This is kind of a "what's the worst day you've had" kind of thread but also a "this industry is surprisingly small" story.

It was 2017 and I was then the 'be all' tech guy at a small 120 seat theatre in a small town. We had a theatre group tour through and do two kids shows. The performances went off without a hitch and we start the bump out which was scheduled to take about 2 hours on a friday afternoon.

We start dismantling the set and BANG, the whole building shook.

I opened the loading door which opens on to an alley and see the company's truck on a 20 degree angle leaning against our building having gone off the edge of the bitumen and sunk in to a small strip of mud between the lane and the building.

Making matters worse, it had crushed the conduit containing the incoming mains electricity for the building, was leaning on a gas pipe and wedged next to a large wall mounted air-conditioning unit. It was proper stuck.

I could see my free Friday night evaporating about as fast as the bill someone was going to get was growing.

We had a emergency response from the fire service, electricity provider, heavy air-conditioning mechanic, heavy vehicle recovery company along with a few other helpful locals.

By the time the truck was in a state to use and we were able to actually commence the load out the power had been turned off for so long that the emergency lights inside had gone flat so we did the load out by torchlight and the truck finally left 9 hours later than scheduled near midnight.

The truck driver and tour manager were immensely apologetic for the trouble and said to send them the bill. There was no structural damage but the power lines needed work and the air-conditioning reinstalled so the bill was fairly big but I imagine insurance took care of it.

But that's not the end of the story.

Fast forward to 2024 and I have moved on to a much larger city and a paid job at a much bigger theatre and the same theatre company comes to us touring a new show.

Everyone on this show is different except for the tour manager and she spends the whole bump in looking at me funny like she knows me but can't pick where from. I decide to put her our of her misery and I say "you're trying to figure out where you know me from aren't you?", she nods and I just say the name of the previous show and the town.

She gasps and calls her crew over and says "this is the tech from XYZ". I learnt that the experience has entered in to the vocabulary of the company in the context of bad shows and "at least its not as bad as XYZ bump out"

The ASM asks if it was really as bad as the story made out.

Yes..... yes it was.

Basically the title. I know many people hate them but I love how clean and wide a clove hitch tied with the flat ribbons look.

Hey crew,

I work in a scenic shop. Been doing some theme park work, and wondering if anyone has come across any sustainable alternatives to foam carving.

The stuff I've done in the past is usually EPS (expanded polystyrene) carved with CNC or by hand, then coated in a rigid Polyurea hardcoat (pretty nasty stuff) or a smooth-on product.

Has anyone tried anything compostable or recyclable? I hate throwing away foam scraps and dust.

Hey Reddit community,

I'm encountering an issue with my setup and would appreciate some advice. I have a Yamaha TF5 digital mixer and recently acquired a Tio1608D2 stage box to expand my inputs. However, I'm having trouble getting them to connect properly.

I've followed the instructions in the manuals for both devices, ensured all connections are secure, and updated the firmware, but still no luck. When I try to connect the TF5 to the Tio1608D2, it's not recognizing the stage box.

Has anyone else experienced similar issues or have any suggestions on troubleshooting steps I could try? I'm open to any advice or insights you may have. Thanks in advance for your help!

I’m the TD and LD for my schools production of Matilda, I also run sound and projections during the musical. We have 23 channels of wireless which has definitely been a challenge to coordinate. So, how’s my setup?

Hi theater wizards, question on best practices for reducing fire hazards for large scale scenery. I was going to use a LOT of Great Stuff foam on a PVC and chicken wire armature. Then I learned that the cured foam is still quite glammable above 240 degrees F. Crap.

I am planning to create a giant tree stump that can be walked around inside of at music festivals. So, it's a more intensive safety engineering problem to solve. I've been reading theater codes to try to build it in compliance for as many potential festivals as possible. While it won't be entirely closed, and others will be able to see inside so as to encourage good behavior, fact is this thing needs to be fairly immune to the unpredictability of tweakers, stoners, spunions, drunks, and all manner of fuqed up hippies. I've designed it to be uninviting to climb, but I'm imagining it needs to not burst into flames if someone pokes a lit cigarette or something onto it. It doesn't have to be flamethrower proof, but it has to resist human shenanigans.

Is there a seal, coating, or paint (intumescent?) that can cover the GS foam to reduce spark hazards? I don't see the temperature piece being an issue. Electrical is very limited to LEDs. I was planning on painting it with house paint.

I've seen the fire-rated GS, but from photos it doesn't look like it expands nearly as much as the regular.

Fiberglassing the whole thing is out of the budget at this point.

Any suggestions appreciated!

Hi all!

I need some help identifying something! I’m trying to fix my wireless LED tape on a set piece and there’s a piece on the red cable which I’m not sure what exactly it is. I’ve tried googling what I think it is, but I keep coming up with nothing. Anyone able to identify this? Thanks in advance!

I realize this is a rather naive question, but how much should mic placement affect volume? We currently use the Shure WL93. Certainly not the best, but it’s a community theatre with a small budget. We have always placed those on the cheek. A small group of actors asked if they could try wearing them in the hairline. There was a surprisingly high falloff. +10dB reduction. Is that normal? Is this just a misapplication of the Shure mic?

So I have a Stairville DMX-Master 1 and an Eurolite Edx-4rt analog dimmer. I also have two digital dmx led lights. I have no idea how to control anything. I can get the analog lights to work kinda but nothing works together. I have read every manual but still have no idea what to do. Imma throw this out here because I thougt you guys could know something.

Hello! I’m an audio guy by trade, but I occasionally do some of the basic lighting for our building. Resetting focus and such.

I’d like to connect my iPad to our old legacy ETC Gio to use remote focus so I don’t have to run down from the catwalks as I focus. I do this with audio consoles frequently, but I find myself anxious that plugging in my router to the GIO might somehow affect the artnet that is controlling all the lights. It seems like artnet and router connection share the same bank of ports on the back of the console, and I was just wondering if there was anything I should look out for before I start plugging in. Should I turn off dhcp on my router? Is there a setting on the console I need to make sure is on?

Thanks!

Hello, I am a Student Technical Director and before leaving the theater organization in my university I want to upgrade all our sound system and equipment of our university's studio. I'm asking if what kind of speakers should be used for black box theater. I'm planning to order:
4x Martin Audio X8
2x QSC E18SW-BK
Our seat capacity of our studio is up to 200. Would it be wise for this kind of studio? I'm open to opinions and suggestions. Thank you and have a great day as well as break a leg to all theater companies.

https://preview.redd.it/93z2o5hzbrwc1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=300438ca380c227c89800328a3d63a1487a8a10d

Hello - I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a relatively economical media server to be used in a museum environment. My go-to is d3/disguise servers but I don't think this project budget will support one (and it might be overkill).

Project requirements are pretty straightforward:

• 2 HD video outputs to projectors (need edge warping, but it's not a blend)
• Audio playback
• Lighting: Ideally it would be able to output Art-net/dmx directly, but I can also handle this on a separate device so long as there is OSC or networking capabilities

Thanks in advance - appreciate any recommendations.

***** EDIT: I just wanted to say a sincere thank you for all the recommendations!! I’m looking into many and will update my post on the short list as well as my final decision in case it is useful to others looking for similar. Cheers!

Hi Everyone,
I'm currently starting a production of Evil Dead The Musical and there's a scene where a character gets stabbed in the ankle by a demon with a pencil. It happens on stage and I'd like to look as real as possible but keep my actors equally safe. Any Ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The company I’m working for has an ETC Express 24/48. I know the old boards use VGA for display connection. What exact type of cable do I need? I’m also assuming any monitor with VGA connection will work, is that correct?

I’ve done plenty of board op work so I have no problem programming and running the board, I’m just a little less familiar with setup.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

Hi all, I’m a student LD in Lincolnshire UK and for my final project of this academic year I’ve got to create a rig plain for a showcase that the PA students are putting on in a few weeks.

I’m currently using LXPlan on a windows device and it isn’t making any sense.

I’m in a rush to complete this before Friday next week (29th) so need some help into very user friendly programmes to create my LX rig plan.

What are your suggestions!

TIA

Hi! Sooooo I’m lighting my first set for a show coming up (ahhhhhhh) & I’m wondering if anyone had some suggestions for submasters that are useful for you when busking. I want to put one for the rate of my effects, but not sure which other ones would be good and helpful. We aren’t working with a ton of lights for this show (we have 4 movers, 7 cyc lights, & some side cyc lights, & 4 PARS). Any suggestions are welcome 🤍 I’m still learning & sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m working on it!

I recently made a MIDI controller using an ardunio micro controller for QLAB control for audio cues.

As a highschooler with lots of free time, I am anxious to make another ardunio related project that relates to theatrical sound. Any ideas?

I’m a technical director for a small theater company. The scene shop I “inherited” is a bit of a mess, and it’s a bit on the small side (at least from what I’m used to at previous jobs). We’re a non-profit organization, so we tend to keep a LOT of stuff and try to re-use as much material as possible from show to show. I’m hoping y’all can give me some inspiration on how to better organize my shop.

I’d love to see pictures of your shop, specifically how you organize scrap wood.

I’m also completely redoing our rigging area, so it would be really helpful to see what other people have done and what you like about it.

Hey all, I work for a theater that's a step or two above a typical community theater. Looking for safe approaches to creating sparks on stage that don't cost an arm and leg. Thoughts?

I need advice for a practical effect I am rigging. The scene involves a gun fired into the roof and the director wants a bit of plaster ceiling to drop down on cue. I have a working electromagnetic solenoid that triggers from Qlab on demand but I don’t know what power or dust to use that will look like falling plaster - cast will possibly be underneath the falling area. I have been told to avoid talc and flour is a fire risk so what might people suggest? We do have a budget to purchase something specialised if it’s not crazy expensive. Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone.

I am a university student, currently studying a technical theatre course, who is looking for participants for my research study. I would need autistic individuals with professional background/experience in technical theatre to fill out my questionnaire (linked below).

Thanks in advance.

Questionnaire Link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=U2ZwI1fNBEWaWQlgJR20sENAFTm_DOdCrpmoBS83QFFUODZQSTA1OEswMExZTDE5SjRCMThJSEs4MS4u

I assumed there were multiple cars used, but a wait in the wings video suggested there was only 1 car which if true makes the flight over the audience seem impossible.

I know https://www.thetwinsfx.com/case-study/back-to-the-future/5/ twin fx were involved.

​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ff4zG7tGBA

the first car is this one central base moves the car around and the car has some lift and spin ability around the base the wheels spin to make it look like its driving. Its heavier to allow for actors to dance on it etc

Then a 2nd one that is lighter and has the safety harness in it for flying upside down, it is either ties down into the stage think MJ anti gravity boots boots, or is seriously counterweight or some combo and its essentially a boom handler with a telescopic arm which protects the car out over the stall and rotates it. The illusion of magic comes from hiding black on black.

Alternatively its a bit like how chitty flew but attached behind and not below. If it did not go upside down I would have assumed their "flying without wires" but I assume that is like the carpet in Aladdin, Copperfield and Mary Poppins flys

Does anyone know any more details? hopefully its patented like the carpet in Aladdin https://patents.google.com/patent/US20140224951

Any ideas on inventive and budget friendly ways to add on to the scenic devastation that happens in this number? Falling lights and slamming doors are already in the docket

Im currently in the Netherlands and seeing the vast event market here i am wondering which

would be the most established and big A/V companies to look into?

I am mostly leaning into companies that work on festivals, in the music industry or film.

Tips for post production would also be very appreciated!

Thanks a bunch for any lead!

I know there is a lot of overlap with these jobs but wondering how you guys differentiate these titles. Particularly in a road house setting.