The weirdest thing you've ever found...

[museav]

I can't even begin to recount the items found after shows when I headed up the maintenance staff at a 20,000 seat amphitheatre many years ago. From condoms (used and unused) to bags of illegal substances (which I swear were always turned in) to couples under blankets, panties/bras (onstage and in the audience), people passed out and so on. It was an adventure every night! And that was just the house, the restroom buildings and parking lots could sometimes be just as interesting. Then there was the time we found the entire fruit platter from catering the night before under a couch cushion in one of the dressing rooms.

Site surveys of old spaces for renovation and restoration projects are almost always interesting. I remember one old municipal opera house so full of asbestos that was falling off the walls and ceiling that we had to perform the site survey wearing full clean suits and respirators, yet it was obvious that several homeless people had recently been living in the space.

I also know of many newer theatres where people years from now will be wondering where the antique soda cans, food wrappers, etc. came from that got left on top of ceiling clouds or beams or inside walls during construction.

 

[Cheever]

This may not be new, but i've found cigarrette packets and a pool of urine in the storage area upstairs. We also found one of the doors had been propped open. So people (high school) had been coming in and smoking and apparently peeing up there. Needless to say, we locked the door and we haven't found any since.

 

[tech2000]

All we ever find are old cigarette butts and footprints high on the walls in our grid...only boring stuff

 

[HCP1]

The theatre at which I worked until recently opened in Dec. 1928. While crawling through a plenum space above the ladies room (fixing a leak!) I found a newspaper from Nov. 1928 with the headline, "HOOVER'S ELECTION BREAKS ALL RECORDS".

I also have a box of unclaimed binoculars and kept a "lending library" of found umbrellas on hand at the employee entrance. We also did an annual donation of L/F items (mostly hats, mittens, mufflers and some coats) to St. Vincent.

I maintained a logbook of Lost & Found items/inquiries and actions taken to return them. Amazing that most of the calls we had for cell phones were for phones we did not find, but many of the phones we found were never claimed. Once in awhile though...

 

[Peyton]

Wierdest thing -

• a black and red spiked leather wristband
• this thread

 

[mrtrudeau23]

At my high school, we had a gymatorium, so there were hanging acoustical panels from the ceiling. Once every few months I'd take our Genie out on the floor and steal volleyballs, basketballs, kickballs, and wiffle balls from the phy ed department. By the time I left I had probably taken twenty or so balls of varying uses home with me or they were sitting in our booth. During one of these adventures, I also found a Mountain Dew can from the early 90s and a mostly used roll of toilet paper that someone decided to throw up there. And of course, the theatre favorite, lots of dust.

 

[Sony]

At MVPAC it's used condoms...

Apparently some of the drama kids like to use the last row of the Stadium Section to "have some fun."

The funny part is that we know exactly which kids are doing it, the problem is we have no evidence (unless we DNA test the condoms) to do anything about it.

At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic

 

[lieperjp]

At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic

We once had a stage hand write out several games of sudoku on the back of a flat she had to hide behind during a scene in center stage (she had to throw out a bunny from behind the flat)... she only messed up one out of six games...

 

[SweetBennyFenton]

Just this year I opened up my orchistra pit for the first time sence taking over as TD...

...I found a used condom.


Ewwwww!

 

[pianoman55]

I work freelance at a professional touring and regional theatre on a university campus. Two of my favorite finds are:

-a robotic dancing and singing Santa.. to scale
-a crotchless Scooby-Doo suit.

 

[willbb123]

Just this year I opened up my orchistra pit for the first time sence taking over as TD...

...I found a used condom.


Ewwwww!

The other morning our PM said that he found condoms on the door handles of all 3 of our back doors. Just our doors, not anyone else.

We've found proof that people were smoking in the dressing rooms, and in the house during concerts.

After a concert an usher came up to the stage, with a bottle of beer. She said "I can't believe that they didn't drink this, its full and warm." Another crew member said, "I don't think they fill them that high." I then told her why it was warm... People these days...

 

[willbb123]

Well these weren't found... But they were confinscated.

When groups bring in there own LD, I turn into security for the show (Which is really funny cause I'm not scary at all...)

I forget what the show was, but I took the silver flask. I saw 3 girls and a guy passing it around in front of the stage. I made it down there right as one girl was finishing a drink, I stuck my hand out and they handed it too me like I was the next person to pass it too. They then saw my name tag and security/access pass, and then looked really disappointed.

My personal record is taking 20 some beers during one show. (We sell alcohol in the lobby, but back then it wasn't allowed in the house. I also kicked 2 people out for smoking in the house. (funny story but not real appropriate for the forum.) I enjoyed being the biggest buzz kill that night.

 

[Kelite]

-a crotchless Scooby-Doo suit.

Well now.....

 

[lchslightech]

Usually after performances we walk through the seats and clean up the trash. Sometimes we find some pretty weird things. I think my most interesting find was in our Black Box a couple of years ago; found a tube of Fixodent denture adhesive.

What are some interesting/funny things you've found in your theatre?

we've found densures under the box office window...lol
-LCHS Stage Crew

 

[Peyton]

At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic

At my theatre we have a flat that is written on as far back as 1968, and ever since. There's a fairly large and accurate "The Who" logo in the center.
The flat might be about 90 years old, seeing as how we do have a couple of stage braces that are original to the school, which was built in 1917.

 

[Sony]

Well these weren't found... But they were confinscated.

When groups bring in there own LD, I turn into security for the show (Which is really funny cause I'm not scary at all...)

I forget what the show was, but I took the silver flask. I saw 3 girls and a guy passing it around in front of the stage. I made it down there right as one girl was finishing a drink, I stuck my hand out and they handed it too me like I was the next person to pass it too. They then saw my name tag and security/access pass, and then looked really disappointed.

My personal record is taking 20 some beers during one show. (We sell alcohol in the lobby, but back then it wasn't allowed in the house. I also kicked 2 people out for smoking in the house. (funny story but not real appropriate for the forum.) I enjoyed being the biggest buzz kill that night.

I have to do this too sometimes, however much less often. There is no alcohol allowed on school premises, period. When people try to bring alcohol into events at MVPAC, all I do is tell them that "The possesion and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages on school property is a Felony in the state of Massachusetts." They usually hand it over without a fight. We also always have at least one police officer in the PAC when we are expecting a crowd of 300 or more as part of our rental agreement, so if they refuse the first warning, I get the cops involved.

 

[TimMiller]

After a nelly show (i became the LD, when i got his LD escorted out by the police for smoking over my lighting console). These guys they think they can do anything since they are with the band, one of the guys found a big bag full of misc drugs that was valued around 5k.

 

[WestlakeTech]

The other morning our PM said that he found condoms on the door handles of all 3 of our back doors. Just our doors, not anyone else.

We've found proof that people were smoking in the dressing rooms, and in the house during concerts.

After a concert an usher came up to the stage, with a bottle of beer. She said "I can't believe that they didn't drink this, its full and warm." Another crew member said, "I don't think they fill them that high." I then told her why it was warm... People these days...

Hahahahaha!! nice...

Well a couple weeks ago after the first night of our dance show (which lasted for 3 nights) somebody found a pair of Crocs.... They were never claimed, as far as I know. They were still there by the last performance.

We get some weird finds at stadium clean-ups. I think one of my most interesting was a couple of hotel key cards.

 

[Slitterst]

Well, there was the mattress, tea lites and empty condom wrappers on the grid of the last theatre I worked in. I was at least grateful the students disposed of the condoms themselves...

 

[sparkyinnc]

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

Interestingly enough, the largest theatre on campus at the college I went to used this type of ellipsoidal (8"x22") for our farthest catwalk throw up until 2008.....great color wash, useless for anything else.