Re: Wow, I feel really stupid now. . . . .
Here is one for you. I was the show rigger on a production of oh crap. What is that Paula Vogel AIDS
play? I just forgot. Anyway, part of my job was that the TD and lead rigger decided (and I was against this from the beginning) that they would use a friction wrap to keep black fabric wrapped around the hospital bed
cover for the end of the
play (since the director threw a FIT about being able to see it the whole time), so part of my job was to make sure it was wrapped perfectly. I was against this in the beginning and after doing it a dozen times with no actors, I was really against it. But who was I, jus the show rigger and the guy that had to operate it every night. Not too tight so that it would come undone when it flew in without assistance, and not too loose so that it would come undone during the
play and expose the curtain. Well it scares me when anything has to be done PERFECTLY 30 times a run. Especially because this flew in directly over someone laying in a bed on
stage and they must, after it comes down immediately do a
quick change. So one night I set it and get ready for the show. I set it exactly like every other time, but I guess this time it was a hair too tight. You see what is coming. I fly it in (this was a custom rig, no counter weight, I basically undid it held on best I could and then let it fly and I mean
FLY in, almost to the
point of being out of control before I stop it and
release the wrap) and either it was a hair too tight or it did not
fly in fast enough that the bump did not loosen the wrap, and WHAM! One side came loose, the other side didn't and the 1 1/4" black
iron pipe in side weighting down the white fabric that made the hospital
drop slams directly down the middle of the bed and hits the actor square in the
face. Then the other side came undone and the whole thing settled down. The actor to his credit got up and finished and the
play. After the performance the director flipped! Said she was going to make us practice it a hundred times to make sure we got it right. Halfway through her tirade I walked out and called the TD and lead rigger. They showed up, we explained what happened and he (with the professor in charge) ruled that the wrap would not be used anymore. The Director hated me and never got over it, but the actor did, after I bought him a few drinks and no one was seriously hurt.
Mike