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Tools of the Trade / Re: Ergonomics and the Tech Table
« on: Nov 25, 2013, 03:10 pm »A few years ago I was teching a show with a folding chair and a table set on a very steep audience rake so I was constantly leaning downwards - I mentioned to the TD that it was giving me back problems and headaches and when I came in the next day he had built a little counter rake for my chair so it was like sitting at a normal theater. It was great and made for a much improved tech.
I mentioned this to the next theater I was at and the Deck Carp got a little offended, said that they'd be happy to build me something to make teching easier (to replace the board they sat over the audience seats). I gave them dimensions for a box that slips in an audience seat, basically a booster seat so that the tech table is the proper height for me to easily see my book, and reach my buttons. Again, it made a huge difference, and went into storage with the rest of the tech benches so I used it for years.
For help calling shows more comfortably I once asked the theater to buy an anti-fatigue mat for me to stand on - the existing call desk had a piece of plywood over metal grate and was brutal to stand on even for a short show. What I actually said to the company manager was 'can we get some kind of carpet or pad or mat to make this better?' and they did the research and found a perfect product used frequently in industrial settings and kitchens.
You know, it's amazing what people are willing to do for you if you ask. That took me a really long time to learn and I'm always pleasantly surprised by how well just asking works.
