Corn chips in the booth.

[tech2000]

My school never uses nails. It's easier to take stuff apart with screws than nails. It could be a matter of opinion though. We're always moving lots of lights around so we have quite a few c-wrenches.
We just got radios to communicate. Our PAC budget from the district was really low so we couldn't afford a wireless clearcom, but we could afford commercial radios. We have 5 radios.

 

[Clifford]

For a show our whole ClearCom died, so the advisor for the group performing (a school counsellor) had to go to the office to get a pair of two-ways. I like headsets better though, because when you give the bimbo with the show the headset, it's on her head. When you give her a radio, she puts it down and bad things happen.

 

[tech2000]

Oh, well we bought headsets that plug into the radios so the person will have to clip the radio on their belt or put it in a pocket. Works fine for us. We are just happy to be able to walk around and not have to get off headset!

 

[Clifford]

I know what you mean. I was lucky enough to never have to use the wired system. It also helps when crap starts hitting the fan and I'm in the booth. I can run backstage much easier.

 

[tech2000]

I hate it when something goes wrong and I'm in the booth. Makes for a long run since I have to run down the stairs and down the hall, turn, down another hall and then backstage...annoying. However, that's what I love to do. I hate having to stay in one place and do the same thing over and over again for every show!

 

[Clifford]

I know what you mean. Sometimes I'm calle dupon to LD a long (and usually quite boring) speech or lecture or elemantary school talent show. It reminds me why I tried so hard to be TD.

 

[tech2000]

Last fall during our play "Arsenic and Old Lace" I was up in our booth helping our light tech (and our head fly guy was there too) we had nothing else to do anyways. (Head fly tech is also a volunteer firefighter and just graduated) then over headset our sm (backstage SR) says "I smell smoke and there is a group of kids outside". Our director came up for some reason too and I relay the information, then we all bolt out to see what is going on. The fly tech and I end up searching the entire area behind the theater and find some kids in the bushes and get our director. Then she told them they couldn't be here (we found cigarettes next to our workshop door) and called security on them. It was perfect timing because our principal was in watching the show and the smell of the smoke started to seep into the audience. Not to much but a little bit.
It was pretty entertaining.

 

[Clifford]

Yeah, as much as you want a show to go well, it's more exciting when it doesn't.

I remember when we had four shows in the same week (aptly named Hell Week). We were about to get started on the Thursday show when the then TD (she graduated this last year) remembered we still had the colored gels in the front wash from the Wednesday show. Myself and a spare hand had to run up to the cat walk and slip all the gels out. We even had to fight one of the Source4's when it's gel clip wouldn't open. We finished just in time for the wash to come up for the introduction.

Similar event: We had two different colored greens in our two followspots for a previous show. Well, wouldn't you know it, the choir director who said ok to that earlier now wanted the same color green for her show. As the house was opening. Had to get the gel and cut, run up to the catwalk, open the Comet and try to replace them. Then we realized we needed more pins to hold it in. Run down to the director's office, grab them, run back up, put them in close it. The spot ops were wondering why the assistant TD was running around the catwalk right before the show.

 

[tech2000]

Of course then there are times when things go wrong or wont even work and it's just embarrasing.
During the SADD assembly last month for seniors (did it the day before prom to scare seniors to not drink and drive) Our director had to go up last minute and do a speech before the seniors went outside to watch a mock drunk driving crash and then the microphone was put back on the mic stand afterwards the we forgot to check and make sure the mic was still on so the assembly starts and everyone is back in and the batteries in our wireless handheld died. Then the cues we wrote for the lights were messed up and the projector wasn't working for a minute.
It ended fine but it was a disaster for a little while.

 

[Clifford]

Some shows just don't go over well. See here for an example.

 

[tech2000]

Yeah...school events are fun aren't they!
I guess it was just one bad thing after another...but now I am feeling better about my school. Of course since our projector system installed in our theater died a year ago, we just say that if you don't give us a day's notice on what you need and it comes down to last minute, then we won't do what you want. At a band concert the director (the night of) asked to use the projector (now we use a classroom projector and it has to sit on the stage) to project behind them onto the acoustic shell, so we said no.
My director's husband said we just have to let things fail sometimes.
(Also kind of applies to your situation where they gave you no rehearsal and not telling you what was going to happen.)

 

[Clifford]

A projector! That's something we have that works! Well...sometimes. And it only takes 15 minutes to warm up, when it works. But we have one.

Next year I am contacting all director and advisors early. There will be rehersals. Lots of them.

 

[tech2000]

Good to know you have a projector. Our administration refused to have our PAC budget pay for 1/2 a projector and the general high school budget pay for the other half. Knew they had money, but they didn't want to spend it.
So many teachers are leaving/changing next year from my school, it's going to be a mess.

 

[Clifford]

With less teachers, will there be more budget? We're in a similar situation here in California. I don't know what your education budget looks like, but our Governator managed to mess things up pretty bad here. We're losing teachers but the budget is staying the same out our school. The thing that annoys me the most is that our ASB has about $2.5 million in the bank and won't even lift a finger to help us.

 

[tech2000]

The school district is cutting out $3 million in random areas and our high school hired an education assistant? but is taking a assist. principal's office (so basically hired yet another administrator making 5 assist. principals). I don't think the facility budget for our PAC will be much over what they usually give us and whatever rolls over from last school year. (We ended really low). But we applied for a money grant through the district I think so that might help. (for the projector)
That's a lot of money for asb! What we do sometimes for the PAC when that budget gets really low, we have to use some drama club's money for maint. stuff.
Hopefully next year you can convince the asb to help you.

 

[Clifford]

Our school's tech budget is what's left over from the drama budget, which is small to begin with. Sometimes we get nothing.

 

[tech2000]

Thats sucks. Isn't drama asb?

 

[Clifford]

No, we have it as an actual class. They're given some money by the school for costumes and the like.

 

[tech2000]

We have a drama class too but the school doesn't give any money for it. We raise it and put it in asb until we need it.

 

[Clifford]

Like the other classes at school, drama is underfunded, pretty majorly. It's time to start writing grant essays methinks.