Controlling Booth Traffic

[Blah067]

OKay...we've all given our non-techie buddies booth tours before, but realistically, who should be allowed in the booth, and how do you go about kicking people out?

Personally, I don't even let actors in the booth. They're allowed to come up the stairs, and only to get their mics or if instructed by a board op/SM.

[NickJones]

I'm a bit of a Booth Nazi. If they need mics they wait outside the door, the Director is allowed in for plotting, and that's about it. And when the Stage Audio guys want somewhere to hang out I try and keep them out of the booth too.
Nick

[zuixro]

I'm a fan of the "nobody unnecessary in the booth" way of doing things. It keeps things from getting messed with mostly, very important when you have $20,000 of rented wireless mic gear sitting around. Also keeps our snacks from getting pillaged.

[kiwitechgirl]

Our booth is kept locked unless there's a tech in there, but the actors all know better than to go in there anyway. Occasionally during a show the odd cast member may go up to see a part of the show from the front, but we have no issues with that provided they're quiet!

[cprted]

Keep the door locked. Anyone who needs in has a key. I often deal with actor/mic things in the wings or dressing rooms. Saves the actors from either having to come to the booth or FoH.

[ReiRei]

At my high school the rule was that nobody was allowed in the booth unless they were working. Actors/performers only if they were recording something with the sound tech. Anyone who had nothing to do with the show was strictly just not allowed in the booth.

How to go about kicking them out? Well, since my TD made the rule that nobody was allowed up there whenever someone not allowed would come in I would simply tell them that they weren't allowed and they needed to leave. One of the technicians at my old high school who thought she was the reason the sun rose in the morning brought her girlfriend into the booth and got really bent out of shape with me when I insisted that she leave. They finally left though, complaining loudly that I was mean and whatnot. Whatever, those are the rules that I'm given and those are the rules that I follow.

Our stage manager for Pajama Game let a reporter up into the booth so she could write an article. There was also talk of letting this girl on headset. I kindly told miss reporter that there was absolutely no way she could be on headset and not any way that she could be in the booth either. I mean, how was she going to write anything down if there was no light for her to see. The stage manager thought it appropriate to override me by saying, "I'm the stage manager and I'm the boss, she's coming into the booth." So down I go to the TD who rages at her and makes the reporter leave. More complaining about me being rigid and mean. Whatever, deal with it.

If you have a problem with people coming into your booth just to hang out, put a sign outside the door that says something along the lines of, "unless your job is a booth job, turn back now." If people decide to come in anyways without purpose tell them to leave. We had a big problem with having all the techs in the booth, that should only have 5-6 people max, coming in before a show. It got to the point where I couldn't even focus on the tasks at hand and I made everyone leave and we put up a sign.

Make guidelines about who should/should not be in the booth. Share these guidelines with your crew and then stick to them.

[mstaylor]

I ran lights for a S production years ago and kicked the director/teacher out of the booth. First off she had no real purpose being there, SM was calling cues on headset, second she was an idiot that had not a clue about tech. I was only doing it because a friend of mine's daughter was the SM and no one knew how to run the board.

[MSLD]

i do the oppisite, if you're in my booth, you run lights, even if you dont know how to. hey, it keeps them all away

[photoatdv]

I've almost had dancers run a number in rehearsal before... because they kept asking for ridiculous things then telling me my job was so easy and anyone could do it...

[MillburyAuditorium]

Well we currently don't have a booth, just the back row crossover we call our home. Anyone, be it students, actors, or other person walks back there I or the SM has a ***** on them. And our real problem used to be students or air head actors messing with the EQ and what not, it all stopped after I put a white sheet over the equipment and two laminated pieces of paper on it, one saying "DO NOT TOUCH. This equipment is insured for more than your life."
and the other being "This area under 24 hour closed circuit video recording.". (There is no camera in the theatre )

Fake signs really do help, especially the "DANGER: High Voltage" on the dimmers and amp racks. Although, its true for those.