The weirdest thing you've ever found...

[WestlakeTech]

I think the oddest thing I ever found was a pair of socks... They weren't there before the house opened and I checked the house about 30 min after curtain call, so someone left a pair of socks (dirty, by the way) in the house... I have no idea.

At least it made the clean up semi-interesting... usually it's just a lot of programs and candy wrappers. (And we don't sell candy...)

We're the opposite. We DO sell candy during intermission. And yet we tell people not to bring it into the theater... I'll never get why we do that. Seems like we're just asking for trouble.

Our booth is undergoing some minor renovations (new ceiling, acoustic tiles, paint, etc). Today we tore down and flew out the steel behemoth that used to be the original lighting console (twice replaced). We found two items hidden inside...a Dr. Pepper can and a noose.

Yeah, when we were cleaning out our main theater before renovations began, one of our guys found a Pepsi can from the '80s; the theater itself was built in either 84 or 86... I can't remember which. Anyway, he let me keep the can and it's sitting in my room. I've got nothing to compare to the noose though.

Couple months ago, I found a purple foam tiara with the label "Purple Princess" painted on it. I believe it's still sitting in the Tech classroom.

 

[cdub260]

Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.

Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.

Then, about 2 years ago, I found that same Leatherman near an access panel near the costume shop at the Pageant. Once again, I had lost it a year and a half earlier. Is anyone else noticing a pattern here?

Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.

 

[waynehoskins]

Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.

You'll have to wait about a year, then, looking at history.

 

[DaveySimps]

At an old place I worked the custodial found an unused adult diper. Several weeks back our custodian here found a dead bat. If I had a dime for every pair of gloves that go unclaimed, I could retire today.

~Dave

 

[WestlakeTech]

I'll say he'll be lucky and find it in 6 months.

 

[erosing]

Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.

Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.

Then, about 2 years ago, I found that same Leatherman near an access panel near the costume shop at the Pageant. Once again, I had lost it a year and a half earlier. Is anyone else noticing a pattern here?

Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.

If you've misplaced that many leathermans I'm assuming you have bought more then one, correct? If so, I am curious if you always bought the same model that you lost or if you buy a new model to try out? I am also curious, providing that my previous assumptions are correct, if you have ever lost more then one at a time?

 

[lieperjp]

I think he should just start cleaning and then he'll find it.

 

[cdub260]

If you've misplaced that many leathermans I'm assuming you have bought more then one, correct? If so, I am curious if you always bought the same model that you lost or if you buy a new model to try out? I am also curious, providing that my previous assumptions are correct, if you have ever lost more then one at a time?

Actually, it's been the same Leatherman every time. It just likes to go on extended vacations without inviting me.

I have a Gerber that I use as a back-up, but I like my Leatherman Wave better.

 

[propmonkey]

ive found a few empty gin, whiskey, etc. bottles after a few rap concerts we had before my old high school ban them. above our prop shop i have found old mountain dew and pepsi cans along with old cigarettes. i have a decent pair of drum sticks that were left by phantom regiment from when they stayed at the high school. my friend got a flag and some random stuff. they also left a bag full of Polaroid film behind...enough to make it worth buying a Polaroid camera.

 

[theatretechguy]

Aside from what's already been mentioned (yes, I've found unwrapped condoms), some of the cooler things I've found (and never claimed): A Sony Coolpix 5 MP digital camera, a cool LED flashlight (LONG before they were mainstream), and of course, numerous umbrellas, gloves, etc. It amazes me how many people never come back to claim this stuff. I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.

 

[derekleffew]

...It amazes me how many people never come back to claim this stuff. I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.

That's certainly a valid course of action, theatretechguy, but why not consider an Unclaimed Property Sale, as a method of fund-raising? (Combined with the sale of never-to-be-used-again furniture, props, and costumes--just before Halloween). It works for Police Depts.

 

[DaveySimps]

I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.

That is what we do with all of our items in good condition. I think it is a good way to deal with it. Last July we had 3 large trash bags full of clothing to donate.

~Dave

 

[Pan]

Probably a teddy bear the size of a child gaff taped to the ceiling of the box ... :-/ unimpressed.

 

[WestlakeTech]

Probably a teddy bear the size of a child gaff taped to the ceiling of the box ... :-/ unimpressed.

That is.... unique...


We switched around some rooms last year at school, so what used to be scenery/set piece storage became a classroom. We had to get rid of a lot of stuff since our new place for it was smaller. Once we decided what we wanted, we took what was left, put it in the Black Box and sent an e-mail out to all the teachers telling them to come take anything they wanted... completely free. Most of it disappeared.

 

[theatretechguy]

That's certainly a valid course of action, theatretechguy, but why not consider an Unclaimed Property Sale, as a method of fund-raising? (Combined with the sale of never-to-be-used-again furniture, props, and costumes--just before Halloween). It works for Police Depts.

I would love to have such a sale, but my District is very particular about such things and it honestly isn't worth the hassle. We try to recycle/donate what we can, some goes to other sites in the district, and some, goes into the trash.

 

[jeffmoss26]

They are remodeling our auditorium at school, and we found a 1976 bicentennial Pepsi can up in the ceiling! At my high school, a long time ago, someone smacked their head on a beam in the booth, and there is still blood on the floor...

 

[midgetgreen11]

Not really something I've found, but in a theatre I worked in, an AC duct in the coves said "Get High On Plays" and in my high school auditorium there's this ledge backstage left for no apparent reason. If you stand in a loft you can see the ledge, but there's no real access to it. There's a puppet-doll up there.

On that note, a church group left their baby jesus in our auditorium after their christmas pageant. Turns out its burled up in cloth body was of African descent, and is now used in several of my high school productions, referred to as Black Baby Jesus. We often joke about it zip-lining from the balcony to the stage...

 

[TheSwami]

When I was in high school, we'd have to go rooting around under the stage every once in awhile to run XLR or pull out old props that had been tucked away down there. One time, one of our techs was digging around and found a little three-foot trampoline under a box of wigs. Not sure where it came from, but the fun it provided was endless.

Also, three old Kliegl ellipsoidals with wooden spot handles. Woot!

73

 

[cdub260]

Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.

Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.

Then, about 2 years ago, I found that same Leatherman near an access panel near the costume shop at the Pageant. Once again, I had lost it a year and a half earlier. Is anyone else noticing a pattern here?

Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.

I found my Leatherman. It was hiding at home.

 

[renegadeblack]

While I was waiting to see RENT for 5 hours being as the first 20 people got front row seats for $10 at a local venue, we happened to meet a former techie alumni. He was telling us about this cat walk type thing in the ceiling that we're no longer allowed to go into because someone fell through the ceiling (not all the way) and he was telling us about the activities that used to happen up there. I went up in the genie to take a peak through the access door (needless to say theytook away the ladder) and I saw all sorts of booze sitting up there. Also, in the basement which is locked and no students are allowed down there (other than techies) there are people who occasionally did manage to go down there and there is some of the most amazing graffiti down there. At some point I'll take some pictures and post them, someone spray painted a playbill for Guys and Dolls. It's amazing.

As for just plain old in the house stuff, we found an iPod nano which was used for preshow music until one of the techies took it and gave it to her father as a Christmas present.