Not to be Mr. Negative but most of the ideas above are likely to earn you a few hundred dollars... a few are good for a few thousand. That's enough to buy a few new lighting instruments, replace some old lamps, buy you some gel. If things really are dramatically out of date... then you may need new dimmer racks, amplifiers, curtains, electrical work, raceways, repair work to the rigging system... you may be looking at several hundred thousand dollars... Making $200 on a car wash won't help.
So first, I suggest we start this thread over by you posting a "help me asses my system needs" thread in both the sound and lighting forums. Tell us what equipment you do have, and how you use it. Post as many pictures as possible of your theater and equipment. Let some of the pros around here help you assess your system. Nothing personal but we've had a lot of threads in the past where a student says their system is junk when in actuality it's an excellent system but no one knows how to use it. A little training, and some maintenance and you may have some perfectly functional equipment. I know lots of theaters using lighting equipment that's from the 80's and getting through just fine.
Second, if we determine that you really do need to replace a lot of gear, in order to earn that kind of money then you need grants and major tax deductible donations. In order to get those you need a organization with 501c3 non-profit status. Schools don't have that status so people who donate things to you can't get a tax deduction. It typically requires a booster club. Odds are good your band boosters or sports boosters have a 501c3. It may be possible for you to use their status... talk to them. It's not hard to set up a 501c3 of your own but you need several committed parents to be involved and operate it... I don't think it's legal for a student to set one up. Get the 501c3... and a better economy... and you'll find rich people are happy to give you money or donate things for you to auction off. I know a high school that has a drama booster club that raises over $25,000 in one night. It takes a lot of work, a lot of committed parents, and a lot of time but you can do it yourself.
Finally going off on a tangent... but I'm suspicious it's relevant. Typically high school theaters with neglected equipment like yours are operating extrememly dangerous fly system and don't know it. Do you have a fly system where you can raise and lower things or are your pipes over the stage dead hung (attach directly by chain to the ceiling)? If you can fly things in and out, when was the last time it was inspected by a REAL professional? CB rules say I can't give you advice about rigging here. However, if you have pipes that fly in and out they need to be inspected by yearly by someone who knows what they are doing and a REAL professional needs to come in every 3-5 years for a full inspection (depending on the system age). Ropes wear out and need to be replaced... If no one in the school can remember when the ropes were replaced you've potentially got a very serious dangerous problem on your hands. If they haven't been inspected recently then the most important thing you can do before anything else is get them inspected.
I emphasize the word REAL professional because some school districts send out a maintenance guy who normal fixes leaky roofs or cleans up graffiti and call it a rigging inspection. These people don't know how to do a rigging inspection. Out of the 700 or so active CB members there are probably 40-50 (like myself) who know how to do a good annual inspection. There are probably less than 10 members who are really qualified to do a full inspection.
When lights fail the show is dark.
When sound fails the show is quiet.
When rigging fails people die.
It's THAT important.
So first, I suggest we start this thread over by you posting a "help me asses my system needs" thread in both the sound and lighting forums. Tell us what equipment you do have, and how you use it. Post as many pictures as possible of your theater and equipment. Let some of the pros around here help you assess your system. Nothing personal but we've had a lot of threads in the past where a student says their system is junk when in actuality it's an excellent system but no one knows how to use it. A little training, and some maintenance and you may have some perfectly functional equipment. I know lots of theaters using lighting equipment that's from the 80's and getting through just fine.
Second, if we determine that you really do need to replace a lot of gear, in order to earn that kind of money then you need grants and major tax deductible donations. In order to get those you need a organization with 501c3 non-profit status. Schools don't have that status so people who donate things to you can't get a tax deduction. It typically requires a booster club. Odds are good your band boosters or sports boosters have a 501c3. It may be possible for you to use their status... talk to them. It's not hard to set up a 501c3 of your own but you need several committed parents to be involved and operate it... I don't think it's legal for a student to set one up. Get the 501c3... and a better economy... and you'll find rich people are happy to give you money or donate things for you to auction off. I know a high school that has a drama booster club that raises over $25,000 in one night. It takes a lot of work, a lot of committed parents, and a lot of time but you can do it yourself.
Finally going off on a tangent... but I'm suspicious it's relevant. Typically high school theaters with neglected equipment like yours are operating extrememly dangerous fly system and don't know it. Do you have a fly system where you can raise and lower things or are your pipes over the stage dead hung (attach directly by chain to the ceiling)? If you can fly things in and out, when was the last time it was inspected by a REAL professional? CB rules say I can't give you advice about rigging here. However, if you have pipes that fly in and out they need to be inspected by yearly by someone who knows what they are doing and a REAL professional needs to come in every 3-5 years for a full inspection (depending on the system age). Ropes wear out and need to be replaced... If no one in the school can remember when the ropes were replaced you've potentially got a very serious dangerous problem on your hands. If they haven't been inspected recently then the most important thing you can do before anything else is get them inspected.
I emphasize the word REAL professional because some school districts send out a maintenance guy who normal fixes leaky roofs or cleans up graffiti and call it a rigging inspection. These people don't know how to do a rigging inspection. Out of the 700 or so active CB members there are probably 40-50 (like myself) who know how to do a good annual inspection. There are probably less than 10 members who are really qualified to do a full inspection.
When lights fail the show is dark.
When sound fails the show is quiet.
When rigging fails people die.
It's THAT important.
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