The 3.5 Stage, also known as Studio C 2000 3-Stage or Studio C Beta 3-Stage, was a unique version of the Studio C Beta stage and 3-Stage. The stage was present at two Chuck E. Cheese locations, both in Illinois. The stage was a combination of a Studio C Beta and a 3-Stage, with the show only utilizing the center stage. Stages left and right were not used in this configuration, with curtains closing up both stages at the Darien, IL location and only having Circles of Light posters at the Chicago, IL (Kedzie Ave) location. Both locations have since removed the stage for the Chuck E. Live Stage and 2.0 remodel.
History[]
The 3.5 Stage was created to replace Darien, IL's 3-Stage due to maintenance costs. The decision was to replace the 3-Stage with parts of the Studio C Beta from the recently removed show from Joliet, IL. Installation begun on July 1, 2020. Everything on center stage was removed. During this time Stage left and right were still running with the Beta TV light fixtures hidden behind the TV on stage right.
On July 2nd, the animatronic, Swirl fixture, and the two TV light fixtures were installed although not functional yet. On July 6th the stage was finally in a state where it could run. In its first few tests all the lighting worked with the center stage floods and fiberoptic fireworks being reused. By mid-July, the stage was fully complete with curtains being installed over stage left and right coming from West Des Moines, IA. Behind the curtains starting on stage right was the CRT and rain curtains and on-stage left was the Pasqually's Amateur Hour wall, flood light covers and the platform for Pasqually. Everything on Pasqually's stage was eventually removed sometime in 2021 with the exception of the flood light covers. The original 3-stage animatronics from Darien, IL were sold to fan collectors.
In early November 2020, the Chicago, IL location on Kedzie Avenue replaced their 3-Stage with the 3.5 Stage this time coming from the recently closed Lafayette, IN location. They reused the buildings and planters (with one breaking) from the 3-Stage and putting the Swirl Beta fixture in the middle with the animatronic in front. Stage left and right had everything removed with the walls painted black.
In June/July 2021, Kedzie repainted the side stages purple and installed the Light up posters from the Matteson, IL Circles of Light. The light up posters have a color loop and are not programmed with the show. Also, around this time Kedzie also got the TV Light fixtures from Avon, IN and had them in the back of the show room eventually installing them next to the Beta swirl between August-October 2021.
Darien's 3.5 Stage was removed for the 2.0 remodel in June 2023 and Kedzie's on August 25, 2024, making this stage type extinct.
Differences In Design[]
- At Darien, the stage had the backdrops from Joliet placed on center stage, and curtains hung up on the side stages. They kept the fiber optic stars on center stage that were originally from the 3-Stage, and wired them so that they work with the Studio C. The spotlight that is used for Chuck E. was originally Helen's spotlight.
- At Chicago (Kedzie Ave.), the center stage had the backdrops from Lafayette, Indiana, and Avon, Indiana, and also reused the old buildings and planters from the 3-Stage. The side stages were painted purple and had light-up wall posters, which are normally featured on Circles of Light stages. The spotlight used for Chuck E.'s was originally Jasper's guitar spotlight.
Trivia[]
- The original Creative Engineering built animatronics at the Darien, IL location were surprisingly not destroyed. They were instead sold to fan collectors.
- There are no locations outside of Illinois that had this stage. This decision was local.
- It is unknown why Kedzie Ave got this stage since their animatronics were operational unlike Darien, which had a broken air compressor.
- The Kedzie Ave location was the second to last former ShowBiz Pizza Place in the world to have the original three stages. The last ones are at the Charlotte, NC Legacy Location, which still has its original animatronics.
Gallery[]
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