Theater etiquette

[lieperjp]

Originally Posted by cdub260

Are you suggesting that we send someone to help 'dip keep the raccoons company?

Is that where you're hiding her? You should let her come back to cb... Charc is pining.

[ruinexplorer]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Seriously? One source: Dukes of Hazzard General Lee Dixie Car Horn - WOL430.

Wow, I'm only slightly surprised.

So, I guess the Mach 5 sound effects might not be far off? I know there's some Knight Rider stuff out there. I think we'll have the ultimate get-away vehicle.

[Jinglish]

I haven't noticed too many cell phone uses problems during shows at my high school, although that's partly because I don't have a great view of the audience. We have a couple of student makeup artists who don't seem to care that their phones can interfere with our mics, though.

Camera flashes are really more of a problem for us, and those almost never happen except at the mid-high plays. I ran followspot for a couple of ballet shows at the local community college's theater, though, and I must say that some ballet parents have a bad habit of disregarding about half a dozen "no flash" warnings. They don't seem to get that there's enough light on stage and that flash kills the colors.

[bcronenwett]

On these same lines... Does anyone have a pre-recorded audio clip of an annocment about turning off cell phone, and no flash photography or anything along these lines...

[thatactorguy]

Originally Posted by Jinglish

We have a couple of student makeup artists who don't seem to care that their phones can interfere with our mics, though.

The theatre department at Murray State in Murray, KY (not to be confused with the Murray State in Utah) makes the actors & crew turn off their cell phones and turn them in to the SM, who locks the phones in a case, which gets locked in another cabinet somewhere. They have a three strikes rule, and it reflects badly on one's record should those strikes get broken. If you're caught with your cell, that's a strike right there, and the phone is immediately confiscated. I'm sure other universities have similar policies...

I don't have so much of a problem at Playhouse. The veterans know better, and oftentimes already have their phones off or silenced when I make the announcement at first readthrough. It's the new people- usually kids- who don't silence or turn off their phones, but they're also new enough that it's very easy to put the fear of God in them

We had a sound op who was always forgetting to turn off her phone, until I pointed out to her during one of those buzzing sounds that it was her phone that was the problem. She's turned it off ever since...

[ReiRei]

So for the longest time our sound operators kept blaming everyone's cellphones ringing as the cause of buzzing noises in out headsets and sometimes our speakers. Because some of our sound operators in the high school were just lazy and I know for a fact that sometimes it was just bad cables, I left my phone on. Nothing happened when my phone rang, buzzed, or did anything slightly angry at me. I even put it in various places around our sound and lights booth and nothing happened.

A few months before I graduated, we had a professional sound guy come in to help us set up some new equipment and he said that due to some sort of frequency issue or something, the only cellphone carrier that interfered with our equipment was at&t. It made sense that my phone did interfere with our stuff since I go through us cellular.

However, I do recognize that cellphones are a major problem. More that people are being distracted by them during show runs and rehearsals and such than making angry noises in equipment. I can't honestly tell people anymore that their specific cellphones will interfere with our equipment, but I do warn them against using cellphones during any show time because it is rude and holds everyone up.

I kicked someone one of my crew members out of a wet tech because he wouldn't stop texting during it and he was supposed to be up on the catwalks focusing... pissed me off...

[kiwitechgirl]

Originally Posted by Jinglish

.
Camera flashes are really more of a problem for us, and those almost never happen except at the mid-high plays. I ran followspot for a couple of ballet shows at the local community college's theater, though, and I must say that some ballet parents have a bad habit of disregarding about half a dozen "no flash" warnings. They don't seem to get that there's enough light on stage and that flash kills the colors.

The trick with stopping flash photography is to somehow let the parents know (be it through something in the program, or an announcement) that flash photography can be dangerous to the dancers. I've seen a dancer startled by a photo flash fall off pointe and injure herself quite badly. Then they're all worried about their little darling getting injured and tend to stop taking flash photos!

[thatactorguy]

Originally Posted by ReiRei

the only cellphone carrier that interfered with our equipment was at&t.

I kicked someone one of my crew members out of a wet tech because he wouldn't stop texting during it and he was supposed to be up on the catwalks focusing... pissed me off...

I never knew that about AT&T- learn something new every day

And that guy wouldn't have worked on one of my shows anymore. Totally uncool, and I don't blame you...

[Grog12]

Originally Posted by kiwitechgirl

The trick with stopping flash photography is to somehow let the parents know (be it through something in the program, or an announcement) that flash photography can be dangerous to the dancers. I've seen a dancer startled by a photo flash fall off pointe and injure herself quite badly. Then they're all worried about their little darling getting injured and tend to stop taking flash photos!

Yeah...this doesn't work really...even in proffesional dance/theatre. We have a regular announcement at my ballet for both the proffessional and student productions and flashshy flashy flash.

Thank god we're finally getting our ushers trained.

[NickJones]

Our head Audio guy takes phone calls about other sound gigs mid show, its ridiculous, this happens when we are setting up all the time and he just stops working, but during one show (music show) he simply stayed sitting where he was pulled out his phone and chatted away.

I do lighting, I'm glad I don't have to answer to him.

Nick