Weight Loaders

"Calling cues" during pig slinging? I think not. MORE people, particularly on the rail, makes an operation LESS safe. My policy is only ONE person (the Head Flyman) runs the Lockrail and calls instructions to the Loaders during Ins and Outs. During Performances, no more than the number of simultaneous moving lines, which will rarely be more than three on any theatrical show.

I agree with you totally, except for the fact that many shows require many moving linesets at once. We often have 8 or more linesets moving in a cue. Just getting three sets of legs up so that scenery can move in addition to drops and other scenery can add up really fast.
 
"Calling cues" during pig slinging? I think not. MORE people, particularly on the rail, makes an operation LESS safe. My policy is only ONE person (the Head Flyman) runs the Lockrail and calls instructions to the Loaders during Ins and Outs. During Performances, no more than the number of simultaneous moving lines, which will rarely be more than three on any theatrical show.

I agree with you, I think you misunderstood what my post had said. I only have two people talking during the entire thing. The Head Flyman and the lead loader. I keep every one else quiet and I only really have 2 at the load rail and 1 or 2 on the ground [this counting the Head Flyman]. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

And I have a lot of shows just over this summer that called for more than 3 rail crew members. But all of the ones I have run in the past 3 to 5 months have needed at least 4 to 5.
 
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At the Union Colony Civic Center we have 2 loaders, essentially always. Sometimes we'll just have one, but that's if it's like 1 or 2 bricks on 1 or 2 linesets. On our rail we have around 40 linesets, and the loader steps out into the lines onto I-beams that are stage right and left of the lines.
Then the other guy hands him/ her bricks. It's really nice, since you don't have to lean through the railing or anything like you do in other theatres I've worked in.
 

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