UPDATE: Auditorium Fly System Renovation: "Dude! Where's My Catwalk?"

Indeed, dude. Where is the catwalk?









Not here. For those who were not inclined to look up often, the catwalk that made up our "loading gallery" (that place 36 feet off the stage deck that we would visit from time to time to load and unload weights) is now gone. Or, just about gone, as evidenced by the ladder landing at the top right of the photo. Watch out for that first step - it's a doozie ...

What will be there soon is the next generation of loading gallery. Behold - all steel (no wooden slats for a floor) with a protective "cage" as a railing.  Solid tube construction, and, needless to say, not 54 years old. There is something to be said about that.









Which leads to the answer to the first question:

This is all that is left of the steel frame of the catwalk. The wooden slats are not shown, but you get the picture. It seems a bit meager, doesn't it? This speaks volumes regarding the new structure that is replacing the old structure: it will be safer and more secure. We may never find ourselves up on the catwalk if we plan our designs well, but if and when we do, it will be a safer place to be. That's the whole impetus behind replacing the equipment.

There is a certain casulty that I must say I will miss: There will be a number of past actors and techies who labored mightily to leave their mark behind in a theater that they loved - and their names go out with the steel. While I cannot condone the act of tagging government property, I suspect that a new set of names will appear as the years go on.






And the beat goes on. Check here next week to see what else has been done.