Erich Friend's Blog (13)

“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…

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…

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…

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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…

[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…

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…

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…

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. …

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…

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. (…

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…