If you could change one thing about your theatre...

[tech2000]

I would like to have working worklights for the stage so our music directors don't always turn on our lights on the light board for class use. The classes use the stage three periods every day.
(Storage for the chairs/stands is always welcome!)

 

[wfor]

Flys or at least lowerable electrics would solve pretty much all problems here. And then maybe all of our legs, borders, and travs wouldn't be screwed into nothing but drywall. Or perhaps an FOH rail...

Yea- FOH Catwalk.

 

[Eboy87]

Let's see, from where I usually work at my old high school: an upgraded sound system. To break it down:

1. FOH position in the house
2. Proper DSP driving it. Something I can control remotely.
3. Both of my subwoofers actually working
4. Changing the Hubbel connectors that are our speaker connections to NL4.
5. Mic inputs on stage that actually make sense location-wise
6. A handset and blazer for sound's ClearCom
7. An M7-32

That's my pet project, since the company that did our install folded.

 

[rwhealey]

Let's see, from where I usually work at my old high
4. Changing the Hubbel connectors that are our speaker connections to NL4.

I feel your pain. I thought we were the only place left on the planet with those monsters!

My NL4s are in a purchase order being sent in after Christmas break.

So close...

 

[Eboy87]

So you guys had those freakin' horse ***** too? I've got one stuck in the speaker patch panel, and I need one extra patch for the design for a show I'm gonna do in there. I'm really wishing we had NL4. You wouldn't happen to have a part # for those Hubbels, do you?

 

[terminalvelocity16]

I want more stage wing space, with side doors that I can actually fit sets through, and a full run on the fly system.

 

[WestlakeTech]

Black Box: either the catwalk or make the shop bigger.

FAF/PAC: probably bigger wings, but I wouldn't argue w/a few more line sets either.

 

[mbenonis]

I think the number one thing I'd like in our space is more sound cabling from FOH to the stage and to the booth. FOH was moved to the house a number of years back and the cabling is just terrible.

 

[DaveySimps]

More wing space would be great. A close second is more storage on site.

~Dave

 

[Grog12]

I'd like it not to be attached to a charter school and a cult full of dentists for one.

 

[Eboy87]

I'd like it not to be attached to a charter school and a cult full of dentists for one.

Ouch. That's just cruel and unusual.

 

[theatretechguy]

I hear ya! With the staffing changes and growing size of our music department, it has become unbearable. They have an entire "instrument storage" wing added on just a couple years ago, so why is my stage littered with a baby grand piano, cellos, etc.?

They do have their own music building, and usually "take over" much of the choir room as well. However, on just offstage I have the following instruments, all year-round: Grand Piano, 2 xylophones, 4 timpani, a large gong, 2 bass drums, various snare drums on stands and other percussion.

What has really complicated things is that they're building a new library/media center in back of the theatre. My back doors lead into a construction zone, and are therefore, off limits. It is now a good "hike" around the construction zone to the music and choir rooms. <sigh> They are already asking for more space in the theatre for storage.... :ulls hair out::

 

[Spader]

I guess the first thing that I would change about our theatre is funding. Being funded by our city doesn't work to our advantage. All of our mics are dying, we're running out of gels and other accessories, etc.

 

[Grog12]

I'd like it not to be attached to a charter school and a cult full of dentists for one.

Got half my wish today!!!! The cult of dentists is gone!

WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[bri4827]

I wish the sound shells would magically disappear... they're 24' and whoever installed a sprung floor to wheel them around on was real bright

 

[cdub260]

I'm in the process of changing one thing about my theatre.

I'm upgrading our backstage worklights from 300 watt incandescent drop lights


to high bay fluorescent fixtures. I opted for 6 lamp fixtures with 4 of the lamps set up as worklights, and the other two gelled blue for running lights. With the old lights, coverage was spotty at best and never at an acceptable worklight level. Portions of the back stage, specifically the down stage wings were never lit by the old fixtures.

I have the worklight portion up and running, and the improvement to the overall light level is incredible. Now I'm working on the controls for the work lights. For the last 60 or so years, they've been controlled via a breaker panel located up stage left which in turn has been controlled by a relay with a single control switch located down stage left. Whether switching breakers or throwing the relay switch, whoever was turning the works on at the beginning of the day or off at the end had to walk through a darkened stage either before turning them on or after turning them off. With the new control set-up there will be a bank of switches where our staff first enters the stage portion of the building with a second master switch for the relay and a series of switches allowing individual control over the worklights and/or running lights in different portions of the backstage area. For instance, up stage left works, or down stage right running lights.

While the primary improvements are in intensity and control over worklights and running lights, there will also be a reduction in our energy usage. I've replaced 3, 300 watt incandescent fixtures with 5 T-8 fluorescent fixtures. That's 128 watts per fixture under worklight conditions and 64 watts per fixture as running lights. Now instead of using 900 watts, our backstage works use 640 watts while at the same time providing more light. I've never really been a great fan of fluorescent lighting, but I'm really impressed at how much of an improvement these fixtures are. Another benefit to taking on this project is that it has allowed me to get some practice in on some of my less used electrical skills, such as bending and running conduit. Adding the two additional fixtures required the addition of two new 40 ft. conduit runs. Also, I had to mount one of the fixtures below the overhead rigging of our fly system. It took a little bit of research on my part to figure out the best way of doing that safely.

All told it's been a great project which I hope to finish within the next week.

 

[renegadeblack]

locking booth window

I don't know what type of windows you have, but we have sliding windows. We bought showcase window locks for our booth. Granted the school hasn't reimbursed us the $30 for the 3 locks, we atleast now have a securable booth (before, they locked the door to the booth and people would climb in through the windows, now we locked the windows and they leave the door unlocked!)

cdub60:

I would love to get some of those aswell! I have the same worklights as you and they constantly burn out and fluorescents would solve that problem to some degree.

As for my pipe dream desire?

A cat walk! I would pee my pants if we were to get a catwalk! Oh, and if all my dimmers worked...

 

[jeffmoss26]

Well let's see...a new floor for the auditorium would be great, seeing as they redid the rest of the room already but didn't have enough money for the floor.
Then...
New wiring to our high ceiling bar
New dimming system for our 24 circuits of stage lighting
New light board
A new building

 

[kiwitechgirl]

The ability to fly. I can cope with the complete lack of wingspace, because we have a decent scenery dock on one side; I can deal with the extreme shallowness of our stage (because I'm not the designer and don't have to cope with it!). However, if we could fly, then so many of my problems would go away. I'm sick of having 17 different scenery tracks in the roof and a veritable forest of ropes to control them all. I don't mind having to rig lights off the scaff tower, a fixed grid has its advantages, but the lack of flying is a PITA. I'd also like some more dressing room space, and cleaners that don't throw away my props, thinking that they're rubbish.

 

[renegadeblack]

The ability to fly. I can cope with the complete lack of wingspace, because we have a decent scenery dock on one side; I can deal with the extreme shallowness of our stage (because I'm not the designer and don't have to cope with it!). However, if we could fly, then so many of my problems would go away. I'm sick of having 17 different scenery tracks in the roof and a veritable forest of ropes to control them all. I don't mind having to rig lights off the scaff tower, a fixed grid has its advantages, but the lack of flying is a PITA. I'd also like some more dressing room space, and cleaners that don't throw away my props, thinking that they're rubbish.

No joke, read that and thought fly as in whoosh and up you go.