Training and gear for Stoldal's new theatre

Stoldal

Active Member
In a few month I will be moving in to a 700 seat theatre. I have worked in a few theatre, but no more then a few days in each on. So i am new to theatre. I have been doing lighting and sound for about 4 years, but i have always worked in a gym, and with TTI products, great dimmers and consoles(I have only had one dimmer fail in 4 years). Now that i am moving in to a real theatre. Now my question. What should i do to prepare. Are the any good Las Vegas based training class i should take. For those who don't know this is a high school, so it is an academic theatre. I am just looking for some general advice.

Thanks

Matt S
 
I seem to remember that there was a lengthy discussion about what light board you were gonna get. Do you know what the board will be? If so, reading and dissecting that manual as well as checking out the offline software is a good idea.
 
I know what light board we are going to get it is....8700 Series.

What i am really worried about is safe, i am going to be one of the lead in charge of managing the tech part of the theatre
 
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GL, GS, or GX? Or do you not know?
 
I would like to get GX if i have to get that board.
 
MsTodal I find your question a bit hard to answer because I am not sure of the role you will be filling in the theatre. Will you be the TD? Or will you just be lighting and sound?

There a whole lot of things to learn depending on what you are doing and how the theatre was built.

For instance are the lighting bars over the stage fixed or can they be lowered?
If they can be lowered how winches or a counterweighted fly system. If the later then you might need to look training on fly tower work.

Apart from flying there shouldn't much new for your to learn. The rest will be based on your current knowledge such as where are the audio patch panels and /or places to plug in the microphones. Things like that. The same with connectors for foldback speakers etc. The same with lighting how you connect the lights to the dimmer ie patch panel or is it hardwired one dimmer to one outlet .

Do you have ladders or is there a Genie so you might need to do a course on?

There's heaps of little things where are the light switches for the stage? Do you have control for the lights in the auditorium etc?

One thing you might have to get use to is having legs and border curtains and how to adjust / put up and take down.

Since I started this post I saw you have made a new one so ignore the first question.

If you are worried about safety then find things like where the extinguishers are.

If this is for a High School then there should be a Health and Safety person that should be able to help you indentify the risks in the building.

If you haven't already you should talk to the management and find out what you are responsible for as far as safety goes.

Who are writing the rules what the students are allowed to do/ not do? Eg Are there catwalks - when can a student go up there etc.

Is this theatre actually finished construction yet? If it is due to open in the start of the new schol year I would try and see if you can start working there this summer just to familarise your self with the place. Also you can setup procedures on how things are to be done. Eg Play with the sound system and find the best levels ( of course with it empty it won't be perferct) but it should give you some idea of the sound quality and volume. Play with the projector system. Setup some lighting states on submasters on the board. Start writing little manuals like a teacher one where the light switch controls are ? How to connect to the video projector from the stage if this is possible.

Another thing I would do, is get hold of the Audio engineers design manual for the theatre . Then go through it and make sure everything works like they said it would. I was one of the first techs in a new school theatre a couple of years ago and found the installation wasn't complete. The manual would say one thing but the opposite was true. Wiring to take sound to one of the attached classes hadn't being attached to the socket in the patch panel.
There were video leads to the stage that hadn't even being connected to their patch panel etc.

So as you see there are lots of things to do but a lot of stuff you will know already and just apply it to the new space. But if there is a fly tower then you will need a course to run it.

Why don't you put up a list of things you think you need to learn / take care of then we can comment on any you may have missed.
 
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ok, before i write the list of things, no i want am ION.


there are going to be two people, working the tech, me and and old school sound tech, he has been doing sound and lighting for 30 years, he is sound, i am lighting. he has only used anlog as a control protical. But i will be doing both, as he also drives the busses at the school.

I am not worried about sound.

The sound system we are getting is the same one that the blue man group has in Las Vegas.

We are going to have a counterweight fly system.

The theatre is still being build, we are going to get in to the theatre in October, to set everything up, we bought all of the fixture for a church, 300 total, source 4s. So we have to hang all of them. When i get the exact list, and layout, i want to make a rough lighting plot.

o ya it is a private school.
 
ok, before i write the list of things, no i want am ION.


there are going to be two people, working the tech, me and and old school sound tech, he has been doing sound and lighting for 30 years, he is sound, i am lighting. he has only used anlog as a control protical. But i will be doing both, as he also drives the busses at the school.

I am not worried about sound.

The sound system we are getting is the same one that the blue man group has in Las Vegas.

We are going to have a counterweight fly system.

The theatre is still being build, we are going to get in to the theatre in October, to set everything up, we bought all of the fixture for a church, 300 total, source 4s. So we have to hang all of them. When i get the exact list, and layout, i want to make a rough lighting plot.

o ya it is a private school.

So its you, the bus driver, the sound system from blueman group, and a bunch of jesus lights.... sorry, couldnt resist.
 
In a few month I will be moving in to a 700 seat theatre. I have worked in a few theatre, but no more then a few days in each on. So i am new to theatre. I have been doing lighting and sound for about 4 years, but i have always worked in a gym, and with TTI products, great dimmers and consoles(I have only had one dimmer fail in 4 years). Now that i am moving in to a real theatre. Now my question. What should i do to prepare. Are the any good Las Vegas based training class i should take. For those who don't know this is a high school, so it is an academic theatre. I am just looking for some general advice.

Thanks

Matt S

Well, Las Vegas is the place to be to get trained! First off, there are many great conferences that come through on a regular basis. Secondly, many of the venues are working with UNLV to create a better program for top of the line technicians. Also, many manufacturers base training programs here in the city. I'll try to see if I still have flyers, but there was a "summer camp" type of program for technicians being offered here for newer and experienced techs (different programs). The name eludes me right now, but it was first advertised at LDI a few years ago. If I can find it, I'll send it your way.
 
Thanks that would be great if you could get me that info.!!
 
Yes, Infocomm is great, especially for aplications relating to AV systems (highly recommend to go this summer since it's here). However, I believe that the topic is more for theater systems which are not covered as well as needed. How's your time for reading, I could suggest some books to add to your library. :^)
 
Seems to be somewhat of a competitor (possibly more formalized) to Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas. Here's a previous thread.

Mstoldal, when you actually have access to the building, I bet ruinexplorer and I would come over and give you a day's worth of "hints, tips, and tricks." PM us.
 
First off do everything you can to get Derek and Ruinexplorer over there.

Second. Be prepared for a LOT of crazy unfinished crap. MY theater was supposed to be done in August. I finally got a key in November but it wasn't really finished until January... then I had to start moving in lights and equipment. Guess what the houselights still don't work right and it's the end of May. It takes a long time to get buildings running and you are going to find all kinds of crazy stuff to deal with. So keep your expectations low and limit the activities in the theater as much as possible until you can really get it shaken down.
 
Given what you and everyone else has said about unfinished stuff, does it make sense for Mstoldal to write himself a checklist and start going over stuff now? If he has access to circuit maps, blueprints, spec sheets, and other paperwork, he should have a good idea of his theater is supposed to have, and it might be easier to find out what is messed up now, right after it's finished, than during the first show.


I am told i can get those in the next few days.
 
A great place to start, which will benefit everyone, is to write your venue's Tech Info Packet. As an example, the College of San Mateo. This will help outside renters and users of the space know what is available, and what the rules are. I've started a Collaborative Article for CB member's to post their Venue Specs, or the specs of a favorite venue.
 
Ya i think that will be a good place to start, there are still some part of the lighting system that we dont know what we are going to get. I.e. the dimmers... i was told that we are getting fixture from a church, but i dont not really know for sure if that is what we are really getting. They has put the light to the side, as in they feel that it is not very important.

But hey we are getting a good sound system, i know that.


The theatre is scheduled to have two diffent plays in it two weeks after we have access to the building. i know that half the thing are not going to be done in time for those production, and the director has already started print thing with the dates of the play. So hope full we will stay on schedule.
 

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