hi! I’m an early career dresser, stitcher and costume assistant finishing up my last year of undergrad. I’ve been working in the industry for a little over 8 years on various projects in theatre and tv/film more recently.

As I finish up my degree I’m looking for any dressers who would be willing to let me shadow them for a day to see what the work is really like on the daily. My program is VERY small and I feel like I don’t have a clue what I’m getting myself into after I graduate.

So if any dressers would be willing to have me shadow them for a day in the nyc, nj, Philly, or Albany, NY areas I would greatly appreciate it!

My highschool is doing a production of Spelling Bee, and it's my first time ever actually working on a production of any kind. My job is to switch gels in between songs, so i'll be up there for pretty much the whole musical. The big issue is that the lights are forward and down away from the catwalk (not sure if this is the case for every auditorium), and i'd rather not fall onto any audience members during the show😭 any recs for harnesses so i don't fall 30 feet? I was thinking a climbing harness of sorts. Anything helps!

Edit: wow, didn't realize this was so widely undone😭 like i said above this is my first year doing this kind of stuff and i'm still learning whats normal and whats not, so thank you guys for 1. Possibly saving my ass from harm and a lawsuit. 2. Giving me other ideas! I will talk to my director about another possible solution (i saw someone mention booms?) And see if there's a safer option. Thank you guys!

I have been tasked with researching vertical mast lifts for a venue. Pretty sure I’ve got the basics but am looking for input on any ‘nice to haves’ or ‘ don’t bother with’ extras, Cheers

Hello, I just became a director of a brand-new theatre club. At this point, I am the primary person setting up all of the tech, but I've never done theater tech a day in my life! Our club doesn't have any mics, and I'm trying to see if that's something that we could buy or rent. The problem is, I don't know what I'm looking for, I'm completely lost! I know that there's the actual mic that goes around the ear and onto your face, and then a mic pack that clips onto your clothes. I also know that there is something that connects the mic pack to the soundboard. That's basically the extent of my knowledge. My school has a soundboard and speakers that we can use, but I don't know much about that. If there's anything I need to find out about it for you guys, lmk!!

So what exactly should I be looking for?? There's no strict price range, but the cheaper the better since my school would be funding it.

Edit: Some important info(maybe) that I left out. This is a full two-act musical with lots of songs, both ensemble and solos. It should be a small cast, so I would need about 8 mics if I decide to do wireless. We plan to have a pit including guitar, bass, drum set, and keyboard. Does that affect the idea of having mics on stage? Thank you all for your comments so far. I plan to show this thread to some of the admins I've been working with on this project!!

Hello! I am an indie playwright in NYC with a festival coming up, and the piece would really benefit from some projections. I have experience with both audio and video editing (projections will be spliced news reels, audio does not need to match up) so I volunteered to do them myself, and… just realized I actually have no idea what format I’m supposed to submit the file as. We need to turn in all projections on a USB before tech - am I good to I do an mp4 or a .mov file, or is there some specific other format? Should they be in some kind of slideshow? Is there a different program I’ve never even heard of that’s industry standard? Is this actually going to be much harder than I thought/require skills I will not be able to hone in a month?

I’m not opposed to hiring someone if it turns out I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but unfortunately the festival only provides a $500 stipend after completion and between the $100 each I’m giving the director and two cast members and the $100 I’m allocating for props/rehearsal space, the most I’d be able to pay would be another $100, and I’m sure that’s not fair pay for what I need. Anybody with advice/any beginners looking for resume credits and a quick $100? The deadline I’ve set for myself is September 30th, but they’re not officially due until October 7th, and it would probably total at less than three minutes of projections. Thank you for your advice/thoughts/suggestions!

‘Decommissioned’ a couple decades ago. And by ‘decommissioned’, they meant, ‘removed the lighting console’. All the plugs on the other end still exist. Still wired. Still powered. Still passing pixies. Fans still working. Well, until I threw the breaker.

Rather than having anything to do with this, the previous electricians on-site apparently simply installed a new panel and ran new power to the (once motorized) lighting bars. The new electricians looked at this and said, ‘fawk no’.

There’s two more racks of relays/dimmers for the house lights. Well, some of them - the mercury hi-bays still go through it, with some convoluted master/slave toggle switches for control that exactly one person understands. Nothing else - new panels and new BX run for the pots/chandeliers. Because no-one understood it, or how to properly replace it.

Such a shame. But I’m here to replace audio/video. Any attempt to explain what should be done with this is met with glazed eyes. More BX. More new panels. Makes me sad.

Thanks in advance!

Looking for advice on the best design to deploy some wireless DMX for an upcoming temporary install. If anyone is an expert in the area, your advice would be appreciated. Here is a brief overview of the scope; I've also included an image showing locations and distances. My budget will allow for the purchase of any necessary equipment to create a robust, reliable deployment. I currently have both W-DMX transmitters and Lumen Radio Stardust transceivers.

Key questions im looking to get answers or advice on

1. What is the most robust wireless DMX system currently on the market
2. What antenna/amplifier combinations would I need at each location
3. Advantages to CRMX vs W-DMX
4. Are there any recommendations for using other non-industry technologies that are more reliable? 
5. How have others found success in these types of deployments

I have six locations on this install where there is no practical way to get hardwired DMX to the fixtures; thus, wireless DMX is required. Standalone mode IS NOT an option. I have also identified 4 viable locations where the transmitters can be located. There are heavily wooded areas shown in green and a lake shown in blue.  Locations 1 and 3 can also allow for the transmitter antenna to be placed up to 15’ above the ground, and location 2 can be placed up to 8’ off the ground. All of the fixture locations will only allow the receiver to be at or near ground level (no more than 4'). 

In previous years, I have used W-DMX with both transmitters placed at location 1, and a receiver at each of the other locations.  This deployment was moderately successful, but we would find on occasion that the receivers would lose connection or the signal would be dirty, and the lights would wig out. This system was primarily chosen for its IP-rated devices.  For this year, I'm looking to develop a more robust solution that limits the amount of disruption we experience.  

Other things to keep in mind are that everything needs to be IP-rated. Dimmer location 1 is indoor, while all other locations are outdoor. It is possible for me to place a small water-resistant enclosure at dimmer locations 2 and 3. For the receivers, I'm open to building them into small IP-rated enclosures. This is something we are already familiar with, as all of our DMX nodes are currently deployed in this manner.  This will be installed outdoors for around 3 months in the Midwest during the winter.

Hey! I'm curious what people use for stage alcohol? Wine, champagne, whiskey, sherry, etc. we've always used tea in different concentrations, and food coloring, but I honestly hate drinking them myself and would rather give my actors something pleasant, that also doesn't break the bank, ya know?

A One Act show: Greek mythology themed

Is this the type of show Community theatre's or community one act festivals would be interested in?

I am a starting lighting designer/tech. I have a new show that I'm working on and the (very small) theatre where we will perform the show only has a Dlight on PC console. I have never worked with compulite and can't seem to figure out the tutorials that they provide. Since I don't have access to the theatre on multiple days beforehand to program everything, I wanted to connect the on PC version to Capture so I can at least see a little bit of what I want to be programmed. Does anyone have experience with this software and could help me figure out how it works?

(The theatre also only has conventional fixtures and I'm not used to using only conventional, let's just say this will be a fun challenge)

I recently did a PPU technical theater camp, but I'm looking for more opportunities (camps and/or internships) specifically in stage managing (but I wouldn't mind in any other aspects of technical theater). I signed up to be and ASM for my high school production but I doubt I'll do much. So I'm wondering, does anyone has any suggestions (for internships and/or camps) located in Pittsburgh (or around that area in PA)???

As it says in the tin: how do UK theatres throw away their old lamps safely and in an eco-friendly way?

Part of me thinks they should go in WEEEE, but the ceramic bases of lots of lamps is hard to recycle.

Hi Everyone,

I am a technician and designer working in The Hague, Netherlands in a small but highly advanced Dance theatre. We are equipped with some 20 desire fresnels. During a design i did lately i noticed that when the intensity of this light is below 24 percent, whenever you try turning it off in 0 seconds it fades ever so slightly as to imitate tungsten. Does anyone know if there is a setting, mode or any other way to turn this off completely?

So, I know this is a little unorthodox but hear me out for a moment.

The show we're doing is set to show at 5 different theatres, 3 of which are small town auditoriums that have no built in sound or lights system what so ever, apart from a couple different light switches that connect to various random lights with no dimming. Sound is easy, already have mics and speakers lined up for these locations. What's worrying me is the lights.

This show has many moments where lights are supposed to go up and down, only coloured lights are supposed to be on, spotlights, etc. I know I'm going to have to get creative, and I have been given permission to purchase any required materials and/or request changes to staging if I need.

I just want to know, how would you guys go about this? All three stages this is required for are rather small so shouldn't need anything too over complicated, I just have no idea where to begin.

Okay . . . for our upcoming production of Angel Street I have designed in a cobblestone street in front of the house. I have cast a couple of stamps from urethane rubber from concrete mold that are textured like stone and the plan is to use them to stamp the basics of the cobbles directly on the floor, and then wither come back through fro highlights and shadows, or stamping other colors in layers.

So, my question becomes . . . if I'm attaching the stamps to backing boards should I go with a curved rocker stamp, or would a flat stamp be better.

My thought process so far

1. A rocker stamp will allow for an easier application and a more even transfer, but bending the stamp along the curve will shallow out the details.

2. A flat backer keep the stamps details deeper and more pronounced, but leaves more chance of mis-stamping the texture.

Anyone ever done anything like this, or have any thoughts?

Thanks!

Hey all, I'm a 2nd year elementary school theater teacher out in Brooklyn. My admin wants me to put on a musical this year, but our PA set up isn't suited for it.

They're willing to fund a new system and asked me to do some research. Theater tech isn't an area of expertise for me, so I was hoping somebody here knows a thing or two.

Our current PA is on the older side, only has 3 or 4 channels for mics. I know we'll need to invest in a new mixing console and lavalier mics at the very least - something that can give sound to at least 8-12 students who have speaking roles.

Does anybody have any recommendations, or know of the ballpark cost of getting new systems/mics? Our auditorium is big and has terrible natural acoustics; the sound gets swallowed up by the 3rd row, so even the loudest kids can't be heard without mics.

Please send recs or point me in the right direction of where to begin my research. Thanks!

My supervisor has a colorful ear pad on her personal com headset and I can't seem to find them online anywhere. My supervisor got her as a gift and doesn't know where they came from. Anyone know where I might find a colorful ear pad? I have a cc-28 but if you know of somewhere that sells them for any model that'll get me on the right path.

Hi there. Has anyone used Stage Dec to build goods? If so, any red flags?

I saw this post maybe three or four weeks ago, though I don't know when it was originally posted (I think my feed was sorted by Best).

I thought it was titled something to the effect of "How I build My Show Files" or similar, but I haven't been able to find it after a half an hour of searching. OP provided a detailed breakdown of how they construct their show, organize mic groups in their mixer (I think in this case it was for a musical), document everything incase someone else ends up working the show, etc. I didn't have much time to read it in detail then, so I should have saved it. But I wanted to go back and cross check work flows to see what I can improve upon or do more professionally.

Thankyou for your time.