Another opening....

[BillConnerFASTC]

Just finished a final checkout (long list of items to be corrected) of an kind of interesting renovation. Almost 100 year old high school auditorium that suffered a very unfortunate renovation in the 1970s, the highlight of that misfortune perhaps being the Brunswick bowling alley seating - literally groups of 4 orange fiberglass "bucket" seats on a beam. Just awful. And a counterweight lock rail (replacing rope and sand bag) that was virtually onstage - leaving one exit stage right between a gap in the rail. Thus the 24 motors. Enjoy.

 

[Footer]

I like the hoists on the deck. Nice that all that stuff is easily accessible.

 

[porkchop]

Looks like you've turned it into a very nice space.

Are the linesets counter weight assist? I ask because it seems like if the hoists don't need attending to then a guard preventing curious students from getting too close to automatic machinery seems prudent.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Dead haul - ETC EXO Prodigies if you don't recognize - and they are in a restricted access area - a ladder only - effectively in their own "room". These units are pretty well guarded with no moving parts except nose wheel.

 

[SteveB]

Ditto the above comments and I especially like the electric DS of the proscenium. With a deep apron it adds a nice backlight pipe for that apron area. Also like what appears to be a sound position where it wants to be, rear of seating, centered, in the audience.

Curious though, the FOH catwalk looks close to the stage, seems to be a steep FOH angle ?.

 

[JohnD]

As usual, I have questions. In the first photo, is that forestage light batten dead hung? Also is that a LCR speaker hang, could they possibly be Danleys?
In the second photo, in the center there is a rectangular area divided into quarters, is that a lighting position?
In the 4th photo is that big pipe above the machines the original sand bag belaying pin rail?
I have to ask, in the 5th photo, would a NCVT get anything from those wires hanging down?

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Ditto the above comments and I especially like the electric DS of the proscenium. With a deep apron it adds a nice backlight pipe for that apron area. Also like what appears to be a sound position where it wants to be, rear of seating, centered, in the audience.

Curious though, the FOH catwalk looks close to the stage, seems to be a steep FOH angle ?.

Existing catwalk so couldn't change but added a rail at rear of balcony - on wall - and they have a range of lens tubes - and also a balcony rail.

BTW the balcony was added. The original auditorium was one floor and very deep. 70's cut it in half with the added rear wall at mid point. This initial renovation plan was to remove it and go back to original very deep room and one story but I proposed leaving wall and adding balcony. Kind of interesting because auditorium is land locked (they rejected - not surprisingly - the only possible means of loading access - a tunnel under building and lift to stage - kind of pricey) so without ability to get steel in the balcony was all reinforced concrete poured in place.

The extended fore stage often covered pit (too often incorrectly called a thrust) is a kind of post WW II phenomena. They seem notoriously under served by lighting positions. I try to get a catwalk above the upstage edge of fore stage cloud that can back and top and high side light the fore stage. Seems even ore important in this era where "everything" is captured on video. Here the acoustical consultant was afraid or reverberation (regrettably dead room) and wanted a low cloud so catwalk was not possible. I tucked a Prodigy electric in the gap and without fixtures, it should have retracted to a masked position behind cloud, but AV designers and contractors did not provide a screen with enough black drop so the roller is too low to allow Prodigy (with sufficient over travle allowance) to fit. You could get it out of site by bypassing the hard upper limit.

You can also get a decent angle to fore stage from the box booms - the platforms (ladder down from end of catwalk) high on side wall of house.

Still waiting for platform that bridges several seats in center of last row of balcony for follow spots.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

As usual, I have questions. In the first photo, is that forestage light batten dead hung? Also is that a LCR speaker hang, could they possibly be Danleys?
In the second photo, in the center there is a rectangular area divided into quarters, is that a lighting position?
In the 4th photo is that big pipe above the machines the original sand bag belaying pin rail?
I have to ask, in the 5th photo, would a NCVT get anything from those wires hanging down?

In order - as noted above Prodigy electric forestage. I don't do sound but yes - LCR and a pair of flown subs above. I was a little more aware of it than usual because it was very improperly rigged and had to be re-hung - after seats were in - so seats were removed to get boom lift back in. Drives me nuts so many AV contractors rig things - like screens and speakers - and have no business doing it.

Good eyes - a box boom platform - 3 rails - audience side and stage side (just enough to squeeze in 2 fixtures side by side if focus allows). Nice little platform - something I like to do rather than have to focus while hanging from a ladder. This is one level but more often do a two level platform.

Yes - the pin rail is 1920s original. This is the fly floor. Stage is nearly 80' wide at deck but steps in twice in a transverse section - once at fly floor and then above. The beam above the pin rail is the bottom of the wall of the upper half of stage house. That's why motors and not counterweight. I originally was going to remove the pin rail but it all fit without so why not. You might be able to use it for something still but not intended.

I noted on my punch list left over electrical openings and recommended pulling/cutting wires off and/or closing. That was a porcelain socket with a-lamp for grid lighting.