Cable Trough

[chawalang]

A question I have for those of you managing venues, do the stagehands actually use cable troughs?! I know in venues where there is a cable pass under the audience I’ve always seen that used. In the scenario where there is a trough on stage then it extends around the audience, do the stage hands actually remove the top of the trough and lay the snakes in there? Or do they just lay it on the ground and tuck it away? Is there a reason it’s difficult to uncover the trough during load in?

Cable troughs that go up stage? Do the stagehands use them or do they use cable picks or added cable hooks against the wall to store them during show?

 

[Van]

At the Stanford Theatre in the Tiger Woods Center at the Nike World campus... there is a trough that runs US/DS each wing and all the way across the US wall, it's 18-20" wide and 18 - 20" deep. Get's used all the time. Kind of have to so you aren't rolling boxes over the cables. I don't remember there being one through the house. The whole area under the audience is a giant plenum for the AC.

 

[brucek]

Many venues will NOT let any cables break the proscenium fire curtain line, so they are required to have some alternate path across, often in a trough.
That said, nothing like a trough full of rain water, rancid beer, and liquids of unknown origins, to give your cables and snakes (and hands) a coating of love-sauce for loadout. Then you know its Rock N Roll .

 

[danTt]

I've seen a few venues with a good trough system, but in general I'd prefer to keep cable in the air rather than on/under the ground. Feeders the usual exception, or loading doors, but opening up a trough is going to be a longer process than dropping a few picks in most places I've worked, and I like to block doors as little as possible.

 

[TimMc]

I've seen a few venues with a good trough system, but in general I'd prefer to keep cable in the air rather than on/under the ground. Feeders the usual exception, or loading doors, but opening up a trough is going to be a longer process than dropping a few picks in most places I've worked, and I like to block doors as little as possible.

So what to do with the FOH bundle, LX or audio? The kind as thick as your forearm. I've yet to have a house manager or venue say "yeah, just fly that over the audience."

Outdoors, the condensation, rain, critters, vandalism make them less appealing.

There are only a few ways to route cables. Architectural accommodation that would make it easier/safer/nicer aesthetically, are afterthoughts in the building designs.

 

[soundman]

When done well troughs are fantastic. Typically I'll see them in sheds to get cables to FOH through the audience but a few arenas have them as well. In an arena I want sections that are light enough to be a one person lift and a small enough section that it doesn't shut down all the access while the cables are being placed.

 

[Footer]

We don't have any. Snakes are pulled through the house and taped. Another venue in town they drop to the basement and pulled through a hallways to FOH. Bit of a pain to do. At our shed we have one on each side of stage to FOH, they get used for every show but its a 5 person team opening and closing them. They have heavy plugs all over them.