r/techtheatre

I just agreed to buy a relatively new SQ-6 for $3k. The guy says it's barely used and in great shape and he seems cool but I don't know him and have no reason to trust that (especially at this great price). Per my understanding of A&H's warranty any remaining coverage won't transfer to me as a secondary buyer, so I need to make sure this thing is in good shape. I can't spend an hour testing this and depending on it's location I may be testing it out of my trunk (I have a 400W plug in which should run it fine, though I'm worried it may introduce some noise issues).

What are some red flags I need to be on the lookout for? And what tests can I run in 15-20 minutes to be reasonably confident it's in good shape before I pay him?

I'm trying to finally find some LED bulbs (E26) for on-stage practicals that will actually dim smoothly from 0-100% without ugly stepped dimming, or a jump to/from 40%.

Am I just dreaming, or does something like this exist?

for a really long time I’ve wanted to try out theatre type stuff (especially tech/crew but I always thought about acting as well) but my high school didn’t have really any type of theatre program so now that I’m out of it and have more time I’d like to try but I was wondering how I should go about it specifically from what I understand community theatre is my best bet but where do I go from there shadowing? volunteering? etc. bonus if there’s any resources/books that I should look into pre this stuff as well? (For reference if it helps I’m based out of lower peninsula michigan)

Hello, all. I'm looking for a good, inexpensive source for plus size mic belts? Most of the inexpensive neoprene ones I'm finding purport to only expand up to 39 inches, and although they stretch, it's not exactly comfortable for a plus size actor. Does anybody know of a resource where I can get extra large sized mic belts?

In the middle of bench focusing my entire rig of Source4s for the season and had the thought of how particular yall are with your units. About half of them come out immaculate and the other half are... passable with a myriad of issues (visible reflector clips, penumbra past the sharp edge, just off center Hotspot because nothing wants to align, etc).

Most of my units are 36deg and a wide range of age from revB to revJ tubes and also various age of burner caps. So the deck is stacked against me. Bench focus is never an exact science and frost hides the crimes at least..

After the 20th light or so I hit a point where I just go "better is better, perfect is impossible"

Whats yalls attitude towards bench focus? Spending hours on one pesky light? Or moving on when its flat-ish. Will also accept any tricks yall have picked up along the way, beyond wants in the official ETC documentstion/videos

it’s tight on the pipe. it’s safety cabled. but that damn pan nut. i‘d rather leave it loose enough that I can force it with my hands but I just think tightening the nut with a wrench would slow everything down and probably knock the focus out of place. what’s professional etiquette on this?

Not sure if props is the best category for this, but I have loads of questions as I am preparing to do Evil Dead: The Musical (high school edition).

For the most part, I don’t think it will be a challenge to keep most of the blood stuff in the kitchenette, where spills can be contained in a small, non-dancing area.
However, towards the end of the show Ash slaughters all the demons and this is supposed to be a huge blood fest.

My concerns include:
-is this going to make the floor too slippery for our final number? there’s not a lot of time for clean up but is that the only option? how would one even clean that much blood with about 40 seconds of music for the big final scene change?
-if blood is spraying everywhere, how is it not destroying the set and costumes?
-will this require some sort of protectant for our wooden floor (that’s sort of sealed by many layers of black paint)?
-how can i create a bunch of blood on a low budget, that’s not too slippery but not too thick, and still reads as blood?

I really want to make this work. The kids are so excited about the idea and it is one of the most special things about the show. I am just trying to think practically for our low budget and small space while trying to avoid just using confetti/streamers.

I teach at a 6A school in Houston (about 2400 students). We are VERY fortunate that theatre is prioritized. We offer the following classes:

Tech 1

Tech 2

Tech 3/4 (combined)

Theatre Production

My question for the hive: what should my kids know by the time they graduate to have the best chance of success in college or professionally? Sometimes, it takes hearing from other people to believe what the teacher says. And sometimes, the teacher learns things they've overlooked.

Thanks in advance!

Hey!

Im currently working an entry level producer job at a local theatre.

What other roles can be in with the experience I have?

Also can producers be apart of equity?

I've got a practical lighting effect to set up.

The actors can turn the light on and off but it can't be plugged into a wall because it has to move.

It's already wired with a bulb and an e26 base, but since I can't plug it in, I need some sort of situation that would allow us to use the light.

I'm not sure if I should try and figure out a battery pack that would run an incandescent e26, or if I should switch it over to LED and just use the existing wiring.

Any suggestions?

Edit - Figured it out! There are e26 lights with a built-in battery backup.

Hey guys! There is an opportunity I am being provided for a substitute mixing position to line by line mix Hairspray at a community theatre in the area. I would take over a weekend of the show where the main mixer is not available and mix for 3 days. They are wanting to offer me 160$ for this.

For context, I have around 2 years of audio in this realm and this would be my third musical line by line mixing. The first one was at my high school while the second one was at this very same community theatre and volunteered to do line by line mixing to get my foot in the door.

I feel like this is a rate that is super low. Not only would I be the one responsible for these 3 days audio wise and line by line mix 3 shows but I feel like I am not being compensated the time that it takes behind the scenes to get ready for this type of task, including all the tech days and rehearsals I have to attend to, where my time is not being compensated for.

I’m here to see what you guys think, I am obviously a little bit of a beginner but I do have expertise under my belt and felt like this was not a proper compensation for the amount of work this takes. Any comments would be appreciated!

looking for some inspiration! Thanks!

Gearing up to hopefully take the entertainment electrician cert test soon. How does it work? Do I go to a specific (regional???) testing center? Do they give you dates to choose from? Or do they tell you date, time, and place and it’s up to you to get there like it’s a a show call?

I have a “survival job” at the moment and I’d like to have an idea about this detail so I can prepare about asking for the day off if necessary

Thanks all!

Ok so let me start by saying, I’ve read through a lot of the posts of people asking about painting their stage. And, it seems like the overwhelming majority is people saying go with Rosco Tough Prime Black. I totally see the value in it; however, we are a house of worship on which our stage has very low traffic, like VERY LOW!

My question is , is there a better cheaper option that would be just as good for a very low traffic environment?

The stage is wooden, sealed, and varnished. It’s been beat up over 20+ years without being maintained. It reflects light like crazy and we’ve wanted to “neutralize” and have it be a “blank slate” that is more versatile. This is the reason we’ve chosen to paint it black. Additionally, we have an “apron” that is concrete steps that we plan to paint black as well, they have been previously painted black which I think is either latex or oil but not sure.

A couple questions:

1. With everything being said, what is the best option at a big box store? One that will not bring the price tag that Rosco does? A paint that will allow me to touch up things without having to paint the whole floor again and will not “flash” or show up as random patches? Also, will not rip up when gaff tape is pulled up. And, is not overly shiny and doesn’t feel like a black hole?

2. What prep do you think is necessary? Scuffing? Sanding? Priming? Taping?

3. What materials? Mainly what nap size and roller type?

Supposed to start this project soon and need to buy supplies and not regret the decision to paint it black.

Thanks for your insight!

I got into tech theatre much later than a lot of people I know, and am therefore enrolled in a BA program where I am double majoring in theatre. I have been feeling incredibly frustrated because it feels as though I am not learning as much as I could be if I had gotten into things younger and applied for a BFA program. Now it's too late for a transfer and I have to finish out.

I have a small portfolio for scenic design and tech direction, but everything I do is basically self taught. I'm proud of the progress I've made given the lack of formal resources at my school and especially shotty design courses, but lately I've just been feeling not very hopeful about a future in this field. I'm not really sure how to land apprenticeships to learn more than I am at school when I'm competing with people who get so much more instruction. And of course, they deserve the apprenticeships and I'm not holding anything against them, but it just makes me feel sad that there doesn't seem to be a clear path for me to progress.

I am so eager to learn and love this field so much, and it hurts sometimes when I feel like I'm stalling or idling when I could be learning so much. It's also not that I don't pick things up quickly once I have someone who is willing to take the time to teach me. Tech and design is just unfortunately not something I can teach myself out of a few books in my free time. I need a mentor, but it feels like those are exclusive to those who just figured it out sooner than I did. I guess I'm just wondering if there are people out there who figured out a way to continue progressing and learning and turning this thing into a career? Sorry for the downer post, I'm just feeling a bit lost.

We just started our school year and one of my students asked what made me want to do tech theatre. For me, it was a production of Shirley Jackson's "the Lottery." Aa a 5th grader, I loved the lights and set. It was so spooky, then normal, then terrifying.

What else left an impact for y'all?