Messages

1

The Green Room / Re: SM Joke

« on: Sep 01, 2010, 12:03 pm »

How many ....... to change a light bulb?

Noise boys; 2, 1, 2, 2.

Actors; 10, one to do it and 9 to say, "that should be me up there"!

Stage Tech's; 0, were used to working in the f*****g dark!

2

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Feb 01, 2008, 06:19 pm »

Essentially the safe edge that was used, and is most common over here is designed to be tripped by something that it encounters at a 90 degree angle. At a previous venue I managed someone left a set of ladders in the pit before moving it. The result was the safe edge was "diverted" from it's normal path by the ladder and led to substantial damage. Hope this explains it a bit better.

3

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Jan 18, 2008, 09:04 pm »

I've just had a definitive answer on this one. The performers leg actually diverted the safe edge out of the way of it's normal path, so it didn't cut out. Sadly it seems he won't work in the industry again, but with the UK becoming as litigious as you lot, hopefully it won't happen again.

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Flying Carpet...

« on: Dec 28, 2007, 09:34 pm »

Flying carpets are as easy as you want to be, I'm a Panto veteran. Ninja up your crew, whack on the UV's and off you go. That said the earlier mention of shining floods at the audience woks really well. Trust me I've done this many times, it's not as complicated as some people have made out!

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Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Aug 30, 2007, 07:12 pm »

Indeed, however as I said, if it costs money... As we all know though, accountants have no idea what a "safe edge" is! On a similar note I was given a full tour of a brand new English venue yesterday, where I will start working next week. When enquiring of the Chief why so many obviously easy and necessary options hadn't happened, I was told it was because of, "value engineering"! It doesn't take much to work that one out. As we say over here, "Thatchers Britain".

6

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Aug 29, 2007, 02:55 pm »

Just had some up-dated info through the Automation old boys network. Basically there were no safe edges on the particular trap as there should have been no-one anywhere near it when it was moving!

7

Stage Management: Plays & Musicals / Re: Hydraulic Scenery accident, London "Lord of the Rings"

« on: Aug 22, 2007, 02:35 pm »

I'm a former automation operator from the West End. Without going into too much detail, all I can say is if it costs money, then it's a higher priority than H&S. I saw someone nearly cut in half whilst unconcious, that next day management tried to convince me that it hadn't happened... I know what I saw!