that size, and understood it was important to capture the spirit of Russian history and not make it look like a rock show,” Tsypin emphasizes. “Much of it was pre-programmed by his team, but it was very sensual and very beautiful. He really captured the mood I wanted.”