Your Biggest Problem

[dvsDave]

No one has a perfectly ordered, perfectly smoothly running theatre. (They just don't exist in our imperfect world)

So, what is the Number One thing that you wish you could change to make your theatre and/or job easier/faster/better/stronger?? Don't tell me about something you can buy, tell me about a product or service that doesn't yet exist.

Tell me here

[CSCTech]

That our place has no faculty member who runs or maintains the theatre. It is just a group of three students, we can handle everything ourselves, but if there where say a Theatre Group or something we could have a real budget and whatnot, not just nag other departments that use the place.

[wolf825]

No one has a perfectly ordered, perfectly smoothly running theatre. (They just don't exist in our imperfect world)

So, what is the Number One thing that you wish you could change to make your theatre and/or job easier/faster/better/stronger?? Don't tell me about something you can buy, tell me about a product or service that doesn't yet exist.

Tell me here

Hmm...I don't know--my theater runs pretty darn well compared to most....that is until the 'supervisors/directors/producers' and actors or musicians arrive.

The product or service that doesn't exist yet is this--a standardized theater competency of full operation & production. Some folks 'get it'--some just do not.. A Lot of places cut corners and 'get by'...some are there to appease and be served for their 'vision of art' which is ego stroking....and some people have backgrounds not adept to what others in the business hold as 'professional standards' for operation and function... Some of it is due to poor funding or support--sometimes its due to lack of caring....and other times its due to those with that superior "arrr-TEEEEEST" mentality of lofty artsy floaty visions and ideas which they can be patted on the head for and given a cookie of recognition and ego stroking, but they have no grounding in reality, practice or concept in understanding what it actually takes in work to accomplish it safely and professionally... No one is on the same page at the same time...

Theater while having artful base and flair, is still a business with practices and standardizations and levels of ability in operation. So basically what is needed--everyone in a venue from actors to tech to FOH to guests having the same grounded 'clue' for reality and working on the same level of expectation and standards....


-w

[Sony]

A gel organizer that doesn't suck, I mean, filing cabinets with folders work, but it's not the perfect solution. Still it's the best by far that I have come across for regular source 4 sized cuts and things of that nature, but when I have cuts for a 10 degree or a 5 degree, a filing cabinet isn't large enough. So if someone could design a larger cabinet and filing folders (the ones with the metal supports and grooves to hang them and keep them organized) that acommodates larger 10", 14" and 18" cuts, that would be amazing!

Currently I use a Filing Cabinet for the cuts of gels and then an Architect Filing Cabinet (the big wide flat ones) for full gel sheets and it keeps things really well organized but the larger gel cuts get left out and then they get lost, or I have to fold them to fit them in a folder and they get creased and I HATE when they get creased.

[Footer]

A jetpack has not become a viable product and would make my life much easier.

For me, it would be a legit way to fully collaborate on a project completely cloud based and one tracked. A space that combines google wave, sketchup, WYSIWYG, AutoCAD, vectorworks, photoshop, and some type of costuming rendering program into one. It would allow real time tracking for all design elements. It would provide a one stop place for everyone on a given production to collaborate without having to fly across the country to meet in person.

[MrsFooter]

Trust in an aerosol can.

That way, when I've got some road sound guy who thinks that because he's a man and older than me he is more qualified to do my job than I am, despite the fact that he can't identify the right end of wrench...

*psss* Right in his face.

"Oh, wait, you know what you're doing. You've clearly done this many times before. I'll just let you do your job."

[DuckJordan]

Trust in an aerosol can.

That way, when I've got some road sound guy who thinks that because he's a man and older than me he is more qualified to do my job than I am, despite the fact that he can't identify the right end of wrench...

*psss* Right in his face.

"Oh, wait, you know what you're doing. You've clearly done this many times before. I'll just let you do your job."

you my friend are looking for the force, much simpler to use and less cumber sum than an aerosol can. or my favorite pull out a pocket sized resume

[MrsFooter]

A gel organizer that doesn't suck, I mean, filing cabinets with folders work, but it's not the perfect solution. Still it's the best by far that I have come across for regular source 4 sized cuts and things of that nature, but when I have cuts for a 10 degree or a 5 degree, a filing cabinet isn't large enough. So if someone could design a larger cabinet and filing folders (the ones with the metal supports and grooves to hang them and keep them organized) that acommodates larger 10", 14" and 18" cuts, that would be amazing!

Currently I use a Filing Cabinet for the cuts of gels and then an Architect Filing Cabinet (the big wide flat ones) for full gel sheets and it keeps things really well organized but the larger gel cuts get left out and then they get lost, or I have to fold them to fit them in a folder and they get creased and I HATE when they get creased.

Oh, and the product you're looking for would be a lateral filing cabinet. We store all our gel, from the 6.25" to the 10" sizes, in one of these bad boys. They're wider and deeper than a legal-size, so plenty of space for all, and because files are hung sideways, they're much easier to pursue through when you don't know exactly what you want.

[gafftapegreenia]

One word.



Money.



Or lack therefore of.

[photoatdv]

Hum, Dave... what's the fancy form for?

[Anvilx]

For me, it would be a legit way to fully collaborate on a project completely cloud based and one tracked. A space that combines google wave, sketchup, WYSIWYG, AutoCAD, vectorworks, photoshop, and some type of costuming rendering program into one. It would allow real time tracking for all design elements. It would provide a one stop place for everyone on a given production to collaborate without having to fly across the country to meet in person.

One word: Unigraphics

[Footer]

One word: Unigraphics

NX (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This?

That does feed the practical end, but in no way feeds the collaboration end. I want something to come close to replicated the 12 hour design meetings where images are thrown all over the place, concepts happen, people fight, the world explodes.

[dvsDave]

Footer, I know what you mean. Perhaps this could be accomplished if Google Wave ever reaches its full potential. (IE: It can handle more than 10 people collaborating smoothly)

I have several ideas along these lines, but the tech just isn't quite there yet. I'm keeping an eye on it in the meantime.

[Sony]

Oh, and the product you're looking for would be a lateral filing cabinet. We store all our gel, from the 6.25" to the 10" sizes, in one of these bad boys. They're wider and deeper than a legal-size, so plenty of space for all, and because files are hung sideways, they're much easier to pursue through when you don't know exactly what you want.

I shall look into this!

[Raktor]

Staff that all magically work together with no conflicts, all pull their own weight, and all do their assigned tasks safely and timely.

90% of them are fine, but there's always that 10% that cause problems for everyone.

[Anvilx]

NX (software) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This?

That does feed the practical end, but in no way feeds the collaboration end. I want something to come close to replicated the 12 hour design meetings where images are thrown all over the place, concepts happen, people fight, the world explodes.

Unigraphics, NX as it is known today, was built for collaboration. I was talking to my dad about it and he said that one of the demos that he has seen is several people, indifferent places one in say England, Germany, and Spain all working together live. And this was in ~1993.

[CSCTech]

Being part of a highschool :D

Or have a budget X_X

[eternalfire1244]

In my case- a owner that does not back-stab and play games with employees and volunteers.

Another would be Light plotting software that runs natively in Linux (preferably FOSS).

[kiwitechgirl]

I could really use whatever it is that makes a TARDIS bigger on the inside than on the outside....that way we could apply it to our building, the exterior walls of which cannot be altered, and get a theatre space that actually has wings and more roof height!

In the real world, I'd settle for playwrights who don't write scenes where people cook full meals on stage.

[Rockey]

A zip-line from the booth to the stage. Or a transporter. It's just too hard to fight the crowd during intermission, before/after shows, etc or to get to the stage REALLY quickly when something goes terribly wrong. This also applies to the catwalks.

[bull]

Technician in a Can, essentially a spray that convinces potential students that they want to work tech. This stems from the fact that I am working in a very large High School theatre program, essentially with one other technician that can be there as much as me. After that, everybody is a volunteer that is almost never there. How exciting. But I would also love a teleporter that takes me from the four lighting booms and the catwalks, and stage electrics, to the booth, and vice versa. I hate walking up and down the catwalk stairs with S4's, especially when your moving 30 of them at a time.

[TheLightmaster]

There aren't any affordable movers!

[Morpheus]

Hmm. Think i'll go the game-nerd route on this one and say : Portal Gun.
Instant wing space/crossover/etc!

[Anonymous067]

I would LOVE a way to fly between the stage, booth, and ante pros! I spent 3 hours today walking back and forth through catwalks between left and right ante pros getting lights in sync for the same areas. ARRGGGHHH.

then I had to fly the out of weight 1st electric probably 50 times. Lower adjust raise, lower adjust raise, etc etc etc.

[JChenault]

As a master elec once said to me:

I'll trade all of this modern stuff for a bucket of time.

[Anonymous067]

As a master elec once said to me:

I'll trade all of this modern stuff for a bucket of time.

Very well put...

[derekleffew]

... PS-how do you spell aniprobes??

Do you mean Ante Pros?

[ship]

A gel organizer that doesn't suck, I mean, filing cabinets with folders work, but it's not the perfect solution. Still it's the best by far that I have come across for regular source 4 sized cuts and things of that nature, but when I have cuts for a 10 degree or a 5 degree, a filing cabinet isn't large enough. So if someone could design a larger cabinet and filing folders (the ones with the metal supports and grooves to hang them and keep them organized) that acommodates larger 10", 14" and 18" cuts, that would be amazing!

Currently I use a Filing Cabinet for the cuts of gels and then an Architect Filing Cabinet (the big wide flat ones) for full gel sheets and it keeps things really well organized but the larger gel cuts get left out and then they get lost, or I have to fold them to fit them in a folder and they get creased and I HATE when they get creased.

C
Lee Filters still sells Gel Files for full sheets I believe, otherwise any good scene shop could make them easily. Architects drawers I would think would work great but the height of the drawer verses amount of smaller drawers might lead to confusion or gells getting lost. Perhaps some 1/16" hard card board or plywood sheets/veneer for them so as to be able to more neatly lift a stack of gel above and pull out what you need without all above going haywire. See below in pre-cuts for the concept in dividers. Perhaps even make the intermediate parts slightly larger or book marked so you can more rapidly find which gel you want in lifting pages of book marks.

At work they have like a 16' wall of gel files for stock sheets, above, below and to the sides of this is rolls of gel in various sizes. Corner to that is like a 12' wall of six drawer file cabinets that stores the pre-cuts no doubt in much the same way with file folders. Much gel is tossed out after shows. Don't remember what's on the third wall of the gel cage... there is something there possibly more file cabinets. (Gobos are stored in another like 8x8 area.) On the front of the gel cage is a 3' x 78" shelf that stores pre-sorted gel files ready for use with what other colors of gel are considered "stock" for gel file. Than bins for returned gel and follow spot frames. Hanging along the front of the cage on hooks is a bunch of the absolute cheapest and worst kid's type back packs we can find, (so they don't get swiped.) - Backpacks no proper adult stage hand would takwalk out the door with, or if they did, someone / anyone might question that and might perhaps ask what's in it. At least one would think assuming the overall joke no doubt about those climbing the truss to their follow spot with say a Hannah Montanah backpack. Such backpacks are for the follow spot positions and normally they carry the Clear Com gear and gel frames for the follow spot.

Anyway that's with a lot of room for gel, cage must be like 16x16' and is only for gel. Doesn't even store other than follow spot gel frames or overstock Gam Wrap.

I would never make it in such a cage by way of pre-cuts in how its laid out or done. Than of course I wouldn't throw out just about any gel if it still has a use. I often garbage pick gel even if I don't have a use for it or it's even too much volume for what I could ever use. Gel is still cut in it with a wall paper knife and frames individually on a cutting table in the center of the room. Paper cutters pre-marked for size for some reason over the years have not worked out as well for the gel area. Sharp paper cutter... Reduce time by at least half. Blades can be maintained and re-sharpened and even if a brand new cutter per year, given the labor lost in cutting by hand each gel from MR-16 cyc size or Inkie to 8-Lite gel stream for a scroller, the paper cutter or something else up to some form of water or plazma cutter would pay for itself.

Again, I don't work in the gel area... rarely go to it other than in at times dropping off show returns. Remember back in like 94' cutting all the gel for LalaPaluza or something like that in name and it took me hours even with a sharp paper cutter, can't imagine our gel person's time spent there when not being shipping clerk. Takes her a week to inventory her gel, this even with computer tracking.

For me, and what I did in past theaters and still have at home is a bit less in scale but something I might expand were I more involved with gel at the shop. No reason that a file cabinet has to have 8.5x11 sized files on a rack in it to store something - I use such file cabinets also for scrap cable, 60A plugs, moving light lamps, Altman parts etc. A 6" Fresnel/Leko pre-cut won't fit as well into a file folder and at some point given a sleeve per gel, it adds up in space required, or short of it, it adds to confusion some given the nature of file folders by way or gels following gravity and folding up if not tensioned.

Instead I made four classes of gel size boxes which I "Japaned" and furnished with good covers following some travel with past boxes with them short of a cover where the gel fell out. So I have Inkie/3.5Q gel in one, 4.5" Box Spot thru S-4, or PAR 46 sizes in another. 6" Fresnel, PAR 56 or 6" Leko in another, than a last box for PAR 64 to 10" scoop gels in size. Easy enough to build further boxes sized to the gels stored in them. Such boxes were built to about double the size needed at the time and I added tensioning blocks to them and even store the gel frames in the boxes for spring tension when in storage.

Such boxes easily could be made for a file cabinet in getting side walls sized to the gel size and not costing money in file folders that don't store smaller gel especially well. For dividers I use cardboard boxes cut to size, laminate, up to scrap Luan that's sized for the box but a bit longer so as to book mark what gel is stored between it and the next. Say every five or ten gels for Rosco (I have more of), every ten or twenty gel numbers for Lee and every 50 or so for GAM. Easy enough to adjust your book marks to what you now have more of, really easy to hone in on what you have in stock for any size in a particular color. Given there is no longer a file folder and its' normal gravity problems in gels falling down from the top or moving to the sides, such gel flops over as one in staying straight instead of individual sections having a problem in folding or falling out of the file.

For me, gel storage even for gobos is not a problem other than if the gel is not marked. Abandon the file folder and size the pre-cut to the size of the gel. Imagine the past Ducy Decimal System or what ever it is called practice of library book card indexes if they were only in the index card file folders sized for 8.5x11 sheets of paper. Would you ever find the card for the book looked for? Size the storage for the gel size and problem solved and is even more cost effective. Don't need a trip to an office supply store with your account number and 501c3 in tow, just need some scrap plywood or cardboard to add to it. run out of room, build another box. If lots of file cabinets, store the boxes in them.




Lee Filters still sells Gel Files for full sheets I believe, otherwise any good scene shop could make them easily. Architects drawers I would think would work great but the height of the drawer verses amount of smaller drawers might lead to confusion or gells getting lost. Perhaps some 1/16" hard card board or plywood sheets/veneer for them so as to be able to more neatly lift a stack of gel above and pull out what you need without all above going haywire. See below in pre-cuts for the concept in dividers. Perhaps even make the intermediate parts slightly larger or book marked so you can more rapidly find which gel you want in lifting pages of book marks.

At work they have like a 16' wall of gel files for stock sheets, above, below and to the sides of this is rolls of gel in various sizes. Corner to that is like a 12' wall of six drawer file cabinets that stores the pre-cuts no doubt in much the same way with file folders. Much gel is tossed out after shows. Don't remember what's on the third wall of the gel cage... there is something there possibly more file cabinets. (Gobos are stored in another like 8x8 area.) On the front of the gel cage is a 3' x 78" shelf that stores pre-sorted gel files ready for use with what other colors of gel are considered "stock" for gel file. Than bins for returned gel and follow spot frames. Hanging along the front of the cage on hooks is a bunch of the absolute cheapest and worst kid's type back packs we can find, (so they don't get swiped.) - Backpacks no proper adult stage hand would takwalk out the door with, or if they did, someone / anyone might question that and might perhaps ask what's in it. At least one would think assuming the overall joke no doubt about those climbing the truss to their follow spot with say a Hannah Montanah backpack. Such backpacks are for the follow spot positions and normally they carry the Clear Com gear and gel frames for the follow spot.

Anyway that's with a lot of room for gel, cage must be like 16x16' and is only for gel. Doesn't even store other than follow spot gel frames or overstock Gam Wrap.

I would never make it in such a cage by way of pre-cuts in how its laid out or done. Than of course I wouldn't throw out just about any gel if it still has a use. I often garbage pick gel even if I don't have a use for it or it's even too much volume for what I could ever use. Gel is still cut in it with a wall paper knife and frames individually on a cutting table in the center of the room. Paper cutters pre-marked for size for some reason over the years have not worked out as well for the gel area. Sharp paper cutter... Reduce time by at least half. Blades can be maintained and re-sharpened and even if a brand new cutter per year, given the labor lost in cutting by hand each gel from MR-16 cyc size or Inkie to 8-Lite gel stream for a scroller, the paper cutter or something else up to some form of water or plazma cutter would pay for itself.

Again, I don't work in the gel area... rarely go to it other than in at times dropping off show returns. Remember back in like 94' cutting all the gel for LalaPaluza or something like that in name and it took me hours even with a sharp paper cutter, can't imagine our gel person's time spent there when not being shipping clerk. Takes her a week to inventory her gel, this even with computer tracking.

For me, and what I did in past theaters and still have at home is a bit less in scale but something I might expand were I more involved with gel at the shop. No reason that a file cabinet has to have 8.5x11 sized files on a rack in it to store something - I use such file cabinets also for scrap cable, 60A plugs, moving light lamps, Altman parts etc. A 6" Fresnel/Leko pre-cut won't fit as well into a file folder and at some point given a sleeve per gel, it adds up in space required, or short of it, it adds to confusion some given the nature of file folders by way or gels following gravity and folding up if not tensioned.

Instead I made four classes of gel size boxes which I "Japaned" and furnished with good covers following some travel with past boxes with them short of a cover where the gel fell out. So I have Inkie/3.5Q gel in one, 4.5" Box Spot thru S-4, or PAR 46 sizes in another. 6" Fresnel, PAR 56 or 6" Leko in another, than a last box for PAR 64 to 10" scoop gels in size. Easy enough to build further boxes sized to the gels stored in them. Such boxes were built to about double the size needed at the time and I added tensioning blocks to them and even store the gel frames in the boxes for spring tension when in storage.

Such boxes easily could be made for a file cabinet in getting side walls sized to the gel size and not costing money in file folders that don't store smaller gel especially well. For dividers I use cardboard boxes cut to size, laminate, up to scrap Luan that's sized for the box but a bit longer so as to book mark what gel is stored between it and the next. Say every five or ten gels for Rosco (I have more of), every ten or twenty gel numbers for Lee and every 50 or so for GAM. Easy enough to adjust your book marks to what you now have more of, really easy to hone in on what you have in stock for any size in a particular color. Given there is no longer a file folder and its' normal gravity problems in gels falling down from the top or moving to the sides, such gel flops over as one in staying straight instead of individual sections having a problem in folding or falling out of the file.

For me, gel storage even for gobos is not a problem other than if the gel is not marked. Abandon the file folder and size the pre-cut to the size of the gel. Imagine the past Ducy Decimal System or what ever it is called practice of library book card indexes if they were only in the index card file folders sized for 8.5x11 sheets of paper. Would you ever find the card for the book looked for? Size the storage for the gel size and problem solved and is even more cost effective. Don't need a trip to an office supply store with your account number and 501c3 in tow, just need some scrap plywood or cardboard to add to it. run out of room, build another box. If lots of file cabinets, store the boxes in them.

[zuixro]

Hmm. Think i'll go the game-nerd route on this one and say : Portal Gun.
Instant wing space/crossover/etc!

+1

I'd take that over just about anything else.

But I would like it without the psychotic sentient computer.

[museav]

That way, when I've got some road sound guy who thinks that because he's a man and older than me he is more qualified to do my job than I am, despite the fact that he can't identify the right end of wrench..."

Now don't talk about me like that!

I'd like Owner's that get it. Even just little things like realizing that the cost for a facility does not end when construction is complete or that venues don't run themselves (and that's it's nice for the people responsible for running them to be involved in decisions).

I'd also like to see the prices at Radio Shack, Best Buy, Guitar Center, etc. increase tremendously so that people might create more realistic budgets.

An end to entitlement. Just your wanting something does not by itself make it realistic or practical.

[TheatreImage]

I'd like Owner's that get it. Even just little things like realizing that the cost for a facility does not end when construction is complete or that venues don't run themselves (and that's it's nice for the people responsible for running them to be involved in decisions).

Just what I was thinking!! It must be chronic.