Tony Awards Hitting a Singer with Scenery
Once on closing night hit a dancer atop the head that had over a period of a week in production in spefically holding a darpe for him mid-way in coming in not hitting him, and also over that week him constantly warned about how far to travel by way of his boss's and me upstage he constantly violated in him continuing to do so anyway. Constant thing I would have to catch the
scrim coming in with speed at head height or hit him I would not do. My job to watch the
scrim as it came in, than yell afterwards if the talent violated his
blocking as detrement to the show my bringing in the
scrim was a part of the show and fast.
About the extent of my hitting talent experience on the pin-rail for hitting talent - after a few days and as supported by the production, one might wish more than 1/2" Sch. 40 pipe as
scrim bottom weight to hit him when in the way - and me knowing he was in the way and specifically hitting him anyway on closing night following lots of warning and and no damage or help to him done.
So I hear about the Tony Awards, and a Brett Michaels "talent on
stage" hit by scenery - no dobut after a rehearsal and as professoinal to talent warning... Talent that wound up with a broken nose following a talent verses flown in scenery incident live on TV. Seemes his PR people are demanding those that flew in the scenery on his nose should be fired.
I would tend to agree with this. No matter if fork truck
driver that just run his forks
thru a $10K+ moving light in causing damage (union or not) or that person that flew in the scenery that crushed the
face of the talent he just brought scenery onto the
face of, there for a job and responsible for what they do no less than
Pyro tech out for a
smoke while people died in a club they set the
pyro for in burning down.
Such people there that don't properly perform the
safety of gear charged with or people part of their job ensured it is safe on site but it was not should be fired. Yes, one on even live TV should stop the scenery from coming in should someone be at chance of becoming crushed by it at some
point - what you were not looking?
Even if not some pin-rail person lowering scenery and a
stage manager directing him or her, say some
hoist system lowering it in...
E-Stop has many places to hit it from and many that could have shut down the lift before it crushed the talent's
face.
No excuse in my opinion for scenery injuring someone - you gone in agreeing with that from the talent's managers. This no matter if the talent was at fault for being at the wrong place at the wrong time - you don't hit the talent with scenery especially following normally one rehersal with something that will really injure the talent.