Theatre 'Manual'

scoreed

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Hey Guys
I am currently in the process of creating a 'manual' for our theatre as I am leaving next year.
I am an all-rounder and have been involved in almost all roles.
So far I have:
- A Pre/During/Post Show Checklist
- Description of Audio Feeds (from/to)
- Examples of my Cue Sheets
- Dimensions and Measurements of the Stage and Loading Dock including Acoustic Features of the auditorium
- Equipment List
- Contact Numbers
- Security Information
- Evacuation Plans
What other information do you think should I put in the Manual?

Thanks
 
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Some instructions on running the lighting system would be valuable.
Many schools have quirky light boards and daunting manufacturer's manuals (or none at all).
A few pages of practical instructions could prove invaluable to a future light tech.
 
I realize this is an ancient post (almost as old as the last time I wrote a manual for this auditorium which was 2009), but this summer I'm rewriting the manual for the auditorium I run and since this (ancient) thread is on topic it might be a good topic to bring back to life to hear what you have done to share some ideas.

In addition to this FULL manual I plan to have cheat-sheets in the various areas so if you forget (or didn't RTFM, Read The Full Manual), you can get things going.

Here's the topics I put in my last manual (of course this time there's a lot of new stuff like using extenders), different judging equipment (we have photographic competitions), and some new safety stuff including an AED.

Introduction................................................................................................................. 3

Safety & Emergency Procedures.................................................................................... 4

Making safety announcements............................................................................................................ 4

Power blackout procedure................................................................................................................... 4

Fire evacuation procedure................................................................................................................... 4

Using the fire extinguishers................................................................................................................. 5

In case of an injury.............................................................................................................................. 5

In case of damaged equipment............................................................................................................ 5

Ensuring your personal safety............................................................................................................. 6

Handling halogen (projector) light bulbs............................................................................................ 7

Opening/Closing the Building....................................................................................... 8

Opening the building............................................................................................................................... 8

Closing the building................................................................................................................................ 8

Auditorium Setup for Any Presentation......................................................................... 9

Lighting................................................................................................................................................... 9

Ceiling fluorescent lights.................................................................................................................... 9

Side track lights................................................................................................................................... 9

Equipment Setup................................................................................................................................... 10

Setting-up computer.......................................................................................................................... 10

Setting-up projector........................................................................................................................... 11

Freezing and blacking-out projected images..................................................................................... 11

Powering off the projector................................................................................................................ 12

Irfanview (Software used to display images)........................................................................................ 12

Setting Irfanview options.................................................................................................................. 12

Using Irfanview for presentations..................................................................................................... 13

Sound System........................................................................................................................................ 15

Auditorium sound equipment............................................................................................................ 15

Projection booth sound equipment.................................................................................................... 15

The Mixer.......................................................................................................................................... 15

Connecting laptop or DVD player to auditorium patch panel.......................................................... 17

Judging Sessions........................................................................................................ 18

Using Irfanview for judging sessions................................................................................................ 18

Using Irfanview to select winning images........................................................................................ 18

Judging Machines.................................................................................................................................. 19

Blue Box............................................................................................................................................ 19

USB or computer based scoring........................................................................................................ 20

Suitcase Scorebox............................................................................................................................. 20

Future content 22
 
A little info about the HVAC is also helpful. Often overlooked until there is a need for fog, or a question about capacity heating/cooling when you have a full house. Knowing these things can help avoid a very uncomfortable night for an audience.
 

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