Recent content by Skervald

  1. Skervald

    Dimes for 42nd Street Please Help!

    I left the edges raw both times. Maybe my volunteers are just really skilled but the edges came out quite clean. I think we may have had to touch up a spot or two with sandpaper but on the whole they came out pretty smooth. Especially when you take the 20' rule into account. It didn't seem worth...
  2. Skervald

    Dimes for 42nd Street Please Help!

    I've used this method twice using masonite and rigid foam. It works great. Both times I contemplated leaving off the bottom layer of masonite but the minimal work and money it would save didn't outweigh the benefits of a little extra durability. Both productions were done in high schools with...
  3. Skervald

    Loudspeakers How To Prevent Subs from "Walking"

    This is just slightly off topic but I need someone smarter than me to answer this. Is there any truth to the story that two low-frequency sound sources placed in close proximity can begin to cancel each other out?
  4. Skervald

    Help me out - control rooms

    I like to keep SM and lighting op enclosed whenever possible. If the two are in the same enclosed booth, they can speak at a normal level and the lighting op doesn't need a com. I also find it's extremely useful to have an enclosed space to deal with a crisis in the middle of a performance. So...
  5. Skervald

    Backdrop material

    Wow, those are interesting! If you click on one, you'll be directed to a page that includes multiple photos including a couple from straight on. It appears they just inserted the digital pattern into a cutout to create these example photos. (check out any of the brick patterns and you'll see the...
  6. Skervald

    Table Saw

    A similar set up has served me quite well. I've got a Dewalt contractor saw on a small rolling base with wagon brakes. The base brings the saw up to the same height of my three rolling 4x4' work tables. The four pieces can be clamped together in multiple configurations allowing a single person...
  7. Skervald

    Getting students (12-18) interested in theatre Tech

    Aaron- I have a dirty secret. I steal kids from the acting program and turn them into techs. [insert joke about the intelligence of actors here. Just remember, these are kids. They haven't been fully indoctrinated into actor culture yet.] It's actually pretty easy. They're all fascinated by the...
  8. Skervald

    Let it rain...

    This may be in the works already but don't underestimate the power of good SFX paired with the visuals.
  9. Skervald

    Sit, Spot, Sit!

    I would love to see a photo of this contraption once someone comes up with the name. Sounds like a manual I-Cue. Doesn't Rosco call them intelligent mirrors? I guess there would be some debate about HOW intelligent the manual version is based on who is sitting behind it.
  10. Skervald

    What to do with a cyc and no fly space.

    That was border-line bad humor but a grand attempt.
  11. Skervald

    What to do with a cyc and no fly space.

    I can't even begin the sky drop vs. cyc debate at work. I've got a core group of people (who should all know better) who consistently call our sky drop a scrim. I'm not sure where that came from or how it started but it's infuriating.
  12. Skervald

    What to do with a cyc and no fly space.

    One space I work in had a similar problem. I convinced them to install a track (or horizontal fly system as I like to call it) which works pretty well. Of course, you need to add a pipe in the bottom which adds an extra step to deploying it but it's much easier than taking it down and putting it...
  13. Skervald

    Using violin as prop?

    You probably know this but there are practice mutes made for violins. Essentially a weight that is attached to the bridge which drastically reduces the vibrations passing from the bridge to the body/soundboard. I guess it all depends on how much (if any!) volume is acceptable. Perhaps one of...
  14. Skervald

    Theatre tours

    Nice to hear some people are interested in investing resources to do it right.
  15. Skervald

    Not crazy about Chauvet Colordash Batten. Other choices?

    I totally agree. My fixtures were originally purchased for (and are still used quite a bit) for another purpose so it made sense to invest in the LSF rather than a set of new cyc fixtures. If I remember right, I only needed one sheet to cover the 7 fixtures so that helped keep the cost down.
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