Booth Design advice

[TimMc]

Can you tell me where I can find this in writing? We have a FOH control booth that requires 2 down steps, and is counter-height. They basically took out 2 rows of seats and built 1 control desk.

Americans With Disabilities Act has teeth. If your venue should find itself on the receiving end of a Complaint and Notice they'll wish they'd hired an architect and consultant.

https://www.access-board.gov/guidel...-the-ada-standards/guide-to-the-ada-standards

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I can cite sections next week so cal on me if you need them - not before Wednesday - but this article might give uou all you need: http://theatreconsultants.org/getting-anyone-into-the-control-booth/

 

[RonHebbard]

Americans With Disabilities Act has teeth. If your venue should find itself on the receiving end of a Complaint and Notice they'll wish they'd hired an architect and consultant.

https://www.access-board.gov/guidel...-the-ada-standards/guide-to-the-ada-standards

@TimMc I wonder how they decree dealing with access to loading floors for single and double purchase counter-weight arbors? I've only worked on two grids with elevator access, one is 100' above its deck and the other 120'. Even access to orchestra lofts and pits is often overlooked.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[mikefellh]

Deleted...BillConnerFASTC beat me to it.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Loading bridges, grids, etc. are usually excepted as "equipment platforms". Orchestra pits are not - they are performance areas. It would be clear discrimination to not allow a violinist who must use a wherlchair not to participate. Its much less likely a technician who uses a wheelchair could load counterweights or kick blocks. It does raise an interesting issue I've been asked to investigate if simply running rigging is cause to motorize. That could accomodate some.

Still much work and thought required to design facilities and systems and equipment so as not to build in discrimination. Much more to do to help behavior.

 

[TimMc]

@TimMc I wonder how they decree dealing with access to loading floors for single and double purchase counter-weight arbors? I've only worked on two grids with elevator access, one is 100' above its deck and the other 120'. Even access to orchestra lofts and pits is often overlooked.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

What Bill said, plus ADA recognizes that for some individual tasks it may not be possible to accommodate specific disabilities. Not everything is required to be "do-able" by everyone. That said, ingress, egress and access to public and typical work areas are required.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

What Tim said but that generally applies to employment and employees. When it comes to education and allowing everyone to participate, it's not as clear. If you have a control room where only employees are allowed - not students and volunteers - it doesn't have to be accessible BUT you cannot discriminate. So if someone as applies for a board op job, you can't not hire them because the control room is inaccessible. You must accommodate them.

But in a school, you can't exclude any student from participating. Now, you can pull the board and teach that class in a classroom - arguably better than in the both anyway. But a lot of situations are not as clear or easy to resolve without discrimination.

 

[mikefellh]

But the reality of it is there are some areas that are not wheelchair accessible.

For instance, the plank-wide catwalks above the auditorium ceiling that allow you access to the houselight bulbs, or aiming lights in the lighting alcove that's in the ceiling...or even aiming lights just above the stage; while most lighting units can be lowered, it's useless trying to aim them while they have been lowered so someone in a wheelchair can access them.

 

[RonHebbard]

But the reality of it is there are some areas that are not wheelchair accessible.

For instance, the plank-wide catwalks above the auditorium ceiling that allow you access to the houselight bulbs, or aiming lights in the lighting alcove that's in the ceiling...or even aiming lights just above the stage; while most lighting units can be lowered, it's useless trying to aim them while they have been lowered so someone in a wheelchair can access them.

@mikefellh Think positive Mike. There're always your wheel chair accessible scissor lifts and two-person articulated 'zoom booms'.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Mike, keep in mind that equipment platforms and elevator pits are generally exempt.

A lot of problems have been caused by stupid managment decisions and behavior. Teaching a tech theatre with a lighting section, do what you said - let a person whose disabilities wont allow climbing ladders focus on the floor (and hope I or someone has sllowed a 3' low trim). Accomodate the individual in learning about the subject. Dont tell them to not come to class for the week you teach lighting.

Yes, it may require some extra effort especially thought to accomodate disabilities.

 

[mikefellh]

Admittedly I don't do the high-school thing anymore.

In the auditorium I run the only reason why a 9' ladder is needed is to change the battery in the clock (the clock sets itself) or change the houselights on the lower ceiling...if the upper ceiling needs to be done we hire an electrician with a scaffold and have them change all the lights at once (we wait for several to burn out). I'm not allowed on tall ladders...I'm much too valuable to the auditorium.

Actually for the past month I've been walking with a cane due to a leg infection, but am so glad I can control everything I need to FOH rather than climbing up the stairs to our gallery where the booth access is located.

 

[Leo Mauler]

Wait till you get asked about tactile labels on a light board.

A blind person who can listen to cues from the Stage Manager can run a pre-programmed show on a light board, provided there are no mid show complications. Community theatre often results in such odd choices for the control booth techs. In this particular case the blind lighting tech had worked on that particular ETC board for years before going blind, so I almost thought a mid-show complication could have been reprogrammed by that particular blind tech without needing to look at the monitor.

I was the sound guy in another community theatre show (different theater) where the lighting designer couldn't run the show, and the only person left to run lights was the stage manager, a lady who was going blind and had no night vision. I offered to switch roles but apparently there was this "friend of the director" relationship which let her run lights and call cues. I had installed my personal infrared security camera based system of night vision, but she ignored the video screen and used her own dubious system of listening and timing, and insisted on calling cues. Naturally the lights frequently came on early and sometimes illuminated the prop people still working on stage, and I finally decided that being yelled at for not following her late sound cues was better than being yelled at for being late with the sound cues.

My advice for any control booth design is a stage manager and a lighting technician who can both see.

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Ah yes... "*what* is a Bona-Fide Occupational Qualification for a job?"

 

[TimMc]

Ah yes... "*what* is a Bona-Fide Occupational Qualification for a job?"

"For entry level - the successful applicant will know where the brooms and cleaning supplies are located and that the GM (me) takes 2 creams in his coffee."

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I know what you mean, Tim...

But in the case of that specific phrase, while an occupational qualification, that one's not Bona-Fide; you couldn't decline to hire someone cause they put a pinch of salt in.

There's a list of BFOQ's, and (I think) an ajudication process; I forget whether Hooters won or lost on whether Hooters' Girls in fact needed to be girls... but their 'Washington: Get A Grip" ad campaign with Vince Gigliotti (a very nice guy, BTW), was genius nonetheless.

 

[TimMc]

I know what you mean, Tim...

But in the case of that specific phrase, while an occupational qualification, that one's not Bona-Fide; you couldn't decline to hire someone cause they put a pinch of salt in.

There's a list of BFOQ's, and (I think) an ajudication process; I forget whether Hooters won or lost on whether Hooters' Girls in fact needed to be girls... but their 'Washington: Get A Grip" ad campaign with Vince Gigliotti (a very nice guy, BTW), was genius nonetheless.

I believe Hooters eventually prevailed but not for the reasons they expected, IIRC. These days they are reducing their operations and closing some locations as leases expire. They've not really done much in marketing to up their game against newcomers. What made them unique 30 years ago was the double entendre name, getting a burlesque barker's wink and nod and the idea that somehow this pushed the envelope. Today it almost seems quaint.

Vince's use of humor helped convince some folks that you just couldn't put a skimpy outfit on a hairy ape and get the same experience. I thought he wore it well but needed work with accessories

 

[Jay Ashworth]

Amusingly, I never met Vince at the time -- though a friend of mine was one of his girls -- but I *did* meet him managing a Chili's near my house a couple years back; chatted with him for a couple of minutes; he's pretty laid back about it, as you'd expect from 30 years remove. He had a nice quip about it, but not quite funny enough for me to remember. :-}