[gafftaper]

Agreeing with Sean...

First priority: How are you set for infrastructure issues? Do you have good lighting positions, more dimmers, better console, has your rigging system been inspected in the last 5 years and if no one in the building can remember when the ropes were last replaced they are unsafe and should be replaced before they fail and kill someone. (Let me hear an Amen from brother WhatRigger?)

Second, give us an idea of what is in your basic lighting inventory. Do you ever run out of lights and wish you had a couple more for a special? What are your shows like? Do you just try to wash the stage with a couple specials or do you have multiple color washes that change?

What is already in your "toy collection" (scrollers, I-cues, I-pro, rotators, fogger... etc).



Without specific information I'll go back to some of my old standby advice: You need good infrastructure first (dimmers, console, working circuits, good lighting positions, safe rigging, etc). It's hard and expensive (sometimes impossible) to rent infrastructure. You need a good FULL inventory of conventional equipment second. It gets expensive to rent conventional gear for every show, and it's frustrating not being able to complete the look you want. You need small toys third (lets say things that cost under $1000). You need big cool moving toys last. It's not that big of deal to rent a few toys on the rare occasions that you actually need them.