i was at the West Virginia Interstate Fair this past summer and we just finished a Luke Bryan and had to strike the PA, Lights, and Roof. The moment the the trailer door went up on the bands gear we all heard a PSSST of beer bottles from the local crew. I looked at them and said "Ya'll still have 2 more trucks to load" i kid you not they looked at me and said F*** YOU!!! needless to say me and 2 other guys tore down all of that stuff by ourselves. We didnt hurry though and mad sure it was all safe and took our time but i mean really, the local crew should have known better.
Beer on the console
- Thread startercbenjes
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kiwitechgirl
Well-Known Member
We had a very funny episode a few years back when one of the Russian ballet companies was in town. The show was just about to come down on final night, crew all waiting in the dock to start the load-out, when the Russian head mechanist appeared and said to the local crew chief "Big problem." Local crew chief of course asked what the problem was, and got the response "the Wodka is in Kolya." Kolya was the Russian second mech who, unknown to anyone else, had spent the last act in a quiet corner with a bottle of vodka. He was also the truck driver and the one who called the pack...there was much laughter, luckily the pack wasn't a difficult one and I believe Kolya had sobered up enough to drive by the time the truck was scheduled to leave the next morning!
Thefoxygranpa
Active Member
Anonymous067
Active Member
How could they tell? Smell...?
zuixro
Active Member
We have 4 Saturday work calls every semester. Every time, the day before, our TD comes in and says "I don't care if you go out and get drunk tonight, but don't come in tomorrow whining about your hangovers." Still, everyone (except me and one or two others) go out and get plastered Friday night, then come in late Saturday morning, hungover. Between that and smoke breaks every 15 minutes, we don't get much done before lunch.
On another note:
The company I used to work for had a policy against drinking while on the job. They always talked about having a beer at the festivals and stuff, but the only time I ever saw one of the drink was when it was one guy's birthday. We went to a Mexican restaurant after load-in, and he got his one "birthday beer" on the company tab.
On another note:
The company I used to work for had a policy against drinking while on the job. They always talked about having a beer at the festivals and stuff, but the only time I ever saw one of the drink was when it was one guy's birthday. We went to a Mexican restaurant after load-in, and he got his one "birthday beer" on the company tab.
shiben
Well-Known Member
I dont mind if hands are hung over, not whole lot you can do about that if your the drinking type, i just dont want to hear about it. As long as your hangover is not so severe that you are unable to safely do the work, no problems, just dont whine about it because it annoys me. I get them sometmimes (mstaylor, you are a lucky man. Either you have never drank, or your body loves you more than mine does. I can get hung over after only having the recomended maximum daily alotment if im not careful and dont drink enough water...) but I dont let others know about them, so neither should anyone else.
Luckily I inherited that from my Dad. I assure you I have taken my shot at getting a hangover, I just don't. My Mom on the hand got them bigtime. Dad would get up wit the four of us when we were little and tell us we had to be quiet because Mom had gotten tired the night before. It got to be the running joke as we got older.
ChrisPistols
Member
I often have food and drink in the booth because on most days I am in there working for the most of my day, but it always stays on the empty desk in the back of the booth. Far away from anything that will get damaged by liquid. People hate me for it, but I have thrown away many many drinks that people have decided to bring up there, usually actors hiding in there. I threw away 9 cokes a couple days ago, sitting right in between the computer and the lighting desk. Seeing as I am the Lighting Designer, Lighting Programmer, Board Operator, Projection Designer, Sound Desk Op. etc. etc. and work by myself 80% of the time. I dont care who you are, don't put drinks near the boards, I will kill you. Ha. While the story was funny, don't drink while you are working in theatre, that is a completely immature, unprofessional, and unsafe situation.
I would like to make it very clear, so that no one jumps down my throat, that I do not advocate drinking alcohol at work. I have never done so, and I don't plan to ever do so. I have enough trouble doing my job when sober. So remember, I don't think you should be drinking alcohol behind the board.
However. It happens more than you think. And I don't mean by the community theatre board opp. I mean by real life professionals with some pretty big name tours. And to be frankly honest, alcohol is the least of some of their evils. All I'm saying is if one of the road guys is real twitchy on the in and finds everything funny on the out, it wasn't the booze he was hitting.
What I'm really trying to say is that while these guys may have been a little dumb, cut them a little slack. It was a laid back show. And while it's clear that the number of beers consumed is larger than one or two, I still have yet to meet a guy that was rendered useless by 3 or 4 beers. As long as they weren't planning to toss weight or rehang the plot, I don't think they seriously endangered anyone. Just my 2c.
However. It happens more than you think. And I don't mean by the community theatre board opp. I mean by real life professionals with some pretty big name tours. And to be frankly honest, alcohol is the least of some of their evils. All I'm saying is if one of the road guys is real twitchy on the in and finds everything funny on the out, it wasn't the booze he was hitting.
What I'm really trying to say is that while these guys may have been a little dumb, cut them a little slack. It was a laid back show. And while it's clear that the number of beers consumed is larger than one or two, I still have yet to meet a guy that was rendered useless by 3 or 4 beers. As long as they weren't planning to toss weight or rehang the plot, I don't think they seriously endangered anyone. Just my 2c.
gcpsoundlight
Active Member
Even though I am underage, I can still tell when it is too much. Another tech who I was working with got plastered inbetween shows on a saturday, and came close to screwing up the scenes he was in, not to mention the verbal abuse me and others copped 'cause he was plastered.,
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shiben
Well-Known Member
Thats when you have a person who is too far gone and should be booted. Especially if they are an angry/annoying drunk, you really dont want to deal with them in an already stressful situation. MrsFooter, I have seen the same, and I guess i dont understand it. We have had some really big groups come in and on one of them, their sound guy, lighting guy, and monitory guy were all drinking during the show. Mind you, this is on an alchohol free campus. After the show, instead of helping the rental shop people and house crew with the out, they got together with the band and had such a good time in the parking lot with some groupies that security had to escort the entire group off campus... I feel that crossed several major lines on their part.
Also, liquids by the console can be managed, especially if they are in screw top bottles. I have found those to be useful, and with a long christmas or easter concert (read: every group in the school performing a few songs in a static wash), a lifesaver for not going to sleep while on the board.
gcpsoundlight
Active Member
TheLightmaster
Member
I was programming cues for my community theatre's production of Beauty & The Beast and the LD spilled his coke on the stage manager's script. Thank goodness it didn't fall on our ETC Express 48/96.
Tex
Active Member
It's not just technicians, either. I was working at a melodrama theatre in my youth and was upstage of another actor in the first scene of the show. He turned upstage as part of his blocking. Out of view of the audience, he stuck out his tounge so I could see. On it was a hit of blotter acid. The rest of the show was different, but he held it together.
Kids, don't try this at home...
shiben
Well-Known Member
Dont do this ever. One of the guys in my company is really screwed up by this type of stuff. If you feel the need to alter your mental state, do it legally and safely. My preferred method is Lucid Dreaming. Its a kick, and its side effects are you get well rested, completely drug free (although you can try and fly out a window if you wake up and think your still dreaming, always check the clock twice before you do anything stupid).
Anvilx
Active Member
+1 for Shiben!
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