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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: PLAYS: On the Verge
« on: Feb 18, 2014, 03:16 pm »
I worked a show with an extended rain sequence. This is what we did (and probably overkill for your show, but take the bits which will work for you):
-Built a low (2") pool frame around the space to contain the water.
-Covered audio inputs and electrical outlets with plastic.
-Used the old soft goods - if they get too wet, the flame retardant shows salt lines, also after the show closed, those curtains had to be cleaned and re-treated.
-Lined the wings with lengths of black terrycloth on the deck to prevent slipping
-Lined the dressing room halls with a non-skid plastic liner
-Dedicated one room to be the "drying room" with racks and shoe holders and plenty of fans.
-We had a modified shop-vac with a fire hose attachment which ran to a drain on the loading dock.
-Giant squeegees! Push the water to the shop vac.
Preshow, we loaded the tanks as late as possible with as much hot water as we could. We ran out of hot water about halfway through the filling process, so we tried to fill all of our three tanks evenly with hot & cold water.
Postshow, we loaded the giant terrycloth floor towels into trash cans on dollies, took them to wardrobe, used the spin cycle to get most of the water out, then back to stage to be hung on unused pipes overnight.
Even with all of that, we were damp on two-show days, and even overnight wasn't enough time between an evening show and a student matinee. Costume doubles are very important. Lots of hot tea & coffee in the green room. Bathrobes are a great idea, and double the amount of towels you think you will need.
If your building has an industrial HVAC system, see if you can get them to program it not to go to an "unoccupied" setting. If it runs continuously, on any temp setting, it should dehumidify as well.
Buy your facilities staff some beer, because you are guaranteed to ruin the wax job on the floors in the support space and they will have to strip the floors & re-wax.
That was my experience. Your mileage may vary.
-Colleen
-Built a low (2") pool frame around the space to contain the water.
-Covered audio inputs and electrical outlets with plastic.
-Used the old soft goods - if they get too wet, the flame retardant shows salt lines, also after the show closed, those curtains had to be cleaned and re-treated.
-Lined the wings with lengths of black terrycloth on the deck to prevent slipping
-Lined the dressing room halls with a non-skid plastic liner
-Dedicated one room to be the "drying room" with racks and shoe holders and plenty of fans.
-We had a modified shop-vac with a fire hose attachment which ran to a drain on the loading dock.
-Giant squeegees! Push the water to the shop vac.
Preshow, we loaded the tanks as late as possible with as much hot water as we could. We ran out of hot water about halfway through the filling process, so we tried to fill all of our three tanks evenly with hot & cold water.
Postshow, we loaded the giant terrycloth floor towels into trash cans on dollies, took them to wardrobe, used the spin cycle to get most of the water out, then back to stage to be hung on unused pipes overnight.
Even with all of that, we were damp on two-show days, and even overnight wasn't enough time between an evening show and a student matinee. Costume doubles are very important. Lots of hot tea & coffee in the green room. Bathrobes are a great idea, and double the amount of towels you think you will need.
If your building has an industrial HVAC system, see if you can get them to program it not to go to an "unoccupied" setting. If it runs continuously, on any temp setting, it should dehumidify as well.
Buy your facilities staff some beer, because you are guaranteed to ruin the wax job on the floors in the support space and they will have to strip the floors & re-wax.
That was my experience. Your mileage may vary.
-Colleen