For the opening of the new Women’s Institute at Florida Hospital Celebration Health October 3, organizers wanted to create a moving, memorable experience for the 300 physicians, employees, community leaders, and other guests. They asked Bob Glickman of Glickman Productions to create an event that would bring the new building to life. So he did—literally.
While the crowd gathered in front of a small stage, a narrator read a fictional story about women she had known throughout her life, highlighting those that had dealt with health issues. As the eight-minute story progressed, the 15 windows on the building’s third floor began to illuminate, one by one, revealing actresses portraying each of the women.
“The story showed this woman going through all these different stages in life and the people who were important to her. It was very powerful. We didn’t tell anyone what was going to happen, and I think it got a lot of people teary-eyed,” said Andi Herlong, the hospital’s director of marketing and planning. Audience members gasped as the building began to illuminate.
“The combination of a powerful story and bringing it to life from inside the building we were about to open up, that’s what made it magical,” Glickman said.
Since the building’s third floor is not complete, Glickman used pipe and drape to create the illusion of individual rooms behind each window. He also placed four LED light fixtures with independent controls in each space so the areas could be dimmed or brightened as needed. To ensure the actresses were at an appropriate, visible height, each stood on a riser, and they reacted appropriately as their characters were mentioned in the story—some danced while others simulated yoga moves.
At the end of the story, as the narrator proclaimed the women in her life were her heroes, the production segued into a fireworks show choreographed to the song “Heroes Live Forever.”
“It was almost like the whole building was glowing,” Herlong said. "The fireworks brought the whole story to a perfect ending."
