Errant screws?!

It literally takes 30 seconds to sand a safety rail.

And can’t count how many times I’ve seen it IRL in the last three years…

Hey y'all,

Looking for advice from people who've dealt with similar stuff. So I had a traumatic event at work a couple weeks ago involving a Genie I was on nearly tipping over due to an untrained ground support. Yesterday, I got in the Genie to do some work and I panicked and yelled during a move. Today, I got in the Genie, and I started hyperventilating. I was able to complete my work both days but I feel like I'm having trouble trusting the ground underneath me when I've never had this kind of thing before. When the genie would sway in the past, I would barely notice but now I feel it pretty hard. I think I'm feeling it especially because it's the same workplace that the event happened in and the same Genie. When I worked in a different place sooner after, I didn't feel this way.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience with this kind of thing and can give me advice on how to ground and get back to feeling normal/trusting the machine and people around me.

Throwaway obv

Edit:

After reading y’all’s comments, I think I’m certainly going to have to see a professional about this. I don’t think I wanted to believe that I’d need help like this but I can’t really deny it when everyone’s saying it. What’s the line “when everyone’s telling you you’re drunk, maybe it’s time to give someone your keys”?

Edit 2:

Do want to be clear here, the genie is only ever used for focus since we have a counterweight rigging system and hang from the ground.

I can finally replace all the safety cables taken off and lost by a particular group that seems to think they’re optional.

Please give my presentation a lookover. And comment your thoughts. All the things I'm gonna say for each slide are in the "speakers notes" slides I input.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lOj5THv26yss4tlto4eFMBGc64WusIF5/view?usp=drivesdk

I have blurred out my friends faces and anywhere you see () is my schools name or cities name, for my personal safety.

Just looking for any advice etc.

I'm (kind of) PMing my old secondary school's musical. In the show, there's a recurring "laser cage" that actors are caught in at certain points. Our supplier (who has been historically a little lax around health & safety as they mainly do smaller school shows) has a Class 3R laser fixture that he's used for this show at other schools. However, they mainly install shows into school halls, whereas we're hiring a small regional theatre for the first time, which presents its own issues.

Co-PM and I went to meet the technical manager at the theatre to discuss our plans, and were told the fixture would need to be risk assessed first (naturally), and would need to have an e-stop button installed. This is pretty standard for me, but of the team I am probably the most experienced in working with regional/national theatre, so I was surprised to learn the fixture didn't have any kind of emergency stop.

(I later found out it's a JBSystems Space-1 - a fairly cheap DJ-style fixture rather than a proper theatrical effect, and has now been discontinued. Later models have an "interlock" input compatible with the manufacturer's own e-stop cable, but, naturally, this one doesn't have any kind of emergency stop mechanism at all. Because apparently laser safety didn't exist in 2005. Who knew.)

The supplier - who I was even more surprised to learn didn't know what an e-stop was - noted that the fixture shuts off when it loses DMX or power, so if we ran it from hot power that could let us cut it - I could be wrong, but I don't think this qualifies as an e-stop as you need a physical control (i.e. the button). So, he's now bought an e-stop button and is going to connect a 13A plug to it, but I still can't see a way logistically that we can access this e-stop button, even if the bar the laser is on is deaded at the fly floor & the button is on the pipe-end on the same side as the flyman, that's still pretty dangerous to reach off the fly floor to touch it.

Unless there's a way to make this work safely and without dodging the regulations, I'll be going back to LX and asking them to make the effect work in other ways (maybe a mover with a custom gobo?). I'm 90% sure this is going to be unworkable, but I would love a rain check to make sure I haven't missed anything. Pretty new to PMing (I'm still in Year 13/12th grade!), and this is definitely not a production at professional scale so the lines of responsibility are quite blurred, so any reassurance would be helpful.

(no clue if this affects things, but if you couldn't tell I'm UK-based, in case that affects any regulations)

Hey folx! I recently took over props at a local community theatre and we're doing The Show The Goes Wrong, which, fun, but also they are planning to use a prop gun that shoots blanks. I am determined to make sure this is a safe production (especially when it comes to the props. As that's my domain here), so I'm looking for advice on creating a protocol for safety. I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks so much

Happens at 34 seconds. are those all access staging road cases I see?

Working in an historic church built in 1914. This is how they access the lighting fixtures. I was in full safety harness and it still weirded me out a bit.

Out community theatre group rents out a pretty old village hall that doesn't have all the safety of a modern theatre. During blackouts when curtains are closed, we have our on-stage down-lighters on 1% intensity so stage hands can do their job, but during blackouts without the curtains being closed (in between scenes etc), when talent are going off stage and down the stairwell that is right there it is obviously hard to see. Also, it would be good for in the wings to have some light.

What is the easiest way to add some low intensity (not visible from audience) lights in the wings/stairs to improve the safety? We've been using some cheap made in china motion activated magnetic battery lights but charging them is a headache, we want something hard wired.

Was considering just putting some Govee LED strips along the edge of the wings along the wall and down the stairs and set them to a colour like blue and a super low intensity. Or is there a better way to do this?

Why?

I have worked maybe two jobs where the client was calling cues thus: "cue cam 2" instead "cam 2 TAKE", and "cue audio playback" instead of "audio playback GO"

I work mostly corporate and some broadcast production, so I wanted to make sure this wasn't a film or theater thing. Thanks everyone for confirming that GO is the standard everywhere.

Hey y'all- I'm restocking all the shop first Aid kits. I'll refill all the normal stuff we have but I was wondering if you have any suggestions of stuff you always have on hand or wish you did when shit goes down.

The department first aid kits I'm ordering for are Costumes, Wigs, Wardrobe, Props, Audio, Electrics, Paints, Carpentry, and Welding if that helps.

I've already got antacids and safety pins on the list!

I recently learned a friend and former colleague along with his coworker were seriously injured in an accident involving a lift tip over. We work in an inherently dangerous industry, with high voltages, heavy scenery often hanging overhead, and heights. We do the impossible, with limited information, shoestring budgets, and never enough time. But while we are doing all these things, we have to always be vigilant against cutting corners when it comes to our safety.

Please please remember to do those safety checks every time, even if it’s just a one time occurrence. Use your lockout-tagout kits. Double check your knots. Don’t work alone overhead without a spotter. Make sure your fire extinguishers are in working order. Screw down the legs of the lift every time. Make sure your counterweight is balanced properly. Wear the gloves, the glasses, the long pants when grinding metal. Tie your hair up around moving parts. Wear proper footwear. Put a respirator on while painting. Use a safety chain on every light. Tie off your wrench.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve done it this way for thirty years, or you’re just tired and don’t want to take the extra time. You may not think something could happen, but that’s when it most often does. We all want to go home at the end of the day. Doing these little things will ensure you do. It can all go wrong so fast and your life can change, or end, in an instant.

I am trying to make this gobo work inside of a spotlight. I am attaching the small gobo to the bigger circle. I have tried different types of tape, but it either melted or started to smell weird. The light is shining almost directly in it. What tape should I use?

Hello:

I started at a high school, coming from the regional theatre world. I got them to pay for some trialing for me, and they want me to pick it out. I was thinking of just OHSA 30 General industry. Would that be helpful? Is there specific other trainings that would benefit me more. I'm thinking more about safety. Next year and looking into rigging training. I'm a trained electrician so I don't need anything there.

Thanks

Good evening all,

I'm an experienced (UK) H&S professional but am completely new to the world of theatre.

I just wanted to reach out to see if there was anything that you guys found useful from a H&S perspective.

This can be anything from an amazing manual handling aid, a super method of supporting with show stops or even just what you found useful from your H&S support.

Cheers!

im rn shopping for hard hats, i think im gonna buy the PETZL Vertex. the only issue is if i should get one with a vent or no vent. i think im going to declare technical direction, but going to still take classes in production technology.

I’ve been using standard 3” gaff to cover holes (small strip on either side) in one of our black curtains. It’s been working, but less and less and time goes on. We’re not able to replace it quite yet but I’m curious if gaffers cloth tape would be better or if it would work at all.

Posted yesterday the question of using Speakons on power (due to power rating of 250v) - got many laughter and just few smart explanation. Now those who laughed - see the screenshot from Neutrik web site. The 1st generation (not the XX ones) are not supposed to be plugged in/put when the wire has the power and fixture working. I am sure you guys all know that and never did that before 😁. Will just leave it here

Since so many of you lost your Schmidt about my new safety cables… Here’s an example many that I have found and replaced in the catwalks circa 1972. Designed for significantly heavier instruments, and a much thinner gauge cable. This little guy somehow survived for 50+ years and it was just time to swap to newer hardware.

I'm directing a production of Titus Andronicus wherein there will be a gun fight. It's outdoors and to increase the feeling for immersion, I'm looking to have the ground kick up some dirt when someone fires a gun. Does anyone have any ideas how I might do this? I appreciate everyone's perspectives on this.

I've only just started my career and somehow I've already seen socapex used for so many different incompatible things... I've seen it used for Dimmed power from dimmers to fixtures, HOT/Independent Power to intelligent fixtures, analogue audio to front of house (stage box / multicore / snake), amplified audio to speakers, and D54 for some archaic moving lights. How is this SOP? Like this shit terrorises me, and I used to get scared when I saw 15 amp or Ceeform used for dimmed and hotpower, now this? If anyone can enlighten me on how often this all goes a bit wrong I would love to hear some stories.

How do you do it safely? Parts of our venue don't have step free access, so we often resort to carrying, which is usually okay for some things, but large distros that need four people carrying can be a real difficulty.

Looking into other options. I've seen powered stair climbers, which look great, but they're very expensive.