The Crew for Leading Ladies

Here is the production crew for Leading Ladies. It's a bigger crew than we normally work with, so if your plans have changed, please let me know and we can reassign people as normal. This is the kind of show where we do a fair amount of work before the show, nothing during the act, and then make some quick changes during the act breaks. Everyone will have a particular job before, during and after the show.


Stage Managers/Assistant Directors: Cassie Kittredge, Morgan Frederick, Makayla Kellner

Sound Operators: Reggie Gillis, Claire Callahan

Light Operators: Ted Townsend, Hannah Schroeder

Running Crew:

Curtain Runners: Sally Timko, Kiley Graves, Bailey Ziehr

Revolves: Jack Krebs, Jacob Spurrell, Rylee Frake

Presets and Furniture: Adrienne Rule , Mackenzie Wallace, Alisa Gerhold, Hannah Weber, Sammy Nading, Kat Cross

Props Crew:

Props Manager: Clara Tossi

Props Crew: Sarah Endicott, Jill LaGrange, Anne Seifert

Don't forget that we have a crew view slated for September 12th at 3:00. Our first technical rehearsal will be on the 13th right after school.

Ready, Set, and ...

Someone, push the big green button!

We have arrived to the new school year. There are a lot of things to get done, and to get communicated. Once again, the WHS Performing Arts Technicians blog site will be a source of information, and now that I don't have to blog for graduate school assignments, I should be better at keeping this site updated.



Of things of note:

1) The Little Theater renovation. If you read the previous post, you are aware that we have new equipment in the Little Theater. While the schedule didn't hold as true as I had written, we are good to go as of this morning. New curtains, curtain tracks, battens, and two mechanized rollers for a cyc (permanent) and painted drops (we'll have to add those) are now at our disposal. For the first time in many years, we have two well-equipped and functioning theaters.

2) Set construction for Leading Ladies. Our first show opens on September 20th, with previews on September 19th. Rehearsals are under way, and our first Set Saturday is this weekend. The schedule looks like this

• Saturday, Aug. 25th: Set Saturday #1, 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
• Saturday, Sep. 1st: Set Saturday #2, 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
• Saturday, Sep. 8th: Set Saturday #3, 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
• Saturday, Sep. 15th: Set Saturday #4, 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
• (There will be a more detailed schedule for the crew posted later this week.)

These are open to all cast, crew, and anyone who wishes to get some set construction and painting experience under their belt. 9th graders are especially encouraged to attend as you will get a chance to learn the ropes of the WHS theater while actively participating. Come and go as you need, but either bring a lunch or some lunch money (as in the fast-food variety).

3) Technical Theater Clinics. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, September 4th-6th, 3:00 - 4:30 PM in the Little Theater. I'll post more about these next week, but make some time in your schedule to attend the three-day tech theater clinic/info session that we do at the beginning of every year. 9th graders should make a point to attend - techies who were active last year should also make a point of attending as we go through the procedures and learn how to use the new Little Theater Equipment. Safety, facility tours, procedures, Genie lift training and meet and greet the other directors will be part of these three days. Calendars will also be handed out, and information regarding crew sign-up for the musical will also happen.

4) Assemblies. This term, we have two: Homecoming on September 24th and 25th, and ITED (or Iowa Tests) Recognition Assembly on October 10th and 11th. The second assembly is a new addition - we used to do it in January; last year we didn't do the assembly because of the change of test dates, and now we do it in October. We'll discuss that in more detail at the Technical Theater Clinics as well.

There's much more to this trimester than what I have here, but I should probably leave a few things for future posts. Look for some additional tech theater info as well, such as lighting, sound, tools, and cool web things that are tech theater related. (OK, some won't have anything to do with tech theater, but they will be very cool.) Stay connected with tech theater at this site.

Techies rule!

Once Again, Into the Breech, Dear Friends ...

Call it "Phase II," call it "The Second Reckoning,"or "The Revenge of the Red Tape." Call it what you will.

I call it "Long Overdue."

This week, the Little Theater rigging project began. In one day, the good folks from Tiffin Scenic Studios wrought their demolition powers, and had the original Little Theater rigging - with the exception of the electrics - cleaned out. What they found was not surprising. Well, it was surprising, but not in the way that we hoped.

For those not close to the situation, here's the skinny. Our little theater for its entire existence relied upon three hand-crank winches to raise and lower the electrical battens - primarily for the purpose of hanging lights from the ground instead of using our lift. All three winches were attached to one 2x12 firmly bolted to the wall. Our main curtain was hung from the ceiling on its track, and the remaining curtains - well, we haven't had any since 1995. In short, we had a functional theater that was not completely equipped.

Danger tape and plywood signs - now a distant memory.

During our preparation for the show Harvey in September of 2010, we began to have trouble with the middle winch - it wouldn't move the batten. Closer inspection showed a frayed cable, and a head block -  a pulley mounted from the roof I-beam - that was jammed. Then we really started looking. There were LOTS of problems, not among the least being the large 2x12 that anchored the winches to the wall was showing signs of weakening. We stopped everything at that point, and had Derek (the technical director from Theater Cedar Rapids and experienced rigger) take a close look. He told us we shouldn't do anything else with the battens. (Actually, what he said was more shocking and urgent than that, but for now, let's just say he was plain about his recommendation.) The district came in the following Monday AM, secured the battens to the I-Beams, and covered our wall with red tape and all sorts of danger warnings. For the uninformed, there would be no mistaking the message: don't touch the winches.

It should be mentioned that by this time, we already knew that the rigging in both theaters was scheduled to be replaced; the timetable for the Little Theater was set for Summer of 2012. I thought this might bump it up because of the safety issues. We were assured that since the winches and battens were secured, it would be OK, so the schedule stayed unchanged,

Welded head blocks: boo!

The equipment removed by Tiffin during the first day showed that while we had exhausted this equipment beyond usefulness, there were signs that this wasn't the first time that repairs or quick fixes had been made. The cables were worse than we thought - and considering that we thought they were in bad shape, this is really saying something - and the winches showed sign of excessive wear in parts that shouldn't show wear. Probably the most disturbing was the pulleys that had been repaired a long time ago - they had be welded back together. (I will grant that in some cases welds can be stronger than the steel they are knitting together, but according to our installers, this was probably not the soundest of ideas.) The photo to the right shows one of these head blocks.

The good news is that the new rigging will be installed before The Fourth of July, which means that we will be able to work on the set for Leading Ladies as we hoped - starting sometime in the first or second week of August. More on that in later postings. For now, take a look at what our naked Little Theater looks like. It won't look too much different than this when it's done, save for the new curtains and tracks that allow us to adjust where we put those lovely new black curtains. Oh, and we'll have a roller cyc for the back of the theater as well ... but I get ahead of myself. I'll post more about those items as they get installed.

Phase II is now moving along - and I'm thankful for that. Stay tuned for more updates.

Drama Banquet 2011-12 Awards, Offices, and Slammer

2012-13 WHS Theatrical Season
To be Announced at the Banquet 5/18/2012

2012-13 Drama Officers
To be Announced at the Banquet 5/18/2012

2012 Slammer of the Year
To be Announced at the Banquet 5/18/2012

Mo Show Schedule

Hi folks -

Here is the Mo Show schedule in its entirety.

Thursday, March 8th:

12:50 PM – 4:45 PM: Stage Design class and Student Technicians will continue

the load-out and staging

4:45 PM – 5:30 PM: Dinner break

5:30 PM (later if gym is occupied) – 9:00 PM: Light rigging and load-in

equipment. Venues open to video and sound crews.

Friday, March 9th:

6:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Blue Sky Video begins their set-up in the Auditorium

(will leave when Vocal Jazz clinics begins)

8:00 AM: Lammers and student technicians begin, stage and judges stand set-up

in the new gym; Adam Beck (sound) tentatively scheduled to begin sound load-in;

Blue Sky Video crew load-in Gym venue

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM: Student techs’ lunch break

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Set-up risers and performance equipment in new gym; final

light focus in new gym;

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Finish whatever needs to be done. During this time, sound

will be testing equipment extensively, as will video and lights. Student

technicians will be dismissed as needed.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dinner break.

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Double Check time: Check all venues for light, sound,

stage, judges’ platforms, risers, photo/critique rooms. Fix anything that we missed

(and cross fingers that it’s nothing too big.)

Updated 3/5/2012

Saturday, March 10th:

6:30 AM: Lammers on site. .

7:00 AM: Stage Managers’ call. (Or, whatever time is mutually agreed to.)

7:30 AM: Student technicians’ call, Main Gym. Pass out badges, give emotional

pep talk, group hug, stuff like that. Techies report to their venues.

8:00 AM – 5:30 PM: Do what we do best. Follow the schedules as printed or

announced. May the force be with us.

5:30 PM (or as event ends): Auditorium crew moves to the Main Gym

6:30 PM (or as event ends): Make any adjustments in Gym venue; dinner break

for techies

7:15 PM: Night Round begins. All student techies report to the gym. Auditorium

stage managers welcome to assist in Gym venue.

11:00 PM: (or as event ends) Strike judges stand; video strikes equipment;

sound equipment adjusted and stowed for Tuesday AM Assembly. Strike any

equipment (radios, mics, etc) that must be secured.

Sunday, March 11th

1:00 PM: Walk-around. Set-up folks will clear out wrestling room and get band

room pulled together.

Tuesday, March 13th

7:00 AM: Lammers and assigned student technicians in Gym; performing groups

warm up and rehearse.

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Academic Award Assembly

11:00 AM – 3:00 PM: Strike and load-out all equipment; Main Gym clear by

2:45.

3:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Clean-up and lock up the Auditorium and scene shop.

The Techie's Toolbag

What's in your toolbag?

Sounds like something a viking in a credit card commercial should be asking, but when were talking about tech theater, this is legitimate question. If you are working backstage - during a production, in the shop or the loft spaces, in the booth, or anywhere - you'll be working with tools. And here at Wash, we're pretty lucky: we have a decent tool budget that provides us pretty well. 

There are times, though, that you'll want your own tools, and there is no reason to argue against a personal set of tools as they will work just fine outside of the theater, too. The trick is have a set that won't weigh or slow you down. Portability is important. The flip side of this issue is that you don't want to chintz out on quality, so you have to find the happy medium. 

So, for the stylin' techie, here is a guide to what every techie should own and be packing. Remember - these are the tools that you would carry around with you all the time, not every tool you will ever need.

1. A decent mini flashlight. The gold standard for many years has been the Mini-Maglight - a rugged, bright light that requires two AA batteries, and stores a replacement lamp in the tail cap. For years it used a small quartz lamp, but in recent years, the LED flashlight has made it's influence known. Today you can get a lot of life out of either quartz or LED flashlights on a set of batteries, so there's not much difference. Just know that if the LED's crap out on you, you'll likely need to purchase an new flashlight, with the quartz replacements are still available. Aside from Maglight, other quality brands are Fenix, Nu Flare, Lifegear, and Joby. They will cost more, but I still have my Mini-Maglight from twelve years ago. Store brand gear will work, but don't expect a long and happy life with it. Expect to pay anywhere between $10 and $20.

2. A multi-tool. I'm still of the opinion that a tool that can do a hundred things is probably not going to do any of them very well; the multi-tool manages to keep its head about itself, however. A lightweight pliers is the heart of any good multi-tool, and with it a wire cutters. After that, the brands and models differ greatly. All will have a decent straight blade and likely a serrated blade. Some will have files, openers, screwdrivers, scissors, awls, etc. The more tools, the higher the price. Here the brands Letherman, Gerber, and Victorinox stand apart from the rest. Again, there will be some discount brands, but do your homework. You'll find that the three brands that I've suggested usually are highly reviewed on retail sites. The extra money will be worth the quality you get. Most will come with some sort of belt carrier or sheath - I like mine a lot, but just remember that the tool doesn't go back into its holster automatically. Prices run anywhere from $20 to over $100; again, do your homework and see which model will be right for you.

NOTE: I have been reminded that this kind of tool is considered a sharp cutting tool could have the potential of weapon classification. Each school has it's own policy regarding knives in school, so it's best to know ahead of time what they are. Don't play the ignorance card - it won't help you in this situation. It is important to remember that if you are using this sort of tool, bring it only when it is clearly OK working in the theater spaces. Don't bring it to your classes, and for cryin' out loud, don't be stupid and reenact a scene from West Side Story, please?

3. A tape measure. This one is a no brainer. Get a decent 25 footer with either a 3/4" or 1" wide rule. There will be many to choose from, so consider a few things:

• Do you have issues with knowing what all those little lines are? There are tapes that have the fractions printed over those lines. 
• Are you going to use this tape alone a lot? If yes, go with the wider blade tape - they will "stand out" further before they do that crumpling thing that is so annoying. 
• Are you prone to dropping tools? (Just be honest and say "yes.") Find one that has a soft or rubber jacket around the case.
• Do you plan to use this outside? Consider finding one that has a "weather resistant" coating on the tape (but just make sure you don't leave it outside in the snow or rain because that will ruin the mechanism inside.)

So, decide what you need, and go from there. Stanley still probably makes the best tape measures, but they are more expensive - they do good work. Go online and compare. Spend $10 to $25.

4. An eight inch adjustable wrench. Yes, there are many kids of wrenches out there, but I have yet to see any one of them best an adjustable wrench for general purposes. While there is temptation to go small, the eight inch (and that's the handle length, BTW) variety will tackle the most common size nuts and bolts in the shop, and will comfortably handle every size bolt on any lighting instrument.  Crescent, Craftsman, Stanley, and Snap-On are the top of the pick, but none of them should break your bank. The cheapest no-names tend to have wobbly adjustable knobs and poorly machined groves, so buyer beware. I have two by Stanley and one by Craftsman in my shop that were purchased at least three presidential administrations ago and they have yet to fail me. When you go to by, handle it, try the mechanism - if it moves smoothly but isn't loose, then you should be good. $5 - $15.

5. A six-way or flip screw driver. You will find that a lot of electrical plugs are equipped with both phillips and standard screws. I'm sure it's someone's version of a joke, but it stinks nonetheless. Having one screwdriver that will handle both screws is helpful. A six-way screw driver is just the ticket. It has two sizes of phillips heads, two sizes of standard heads, and the sockets that each one fits into are actually two different sized nut drives - usually 5/16" and 1/4". The important thing is that it have a #2 phillips drive and a #2 standard drive - so even if you find a varient that has just those two tips, you're in business because they are good all-purpose sizes. One word of warning: keep track of the tips. They can be misplaced easily, and there's not one that I've seen that offers you a replacement tip. I also recommend staying away from the ones that have a dozen different tips that get stored in the handle - they are just a pain to keep around, and ninety-five percent of the time you won't need them. Prepare to shell out  between $5 and $10 for a quality version.

I know there are some that will say "but if you have a multi-tool, why would you need a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench?" Because the multi tool has a pliers, not a wrench, and the pliers won't work on lighting instrument nearly as well as an adjustable wrench. The screwdrivers in the handle of the multitool is usually not up to the rigor of what you need it for most often. Besides, we're talking five tools here - it's not like you're adding a hundred pounds to your personage.

Which of course begs another question: will they all fit into my pocket? Maybe ... but not likely. So look for something that will fit your work paradigm. Like putting tools in your back pocket? Check out the "Rear Guard" by Bucket Boss. Like to sling your tools over your shoulder? You might find an old canvas brief case lying around the house that can be repurposed. Like to wear your tools? You'll be stylin' with this Builder's Tool Vest by Occidental. (But it's crazy expensive, so, you know, be smart about this.)

Once again, I'll remind folks that this is a bare bones tool collection that will travel with you in any theater space. In the next post, I'll talk about some of those other tools that you might like to have in your personal tool collection. 

What will we do this term? What WON'T we do is more like it ...

Kalamazoo Kevin

Ah, here we are: the second term. It's that time in our year where we don't have a big set to build, and speech and show choir tend to dominate the performing arts landscape. Seems like this is a time for the techies to put up our feet, wrap a blanket around us, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa or tea, and relax until Spring.

Seems like you'd be wrong.

As you may not know (and many don't), this is "Wombat Day," the day where Kalamazoo Kevin, the most famous wombat in the northern hemisphere, comes out of his little blue box and looks at his calendar to determine how this term will progress in terms of providing technical support for WHS events. The legend goes something like this: if he grunts and goes right back to his box, there's six weeks of nothing to do. If he shrieks, tears at his hair, and then runs in circles at a hundred miles an hour, it means that events requiring techies are right around the corner .

Today, Kevin fell back straight, eyes wide open, twitched a little bit, and softly moaned "but it's not even December yet" over and over. This means that there is no corner - we have events staring us in the face, and lots of them. It's not often that he has this reaction, but it wouldn't be the first time that this has happened, either. (Don't worry about Kevin. A few crackers, some 7-Up, and a shot of oxygen got him back on his feet soon after his spell. He'll be fine.)

I don't know if you recall last December - and if you're like me, you've unsuccessfully blotted it from your memory - but we didn't have much time to rest. This December looks much the same. Read carefully and prepare thyself for hand-to-hand tech activity:

Saturday, December 10th: Cocoa and Carols. There are officially two shows - one at 11:00 and one at 2:00. We will do some set-up on Friday, and then we'll come in at about 9:30 on Saturday to get everything else up and running. We'll need a good sized crew for this: a couple of people on the light board, the Slice sound peeps, a couple of follow spot ops and a small but dedicated running crew (and this might be a good opportunity for those who will be crewing for show choirs this winter.) Wear your PArTs black shirt - and if you haven't been given one yet, you'll get one soon. We also have a snarky little tradition of wearing holiday headgear, scarves, hoods, etc. so see if you can find one for the show. When we are done, we'll get the sound stuff stowed, and then we'll need to strike the lights from the auditorium loft for the next big thing, which is ...

Thursday, December 15th: Academic Letter and Numeral Assembly. We'll begin the set-up for this on Wednesday the 14th. I'll take a small group of people in the morning of that day to get the lighting set up and working. We cannot set up the stage until after the last basketball practice, so we'll need a bunch of people to help with that at 7:00 that evening. It won't take long if we have enough people there to help. After the assembly on Thursday, we'll strike the stage, lights and sound, and we'll get the lighting back up in the loft and focused on the stage for the next big event, which will be ...

Thursday, December 15th: Instrumental Music Holiday Concert. Yup - same day. Nutty, isn't it? We'll need to be efficient in getting the lights set for that evening. For those who aren't going to be participating on stage, I could always use a little help in the booth running lights and a mic. Talk to me if you're interested. From this concert, we go to ...

Monday, December 19th: Vocal Music Holiday Concert. If we do everything right on the previous Thursday, there will be little need to change things up too much for this concert. Again, if you wish to help, let me know - this will be a small crew event.

And then, we have the lovely break. We'll need it because when we come back on Tuesday, January 3rd, we'll need to get ready for ...

Thursday, January 5th: AP Award Assembly. See Academic Letter And Numeral Assembly info, because it will be deja-vu all over again. The bright spot here will be that we don't have to get every light back in the loft and focused for a concert that night - but we'll take the time to at least get them up in the loft, because the next week will feature ...

Tuesday, January 10th: Eastside Band Concert, &
Thursday, January 12th: Eastside Orchestra Concert. I thank my band and orchestra colleagues for scheduling these events during the same week - it makes the set-up a whole lot easier for us. Small crews for these events, so again, let me know if you want to push some buttons.

I could go on, but that's enough heartburn for one evening. Kalamazoo Kevin did us no favors by keeling over this morning. We'll be busy, but you need to remember two things. The first one is that we provide a pretty nice service for the Washington community through our "fun." It's a lot of work to make these events look and sound as good as we can, and you have always come through in the clutch. I think there was a previous post about hard work and talent, and it takes both. So, enjoy this week and next - you'll need the rest. The second thing you need to remember? Simple:

TECHIES RULE!