I’ve worked on a number of shows that have variously used published, copywritten music in their sound design — sometimes quick samples, sometimes playing basically the full track for a movement/dance sequence. Whenever this comes up it’s always a grey zone; directors/designers seem to have anxiety around the potential illegality of this, but not enough anxiety to keep from doing it. Has anyone ever experienced or heard of legal action being taken / cease and desists coming in / anything of the sort due to copywritten music being included in theatrical sound design? Is it fair use because the product is something other than the music itself? Does it not matter because union rules typically prevent video recording anyway making it close to impossible to get in trouble for it? What is the actual fine print on this?

Hey folks,

does any of you have any experience with the punQtum Q110 comms system from Riedel?

We're looking into purchasing some comms for our small theater, but the budget is not too big... From what I can see through photos and the manual, it actually looks awesome and the price is very affordable!

I didn't find a single video or post from someone really using them. Is there some catch, that I should be aware of before purchasing?

Thanks!

Hi folks,

The Sharon Playhouse in Connecticut is looking to hire a full-time Technical Director. We are a non-profit summer theater, and typically this position has typically been hired on a seasonal basis, but we'd like to bring someone to work for the company year-round. Here are some of the details:

Our 2024 production season starts April 29 and ends October 7, 2024. Compensation: $800 per week for 24 weeks – with the hopes that whoever is hired will want to stay on in a full-time, year-round position.

In addition to an unforgettable summer of theatrical adventure, we're pleased to offer our Technical Director the following benefits:

• Local Housing: Comfortable accommodations will be provided for the duration of your contract.
• Round Trip Travel: We will provide a travel stipend to get to safely to and from Sharon CT.
• Use of a Vehicle: a provided vehicle will be available for your use.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Operate, maintain, and safeguard the technical assets of the theater, including supervising the use of lighting, sound, communications equipment, and the use and maintenance of stage facilities.
• Determine the necessary technical supports, such as lighting, sound, staging, and special needs, necessary for special events and performances presented at the Playhouse in advance of production dates.
• Advise scenic, lighting, and sound designers on the technical specifications, costs, and usage of technical equipment required for the individual shows, and supervise the implementations of approved technical designs.
• Supervise and assist with set and stage construction and management.
• Assist in training and assignment of apprentices and/or paid technical staff.
• Monitor the condition of technical equipment and perform preventative maintenance. When necessary, arrange for the repair/replacement of equipment that aligns to the approved operational budget.
• Attend production meetings and technical rehearsals in order to supervise, support, and assist in the technical aspects of all Playhouse productions/events.
• Make recommendations to Playhouse leadership regarding capital purchases of technical equipment.
• Participate in cross-departmental venue support to ensure overall success of event and venue operations.
• Coordinate with Playhouse Staff on all facility and staff scheduling needs.
• With seasonal staff; organize, execute and maintain the cleanliness of stage, shops/storage, and support areas, including buildings and grounds.
• Collaborate on the scenic design of the YouthStage school partnership production of Mary Poppins, Jr.
• As a member of the senior staff, this position involves training and mentorship of The Sharon Playhouse apprentices with respect to your given area of technical expertise.

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Technical Direction or Production is preferred.
• Strong computer proficiency, specifically with Google Docs, Excel and drafting (AutoCAD/Vectorworks).
• Candidates must have strong written and verbal communication skills, the ability to work independently, excellent organizational and time-management skills, a positive attitude and a collaborative spirit.

Interested parties can apply here: Sharon Playhouse Job Application

Ok so last night a friend sent me a reel. It had a group of guys throwing out dozens of moving lights into a dumpster. Upon closer inspection, it looked like most of what they were tossing were these fixtures.

I commented that not only is it fucked up that these lights were clearly just going into the garbage, but that it’s disappointing that so much ultra-cheap, private-labeled gear is manufactured in the first place. Without tech support from the manufacturer or the ability to purchase replacement parts, I can’t see these lights lasting very long. It feels, ultimately, incredibly wasteful.

I got some heat in my replies - mostly people saying that this kind of fixture was all that their budget allows for. I acknowledge that I’m in a niche section of the industry where budgets are large, but I cut my teeth in small regional theaters with microscopic budgets, so I get wanting to stretch your dollar as far you can. But still, I’d be concerned about buying gear on, say, Aliexpress. Or maybe I’m wrong and those lights are good, and I’m just a snob. I don’t know.

FWIW, I absolutely don’t judge anyone buying super inexpensive gear. You do what you gotta do. But it’s reminiscent of fast fashion, which comes with a lot of behind the scenes consequences. Yet another example of companies getting rich off of this constant, growing market for inexpensive stuff. Lookin at you, Temu.

The whole thing got me thinking, and I guess I wanted to pose this question to this community - what do yall think? What’s your experience been with gear like this? If you had to put a rig together with a limited budget, would you purchase low-end gear? Or would you go another route?

I'm the LD & Technician for a show in my area, does anyone have any recommendations on how to markup my script and not make it look messy?

Hi all, I've been trying to learn the strand neo as it is something I now have access too, and wondered if there was a way to set either a shape or shortcut button to run an fx from the fx library tab to all selected fixtures e.g. rainbow or flicker?

Also is there away to have colour pallets set to shapes or shortcut buttons?

Hello! I’m not sure this is the place to ask, but I have a student who is looking to do film in college. What would be a good recommendation for laptop? My gut reaction is MacBook but I don’t know what programs are used in that industry vs. in theatre. Thanks!

Position Type: Full Time, benefits eligible

Salary: $46,382.69 - $52,180.53

Organization: University of Arkansas, Department of Theatre

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Check out the full posting and apply at the link below -

https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UASYS/job/Fayetteville/Sound-and-Lighting-Supervisor_R0053857?q=University+of+Arkansas,+Fayetteville&locations=17a66cdad98201f7890cfb48ca00e249

I'm new to theatre lighting and were using a black box theatre with a wooden board set. My teacher wants to put led strip lights into the wood boxes to make an illuminated light thing. Anyone know how i could do this. I linked a picture of what it is inspired by.

the idea/inspiration

LD school recommendations (does not matter where in the world) where the duration is only 1 year?

Edit: I have a bachelor’s in Theatre and would like to focus more into lighting.

Is there a readaly available throw distance calculator that I can input lux@distance from a spec sheet and determine how far it will go before it gets fairly dim?

Do any of you know a good product for labeling and marking on heat shield that will stick and won't melt off?

hello everyone, I'm setting up a production and we bought LEDs and a simple dmx512 table. My table was configured and when I turned it off, the parleds turned off together (they stayed on without the light), but when there was a power cut while the table it was on, some lights "inverted" and now when I turn off the table they turn on the lights in random colors, could anyone tell me the solution?

Hello!

So my theatre has some older soft flats and they are in really great shape, but one of them has some wrinkles in it and does not look as great as some of the others. Any advice on how to get the wrinkles out of it? It is just the only one that is a perfect fit so I want to use it if we can.

Thank you!

Hello!

I currently have an Eartec HUB8S UltraLITE and we are hoping to switch over to Hollyland sets. The reason being...after a few years of purchasing (2020) the batteries drained out completely to only having 1.5 hours of remote communication and we need to charge again at intermission to finish the second half.

Did this happen to anyone else? Is there better practices to preserve the battery life? Is the quality of the Hollyland batteries better?

So I just wanted to have to some group opinions here, so I’ll be succinct and let me know what you all think:

Last year a worked a summer stock contract at what’s most likely been my favorite theatre ever. I was paid well, housed and fed, and they do amazing work with a lot of people who have been some amazing mentors. For reference I’m two years out of college now, last year was one summer after.

Following that summer I took a job at a regional theatre which I will not be name dropping to keep things kosher. However this theatre lied about the terms of position (full time to instead being part time hourly), and I have never received a contract. On top of blatant sexism, being told to watch Broadway HD shows and mimic everything 1 to 1 (which seems dangerous to me), and a disregard for safety of actors at several points. It’s become soul crushing work since I’m essentially not allowed to do my job when I was hired as a sound designer but I have not been able to design outside of two PYT shows (which I loved working, they were handled by a different group in the same space).

The summer stock theatre is in a bind because they’ve lost their sound designer due to some personal circumstances and they’re looking for an emergency hire to fill the slot. I can finish out the current production at my theatre I work at now and then leave once it’s closed without ever dropping the ball on a show. I also don’t have a contract of any kind to stipulate my manner of leaving or any other circumstances.

There’s more too but I don’t think it’s necessary to understand the position. Just want your thoughts on if you think it’s okay to leave with one show left open (there is someone to take my place on staff) given the circumstances on both sides/would this hurt my reputation on a resume if I explain it as an emergency? Thanks for all of your advice in advance.

Z

I am trying to find the most cost effective method of amplifying 6 voices on stage for a 40 minute performance. I would like a lavalier setup and was wondering what I could rent under $500 for additional sound. We have no budget. That $500 would be coming out of my pocket for a school production. Can I plug lavaliers into the JBL EON ONE Compact Portable Powered PA? Is there a way to use a mix of USB and XLR mics together? Any guidance would help. There is no sound system here.

I am a little stumped and I’m sure there’s a little lack of knowledge going on here…

I have Pathport Quattro and 13 Pathport nodes. Quattro receives input from console (NEO) and architectural system (vision.net).

All nodes are currently configured on either universe 1 or 2. I’ve got a production where I need minimum 3 universes, ideally 4. Will the Quattro accomplish this or do I need an additional gateway?

The NEO console is capable of outputting 10+ universes via sACN. I have Pathport Manager and can connect/communicate to the nodes and Quattro (yes I know there’s Pathscape).

I’m just missing how to pass additional universes from the NEO to the network and nodes…

Hi,

My Theatre Company is staging Little Shop of Horrors and we are using the tracks rather than live accompaniment. I am the Musical Director and while I have a lifetime of experience as a musician, I'm a bit lost with the tracks.

Many of them have vamps for dialogue mid track, often without clear sonic cues as to when the vamps end, so if an actor is too slow or too fast with their dialogue they can really mess things up. The only way to get around it seems to be to count bars, which seems really hard for an actor who is trying to deliver lines.

All we have to work with is an app, so everything is pretty rigid feeling.

We are just getting started, and so I'm still in the prep phase.

I guess my question is, how does everyone do this? Does it just come together with repetition, or are their tricks I'm not aware of?

I see some people talking about software like QLab (I'm Windows), but it doesn't seem like that kind of software is compatible with the app. I also see references to cue and edit sheets in the app's FAQs, but I see no real instructions, nor can I make sense of how those are used.

I feel like I'm missing something and thought I'd ask and see if anyone can demystify this process for me so I don't waste time and energy doing things the wrong way.

Hi everyone. Im running an etc element 2 and I have a bunch of absolute effects that used to work but now no longer work. I cant even create a new one that works with brand new color pallets. Photo to show my parameters. Im running colorado 2 quad zooms IP AR2.Z i can use the color pallets individually that are linked to the effects but the effect itself wont run. Any possible issues/solutions would be appreciated

Hi there all! Currently working on Matilda The Musical and designing the scene where Matilda uses her mind to make the cup tip over. Planning on having a magnet inside the cup and electromagnet under the table that can be switched on discreetly by an actor which then causes the cup to tip. This is the electromagnet I’m currently looking at: https://www.amazon.com/AIRTAK-Electric-Solenoid-Cylinder-Electromagnet/dp/B0CDPWSKRJ/ref=sxin_15_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?content-id=amzn1.sym.d4fdc453-1595-4f7b-ba6a-eb2ac554591f%3Aamzn1.sym.d4fdc453-1595-4f7b-ba6a-eb2ac554591f&crid=2FUUKBHDKRBSG&cv_ct_cx=electromagnet&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._M9f5NkNaf2wtq8LAmCqg_KoBFj7Mt-IzFeHYLLV_OYXR_MNspNpu9I-evZjVyUZHyxlUas4EPB9YYqmO2RcjQ.ygPJZ1lQTYAauZg6aNWySw1k3dxfOiMVNnMm6PS0JNw&dib_tag=se&keywords=electromagnet&pd_rd_i=B0CDPWSKRJ&pd_rd_r=c3e5a8e6-ed36-4baf-bce2-7d1edc4138b7&pd_rd_w=4u0Hv&pd_rd_wg=s7J01&pf_rd_p=d4fdc453-1595-4f7b-ba6a-eb2ac554591f&pf_rd_r=825ZKM7Y9N1GXRZ87BP8&qid=1712072603&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=electroma%2Caps%2C289&sr=1-2-364cf978-ce2a-480a-9bb0-bdb96faa0f61-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&th=1

My question is what kind of power source do I need? Totally new to this, so any help is greatly appreciated. I need something small that can be turned on by a switch and doesn’t plug into a wall. Thanks so much in advance!!!

Hey guys! I was just talking to my sister who does film stuff about the audio libraries we use, and I was curious what all you folks were using for your sound effects and such.

I am representing a religious organisation seeking input for live streaming on social media, primarily YouTube, as part of its charity operations. They aim for a user-friendly setup, eliminating single points of failure, and accommodating non-technical operators. Budget is a consideration, but we view this as an investment to enhance live streaming of lectures, prayers, and sermons for their congregation. Key requirements include two fixed cameras, capability to add lower thirds to the stream, and ease of use for solo operation by clerics. Open to suggestions and ideas from the community.

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Does anyone know if it's possible to control an TV (an old CRT TV), from the booth? Like, plug it into a dimmer pack and turn it off and on via the light board?

Thanks.

Hi! So I'm new to the EOS software and I'm working on some effects. I was wondering if anybody knew how to make an effect where my wash lights flash from center stage to left/right stage?
Right now, most of my wash light effects have the lights flashing starting from left and going to the right, but I want it to go from the middle point.
Hopefully my description makes sense!
Thanks!

What do you have in your main work box / pelican case? What are your go to supplies?

Watching captain america 3 (and recognizing it’s a comic movie and the tech isn’t always based on reality), I noticed Tony Stark was show reading a teleprompter that seems to be on the rear wall of the auditorium.

I’ve only worked with stage mounted prompter screens before but this just got me curious if anyone uses a setup like this in real world auditoriums?

I know some jobs will be lenient on start date if you have another contract you are finishing up. But when should I mention that? In my cover letter on the application? If the job listing says it starts in June but my contract with another company doesn't end until July, that's pretty significant. I feel I should mention that upfront while applying. Thanks.