crew training

[flowalex999]

At my high school I am usually involved with running the sound and light in some way since I am the only one who really knows how other than the Tech Director and the Director. I also am the main person for any event that uses the sound system in our auditorium.

 

[jcslighting]

For those of you who operate a stage crew in a high school - or for those of you who are on a stage crew in high school - does your crew specialize, or does your technical director train you in all aspects (lighting, sound, followspots, rigging, etc.)? Please give pros and cons of running it your particular way. Thanks.

At one school, the director always chooses the crew for each show and usually the same person will stage manage the whole season. The stage manager is chosen more carefully but the crew always is switched around. It is not uncommon to have the light board op for this year's musical be the lead in next year's musical. All of the acting kids are required to participate in some form of running crew - lights, sound, make-up, deck crew, flyman, etc.

Pros - everyone is exposed to more of the art. It keeps egos somewhat in check if you have to work lots of different angles of theatre rather than just one. You may find other areas that you are interested in other than just one. For example, we had a young man who was the lead in several musicals in HS want to be in the orchestra for one year. He had a blast and now is going into music and audio production vs. performance in college.

Cons - individual instruction is perhaps less in any given field as the students change around alot.

 

[AlecIrwin]

At my high school the objective is for everyone to know how to do everything that they are interested in learning, which I personally think is the right way to do it. If a technician has no interest in stage management, lighting, sound, set work... and so on, they are not forced to learn it, but it is their choice.

 

[flowalex999]

At my highschool I am the student in charge of everything except construction which is left to the tech director so when it comes to show time I am usually in the sound & light booth doing one of the two, recently it has been me running sound and helping someone run the lights after they are programed, but it is because I am the only highschooler (our school is combined K-12) and I am the only one the director trusts

 

[ThatsoundguyChris]

In my high school you are expected to focus in one area (light, sound, stage), But are also required to know how to do the basics in every thing. Example I'm the main Sound Tech but I can patch a dimmer on the light board and make a cue on it

 

[pmolsonmus]

After about an hour of searching and some great reading, I felt this was the best place to post after not finding what I was looking for. I am setting up a HS crew and am looking for a "checklist" of skills that they should possess. Obviously, wrapping cables, hanging fixtures, safety procedures, light/sound set up...etc... but is there a general checklist somewhere (that I don't have to invent) listing common skills that I could put into spreadsheet with the goal that ALL members obtain ALL of the basic skills? I don't mind tweaking a list, but haven't found anything close to a "list".

Thanks in advance CB.

 

[StradivariusBone]

I am setting up a HS crew and am looking for a "checklist" of skills that they should possess.

We're in the process of training our new crew at the moment. We spend about 1-2 months on the nuts and bolts before we start getting busy with events. The question I always find myself asking is, "What do I need them to know to be able to do their jobs?" Rather than just throw a bunch of technical or theoretical information at them and test them for the sake of testing, I look at it like an OTJ deal. I had trouble last year with not having enough kids that could do basic hang and focus, so this year I spent a lot of time and made sure I watched each kid individually do that with different types of fixtures.

Safety is another big one. Every time we learn something new, we discuss the hazards and methods for working safely to mitigate the danger. But as far as the other stuff goes, what do you need them to do to make your job easier? Not so much that you can put your feet up and relax, but so that you have an efficient, hard-working and useful crew. I find that helps me get business more than anything else since we have a reputation for having a good crew who'll do whatever is necessary to make the show happen and keep everyone safe.

 

[TheaterEd]

After about an hour of searching and some great reading, I felt this was the best place to post after not finding what I was looking for. I am setting up a HS crew and am looking for a "checklist" of skills that they should possess. Obviously, wrapping cables, hanging fixtures, safety procedures, light/sound set up...etc... but is there a general checklist somewhere (that I don't have to invent) listing common skills that I could put into spreadsheet with the goal that ALL members obtain ALL of the basic skills? I don't mind tweaking a list, but haven't found anything close to a "list".

Thanks in advance CB.

I don't personally have anything like that yet, but I like that idea. This is my second year running the crew out here and I had a hard time keeping track of who knew what. If you do generate one please share it. Otherwise I might crank something out later this week.

My last school only had me in charge of lights and sound so my crew was about 6. This school has me in charge of everything so my crew is closer to 40. I'm in the area, feel free to let me know if you want to bounce ideas off each other.

 

[gafftaper]

My district requires a yearly 10 hour training course for all student techs. This is the short version of what we cover and about how much time is spent on each:
-General Theater tour and vocabulary (stage directions, names for soft goods, who does what during a production) -2 hours
-Policy and Rules of Theater Courtesy (Safety, saying thankyou, adult in the room, it's good to ask questions especially about safety, If it's not your prop... etc)-1 hour
-Rigging (Safety, operating fly system, loading procedure, calling movement, tie a knot) -2 hours
-Staging: Safely working with choir risers, sound shells, pit covers, etc... 1 hour
-Sound system Basics and cable coiling 2 hours
-Lighting basics 2 hours

We have a form that parents must sign to be in the program. Most importantly we try to scare the crap out of them about all the ways they can die in theater.

 

[pmolsonmus]

I like the idea of creating this checklist for High School Tech Students and there is no better place to do that than here on CB! If a mod thinks it is warranted, perhaps separating this thread into a sticky "What every High School Tech should Know" - might be a great idea. I think getting past high school can get too technical too quickly and we miss the focus of a useable document/skill set.

For it to work best in a forum setting and knowing not all readers read all the previous posts, I think it is best if we number items. I will compile them and turn them into a spreadsheet that anyone can access and use to fit their purposes. (perhaps create a Google Doc?) I think using Gafftaper's categories (with a little tweaking) will also help keep things organized. So without further ado....(or much ado about teching...) The categories are...

• General Theater Vocabulary / Production Roles
• Policy/ Safety Procedures / Practices /Rules of Theater
• Rigging
• Stage Practices
• Sound System Basics
• Lighting Basics

My hope is that you give your item a number and THEN identify what category (categories) it should go into. I will begin with 10 items. The rest are up to you add/edit.

What Every High School Student Tech Should Know / Be Able To Do

[HASHTAG]#1[/HASHTAG] Wrap a Cable (Sound System Basics)
[HASHTAG]#2[/HASHTAG] Hang a Fixture (Lighting Basics)
[HASHTAG]#3[/HASHTAG] Stage Directions and Abbreviations e.g US,DS, SL, SR (General Theater Vocabulary)
[HASHTAG]#4[/HASHTAG] Hang an item using a Spanset sling and a shackle (Rigging)
[HASHTAG]#5[/HASHTAG] Call outs when raising / lowering batten/truss (Safety Procedures)
[HASHTAG]#6[/HASHTAG] Focus a Light (Lighting Basics)
[HASHTAG]#7[/HASHTAG] Emergency Contact Information (Safety Procedures)
[HASHTAG]#8[/HASHTAG] Set up a PA (Sound System Basics)
[HASHTAG]#9[/HASHTAG] Turn off/on a specific dimmer (Lighting Basics)
[HASHTAG]#10[/HASHTAG] Types of Fixtures (Lighting Basics)

 

[StradivariusBone]

I like the idea of creating this checklist for High School Tech Students and there is no better place to do that than here on CB! If a mod thinks it is warranted, perhaps separating this thread into a sticky "What every High School Tech should Know" - might be a great idea. I think getting past high school can get too technical too quickly and we miss the focus of a useable document/skill set.

Going along with this idea, it might not be a bad idea to incorporate ideas from our states' requirements for the actual Stagecraft class. At least in Florida, everything's moving to End of Course exams (EOC) which are state-written and proctored exams for all courses that essentially become requirements to pass before credit is given to the student for the class. From what I understand, each state <political> as they suck up to the federal govt for this asinine "race to the top" crap money </political> has developed or will develop similar standards for each of their classes. Here's the Florida course description for our stagecraft class-

Students focus on developing the basic tools and procedures for creating elements of technical theatre, including costumes, lighting, makeup, properties (props), publicity, scenery, and sound. Technical knowledge of safety procedures and demonstrated safe operation of theatre equipment, tools, and raw materials are central to success in this course. Students explore and learn to analyze dramatic scripts, seeking production solutions through historical, cultural, and geographic research. Students also learn the basics of standard conventions of design presentation and documentation; the organizational structure of theatre production and creative work in a collaborative environment; and the resulting artistic improvement. Public performances may serve as a culmination of specific instructional goals. Students may be required to attend or participate in technical work, rehearsals, and/or performances beyond the school day to support, extend, and assess learning in the classroom.

For Florida there's a website that details this called CPALMS, and I would suspect there are similar resources in everyone's states as well. Going with what's already been said, it doesn't do the kids any good if they learn a lot of useful stuff, but not the right stuff to pass the test and get course credit.

 

[TheaterEd]

[HASHTAG]#11[/HASHTAG] Set up choir Risers and Shell (Staging Basics)
[HASHTAG]#12[/HASHTAG] Learn seat numbers and usher procedures (house management/ rules of the theater)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/174-ZLP7jHz-uHhGL88QIzyLAvfOrHAZotPzL9xe1LyA/edit?usp=sharing

 

[SHCP]

I think this list is a great idea, but depending on how many kids you have, it is very difficult to teach every "Tech Crew" student all of these rules and disciplines in a season and still put on a production.
I sign up over 60 students each year for tech, and I break up the crews into these categories: Stage Crew (Build sets/Prop/Running Crew), Lighting/Sound, Publicity (box office/Concessions/FOH), Costume/Makeup. I let the students pick their first, second and third preference, and then depending on numbers I assign those students to a crew. On separate days I work with each group so that I can be more focused, and then end up with more specialized crews that work more effectively. I also encourage the students to switch crews during their four years at the school, and also to join the productions as a performer. I find that I get to be way more hands on with smaller groups that are only dealing with one or two aspects of the job, rather than teaching a larger group the whole shebang.

 

[StradivariusBone]

60?

 

[SHCP]

60?

Yep. Sometimes more, when casting is over and I get the kids who did not get cast. As the season goes on, I lose a few to sports and because some kids did not know what to expect, but it is always a pretty big group. When the performance starts, I then pare it down to the size of the running crew that I need, and a much smaller costume and makeup crew, and 2 to 4 booth crew. The Publicity crew stays at full strength all year round. All the other crew is invited to be a supportive audience, or to catch up on homework and school projects.

 

[pmolsonmus]

60? x 2 (not 60 x 2, Holy S*^& x 2 ! )

 

[StradivariusBone]

Interesting. We rarely delve into the FOH operations stuff with our crew. It is an unfortunate afterthought with regard to most productions. My issue this year is that I have a great enthusiastic bunch of kids who are a majority seniors and actors. So come shows they'll all be in it and come the end of the year they'll all be leaving. Working on ways to recruit freshmen/sophomores. I'm opposed to having freshmen in the class since they can't drive it's a pain for late nights and I can't hire them because of child labor laws. I'm assuming you have more than one class of tech a day?

 

[SHCP]

Interesting. We rarely delve into the FOH operations stuff with our crew. It is an unfortunate afterthought with regard to most productions. My issue this year is that I have a great enthusiastic bunch of kids who are a majority seniors and actors. So come shows they'll all be in it and come the end of the year they'll all be leaving. Working on ways to recruit freshmen/sophomores. I'm opposed to having freshmen in the class since they can't drive it's a pain for late nights and I can't hire them because of child labor laws. I'm assuming you have more than one class of tech a day?

The best way to encourage Freshmen and sophomores is to give them meaningful responsibilty. In many high school programs, the upperclassmen get all the responsibility and credit, and the underclassmen just get grunt work. I make sure that every crew member contributes and that they all get the same respect. There is no class system in my program. This is necessary since Seniors often drop out once they get accepted into colleges. I lose too many of them in the Spring. I need experienced underclassmen to carry the load when the upperclassmen check out mentally. I also make sure that the Yearbook takes as many pictures of backstage as they do the performers. The tech program is seen as just as popular and "cool" as the performances, so I get a lot of interest.

I work with Stage Crew Mon/Tue/Friday, with Lights/Sound on Wednesday, with PR/Costume on Thursday. PR and Costume will also work on other days with the costumer, a skill I definitely do not have, but I manage the group as far as organizing the costumes and keeping everyone on task. Publicity only meets to work on promoting the show, which happens when it happens, and and then kicks into gear during tech week to get all the Box Office and concessions ready. Also, Costume/Makeup only work on our Fall Play and Spring Musical, so I don't have them for our dance, chorus and orchestra shows.

It's important to remind students that the the focus is on their schoolwork. Having a very large crew lets me address students who are struggling with academics without sacrificing manpower for the productions. I may sit out a student who seems stressed, and then let them jump back in once they have their grades under control.

 

[np18358]

At my school we have 240 theatre majors, and for any given production, about half of them are on a crew. For our straight plays, we are separated into Build (Set Construction) which has 40 people, Paint which has about 20, Props, about 25, Lighting, about 20, Sound, 14, and Costume, with 12. Each crew is headed by an "expert", who is not the designer. (I.E. Lighting is run by the ME, not the LD.) Build, Paint, and Props are supervised by the Stagecraft Teacher, Lighting and Sound are supervised by the Theatre Manager. Costumes are supervised by the Costume Teacher. A few students do Marketing and Publicity, and they are directed by the Dean of Theatre. In order to get people on crews, we have a requirement that every student put in 50 Lab Hours a semester, and they are gained by working on a crew, or being in the cast of a show. In fact, in order to be on a crew, you actually have to interview with the Crew Head and TD. So people are kind of forced to be on a crew, usually against their will. I honesty don't like that, because then you end up in a situation that I am in now, where I have 14 people on my Sound Crew who really don't want to be there, but they just want to meet their requirements. Furthermore, there is sheerly way too much time, as I don't need 14 people after school from 4:00-7:30 every day, and from 9-5 on Saturdays, for TEN weeks prior to the production. For non-department productions, we are hardly able to pull together half a dozen willing people. I'm guessing there aren't a lot of schools out there like this, but I just wanted to share my particular experience.

 

[TheaterEd]

I'm guessing there aren't a lot of schools out there like this, but I just wanted to share my particular experience.

You can say that again. My build and paint crew generally hovers in the 35-45 range, and that is more than enough. Additionally I have a 20 person Tech Theater class that I can utilize if I need to (they generally build the middle school show). Everyone is required to serve on either the build or paint crew in order to be a part of the lights, sound, and run crew. Whomever isn't needed for run crew will generally become my FOH staff. That said, I have had a student for the last couple of years who can't commit to the whole run of the show, so she specializes in ticket sales and takes care of the box office for me during show weeks.