Who Do I know in Chicago to Eye a Space for someone?

josh88

Remarkably Tired.
Fight Leukemia
I know we have a decent Chicago crowd here, so here's my conundrum. I have a college friend who's a Chicago teacher. She did theatre in college and is running their program but has nobody with actual tech knowledge around to help with some upgrades and has some money available. At the moment her principal is determined to have a program and is willing to throw money at things.

She reached out to me and we've talked through a lot of stuff she's got a handle on some mics and audio gear she wants for shows next year and somebody fairly recently did some work in there to get a digital board and run a new snake to the stage.

She wants more lighting control and I've given her the rough rundown on what I would do telling her full well that some of it is spitballing based on what little I've been able to glean from some pictures. She cant figure out where her dimmers are, but I'm 99% sure they're AMX because she has a teatronic producer 2 as a board. We both have some other college friends in Chicago that may be able to pop over and help her out but I'd thought I'd see if anybody here would be willing to give her an hour someday and eyeball her space for some coffee.

Long story short she wants to ditch some old strip lights, could maybe wash her stage with 3 or 4 pars and wants some more ellipsoidals for specials and gobos. For what she wants anybody who knows lighting should be able to walk in and say oh yeah you've got 20 circuits, those positions would need a 36 degree barrel, stage would need a 50..... etc. There's not a huge rush other than they'll have a play next fall sometime I've explained what I can in text and I've already given her the usual talk that if she wants LED's or a newer board, it'll start to be a little more work and would benefit from someone "officially" coming in and coming up with a concrete plan, but a lot of where she's at right now can be done with a handful of fixtures and minor updates.

Shoot me a PM or comment and I'll get people connected. They just hit summer and its still in talk it out and lets find some ballpark prices to set some budgets.
 
Off the top of my head, I nominate @gafftapegreenia . I hear he can be had for a six-pack of frothy adult beverage, or an antique tool, or a lighthouse.


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Designlab, Grand Stage/Chicago Stage Ligthting, ILC and Upstaging as a starter for companies to also get quotes from locally.
 
What!!! There's no 4wall in Chicagoland ………...yet?
 
What!!! There's no 4wall in Chicagoland ………...yet?
Nope.

There's also Performance Lighting in Elk Grove Village.

Also, sounds like you've got plenty of volunteers already, but I'm also in the Chicago area and have a lot of experience working with schools.
 
I appreciate @derekleffew volunteering me, but I’m super busy with the last month of wedding planning on top of loading in the summer show at work.
 
Do tell given Grand Stage/Chicago Spotlight history and what happened! Designlab I now out of business history. Barbizon I remembered today at least, while not persay theater supplier is local in Chicago and should have most at least lighting needs as a second source locally to down town as often needed. Yes as where I work and a half dozen other suppliers outside the one hour to get theater can be a supplier but when last minute in a city this size?... I feel in-town suppliers for goods very important for at least last minute sales - as normal. This even if I don't get a sale, assuming 5PM noticed a lamp went bad and curtain is at 7... as if. Need at least two suppliers down town in a city this size. A shame three suppliers went down to one main supplier.
 
Do tell given Grand Stage/Chicago Spotlight history and what happened! Designlab I now out of business history. Barbizon I remembered today at least, while not persay theater supplier is local in Chicago and should have most at least lighting needs as a second source locally to down town as often needed. Yes as where I work and a half dozen other suppliers outside the one hour to get theater can be a supplier but when last minute in a city this size?... I feel in-town suppliers for goods very important for at least last minute sales - as normal. This even if I don't get a sale, assuming 5PM noticed a lamp went bad and curtain is at 7... as if. Need at least two suppliers down town in a city this size. A shame three suppliers went down to one main supplier.

You are welcome to call me if you want a verbal history. I've been here since '78 and have been thru several acquisitions of Chicago stage equipment companies, including a couple you have not heard of. I don't type fast enough to lay it out here and I have work to do.

T
 
Barbizon Lighting's office, while not a rental location, stocks lamps, tape, gel and other consumables. We also have systems folks who can help sort things out. Their # is 773-276-8500 or email [email protected]
 
Thanks for a Barbizon rep for chiming in and becoming an active source of advice to others members. While I work for a competer in sales, I am not local but can - just not as easily.
I feel back to my store front theater roots, it very important that a second supplier is important to have available locally in a city this size a supplier for what is needed.
 
Everytime I ordered something online from Barbizon when I was working in WI it would come from NY and the day or next day a Chicago sale rep would call me asking me why I didn’t go through them lol.

I told them it wasn’t a hassle to order online and didn’t want to bug them with my few sheets of gels I ordered twice a year. They would even throw discounts around from time to time. The discounts were marginal but still the offer was nice.

I would rate their CSR up there with the best for supplier of all things expendable.

I look forward to using them here if I ever get back in a position of being that guy who sources things. As they are good to have in your back pocket as a secondary and even your primary supplier.
 
SH,

Agreed that two or three are better than one, even though I work at one of the two, counting Barbizon.

On the other hand, if you want to talk rigging, drapery, staging, machinery, I'm at Grand. And I'm here and able to visit.

Do call or meet up with me about the history.

Ted
 

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