Erich Friend's Posts - TheatreFace

Floor Planning - Who's cutting the rug?

2011-03-10T12:00:00.000Z

“We very very very rarely have any sort of dancers onstage so a dance surface isn't a huge concern.” — a comment heard at may theatre planning meetings.

Stage floors are a common point of controversy in many facilities. The use of the floor can vary greatly, and so the performance characteristics must suit a wide range of needs. There are several key performance parameters that drive most floor designs:

The Slipperiness / Grip of the floor surface. This affects the safety of both dancers and other performers. It is highly dependent upon the paint or top skin (aka ‘Marley’) of the floor and can change with use and abuse. The application of cleaning agents, rosin, floor wax, blood, sweat, tears, aerosol glitter, hair gel, skin creams / lotions, as well as spilled fluids like fruit juices, sodas, water, and sports hydration drinks can all affect the traction, both real and perceived, by the performers. The traction also varies with humidity, temperature, and the type of shoe or bare foot. There is a way to objectively measure this and it can be found in ANSI Standard E1.34 - 2009 - Entertainment Technology - Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues.
The Hardness of the top surface. A cushion-backed vinyl floor may be appropriate for some bare-foot dance routines, where a rock-hard surface is best for tap dancing and rolling pianos around. Various grades of wood materials are better than others for resisting indentations by the tips of cello posts, road case casters, piano legs, chairs, and tables. Pine is a soft wood and should not be used for stage floors as it can be damaged very easily and then present splinters that can stab performers feet, hands, and other parts of their bodies as they move (roll, slide, writhe, twist, bounce) across the floor.
The ‘Give’ and ‘Springiness’ of the floor. This is actually two different dynamic properties, and it must be fairly uniform both locally and regionally.
- The ‘Give’ of the floor is the ability to depress and absorb energy from the performer as they impact the floor. The extreme ends of this range are ‘No Give’ – like a solid concrete slab (OUCH!); and a very soft gel or mud where you sink-in until all the energy of your fall is absorbed. Obviously, neither of these conditions are desirable, so the selection of the flooring support materials must be made to provide a reasonable cushioning of the landing.
- The ‘Springiness’ of the floor is the ability to actually return some of the energy back to the performer. Too little and they floor requires a lot of work on the part of the performer to continually re-launch themselves to their next movement; and too much energy return and the floor gets bouncy like a trampoline. Again, the suspension system under the floor must meet a good compromise.

The Local and Regional aspects have to do with how much the floor flexes within a given area. If a floor gives too much locally, then it will visibly deform under the point-loads imposed by a heavy object like a piano leg or an orchestra shell tower. Therefore, it is important that the floor be monolithic and spread the load to all the supports in the general area of the load. This can keep a tall set piece or an orchestra shell tower from toppling-over due to an uneven support. This is one area where many portable dance floors do not perform well – they give too much at the panel-to-panel joints creating local surface irregularities that can be dangerous.

Most of this aspect of a floor can be quantified by ANSI Standard E1.26 - 2006 - Entertainment Technology - Recommended Testing Methods and Values for Shock Absorption of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues.

The over-all load bearing capacity of the floor. This determines how heavy of an object can be placed safely on the stage. This can become a significant issue if the stage is constructed without a walk-on service gridiron. In buildings where the grid has been omitted, the only way to access the stage rigging for inspection and service is with a very large man-lift or boom-arm service lift. These are very heavy and can damage or even collapse a floor if it is not properly constructed.
The Acoustic Response of the floor. This affects musicians, dancers, and most other performers. A symphony hall may desire a floor that resonates musically with the instruments, where most theatrical and dance performers prefer a floor that is acoustically damped so that it doesn’t sound like a herd of buffalos when they cross the stage.

You may have no dancers on your particular stage, but there is still a lot of other 'creative movement' that takes place on a stage - fight scenes, acrobatics, tumbling, etc., so constructing a stage that 'gives' properly is still important to reduce the likelihood of joint injuries. A floor the is too hard and does not properly absorb the shock energy of performer impacts can significantly affect both the joints and the teeth of dancers (dancers clench their teeth while smiling – so each landing on the floor tends to rattle their teeth a bit).

Typical floor construction is built-up with several layers:

Skin / Dance Surface: Varies by brand, and is usually a vinyl sheet that has a micro-textured surface to provide specific traction / friction characteristics and/or color.
TOP - Sacrificial layer that can be replaced every few years as it gets torn-up. Sometimes it is called 'Masonite' which is a misnomer as Masonite Corporation no longer makes tempered pressboard products. They used to make a product called Duron WR that was great for stage floors, but alas, it is no more. Other common products are luan, plywood, Simpson Plyron (which is a plywood layer that is pressure laminated to a tempered pressboard sheet), or generic 'masonite', aka "tempered pressboard". The key to a successful material selection is using a product that has high moisture resistance (garden variety 'masonite' from the local hardware store usually does not have this feature, so when it gets wet it swells, puffs-up, then flakes apart). The high density water resistant material is very hard, too, so it doesn't dent under heavy wheeled traffic. Good (green) products are manufactured formaldehyde free, so they are safer to cut (the saw dust doesn't poison you). Sierra Pine makes a good product called Medite. The Medite II version is slightly denser, and the Medite FR version is pretreated with Fire Retardant. This layer is typically about 1/4" thick. Being very hard and dense means that you have to pre-drill screw holes in it. The face of the sacrificial stage should be painted with an intumescent (fire-proof) paint, which is available in the favorite theatre color of black. There is another product made by RenewResources called PolyBoard that is plastic based. One concern with this product is the amount of smoke and toxic gasses that it might produce if it were to catch fire, and the flamespread rate for it seems to be much higher than Medite. However, it has been used on some high profile theatre projects recently.
Structural Layers: The next two layers are typically the decking that provides the structural support for the monolithic strength. They are typically fire resistant 3/4" plywood. The key to a good monolithic stage (one that doesn't sag locally under point loads) is staggering the joints by 12" on both axis layer-to-layer. It is common to lay-down the sheets in a pattern that prevents adjacent layers from having common joints (except at the edges where it can't be avoided). Each layer is screwed-down to the layer before it at about 12-18" o.c. Plan your screw pattern dimensions carefully and you won't find yourself trying to screw into the top of a screwhead two layers down.
- 1st Layer: Begin at the downstage center of the apron and lay a 2'x8' lengthwise (long axis across the stage), offset 24" to the left. Build-out that row left and right, trim ends as needed. The next row upstage is 4'x8' laid-down with the joint at the centerlines of the previous row of panels, then built-out to the left and right, the successive rows alternate that pattern using 4'x 8' panels, with the last row upstage trimmed to whatever space remains.
- 2nd Layer: Begin at the downstage center of the apron and lay a 3'x8' lengthwise (long axis across the stage), offset 12" to the left. Build-out that row left and right, trim ends as needed. The next row upstage is 4'x8' laid-down with the joint at the centerline of the previous panels, then built-out to the left and right, the successive rows alternate that pattern using 4'x 8' panels, with the last row upstage trimmed to whatever space remains.
- 3rd Layer (sacrificial layer described above): Beginning at the downstage center of the apron and lay a 4'x8' lengthwise (long axis across the stage), no offset. Build-out that row left and right, trim ends as needed. The next row upstage is 4'x8' laid-down with the joint at the centerline of the previous panels, then built-out to the left and right, the successive rows alternate that pattern using 4'x 8' panels, with the last row upstage trimmed to whatever space remains.
Stringer and Cushion Layer: This is where the 'sprung' part of the floor happens. It is done two ways:
- Rubber Blocks / Pads (generic reference, actual material varies by manufacturer) are spaced about every 12-18" o.c. on both axis and 2x4 stringers are laid flat on top of them. The softness and the thickness of the 'rubber blocks’ determines how much 'give' and ‘springiness’ the floor has. This is the more common modern floor construction. Hardwood basketball floors are also built like this. It is VERY IMPORTANT that the screws from layers above this do not penetrate through and come in contact with the concrete floor below the pads.
- A Basket-Weave suspension is a multi-layer crisscrossed pattern of ~1x4's laid flat with alternating orthogonal layers positioned at the midpoints of the span between the previous layers. 4-6 layers are common. The exact spacing, thickness, and type of wood determines how much ‘give’ and ‘springiness’ the floor has. This is the 'old-school' way of doing it, and is much more difficult to predict performance. Another down-side to this is that it is very labor-intensive to construct and the wood basket-weave will begin to sag over time and loose its resiliency.
Infill: Between the stringer / basket weave components the floor void is usually filled with mold-resistant acoustical damping to keep the 'hollowness' sound from becoming a problem.
Vapor Barrier (bottom-most layer): A plastic sheet usually laid on top of the concrete floor to keep moisture from collecting under the floor. This can also be achieved by using a concrete sealant.

In short, this is a general guide to the floor construction. A specific floor should be designed by a Theatre Consultant or Architect that has some good background experience in this area. There are many very important details that make this system work, way too many to mention herein. This is why so many cafetoriums and high school theatres end-up with tile, concrete, carpet, or hardwood “basketball” floors - they know not what they are doing, nor do they understand why they should do it correctly. You wouldn't want your sound system designed by Joe's Guitar Emporium, so don't get your floor from Bob's Discount Wood Flooring.

Teaching To The Test - Sad, But Too True

2011-03-03T12:00:00.000Z

A few weeks ago I blogged about Arts Advocacy (http://www.theatreface.com/profiles/blogs/advocacy-for-the-arts-do-it) and how it can affect you and your job. Since that time the budget short-falls in many states have become more visible in the news. Locally, I've witnessed public school districts announcing teacher lay-offs that are upward to 25%, and sometimes higher in Arts Magnet Schools. When it was once unthinkable to have more than 20 students per teacher, they are now looking at upwards of 60 students per teacher. This kind of teacher : student ratio isn't that big of a deal at the college level, but at the K-12 level this can lead to total chaos in the classroom, let alone a complete failure of a school. I'm even curious as to where they will find teachers that will do this for little or no more pay.

I recently received an e-mail from James Clarke, the Executive Director for Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education (www.TCQAE.org) and in it he included a QuickTime movie by Tom Chapin. He pretty well sums it up in a great little music video 'Not On The Test'. You can see this at Tom's Web Site (www.notonthetest.com). It also has the source video (better quality than the web site player file) that you can freely download, link to, or play for your local administrators; and there are several pages of other Arts Advocacy links. Give the site a visit and share it with those that can make a difference. Be like Howard Beale in the 1976 movie Network and let them know "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Process Planning – The Hard Way, the Safe Way, the Cost Effective Way

2011-02-24T16:30:00.000Z

Last week Rich Dionne talked about Fail Safe Design (: http://www.theatreface.com/profiles/blogs/fail-safe-design) and how you assemble equipment so that a failure of one component won’t bring your effect or crew to its knees and leave your show in a bind. This concept is also addressed in the way we do things, too. Its call Process Planning, and it looks at the Who, What, Where, and Why of the actions we take.

The battle cry of the Theatre is “The Show Must Go On!” In taking this to heart, we sometimes forge ahead with, as my dad used to say: “Nary a forethought.” The urge to ‘get it done’ can overshadow the need to plan, and the results can be dangerous, disastrous, or maybe just plan messy. At the least, they can be inefficient and wasteful.

Rich’s example of a simple thing like a safety cable on a stage lighting instrument is a good starting point. You have to get to the root of the issue before you can make progress on defining the process that you will you to get the job done. Ask yourself (or your students) “Why are we doing this?” What is the point of even putting a safety cable on a lighting instrument? Is it to annoy the lighting technician? [No] Is it to sell more safety cables? [No] Is it to keep the lighting instrument from dropping onto the actor or audience member below? [Yes].

OK. When is that most likely to happen? When you are mounting the instrument? When you are removing the instrument? When the instrument is in-place and being used? Well, #1 and #2 are probably more likely to present an opportunity for a slip-up, while #3 is probably less likely, if the technician has done his job and tightened the mounting clamp. This is not to say that scenario #3 can’t happen, but it does suggest that it may not be the prime time for an accident to happen.

Mounting an instrument is pretty straight-forward: You put the C-Clamp on the pipe and you tighten the fastening bolt, right? Sort-of. How do we do this? We hold the yolk in one hand while dangling the lighting instrument out over the victim (audience, actor, your foot, seat, stage floor, Ming Vase, etc.), then what? Well, if an accident is going to happen, then this is the time – your hands are sweaty, it’s late, the TD is yelling at you to ‘hurry-up’, and your phone is ringing in your pocket. You can do three things:

Put the C-Clamp on the pipe, get the wrench and tighten the bolt, then attach the safety cable, or
Put the safety cable on, then slip the C-Clamp on the pipe and tighten the bolt, or
Put the C-Clamp on the pipe, attach the safety cable, then tighten the bolt.

Which way is safer? My vote would be to install the safety cable first, because it can catch the lighting instrument should I lose my grip doing any of the succeeding steps. Conversely, when you are striking the instrument, it makes sense to let the safety cable be the last thing you do to free the lighting instrument.

This may seem like a lot of thinking for such a simple task, but it’s not, especially if you add some other issues to the mix: Focusing the light, locking the Yolk-to-C-Clamp pivot bolt, Relamping the light, inserting gel frames, gobo accessories, plugging / unplugging the light, is it hot? (or not), how much does it weigh? Can you attach the safety cable while the light is still on the catwalk before you hang in out in space? Are you on firm footing – or standing on a ladder? Are you wearing fall protection and leaning out to the mounting point? All these elements can come into play.

When determining how a person, or a group of people, are going to achieve a task (do a process) it helps to step back and look at it in a broader sense. One of the first questions to ask is “What could possibly go wrong?”

Assess what tools you may need. Hand tools: Hammer, screw driver, wrench? Power tools: drills, saws, planers? Machinery: Trucks, Lifts, Dollies?
Assess the PPE (Personnel Protective Equipment) you will need. Fall Protection? Gloves? Hard Hats? Eye Protection?, etc.
Assess how many people it may take to do the task. Someone to hold the door? Lift the other end? Spot the rigging for snags? Drive the truck?
Assess how much time the task will take. It’s nothing to aim one light, but if the lighting designer wants 250 lights focused in two hours, you may have a manpower issue.
Assess the Built Environment. Will this fit through the door? Will this turn the corner from the hallway? Will the structure support this? Is this color correct?
Assess the Legal requirements. Are there any Building Codes that affect this? Is ADA compliance necessary? Do the operators need to have any special training or certifications? Does this violate any copyright?
Assess the Environmental Impact. How will we dispose of this? Are there any toxic fumes? Is there a greener alternative, a better material?
Assess the Fire Safety. Is this combustible? Does this block an exit route?
Assess the show budget. How much will it cost?

The point of the seemingly trivial exercise of ‘how to hang a light’ is to get students and workers to assess a situation before they barrel head-long into it without thinking about the consequences. Everything we do has a ripple effect to the show and the workers around us. So just like cutting a board where we ‘measure twice, cut once’, take a moment to Think Twice, Do Once. It’s a lot better than Do It, Call Ambulance, Call Lawyer, Clean-up Mess.

Who Left-out the Steel? A new endangered species: Gridirons.

2011-02-17T17:03:55.000Z

As both a facility designer and a rigging systems inspector I have come to notice a disturbing trend in Theatre Stage House designs: No walk-on gridiron deck.

This disease generally takes two forms: The rigging is all attached directly to the stage house roof beams (right) [don't get me started about fly systems without a weight loading bridge],

or the loft beams have been installed with no infill between them. Either incarnation is troubling for many reasons:

Day-to-day Operations: In the mounting and striking of many shows it can be very helpful to drop a rope from the grid deck to stabilize a piece of tall scenery, to drop a spot line to hang the moon, or a chandelier, or even to drop balloons, confetti, snow, or other props that ‘fall from the sky’ (hopefully, with careful blocking of the actors below).

Teaching Rigging: As students learn about technical theatre (be they techies or actors), it is vital that they understand the theatre production plant. Going up to the grid shouldn’t be a terrifying experience, but instead an interesting trip to see how all the machinery above a stage works. Understanding the tools with which you ply your trade makes for a better performer, regardless of your job description. A trip to the grid also makes for good safety training as it helps everyone better grasp the safety issues of secure attachments, good work lighting, and hazard recognition skills.

Service Calls: If you have a lift line jump free from a loft block, something squeaky, creaky, or ‘just not right’ in the fly system; it can really help to get a set of eyes on the problem. And it’s not just the rigging that needs attention: Smoke Vents are here, this is where roof leaks make themselves known, and sometimes this is where the roof access hatch is located. There are sprinkler pipes and sprinkler heads, air ducts, work lights, and fire detections devices (smoke detectors and rate-of-rise heat detectors), too. In some systems, the Motor Control Center (MCC) is located at the grid deck level, too, so something a simple a resetting a tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse requires a trip to the top.

Inspecting the Rigging: Most of the elements described above require quarterly, annual, or semi-annual inspections. All of the fire protective systems inspection schedules are defined in the NFPA code books (or similar definitions in other countries), and there are very few jurisdictions where this is not in effect. Annual inspection of the stage rigging system is required by OSHA, and they are a really good idea even if you are not directly under OSHA jurisdiction. A thorough rigging system inspection requires access to the loft blocks to see that they are secure, aligned, running freely, and don’t have any signs of abnormal wear.

With a walk-on gridiron deck, this can be done in less than a day for most facilities, and only requires one inspector and an assistant. However, if the loft blocks are 40-65 feet (12-20 meters) above the stage, with no access to them, then this means that a boom-arm lift or scaffolding must be brought-in, typically at great expense. You have to find-out what equipment will fit into the building through the available passageways [don’t get me started . . . ], figure-out if the floor structure can handle that much concentrated load [don’t get me started on this, either], rent the equipment, have it delivered, get it into the building, onto the stage, and set-up. One must then work themselves around between the fly battens, curtains, lights, power cables, and other obstacles like sprinkler pipes, electrical conduits, and air ducts to get eyes-on for each piece of the rigging. This can be very slow going, and take as much as a week to accomplish. Oh yeah, did I mention that you’ll need at least one other person to be a ground spotter, and maybe more depending upon the scaffolding or lift arrangement you are using? And that you may have to put-down a layer of protective decking to keep the lift or scaffolding from damaging the performance flooring?

Imagine the same scenario for any of the other system to be inspected or serviced. If a lift line gets fouled at five minutes before show-time, with a walk-on grid there is a good chance that the problem can be resolved before the curtain rises. Kiss that hope good-bye if you can’t get to the rigging.

Safety: Without a walk-on service deck your facility designer and owner are inviting ‘make-do’ solutions to everyday tasks. Will your staff try to climb out on that beam or ride a batten to the loft? Will they have proper fall protection equipment? Will they know how to use it? Will they have an emergency rescue plan should the worker end-up suspended in the harness? Are there proper load-rated fall protection anchorage points? I see tell-tale signs of personnel climbing out on beams all the time. Scary. Is your crew doing this?

Whatever little bit of money someone thought that they were saving by not designing-in a walk-on gridiron deck is ‘penny-wise and pound foolish.’ Yet I see them all the time.

So, how does this happen? Poor or misguided design decisions early in the project design cycle is the logical answer that defies logic. Who’s theatre are they designing? Yours (the end-user), or theirs (for the suspender-popping glory of saying “I did that! And we saved money by not putting in all that 'extra' steel.” It is vital that you be engaged with the Architect’s design team (one that should include a Theatre Consultant) to see that a safe stage house structure is being designed. Budget concern? Get a donor to pay for that Crystal Chandelier in the Lobby.

Hearing Assistance Systems and the ADA

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000Z

About twenty years ago there were a sets of regulations outlined that addressed the needs of persons with special handicaps. These needs are handled differently in various countries around the world, but the general intent is to assure that buildings and facilities are equally accessible by everyone. In the United States this is commonly referred to as the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act. The standards can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 36 (www.ada.gov). The ADA addresses many aspects of the workplace, public spaces, and entertainment venues. It is extensive and sometimes not very well understood.

This discussion is to center about the implementation of Assistive Listening (or sometimes called Hearing Assistance) systems. The 1991 Standards, at section 4.1.3(19)(b), require assembly areas, where audible communication is integral to the use of the space, to provide an assistive listening system if they have an audio amplification system or an occupant load of 50 or more people and have fixed seating. The 2010 Standards at section 219 require assistive listening systems in spaces where communication is integral to the space and audio amplification is provided. The new code does not define the minimum occupancy of the space.

As an AV consultant, we see many different types of assistive listening systems installed. The two most common and easily upgradable are the types that use Infrared light (IR) and FM radio transmission (RF). The hard-wired (systems with headphone jacks in the chairs) and Induction Loop type systems are much less frequently used due to installation and long-term maintenance issues. More information about Induction Loop systems can be found here: www.hearingloop.org

Beyond the selection of the signal transmission method, which I will discuss below, there are other considerations to be thought-out in order to arrive at a system specification that will satisfy all of the operational needs of both the owner and the end-users.

Ergonomic considerations: There is a fairly strong correlation between the population requiring assistive listening devices and those that may also have other physical impairments. A fully able-bodied person can generally use just about any headphone, ear bud, or telecoil coupler that is available in the marketplace, however, persons with other physical disabilities must have devices provided that suit their ability to operate the receiver controls, make connections, if any, and don the listening appliance. Many products on the market are not well-suited for use by this segment of the population. A panel of the typical end-users should be assembled to introduce them to the various options available and to involve the product selection process.
Equipment Availability considerations: The ADA is very clear about the type of signage, illumination of the signage, and the location of signage that informs the incoming patrons that there is assistive listening equipment available and where it can be obtained. This means that the devices must be located where someone can readily access them and distribute them to those that request them. The equipment can’t be locked away in a cabinet in an office that is in another building that is closed after normal operating hours.
Equipment Management considerations: There should be a clean place to store the devices when not in use, and a means to keep them charged and ready to use. There is usually a system to check-out the equipment that involves the exchange of a student ID or some other place-holder to assure that the equipment is returned after the event. Equipment must be cleaned so that proper hygiene practices are observed for community shared devices.
The audio mix for the assistive listening system should be carefully monitored so that it does not include too much sound effects, music, or other sound that is detrimental to the clear understanding of the primary speech and/or singing (this is particularly important in theatrical, music, and sporting venues).
The Assistive Listening System must be interfaced to the existing audio system so that both microphones and pre-recorded material can be heard.
The speed of sound is significantly less than the speed of light (RF waves and Light waves), so it is usually necessary and beneficial to add a means to delay the Assistive Listening System signal so that the sound from the PA system arrives at the ears of the listener about the same time that the sound from the earphones is produced, otherwise there will be an echo perceivable by the user that can further impair their ability to understand what is being presented.
If the equipment is to be used in more than one venue around a campus or school district, it is highly recommended that it all be sourced from the same manufacturer to ensure inter-compatibility. Although there are some standards upon which the manufacturers build their products, there is no guarantee that brand A receivers will function properly with brand B transmitters.

RF transmission systems generally operate in a special FM radio band that is designated for this purpose by the FCC (it is not in the normal FM radio band used by local broadcasters). As a radio-based device, the transmitters broadcast a signal that can be received through walls and have a reception range that can sometimes be as far as 1,000 feet from the transmitter. This means that if adjacent classrooms or theatres are to use the same types of systems, then the frequencies (channels) must be carefully coordinated so that the proper program is heard in each space. Some FM-based systems can operate up to 16 channels without interfering with each-other, while others are limited to just one or two channels of simultaneous operation. The receivers used by the listener must be tuned to the proper channel that matches the program source they are interested-in. The FM transmitter (Radio Signal Modulator) is usually mounted in an equipment rack along with the rest of the audio system for a room. The antenna typically should be located remotely from the transmitter so that it can be positioned where it broadcasts the best signal coverage to the audience area(s). Proper mounting and orientation of the antenna is very important so that the radio waves do not reflect off of nearby metal (widow frames, conduits, pipes, metal wall studs, rebar, tile grid, etc.), and so the antenna directs the RF waves in the proper direction.

IR transmission systems utilize invisible light to transmit the signal. Unlike the RF antenna that can be hidden from sight, the IR emitter panel(s) must be located ‘line-of-sight’ to the audience. The size and quantity of the emitter panels vary by the shape and size of the room to be ‘illuminated’ by the IR light. The advantage that this transmission method has is that the signal stays in the room and will not disrupt similar systems in adjacent rooms. This allows the same receiver to be used in any room that is equipped with IR emitter panels. This is very helpful if there are students that will move between rooms, as they can take the receiver with them as needed. Many commercial venues rely in IR systems so that the program cannot be recorded from outside the performance space.

Similar to the FM systems, there is usually a signal processor that resides in the audio equipment rack, and then the signal is connected to the emitter panel(s) via a coaxial cable. Each system manufacturer has different wiring and powering requirements, so the specific wiring method cannot be predetermined unless the transmitter & antenna / emitter product is selected.

Other considerations are to determine where throughout the campus the assistive listing systems are to be installed. The ADA requires these systems in performance venues of any seating capacity, so lecture halls, gymnasiums, cafetoriums, gymatoriums, theatres, and auditoriums all fall in this category. Based on this new standard, it appears that classrooms now require them if there are audio systems present, however, since an AV system is a very common component in most modern classrooms, so the inclusion of an assistive listening system in the AV layout and design of these spaces should always be considered.

Outdoor venues like soccer fields, football fields, baseball fields, and amphitheatres also require assistive listening systems. These present a bigger challenge as they are much larger spaces and they are typically inherently outdoors and used under full daylight. IR type systems do not work in full sunlight as the sun emits IR energy that is much stronger than the assistive listening system emitter panels can produce. These venues can only use an RF based (FM or Induction Loop) transmitter system. Just as with the adjacent classrooms, adjacent outdoor venues must be designed to operate on different channels.

In schools where multi-lingual events occur, a multi-channel IR or FM Assistive Listening System can be utilized and interpreters can relay the program to the foreign language listeners.

The retrofitting of an entire campus or school district with a quality Assistive Listening System can be a complex project that will require careful integration of the equipment with the existing systems. Each room will undoubtedly have unique issues with the proper placement of equipment, storage and charging facilities, and in the case of RF based systems – frequency coordination. Additionally, the training of staff regarding the proper use and maintenance of the equipment will have to be a part of the project specifications. A professional independent AV Consultant can provide an objective systems design and product specification that can be equitably bid and installed by the successful contractor, and can provide project administration that will assure the school that their funds are responsibly applied.

Advocacy for the Arts – Do it now, or stand in a bread line later

2011-02-03T13:00:00.000Z

[For all those just looking for a list of websites that offer resources for advocating for the arts, you can scroll to the end of the post to see the list, or just click here.]

Recent announcements for the government to down-size and slash budgets on both a National and State level have had a chilling effect on the arts community. Plans to kill departments like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) fly in the face of logic when the other announced goal is to improve the quality of education and better prepare a workforce that is competitive on an international scale.

Although most of us acknowledge that government spending must be curtailed to some degree, it is the careful selection of WHERE those cuts are going to come from that will be of the greatest concern. You can affect this outcome. It is in your (that’s YOU, personally) best interest to do so, or you may well be out of a job.

One of the most difficult tasks is in arts advocacy is getting people off their duff and to take action. Yes, you can fire-off a few e-mails to your elected officials, and you might even call (their receptionist – did you really think you were going to get-through to ‘the big cheese’?) on the phone. Please do. But there is more you can do. Much more. And you have to get others to do it, too. We need an outpouring of outrage, not a trickle of tears.

How do you make that happen? Know your script, present it eloquently. I can’t help much with the ‘eloquence’, that’s your job as the playwright, director, and presenter; however, I can help with the script. Below are some great resources to call upon to help you, and others, better understand the ultimate impact that the arts have on society.

Balance your arguments so that the audience gets both the big picture and feels the pain of your local situation. Arts funding, as you will learn and teach, affects not just humanity’s soul, but also impacts learning skills, job performance, work opportunities, and community cash flow. Discuss the broader economic impact that most people don’t ‘get’: Let them know about all of the jobs that are either directly in the arts community, or are peripherally affected by the arts.

If you school or community is planning a new theatre or looking at renovating an existing one, there are many people involved:

Architects, Engineers, Consultants, Interior Designers, & Landscape Designers.
- They employ or use draftsmen, secretaries, and printers.
- They rent office space, buy computers & office furniture.
- The buy / rent houses, food, cars, clothes, insurance, and entertainment.
Contractors / Builders / Installers
- They employ or use draftsmen, secretaries, and printers.
- They rent office space, buy computers & office furniture.
- The buy / rent houses, food, cars, clothes, insurance, and entertainment.
Material Suppliers & Manufacturers
- They employ or use draftsmen, secretaries, and printers.
- They rent office space, buy computers & office furniture.
- The buy / rent houses, food, cars, clothes, insurance, and entertainment.
Product Manufacturers
- They employ or use engineers, draftsmen, secretaries, circuit board assemblers, metalworkers, plastic molders, and printers.
- They have both office space and manufacturing & warehouse space, they buy computers, machinery & office furniture. They use shippers to move their goods across the globe.
- The buy / rent houses, food, cars, clothes, insurance, and entertainment.

Do you see a pattern here? They are all part of the economy! A single venue being constructed or refurbished provides hundreds, maybe thousands, with jobs.

The same is true for Schools, Theatre Troupes, Dance Companies, Art Studios Recording Studios, Music Stores, and Movie Theaters.

The Entertainment Industry directly employs hundreds of thousands of people (just look at the credits for a movie to see evidence of this), and millions, if you include all of the jobs that serve the industry. Take a moment to look around and explain this to those in a position of fiscal power.

How might a high school theatre program affect the future career of a student? Being an actor may not seem to be a good career choice for some, but that isn’t the only outcome of getting a student interested in the performing arts. Someone has to engineer, build, sell, install, and service the thousands of parts that are a vital component of a play, video, or music production. This involves truck drivers, machinists, computer programmers, artists, marketing experts, accountants, and a wide variety of managers, supervisors, and company leaders. Many of these skills require a college level education in a wide range of disciplines:

Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Physics.
Math (lots of math!), Computer Science (what job doesn’t need this at some level?).
History (lest we repeat or mistakes).
Humanities (Art! Music! Dance! Theatre! Broadcasting! Cinema! Writing!)

And yes,

They employ or use draftsmen / graphics artists, secretaries, and printers.
They rent office space, buy computers & office furniture.
The buy / rent houses, food, cars, clothes, insurance, and entertainment.

Still not see the pattern? Then take a number for better service in the unemployment line — it’ll be a long wait when they down-size that department, too.

Arts Advocacy Resources:

California Educational Theatre Association - www.cetoweb.org/ceta_pages/adv.html
And in particular, they have a well researched Position Paper that you can download at: www.cetoweb.org/pdf/CETABrochure_web.pdf
Arts Education Partnership – www.aep-arts.org
And in particular, they have a paper entitled: Making a Case for the Arts: How and Why the Arts are Critical to Student Achievement and Better Schools that can be downloaded at: www.aep-arts.org/publications/info.htm?publication_id=25
California Alliance for Arts Education - www.artsed411.org which has an extensive list of resources to use.
National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices - The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation can be downloaded from: www.nga.org/cda/files/050102ARTSED.pdf
Nuturing Young People’s Creativity (International Youth Foundation ‘Field Notes’ January 2009) http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/FieldNotes_Creativity1262150933.pdf
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future by Daniel Pink - www.danpink.com/whole-new-mind
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) – www.tcg.org – top of page “Advocacy” tab
Americans for the Arts – www.artsusa.org – top of page “Advocacy” tab & "Get Involved" tab
Americans for the Arts – www.americansforthearts.org/
Arts Advocacy Toolkit for K-12 Education – www.californiaartstoolkit.com
The Value of the Arts to the Community and Education by AnnRene Joseph – www.marthalakecov.org/~building/strategies/arts/joseph.htm
Polk Arts Alliance – www.polkarts.org/advocacy/
Incredible Art Studio – www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/links/artedu.html
Arts In Education – www.artsinedu.com/advocacyindex.htm
National Performing Arts Convention – www.performingartsconvention.org/advocacy/id=28
Brian Seitel's Funding Perspective Poster: http://www.theatreface.com/profiles/blogs/assessing-the-nea-budget-in

To paraphrase the late President Kennedy:
"Ask not what the arts can do for you – ask what can I do for the arts?"

Involving Design Professionals Early in the Project Process

2011-01-27T14:00:00.000Z

A Theatre Consultant's design fees are a small fraction of the project cost. Invest in someone's experience, knowledge, and abilities to help your project be as grand as your vision. Design it right from the outset and you will only have to upgrade equipment due to age and wear — not because of dysfunctional or unsafe concepts.

The Theatre Consulting industry is small, and we all compete for many of the same projects. However, we also realize that we must police our own ranks to keep collusion at bay, fees reasonable, and quality high. To that end, most legitimate independent theatre consultants work with high ethics and try to create a level playing field where bidding contractors may fairly compete. Furthermore, most of us will provide a potential client, if asked, a list of our competitor's from which they may also solicit proposals. We're all knowledgeable and can bring good value to a project. Each has unique ideas, personalities, and experience that differentiate us from each-other and the rest of the professional design industry.

Be reasonable about design fees:

As mentioned before, the elves and the fairies don't come in the night to make these systems magically appear. Someone has to design them, specify them, and make sure that they get installed correctly. That is the Theatre Consultant's job. The Theatre Consultant makes their living based upon billable hours for project work. You have employed someone that is continually re-educating themselves for your benefit. This is done via participation in industry trade expositions, conventions, and standards committees. This reduces the amount of time available for project work but must non-the-less be supported by the project fees.

Don't waste their time, and they can expend more effort on the actual tasks of designing your facilities' systems. Be prepared for meetings, be willing to read-up on the subject, and take the time to read the documents they have prepared for you.

You didn't hire them to teach you all they know — you hired them because what they know will make your project as good as it can be within your budget.

Fees are not typically a percentage of the systems costs.

A project takes many hours to complete, and the amount of time required is largely dependant upon the overall scope of the project, not how expensive the equipment is. Small sophisticated systems can take more time to design and administer than large simple ones. Therefore, design fees are not always proportionate to the equipment budget. Regardless of the size or complexity of the system, there will always be a minimum number of hours expended on programming, design, documentation, bid administration, shop drawing review, site visits, and owner training. You are paying for your consultant's expertise, respect them enough to understand that they know what is involved in the start-to-finish completion of a job of your scope and magnitude.

Involve them from the outset.

A good Theatre Consultant will help you through the critical programming phase by helping you to ask the right questions and find the right answers. As design development begins, a clear set of building and operational criteria will allow you to create a space that solves challenges and accommodates the technical productions systems. A good theatre is designed from the inside-out, not vice-versa. Don't make your technical systems designers force-fit something into an ill-conceived space. This places unnecessary compromises on the systems designs and drives costs upward with little or no benefit to the end-users. Even when you are renovating an existing space or converting / repurposing a ‘found space’, there can be many opportunities to take advantage of an easy fit, verses making difficult-to-implement design choices.

Don’t be afraid to divide the project into functional segments. It is very common to employ a consultant to program the facility or project, but not actually go into the finite design process. This is helpful for both the consultant and the owner, as it gives everyone involved a chance to discuss the project openly while not committing to any specific design concept. Ideally, by the end of the programming phase the project will have some specific goals, budgets, and design direction identified. This can help the consultant prepare a proposal for systems design services that accurately reflects the effort required to layout and document the systems identified in the programming phase.

This is particularly true for renovation projects – dividing the design work into an ‘Assessment Phase’ and then a “Design Phase’ can be very helpful. The Assessment Phase is very similar to the Programming Phase, and it adds the observation / measurement of the existing facility so that a baseline understanding of the building and/or equipment can be documented.

The Design Phase (sometimes called the CD or Construction Document Phase) should encompass the work all the way through the final construction (CA or Construction Administration) and systems commissioning. This includes:

Reviewing shop drawings for conformance with the original specifications and drawings.
Preparing responses for Requests For Information (RFI’s).
Job site observation trips to check that infrastructure is being properly constructed and installed.
Checking to see that the final installation is done properly and correctly adjusted.
Review the ‘As-Installed’ (or As-Built) drawings for completeness.
Review of Operations & Maintenance (O&M) manuals.

A Performing Arts building is a complex machine that must be properly operated and maintained, so it is also advisable to employ your consultant to train the staff about the many capabilities and functionality that has been designed into your new venue.

The Myth of the Freebie

2011-01-20T21:59:31.000Z

Frequently an Architect or Owner will be tempted to ask a contractor to "design it for me and I'll see that you get to bid on it". This may be tolerated for copy machine and lawn-tractor specifications, but it does not work for complicated theatre systems. Does the Architect really know enough about theatre, lighting, sound, and acoustics to determine whether the sound system or the lighting system must take priority in the placement of a catwalk? Do Architects or School Purchasing Agents know enough about loft blocks, fire curtain system installation, and stage rigging to put out a bid package for a safety renovation? Who are you going to entrust with your theatre's renovation or design? Employing someone that does understand all these complex relationships can be of great benefit to your project. Someone that can provide an unbiased perspective to the design team and purchasing process is a professional Theatre Consultant.

Historically, many Architects and Engineers have relied upon contractors and equipment manufacturers to provide design services and specifications for free. For many venues, particularly publicly–owned facilities, this is both an unethical, and probably illegal practice. Most States have laws prohibit vendors from providing this type of assistance. It's OK to provide product data sheets for individual items, but sound, lighting, and rigging SYSTEMS are complex combinations of equipment and must be custom designed to suit the needs of the users and the physical space — they aren't just "parts" to be supplied by the lowest bidder. These "free" design services, if they have any quality and substance at all, are clearly gifts to the design or purchasing professional and should not be accepted in good conscience. Well thought-out designs utilizing unbiased equipment specifications require a considerable expenditure of time to produce and administer. Everyone knows time is money, so this means the design must either be worthless, or the design must be a gift, or, quite possibly, a worthless gift.

Often the Architects, Engineers, and Owner's Representatives will blithely accept these designs or specifications without considering possible conflicts of interest, or investigating to see if the design is even remotely appropriate to the project. Many people still don't seem to recognize that "there is no such thing as a free lunch." Furthermore, with Theatre Consulting being a fee-based service, it's really hard to compete with what appears to be a "free" service. The reality is: We're not selling the same thing.

Additionally, the “free” design is really only a partial design when a supplier provides them, as they have typically not taken the time to interview the users to and inspect the job site to discover the full range of impact that the new equipment may have on the overall operations. The "free" design is just for the equipment that the particular vendor / contractor is interested in seeing on the job. There is little or no interdisciplinary coordination or planning provided. No really useful input is typically included with the "free" equipment specs either — the vendors mostly ignore the real nature of architecture: To provide a functional theatre environment, not just a home for technical equipment.

Ask yourself this:

If an electrical contractor designed the wiring for a public works project for free, it would probably raise a few eyebrows; and if a steel or concrete supplier designed the structural underpinnings for a government building for no fee, there would undoubtedly be a few questions asked. Why then, are sound & video system contractors, dimming suppliers, seating manufacturers, and rigging installers continually allowed to get away with this practice?

There is a lot of money at stake here:

These systems are frequently life-safety critical and may cost between $50,000 and $2,000,000 per building. There are no small sums involved here. Who's watching the hen-house? Who determines which suppliers and/or contractors are qualified? Do you really want "Joe's Stereo Shoppe & Guitar Emporium" installing a $250,000 sound system? Who approves product substitutions or alternate designs? Who reviews shop drawings and site installations? The contractor providing the specifications for "free" certainly isn't going to be compelled to police himself! Nor is he likely to approve a competitor's request for alternate products. His competitor undoubtedly won't be thrilled about having them review his work should his bid be selected.

Checks & Balances

The contractor that specified the systems for "free" — yet lost the bid to a competitor — probably isn't going to want to waste any more "free" time on the project. Expending time (which equals money) on the thousands of details for construction of a project for which they aren't making any profit, isn't going to warrant much enthusiasm or cooperation. We know they can't make money while busy with the time consuming responsibility of Construction Administration. Furthermore, how can they possibly maintain the clear objectivity required to defend the Owner's best interests? These "free" designs just don't accommodate any of the checks and balances required in responsible construction.

Who's left holding the bag?

This leaves the Architect or Owner with little technical support to knowledgeably review the shop drawing submittals, let alone to coordinate them with other building systems. Consider the intricate nature of theatre technical systems equipment. It is highly unlikely that the Owner or Architect would know, or recognize, the difference between second-rate junk and quality products and designs — until it was too late to do anything about it. Almost anything can look good on paper if it's presented well. Ah, the miracle of CAD (Computer Aided Drafting)! This lack of context-sensitive review will in-turn, result in "rubber-stamp" approvals. The Owner is ultimately on the loosing end of the deal.

The end user looses, too.

Frequently, the end-users of the facility are the one's that inherit the results, and the administration never knows or understands why their staff is so frustrated with their "new toy". Sometimes the incorrect installation and/or equipment may not be discovered until many years later. During system redesigns or renovations, Theatre Consultants with good technical knowledge frequently uncover "scams" perpetrated years earlier by unethical contractors.

Undersized conductors, misconnected wires, bad welds, incorrect programming, undocumented "features", missing parts or safety interlocks are just a few of the "missed items" we encounter almost daily. The discovery of the mis-installed equipment will frequently explain why an intermittent problem has haunted the system for "as long as anyone remembers". Old buildings aren't the only place this happens — we've see installation travesties in brand-new buildings as well.

Consider a "hired gun" — someone has to defend the owner and end-user's best interests:

Someone that understands the day-to-day operations within a theatre is needed to see the "Big Picture" and communicate it to the Architect, Engineers, and Owner in terms which they can comprehend. Architects and Engineers typically don't understand the intricate details of theatre technical systems, and they have even more trouble designing them (and copying another project ‘seemed similar’ is surely a road to disaster); and Owners usually don't understand the construction process and the high level of coordination required amongst building trades.

The Theatre Consultant provides the interface between these worlds. Without oversight that is sensitive to the inner workings of the theatre, plumbing will end-up in conflict with the rigging, and air ducts will block personnel passage along catwalks, just to name a few items.

“All the world is a stage . . . ”

There are numerous critical inter-related design tasks that must be closely coordinated when developing a classroom, lecture hall, theatre, auditorium, or arena. Having ten different suppliers define the equipment for ten different, yet highly interrelated systems frequently results in dysfunctional and unsafe facilities.

"The essence of Theatre Consulting is making it all work together."

Ask around. Casually interview a few Architects and Engineers that do work with assembly space projects. Find-out who they use for the design of sound, A/V, video, stage lighting, stage rigging, and stage draperies. It's likely that you will find a few pseudo-consultants (those who are really contractors, manufacturer's representatives, or someone that does this on the side from their 'day job'), a few independent professional consultants, and a large number of names that can be traced directly to contractors, suppliers, manufacturer's representatives, and installers. The amazing thing is that they won't prevaricate about their sources — they are oblivious to their own unethical behavior!

Talk about it:

Bring the concepts discussed herein to the attention of your clients, staff, school board, and purchasing agents. Make it clear that the rules and regulations that are already in-place should be enforced. Public works projects must be developed and designed by unbiased professionals that can objectively enforce the construction documents. To do so means that they must hold themselves to a high standard of ethics and provide good stewardship of the projects under their control. If Planners and Architects understand up-front that contractor-based designs can't provide the checks and balances needed for a quality project, then perhaps the public's money will be spent a little more prudently, and the end-users will get more value from the tax dollars expended.

Next: Involving Design Professionals Early in the Project Process

Theatre Plant Design – Who’s Watching the Hen House?

2011-01-13T12:00:00.000Z

Few Architects or School Administrators truly understand the inner workings of theatres or lecture halls as a production space. Most of the public think that "elves and fairies come in the night" and put on a show. Rarely do they comprehend the enormous planning, design, and custom construction that goes into mounting a show, let alone the planning, design, and construction of the facility to support this effort. They have little concept of the tools required for the task, yet they are typically the ones that make the major decisions about how the venue will be designed. The Theatre Plant is a tool of enormous complexity and is very difficult to design. I have heard many Architects, Engineers, and Contractors tell me that the only building that is more difficult to design and construct is a hospital.

Ask most drama instructors if they like their theatre, or if they think it is well designed, and you'll probably get a four or five hour tirade casting aspersions about the Architects' ancestry. The number of poorly designed (and frequently unsafe) assembly spaces that we see perpetrated on unsuspecting clients is astounding. Harsh words? Yes, but don’t shoot the messenger. With a little insight it is usually quite easy to understand their frustrations. Little or no storage, noisy rooms, inadequate power, poor sightlines, antiquated technologies for Sound, Lighting, and Rigging may start the list. Then there are safety issues — how do you teach students to run shows safely if their equipment is in tatters and was designed for the contractor’s convenience, not the users’ well-being? There is little value in bad design, and great sums to be paid lawyers and plaintiffs should an accident occur.

So, how do you fend-off a bad theatre before it is designed? Who is going to design and specify the technical production systems? Who is going to see that they are installed correctly? A system of check & balances must be established to ensure that the production requirements of a theatre space are not trampled by overzealous, yet well intentioned, architects, engineers, and building contractors.

· Stage Lighting is not taught in Electrical Engineering School - Should the project electrical engineer be allowed to do it?

· Stage Rigging is not taught in Mechanical Engineering School - Should the project structural engineer be saddled with it?

· Stage Draperies are vastly different than commercial interiors draperies - Should the project interior designer be given the task?

These same questions can, and should, be asked about all of the technical production systems: Sound, Video, Production Intercom, Dimming, Pit Fillers, Stage Floors, Dressing Room layouts, Lighting and Rigging Catwalks, Orchestra Lifts, Seating Plans, Scene Shop and Control Booth layouts. Each is a unique adaptation of art, science, and production usage that must be made to function optimally within the context of a working theatre.

Theatre Consulting is a niche industry that is not well understood. The very nature of the Theatre Consultant's role in the design process is a multifaceted interweaving of almost every other discipline involved in the project. When you design a theatre plant, you have to assess every aspect of each item in the building and ask how will it affect the audience’s perception of the facility and the shows within it; how will it affect those trying to produce the show, and how will it affect the performers. This can be very time intensive, as the smallest of seemingly insignificant details can really affect the success of the end product. Misplaced lights, shiny surfaces in the wrong place, clattering door hardware, and a myriad of other items can all detract from the audience’s enjoyment and immersion in the show.

Communicating the value and impact of this type of service to a prospective client can be complicated and time consuming. There are not very many companies that provide these services, and very few that fully integrate their services with acoustics, noise control, and audio-visual design. We recognize that the education of potential clients is a task we must do and accept it as part of our work.

One of the first questions that is frequently raised is: “Who’s going to pay for this ‘extra’ consultant?” The standard Owner-Architect contracts can accommodate the fees of a variety of specialty consultants being passed-through to the client. This is reasonable since Architects can't be expected to know all things. Unfortunately, most Owners and Architects don't take advantage of these accommodations effectively when considering theatre consulting services. This is strange because it is very common for a School to hire special kitchen consultants for their food service areas, or specialty landscaping consultants for their sports playing fields – so why not employ a specialist for the theatre when planning a performing arts center?

Many Architects immediately think they'll have to take a hit on their established fees and fail to explore the options available. Likewise, if the Owner is approached about the concept, they may be naive enough to think that their Architect must know all that is necessary to effectively execute the project. This is mostly a client education task, but it can sometimes be very difficult to communicate this information to a potential client without offending them and/or the Architect. Some Architects have a very difficult time admitting (either to themselves or to their clients) that they don’t know enough about theatres to design one without extra assistance. Others have designed many theatres thinking that they have done a wonderful job, and it never crosses their mind that their projects are functional disasters and new facilities could be vastly improved if they would involve someone knowledgeable about the inner workings of a theatre.

Many Architects don’t understand the time savings a Theatre Consultant can bring to their project, so they don’t see the value of the fees. The early involvement of an experienced consultant can help the design team from going down dead-end design paths. One of the common errors we see are projects where the Architect and Owner have designed the facility the way they think it should be, have set a budget, and then seek-out a consultant and ask them to “make it work”. Designing around bad architecture and forcing systems to fit into awkward spaces and within ill-conceived funding is both time-consuming and frustrating.

It is much easier for everyone if the Theatre Consultant (and acoustician, if this is a separate consultant) to be involved from the very first planning meetings. They will ask questions, suggest ideas, and provide guidance that can help focus the project towards a functional layout and a realistic budget that will be productive for all that will use the venue.

To be continued . . . see “The Myth of the Freebie” post to follow.

Who's Job is 'Safety'?

2011-01-06T13:00:00.000Z

Much of my practice as a Theatre Consultant involves the safety and well-being of my customers. This is a multi-faceted element as I get involved with projects from several different aspects:

I visit many theatres just to see how they are constructed and equipped. While there, I frequently find items that are hazardous.
I work with existing facilities to plan improvements to other system like lighting, sound, or rigging, and I frequently find items that are hazardous.
I work with Architects and Owners to plan new facilities, and while doing this, I frequently find items that will be hazardous if the design continues down that path.

The common thread (if you didn’t notice), is that I frequently find items that are hazardous (yes, even in brand new theatres!). Why is that? Does the doctor only see sick people? I don’t believe that to be the case. I mostly attribute it to lack of awareness to one’s surroundings. I always tell my clients that they need to look at things with a fresh set of eyes. We become complacent to our surroundings and fail to see the obvious, and we frequently don’t ever stop to ponder the more abstract issues of ‘what if?’

Look around your theatre. All of you. Not just the technicians – it’s not ‘their job’. It’s EVERYONE’S job. Be you a dancer, costumer, director, or box office manager, it’s your job to know your surroundings. Not just for your own well-being, but for the sake of everyone that comes through your venue. If your patrons get hurt – it’s highly unlikely that they will return if the last time they were there they were injured, or saw someone get injured. The same goes for your artists and staff.

It’s just like a 12-step program – the first thing you have to do is recognize you have a problem. Hazard recognition is the key to preventing injuries. Look at the building, the equipment, and the staff. Analyze your processes, your procedures, your show. Look at each part and ask yourself: What could possibly go wrong? (famous last words!) Can this be done more safely? What can we do to fix this?

Involve the whole staff in the process. Everyone has a different perspective. It is important that you listen to them and acknowledge their concerns. This is no place for ‘blowing people off’. If someone thinks that there is a potential hazard, then more than likely there really is a hazard and nobody has taken the time to consider the consequences of what could happen should something go ‘horribly wrong’.

Solutions to potential problems should be well researched – don’t just slap some bailing wire and gaffer’s tape on it. There may well be real laws and regulations that specifically address the hazard, so you need to understand the legal requirements surrounding the issue before you try to formulate a resolution. Understand that solutions come in many forms:

Administrative – Make rules, and policies – then communicate and enforce them.
Corrective – This may be an engineering fix or procedural change to the problem.
Training – This involves educating the staff and artists about the hazard and making sure that they recognize it when they see it.
Preventive – This may involve removing the hazard, or installing a means to keep people away from the problem item.

Each of these solutions must not only meet the letter of the law (rule, code, standard, regulation) and spirit of the law, but they must also be something that can work within the operations of the venue and its production(s). If an untenable solution is developed, then everyone will either ignore it or work-around it and there will be no net gain in safety.

I can do that myself! Maybe. Maybe not. As Clint Eastwood’s character Dirty Harry once said: “A man’s got to know his limitations.” Don’t be afraid to ask for help – both in identifying the problem(s) and in devising the solution(s). You don’t know what it is you don’t know. Seek-out persons that have experience both in theatre operations and in defining the safety issues – this can help you improve your workspace while not hindering your production. The show must go on – however – it must go on safely!

Hard Floors vs. Hard Heads

2010-12-30T14:00:00.000Z

For those of you that missed it in the news – A major Broadway Musical production of SpiderMan suffered a serious publicity snafu last week when the aerialist playing Spidey took and unexpected 30 foot dive off of the scenery. (http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/spidey-goes-splat.html & http://www.stage-directions.com/theatre-buzz/2925-another-serious-actor-injury-on-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-agencies-agree-on-more-stringent-safeguards.html & http://www.stage-directions.com/theatre-buzz/2952-actors-equity-president-releases-statement-on-spider-man-injuries.html)

Most of us mere mortals never get to work a show this complex or expensive to produce, however, we do frequently get to place performers and the audience in harms’ way. Let’s look at this kind of risk and see how we might better mitigate it. Here is a recent example that I came across:

The local children’s theatre summer camp decides to present “Once upon a Mattress”, which is a variation upon the fairy tale “The Princes and The Pea”. Set piece needed: A bed with twenty or so mattresses. This gets pretty tall - say about 11 feet tall. You have to be able to move it on / off the stage, the actress playing the princess is about 12 years old, and will have to climb up on top of the bed as a part of the performance.

What could possibly go wrong here?

· Unsecured access – The ladder is not a fixed part of the set piece and has no hooks to lock it to the bed frame or anchor it to the floor. The ladder is leaning against a set piece that is on non-locking casters and is not secured to the floor. The ladder weighs almost as much as the princess. The ladder’s vertical side rails do not significantly extend above the top of the sloped platform, so transition to / from the ladder is difficult at best.. (Note: OSHA standard is for a ladder to extend 36” above the deck.)

· Unplanned movement - The bed frame is on casters that do not lock, so when the performer is climbing or descending the ladder, or moving about on top of the mattresses, the set piece and ladder are both free to move independently of each other.

· The top of the bed is so tall that the tiny actress disappears from the audience’s view, so the top of the bed is raked (sloped) about 10 degrees so she will be more visible. Railings would have “blocked the audiences’ view”, so there were no railings. (Note: OSHA standard is that fall protection shall be utilized whenever workers are more than 72” above the floor.)

So we ask ourselves: What parent sanctions their child to ‘play around’ on the sloped roof of a one story building where they could fall onto a hard floor below? Probably not too many. Did I mention that the parents PAID to have their children in this play?

Who would be responsible if the princess fell?

· The Set Designer / Scenery Builder was a “respected Technical Theatre instructor at a local College”, but did not incorporate any safety features into the set piece like locking casters or floor jacks, did not secure the ladder to the set piece or floor, and did not provide any place to secure the performer to the set piece. The set piece did not appear to have been constructed of fire retardant / fireproof materials.

· The Director / Producer of this play didn’t recognize the potential hazards involved in this scenario and instructed the crew to use this scenery, and directed the 12 year old actress to climb upon it and perform.

· The Costumer did not design-in any way for the actress to wear a fall protection harness under her outfit. It is likely that the costume materials were not treated with fire retardant.

· The Stage Manager and/or Rigger did not see that this could be a potential problem and did not require that any safety precautions be accommodated. No crash-pads on the floor, no interlocks between the ladder and the set, piece, no fall protection equipment, or places to attach a fall restraint lanyard.

· The Theatre Owner was leasing the space to the Show Producer and was reluctant to require any safety precautions be taken for fear that the renter would not return if they required to produce the plays safely.

· The one person that broached the subject of the princess’s safety was ejected from the Theatre.

What could have been done differently? Safety planning must begin with the first production meetings. Hazards must be recognized and addressed early so that solutions can be researched for complexity, cost, and availability. This isn’t limited to just fall protection. This has to address many other items as well.

Theatre is a very collaborative effort, and all the participants must work closely together to mount a show safely. The integration of safety within the culture of the production staff is key to making it a seamless step. Everyone should be free to comment on the methods and materials so that the ‘path of least resistance’ is to do it right, not find excuses.

Ladder Safety Information:

www.laddersafety.org

www.elcosh.org/en/document/324/d000305/hazard-alert-ladder-safety.html

www.scribd.com/doc/22733144/TeqNote-Ladders-Fall-Protection

Don't shoot the piano player, er, uh, blogger!

2010-12-19T16:30:00.000Z

As you may have heard / read, TheatreFace has asked us few of us to blog on a regular basis about what we think, do, and see as a part of our involvement in the performing arts. As an introduction, I'd like to provide you with a bit of information about my background, so you might better understand where my blogging perspective is coming from.

I've always been a big fan of storytelling of many forms - be it books, movies, or live presentations. As a child, my parents and grandparents would read to me, take me to movies and plays, and I learned at an early age that you can escape the here-and-now and travel to fantastic places in your mind. Skip forward a few years and you find a kid that is an avid reader and movie watcher that also is interested in tinkering with lights, sound, and audio/visual technology. Yeah, I was that geek on the AV Squad (and damn if there aren’t pictures in the school yearbook to prove it, too! Yes, hard copy yearbooks are just as ‘forever’ as something you post on the internet.)

Well, a few rounds of flipping slides and playing with a reel-to-reel tape recorder in my basement lead to a real interest in what makes music recording and movies happen, so I found myself building a set for Neil Simon’s ‘Come blow your horn’. There I met a few guys several years older than I that had put together a bit of lighting and sound gear to rent-out for shows. This lead to late-nights out-of-town with rock-n-roll bands, convention center gigs, and rained-on shows in muddy meadows. You had to learn a lot about everything real quick. I ran autotransformer dimmers, mixed sound, trimmed carbon-arc follow spotlights, built road cases & audio snakes, and climbed through buildings stringing wire and cable.

Through these connections I met the guy that actually built some of the very first electronic dimmers that were roadworthy enough to use in touring applications. He took me under his wing and showed me how he built these things, and he shared his stories from his beginning in the industry. He was an old vaudeville stagehand that learned the art of film projection when it was just one of the acts in a multi-part entertainment show. His experiences with touring with Holiday on Ice via busses and railroad cars were truly amazing. I cherish this type of ‘tribal knowledge’.

I met some of his projectionist buddies and they taught me how to build a film presentation from the shipping reels to the show reels, and how to watch for the change-over cue dots so you can keep the audience happy. Sadly, the art of the projectionist is a vanishing skill set as digital cinema takes-over. You have to have new skills to compensate for the ones that evolve to non-existence.

I moved-on to work more shows and learn more about lighting, fog machines, sound, and acoustics. Then one day while flipping through the phone book I ran across a listing for ‘Acoustical Consultants’. “Huh? What’s this?” I asked myself. I dropped-by to see what these folks did, and buy the luck of the draw, they were looking for someone that had practical experience with theatres, sound, lighting, etc. The next thing I knew, they had me behind a drafting table drawing conduit plans, rigging details, and running reverberation-time (RT60) measurements for ill-behaved rooms. I was like a kid in a candy shop with new things to learn and explore.

I needed more. More education. More knowledge. More experience. I found out that experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted. I’ve enjoyed the last 30 years doing this (OK, this probably classifies me as a ‘old fart’). Learning. Reading. Doing. Researching. It’s a never-ending cycle when your work is your passion. Out of all of it, I’ve learned that you must always keep learning, listening, looking, and sharing.

It’s this last item that my blog entries will be about. Sharing. As one astute observer once said: “The ancients are stealing our secrets!” Listen and learn, and I’ll do the same. Drop me a line, I’ll try to address your inquiries.

Theatre Safety Blog now online

2009-04-23T23:26:19.000Z

Please visit my Theatre Safety Blog at:
www.TheatreSafetyBlog.blogspot.com

Please feel free to let me know if there is a particular issue that you would like me to address and I'll see what I can do to get some info posted. Send me photos, news stories, and disaster reports that relate to the performing arts.