Where to learn more about rigging?

[Robersim]

Hi, I am currently planning on helping the local community theatre put in some hanging space for lighting. I have a limited knowlege of rigging since i do a lot of lighting work.
Here is the problem i am faced with:

The performing arts center i am volunteering for is occupying a church, which is now owned by them. The 'Auditorium'(sanctuary) as we refer to it has about 15'-20' high cielings possibly 25'. We are also faced with the issue of slanted floors, making consistent ladder use almost impossible, so we are thinking of putting in some hand winches to move the 'battens'. We know the ceiling can support a lot of weight because there is currently about 300 pounds of chandelier hanging from them. One batten would carry around 2 source fours, 4 fresnels, and another 8 par 38s, and possibly a projection screen.

Any advice is appreciated, and I know this is no substitute for professional riggers, but this is somewhere to get some idea as to what our course of action should be.

 

[rochem]

So first, I need to give the generic CB response to these types of questions. While this seems fairly simple, please DO NOT attempt to actually rig something until you speak with a professional rigger/structural engineer. You have no accurate way of knowing exactly how much weight the ceiling can hold, so until you find out from a structural engineer or other qualified person, please DO NOT attempt to rig anything to the ceiling. Additionally, assuming that the ceiling was strong enough, putting heavy equipment over people's heads is extremely dangerous, and should not be attempted except by a qualified rigger.

Now, onto your question. I'm a little confused - do you already have battens in the air that are just dead-hung, or are you considering adding battens as well? Regardless of which one it is, while getting a winch system would probably work, you would need to have it installed by a professional company - possibly your local dealer if they offer those kinds of services. A professional rigging company would also be able to find out how structural your ceiling is, and how much load it can safely support.

Without having spent time in your theatre, there's not really much more I can say. My recommendation is to sit down with the other people involved in this project, and determine exactly what you need/want. How many pipes would you like, can they be dead-hung, how fast do they need to be able to come in, is manually cranking them in and out acceptable, and so on. Once you have a basic idea of what you want, give your local dealer a call (Indianapolis Stage appears to do some rigging work) and ask them to come out to take a look.

Hope that helps!

 

[MPowers]

You have asked several questions and presented a multitude of possibilities. I hope I can shed some light on a few of them.

First, enlist the help, advice, services of a Theatrical rigger in your area. I can not stress this too strongly. If you are planing to hang pipe battens above audience or performers, you can not take chances. A pipe falling from 15' to 20' will kill or seriously injure anyone it strikes. Here are a couple of companies in your area that can help. Note: I have never worked directly with either so I can not recommend either over the other.

Merrill Stage Equipment

Indianapolis Stage Sales & Rentals, Inc.

As you stated, your rigging knowledge is limited, so do not try to rig or hang without help. I can not offer specific advice without making a visit to your facility but I will try to comment on a couple of things you mentioned.

First, 300 pounds is a very light rigging load. A 20' section of pipe plus the lights you mentioned would weigh about 150#, stage cable (not hardware store extension cords) would weigh 50 to 100 pounds. A projection screen can weigh as little as 50# and as much as several hundred, depending on the size and type, motorized, pull down etc. In addition your rigging has to take into account the fact that at some point during focus or hang, a stage hand will accidentally or on purpose grab the pipe and put his weight on it. If you add in any safety factor, your batten should probably be rigged for at least 1000#.

You mentioned hand winches. Do not under any circumstances consider units from Home Depot, Graingers, McMaster et. al. Those winches are designed and intended for pulling, not lifting and especially not lifting over peoples heads. Any winch used for overhead lifting must have a dual braking system and be designed to hold loads in place for extended lengths of time. One type of winch designed for overhead stage use would be:
Thern Stage Equipment | Clew Winch Systems

You don't say how the battens would be attached to the existing structure or if using a winch how that would be rigged and attached. Maybe the ceiling can handle the weight, but how do you attach to the ceiling? Winch rigging with the winch on the ground puts twice the rigged load on the building structure and resultant loading is more. In addition there are horizontal loads equal to the load in two directions at different points. In other words, there's a lot more than just the weight of the pipe and instruments to account for when rigging a batten.

As for learning about rigging, If you can work with someone who knows, that's the best way. In the meantime, study, read, study some more. A very good book to start with is Stage Rigging Handbook, Third Edition by Jay O. Glerum.

Just remember, rigging is not a game, it is serious business. Mistakes can cost people their lives. Rigging work has to be done right and right the first time.

 

[kicknargel]

If the cost of a winched system gets too high, look into the Little Giant Skyscraper ladder. Little Giant SkyScraper Ladder | SkyScraper MXZ Ladder The biggest is 21' (allowing work at 24-25) and each side is adjustable so you can use them on a slope. I find them much more stable and comfortable than any other ladder I've been on that goes that high.