Recent content by Steerpike

I don't know how niche this is. I've been trying to solve the exact same problem ever since I lost my patience with our old setup, a Matrox TripleHead and a computer sitting in the catwalks. I'm working on a bid using Blackmagic boxes and Cat5 outlets distributed around the theater. It's not cheap.

In my experience it's part of the life cycle of Chauvet LED's. The next stage is going into full random disco mode if the board is powered down. Our protocol includes powering down all LED fixtures before the board is shut down so no one ever has to see the flash.

We're doing a production of "Ragtime" in which we're putting the orchestra upstage of the scenery so we can leave the pit covered and bring the singers/dancers cloesr to the audience. I need to hang a drop downstage of the orchestra (upstage of the set) that I can front-project onto, as well as...

Thanks for the quick and thorough answers. I ordered some "acorn" ammo and will try them outside before putting anyone's ears at risk.

We've had this starter pistol for a few years, and have always taken it to a local sporting goods store to make sure we're getting appropriate ammunition. My colleague recently went to 3 different stores and they all told her that they didn't have ammo and didn't know where she should go to...

Does anyone know a good source in the US for used silk parachutes? I'm doing a production of "The Tempest" and need 2 or 3 parachutes, white, at least 20' in diameter.Thanks.

It might be overkill for what you want to do, but we did a production of "The Adding Machine" a few years ago using Isadora. One of my high school students was able to really make it dance.

I've read a couple of different approaches to this question, but I'm putting the inquiry to the ControlBooth collective wisdom - how steep can you make a raked stage? This is a professional production of "The Pirates of Penzance," one (for our theater) big raked, forced-perspective deck. I'm...

VectorWorks 2007, with a figure from a Sargent painting pasted in with Photoshop to replace the awful figure that comes with VectorWorks (give me back the old-school wooden mannequins of Microstation!)

Reblocking is my favorite solution to any scenery/budget problem :)

And the winner is... Traitor800 and his idea for Walmart shower curtain liners. It looks much better live than it photographs. We didn't have the money or time to do colored lights behind the walls, but we got the basic effect we were looking for. Total materials budget of $700.00 (the...

I'm trying to get the effect of Victorian tinted glass for a production of A Doll's House. My TD's first inquiries regarding this were not promising - $100.00 for a 4 x 8 sheet of lucite, which would blow through our entire scenic budget in the SL wall.I'm considering trying some combination...

That's a Plano Convex, named after the configuration of the lens. The reflector is a section of a sphere (like in a fresnel,) so it's not an "Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight." I used to have a couple of these manufactured by Major that I rescued from the Fox Theater in St. Louis, along with...

Hello, all. My name is Patrick Huber and I am a teacher and a set and lighting designer in St. Louis. I've worked with most of the small companies in St. Louis at one time or another, and am the resident scenic designer for Union Avenue Opera. I'm also a theater and visual arts teacher at...