Recent content by JonasA

  1. J

    Gaff Gun

    It looks useful for some of the short gigs I do for where we have to lay and tape carpet/tarkett, but the size and cost are a turn-off, not to mention the pain of explaining how to use it to an ASM/mech when I could more easily just throw them a roll of gaff and say "please tape down here, here...
  2. J

    Are you the safety guy?

    I'm completely the safety guy when working with high school students at my old school (where I frequently end up as none of the kids really knows what they're doing). At least with kids, I think a lot of it comes from not being aware of just how dangerous some stuff can be. I mean, you look at...
  3. J

    Dance Lighting

    Re boom visibility: Lighting dancers in a university setting, the LDs and SMs are religious in glow-taping the heck out of every bit of the booms. Last time I looked, it was expected that any fixture hung on booms had:Glow tape on the gel frame facing on stage Glow tape on upstage side...
  4. J

    cardboard scenery

    I feel like I've seen an article about a group of engineering students and a German scenic designer actually making a structurally sound two-storey set from corrugated cardboard... Apologies for being so inconclusive, but my point is that it has been done. Whether doing so would be practical in...
  5. J

    Stage management

    Dave's hit the nail on the head, but I'll add:Try to find a more experienced SM (one who does college/community theatre rather than professional may actually be best as they will understand well the vagaries of dealing with volunteers and students) and use them as a mentor; ask them *all* the...
  6. J

    High School TD's

    As an Australian, this is an interesting discussion to watch. Although most larger schools here have a performance space of some description (ranging from a drama room with a little stage to 1,000 seat auditoriums with limited flying capabilities), I know of only two schools in Melbourne which...
  7. J

    Favorite Multi-tool Brand

    I'm actually kind of divided on this one; I've had a Swiss Army Knife (one of the middle sized models) since I was a kid and I've always loved it, but I'd never carry it when I'm working. My Leatherman Wave is my go-to tool any time I'm in a theatre (or anywhere else in life), but I find there's...
  8. J

    Study Stage Management at Berkeley/University of Washington?

    Hi Footer,Yes, they are rather random, but it has to do with the University's partnerships internationally, which I'm guessing were founded with more mainstream areas in mind... not theatre. They are established partnerships and Melbourne University has an entire department devoted to...
  9. J

    Study Stage Management at Berkeley/University of Washington?

    Hi all,My Australian university offers 2nd year students the opportunity to undertake a 12-month study exchange to either Berkeley (University of California) or the University of Washington. As a dual Aust/US citizen, this appeals to me greatly, but I'm unsure of the quality of the courses...
  10. J

    Is there any interest/market for this

    Doing a lot of amateur theatre, I come across a lot of people who have their own name for certain connectors - XLR is only known as cannon in one group, but another will recognize "3-pin audio," mic lead will usually get a response... you get the idea.My point is, can you just give each...
  11. J

    High school plays - what shows are you doing and have you done?

    My old high school has just performed Lady Windemere's Fan by Oscar Wilde Benefits: Huge cast size - and with a lot of walk-ons, it doesn't matter if the kids can't act; they can still have a part! Public domain script, so no fees for the rights. A plot which has enough turns to keep the...
  12. J

    food and drinks in the control booth

    At my high school, we also had the back-wall rule, which worked well given we had a huge workbench that you could sit at. That didn't mean there wasn't always a bag of lollies next to the lx desk; just no pizza/pasta/whatever you pulled out of the fridge. I do like Morte's 6' rule, though. That...
  13. J

    What inspired you to get into technical theatre?

    My very first tech moment was when I auditioned for the local Scout cover band; I was 12 and my voice was breaking and I didn't know any rock songs anyway, but they took pity on me and suggested I do lighting. I seem to remember the band spent most of the next few months plunged into abject...
  14. J

    Stage Management Software Top 10 List

    Microsoft OneNote - it's not perfect by any means, but having the ability to store a massive amount of information (including text, sketches, audio and links) in a single cohesive document without the rigidity of Word and then be able to share it with an entire production team has been...
  15. J

    Edible nut replacement?

    Thanks everyone! Because I'm not sure whether this will be a genuine issue or not, it's nice to know that there's a few ways to deal with it. Close inspection of the script doesn't actually indicate that they must eat the nuts (or pretend to), but knowing this director and the likely cast, if we...
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