Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.6) with PIPE id 12327906; Tue, 04 Jan 2005 03:01:41 -0800 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.6 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #248 Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 03:01:17 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-5.4 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on prxy.net X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #248 1. Re: Beckett changes in productions/Merrily... by Norman Lazarus 2. Re: Projection surfaces by Greg Bierly 3. Re: Intellectual Property by JT 4. Re: Albee / Beckett changes in productions, , , by Mark O'Brien 5. Re: List use by Mark O'Brien 6. free seminar in Phoenix by Theatre Safety Programs 7. Re: Ideas by Wood Chip-P26398 8. DC Production Assistance by "Stephen E. Rees" 9. Re: More intel. prop. stuff by Dale Farmer 10. Re: Puccini, Butterflies, etc by "Jeremiah Minh Greenblatt" 11. Southern California Section USITT by "Joe Golden" 12. turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Jared Fortney 13. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Mike Katz 14. soft wheels by "Storms, Randy" 15. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Bill Sapsis 16. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Bill Sapsis 17. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Mark O'Brien 18. Theatre Rentals? by stevedecker [at] mac.com 19. Re: Theatre Rentals? by "ladesigners [at] juno.com" 20. Re: Theatre Rentals? by "Joe Meils" 21. Re: Theatre Rentals? by "jknipple" 22. Re: More intel. prop. stuff by "ladesigners [at] juno.com" 23. Re: Theatre Rentals? by "Mike Rock" 24. Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) by MissWisc [at] aol.com 25. Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) by "Mike Rock" 26. Re: Theatre Rentals? by Dale Farmer 27. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Bill Sapsis 28. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by "Jon Lagerquist" 29. Re: Theatre Rentals? by Paul Puppo 30. Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) by "Jason" 31. Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels by Jared Fortney 32. Re: Theatre Rentals? by "Kelly Kohls" 33. Re: Theatre Rentals? by MissWisc [at] aol.com 34. Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) by roguerpj [at] mn.rr.com *** Please update the subject line of your reply to use the subject *** line of the message you are replying to! Please only reply to *** one message subject in each reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20050103142151.55124.qmail [at] web51708.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 06:21:51 -0800 (PST) From: Norman Lazarus Subject: Re: Beckett changes in productions/Merrily... In-Reply-To: My first production in college was Merrily with a nightmare of a director. She also reversed the show and put it into chronological order, until about a 2 weeks before we opened. When Sondhiem's people found out about it. Not sure what made her attempt this given the college was in Long Island(just out side of NYC). Norman Lazarus __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Send holiday email and support a worthy cause. Do good. http://celebrity.mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <088719D1-5D95-11D9-A8FE-000D936BFA94 [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: Re: Projection surfaces Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 09:37:45 -0500 > Most spandex is not FR. Niether are ideal... what are you projecting? > sharp crisp words? abstract colors and shapes? Atomic Design/Rose Brand rental had spandex shapes for rent. IIRC They were flame treated but could not be certified unless they were treated after every use. I believe they converted/converting over their inventory to the IFR spandex. I used their original spandex shapes as a projection surface and it worked very well. We even projected onto painted spandex once and it performed better than expected. Greg Bierly Technical Director Hempfield HS ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41D963FD.6070009 [at] icdc.com> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 10:25:49 -0500 From: JT Organization: Sorely Lacking Subject: RE: Intellectual Property Friends, On the topic of "suing them into submission" to maintain often-shaky "rights"... My day job has me in the automotive world. Last year our office watched from the sidelines (we weren't involved) as Volvo Cars sued a car museum in Volo, Illinois over a web address. The museum won, but at a price. A quote from the news release on the museums website tells it best: -------- "Volo Auto Museum On the Road to Recovery After Battling Volvo" Volo, IL - Volo Auto Museum may have won the war, but the family-owned business is still reeling from last year's legal dispute with Volvo Cars of America Corporation. Volvo, the Swedish-based auto manufacturer owned by Ford, claimed the museum violated trademark laws with its Website domain name, www.volocars.com. Volvo's Website is www.volvocars.com In June, the World Intellectual Property Organization, which acts as an arbitrator in copyright and trademark infringement cases, ruled in favor of the museum. "It was nonsense and everyone knew it," Museum Founder and Director Greg Grams said. "It cost me over $100,000 in legal fees, not to mention a year of my life." The "nonsense" nearly destroyed the museum's plans for a military exhibit to highlight the historical treasurers of area veterans and their families. ------- And on the topic of changing a play to suit the director's whim, last year I posted here on seeing a Philadelphia-area production of the "The Fantastiks" from which the part of the Mute was eliminated. I still wonder if they got permission to do that... Peace Jim Taylor Acoustic Light Productions ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <4E28D0C6-5D9C-11D9-B548-000393897332 [at] email.arizona.edu> Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: Albee / Beckett changes in productions, , , Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 08:29:49 -0700 On Jan 1, 2005, at 11:48 AM, IAEG [at] aol.com wrote: > there are stories of productions of WHOSE AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLF, , > where > it's two gay couples that I believe Albee shot down, , , (according > to some > that's the subtext of the play) > > There is a relatively famous production of Becketts ENDGAME at A R T in > Cambridge that was set in a post apocalyptic subway station that > Beckett VEHEMENTLY > opposed, , they finally compromised and did the production that way > but allow > Beckett to insert a letter to the audience in the program outlining > that this > was not his intent what so ever. Some one on the list might have more > info > on this (and perhaps more accurate) > > we won't even begin to discuss Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, which > carries with it a disclaimer that bacically says " don't even THINK > about changing > the order of this production" > > very best, > > Keith Arsenault Although well into public domain, I once did a production of "Queen Lear" in which all of the genders were reversed. It took place in 50's Georgia, and included a nice little ditty called "take my Dildo" The car was nice, it was a '39 Buick (ish) built on a golf-cart. (that was my part) Mark O'Brien Opera Technical Director University of Arizona, School of Music Tucson, AZ 520/621-7025 520/591-1803 Mobile ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <103747C0-5D9E-11D9-B548-000393897332 [at] email.arizona.edu> Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: List use Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 08:42:24 -0700 I thought the purpose of the list was to have someone "Co-sign your bullshit" Mark O'Brien Opera Technical Director University of Arizona, School of Music Tucson, AZ 520/621-7025 520/591-1803 Mobile On Jan 2, 2005, at 12:15 PM, ladesigners [at] juno.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > 'Bursting bubbles', 'Calling bluffs', and 'Correcting misinformation' > is EXACTLY what this this list is for, and it does it well, thank you. > /s/Richard > > Hate to burst that bubble ... > Brendan C. Quigley > > > ________________________________________________________________ > Juno Gift Certificates > Give the gift of Internet access this holiday season. > http://www.juno.com/give > ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.0.14.2.20050103090708.01fa5758 [at] mail.earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 09:10:28 -0700 From: Theatre Safety Programs Subject: free seminar in Phoenix Here is some information about a free seminar in Scottsdale in March. Please share with anyone you know or any organizations that might be interested. Golf and spring training are both great in Arizona that time of year. COVER YOUR BEHIND Legal, Insurance, and Contract Essentials For the Theatre March 5, 2005 9am - noon, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Stage 2, 7380 E. Second Street Scottsdale, AZ Who Should Attend: Theatre Owners, Technicians, Operators, Stagehands, Students, Volunteers, Teachers, School Administrators and Risk Managers Why Attend: To learn about the legal and insurance issues involved in theatre education and management and in the presentation of live theatre. Many of these issues are not understood until it is too late. This presentation will be of special interest to schools and community theatres. Where else will you get the opportunity to ask questions of a real lawyer, not someone who plays one on TV, without having to pay large fees and an insurance broker whose specialty is the entertainment industry? The presenters: Joel Iannuzzi: Cleary, Shahi and Aicher, Rutland, Vermont and Neil Huff: PRISM, Inc., Greenville, South Carolina Joel Iannuzzi was admitted to the New York Bar and the U.S. District Courts of New York (Southern and Eastern), in 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1991, Vermont State and Federal Bars in 2003. Mr. Iannuzzi joined the Rutland Vermont firm Cleary Shahi & Aicher in March of 2003, following his relocation from Brooklyn, New York. He has been in private practice since his admission to the bar. He was a founder and principal of the New York City firm of Beck & Iannuzzi and its successor firm, Beck, Iannuzzi & Garcia. He has been a practicing insurance defense litigator for more than twenty years. He has also represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases. Mr. Iannuzzi has handled cases involving the entertainment industry. Neil Huff, insurance broker, is the owner of PRISM Inc., insurance provider for the Entertainment Services and Technology Association, the trade association of theatrical manufactures and dealers. His provides insurance broker services for manufacturers, dealers, performers, and venues in the entertainment industry. THE PROGRAM IS FREE TO ALL BUT SPACE IS LIMITED. For more information or to reserve a space for this important program, e-mail theatresafe [at] jgorrell.com or call (480) 837-9401. If you e-mail off list, we can send you an electronic version of the flyer. PRESENTED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE BY: Desert States Section of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology Local 336 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Employees Barbizon - Phoenix Ackermann Lighting Theatre Safety Programs Jerry Gorrell Standards Chair USITT Principal, Theatre Safety Programs ------------------------------ Message-ID: <014D202957F6D8118924000F20D7342B1EBA21 [at] az33exm01.corp.mot.com> From: Wood Chip-P26398 Subject: RE: Ideas Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 11:17:53 -0700 Good idea for after dinner speech (saw it once myself). Distribute 100 balloons to audience, tell people to pop them until about 80% gone, say that was how many good ideas there are that are only idle wishes, now pop 10 more, say that is how many reach even 1st investigative stage, pop 5 more, how many get some investment of time and money, pop 4 more, how many don't pan out. The one left is the one good idea that makes it. Chip Wood -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Delbert Hall I agree with you, good idea are valuable, but good ideas that are successfully excuted are "priceless." "When all is said and done, there is a lot more said than done." ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41D9948A.1080102 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 13:52:58 -0500 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: DC Production Assistance Happy New Year Folks! I'm forwarding a message from a friend of mine who lives in Northern Virginia near DC. Can anyone assist her?? Please contact her directly if you can. Many thanks, Steve Rees [Forwarded Message Follows] I am currently directing and producing a production of "Sleuth" in the Washington, DC area. I am looking for some resources for high-quality stage make-up, prosthetics, fat-suits and the like. Additionally, I am looking for effects resources (stage blood, blanks, explosives, and break-away items that are destroyed on set). If any of you know about the show, the same actor needs to play two completely different characters, so the make-up needs to be as realistic as possible. Additionally, the entire show is set around "Game Theory" and murder, so the effects need to be top of the line as well. I am also looking for a company who may have done the production before and would have a "Laughing Sailor" to rent out. Those I am locating on E-Bay are way out of the budget. Any help you all could provide would be great! Thanks, Tracy Mullen Cosker tracylynn0627 [at] yahoo.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41D99772.C22A5F91 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 14:05:22 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: More intel. prop. stuff References: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Until I received the below statement, I had consistently found virtuall= y all the mean-spirited actions that Disney management instructed their L= egal Department to do were indefensible. Here is an exception. Unless a r= ightsholder vigorously defends their intellectual property from all poten= tial infringers, they can, and often will, lose their exclusive rights to= control the usage of their Trademarks, Service Marks, Trade Dress, and o= ther protectable items. The items will then fall into the Public Domain f= orever. As ridiculous as it appears when we hear of some preschool told t= o remove the Mickey Mouse character painted on the side of their building= , if Disney failed to send out a 'cease a desist' order upon hearing of t= he infringement, they could lose certain intellectual property rights. Wa= rner Bothers is kindler and gentler in their protection of Bugs Bunny, bu= t still effectively protect their intellectual property, by way of contra= st. > /s/ Richard > > Disney does the exact same thing to attack anything that even remotely = resembles an infringement. > --Dale That's why I used the term "Remotely resembles". They go after every= one that comes to their attention, and having seen some of the initial letters tha= t go out, they are not at all nice about it. They seem to be a boilerplate letter = that promises all sorts of dire legal retribution, and very short time-frames to respon= d before legal action is automatically initiated. No mention of how to get a li= cense in the letter either. I heard about a volunteer fire department that wanted to use some disney characters on their new fire apparatus doing various fire-fighting= poses. Many calls and letters to Disney produced no response at all. Meanwhile,= the enthusiastic decorators, anticipating no difficulty in getting permis= sion, had already started painting the characters on the truck. Periodic calls and letters to disney over the course of the next coup= le years still produced no response. Then there was a big accident, and the= paper had a nice action photo that included the offending characters. Co= uple of weeks later the very nasty C&D letter from Disney legal arrived. Returning calls to the contact person on the letter produced only one= response, which amounted to 'Stop immediately or we sue.' The guy couldn't even be bothered to give us the phone number of the licensing folks who could give permission. After some back and forth, the offending images were covered over, but disney sued anyway, for the time they were displayed unknown to Disney. When the entire timeline came out, the judge found that Disney had lost their protection due to their non responsiveness, and were entitled to no damages, and couldn't block the usage of the images on that specifi= c vehicle. ( This took a couple of years to filter through the courts thou= gh. ) The next truck they bought, they contacted Warner Bros., through the phone directory at the local Warner Brothers retail store. WB licensing not only gave them the license to use the characters on the truck and on patches for a dollar per year, but also provided nice fire fighting artwork to be copied gratis. Said artwork also appeared on some of the clothing carried by the chain before they closed it. --Dale ------------------------------ From: "Jeremiah Minh Greenblatt" Subject: RE: Puccini, Butterflies, etc Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 14:38:15 -0500 Message-ID: <000201c4f1cb$c81c9cf0$0300a8c0 [at] Roadbox> In-Reply-To: That's what I was hoping to hear. Thanks. - J.Minh "As far as I know, Spielberg was actually BEHIND the whole thing..." ------------------------------ Subject: Southern California Section USITT Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 13:01:38 -0800 Message-ID: From: "Joe Golden" Southern California Section USITT Invites you to get Active! Costume and Lighting Event Meet Janet Hansen Creator of Enlighted Designs Inc=20 Designer of wearable technology, particularly lighted clothing =20 When: Saturday January 29 2005 at 1pm Food and drink will be provided =20 Where: Enlighted Designs Inc 163 La Costa Ave Encinitas CA 92024 =20 Time: 1pm =20 R.S.V.P.: Sue Brandt 213-740-1247 chair [at] socalusitt.org Limited attendance: 40 attendees Costs: Free to members Yearly Dues for SoCal USITT =20 Professional $15.00=20 Student $10.00 =20 Janet Hansen is an artist/engineer/entrepreneur and pioneer in the =20 field of wearable technology, particularly lighted clothing. Through =20 her company, Enlighted Designs (http://enlighted.com), she illuminates =20 all types of apparel, including bras, pants, suits, dresses, ties, =20 hats, and bodysuits, as well as props and accessories. Most of the =20 work is custom-made for performers in various industries, although her =20 lighted clothing is also gaining popularity as a form of mainstream =20 club wear. =20 Light elements include LEDs and electroluminescent (EL) materials, used in conjunction with a variety of optically transmissive and reflective =20 elements. The lights are animated in pre-programmed patterns (with =20 PIC-based sequencers), and some designs incorporate motion-reactive, =20 sound-reactive, or color-changing effects. =20 She will give a tour of her studio, display examples of lighted =20 clothing, and discuss the past/present/future of this unusual industry. =20 =20 Directions: Enlighted Designs is located at 163 La Costa Ave, Encinitas CA 92024. This is north of San Diego. From I-5, take the La Costa exit, and go west, almost all the way to the coast. The house is on the left, on a private driveway set back from the main road. It is marked by a "Not a Through Street" sign, just past the construction site with the blue and white flags. If you go past it, and reach the end of La Costa at Hwy =20 101, make a U-turn, go past Vulcan, and then it is the next right. There is plenty of parking in the driveway and on the private road. 760-505-3343 208-723-7139 fax janet [at] enlighted.com www.enlighted.com =20 Map: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp? searchtype=3Daddress&country=3DUS&addtohistory=3D&searchtab=3Dhome&addres= s=3D163+L a+Costa+Ave&city=3DEncinitas&state=3Dca&zipcode=3D92024=20 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <45c56d3405010313063067d745 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 16:06:50 -0500 From: Jared Fortney Reply-To: Jared Fortney Subject: turntable encoders/ soft wheels In-Reply-To: References: Here's two related questions for the combined wisdom of the list: Does anyone have a good method for mounting an encoder on a turntable? Our turntable uses a chain drive, but the chain slips enough to create error if we drive the encoder directly from the chain or motor shaft. Our current plan is to have a wheel ride against the edge of the plywood deck of the turntable. That brings up the other question. Has anyone used/found a very soft wheel (softer that most casters) that may be a good candidate to ride against the plywood edge? We've taken to calling this mysterious wheel the "sponge wheel" to give you some idea of how soft we'd like it. Any help is appreciated. Thanks! -Jared Fortney UC-CCM ------------------------------ Message-Id: In-Reply-To: References: Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 16:16:18 -0500 From: Mike Katz Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels Cc: jared.fortney [at] gmail.com (Jared Fortney) You might eliminate the slippage problem completely by mounting an encoder right on your pivot shaft, I suspect most encoders will have a high enough count per revolution that you will be very accurate even if you are reading from the center and not from the edge. Mike > >Does anyone have a good method for mounting an encoder on a turntable? > Our turntable uses a chain drive, but the chain slips enough to >create error if we drive the encoder directly from the chain or motor >shaft. Our current plan is to have a wheel ride against the edge of >the plywood deck of the turntable. >-Jared Fortney >UC-CCM -- Mike Katz Technical Director MIT Theater Arts Rinaldi Tile Building 77 Mass Ave E33-101 Cambridge MA 02139 617.253.0824 mkatz [at] mit.edu "Lunacy Abounds" ------------------------------ Subject: soft wheels Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 13:21:10 -0800 Message-ID: <555928311F8B2943B65FC7197942C3B73239C7 [at] es1.bsdnet.wednet.edu> From: "Storms, Randy" Cc: jared.fortney [at] gmail.com (Jared Fortney) Hi Jared - Grainger is your go-to place for this problem: 20+ pages of = casters in the catalogue, including small-diameter pneumatic and = semi-pneumatic versions. Good Luck, -- r. Randy Storms rstorms [at] bham.wednet.edu --------------------------------------------------- Has anyone used/found a very soft wheel (softer that most casters) that may be a good candidate to ride against the plywood edge? We've taken to calling this mysterious wheel the "sponge wheel" to give you some idea of how soft we'd like it. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 16:32:44 -0500 Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 1/3/05 4:06 PM, Jared Fortney at jared.fortney [at] gmail.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Here's two related questions for the combined wisdom of the list: > > Does anyone have a good method for mounting an encoder on a turntable? > Our turntable uses a chain drive, but the chain slips enough to > create error if we drive the encoder directly from the chain or motor > shaft. Our current plan is to have a wheel ride against the edge of > the plywood deck of the turntable. That brings up the other question. > Has anyone used/found a very soft wheel (softer that most casters) > that may be a good candidate to ride against the plywood edge? We've > taken to calling this mysterious wheel the "sponge wheel" to give you > some idea of how soft we'd like it. > > Any help is appreciated. Thanks! > > -Jared Fortney > UC-CCM Don't know how soft it is, but standard pneumatic tires don't have to be fully inflated. Is that the kind of 'soft' you were looking for? (I've got some) Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile We stand behind, and under, our work. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 16:35:46 -0500 Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 1/3/05 4:16 PM, Mike Katz at mkatz [at] MIT.EDU wrote: > You might eliminate the slippage problem completely by mounting an > encoder right on your pivot shaft, I suspect most encoders will have > a high enough count per revolution that you will be very accurate > even if you are reading from the center and not from the edge. Yeah, but if the turntable is a standard height, say 12" or so, it will be hard for the little person to get under there with a little flashlight to read the little numbers on the encoder. Mirrors maybe? Bill S. (hey, it's a New Year. I gotta start it off right, yes?) www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile We stand behind, and under, our work. ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <9DB099E2-5DD1-11D9-B548-000393897332 [at] email.arizona.edu> Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 14:51:25 -0700 I used to use a separate encoder, but it causes problems itself. On my smaller turntables, I use a piece of channel, and a 35 chain to drive. Yes there is slippage, not enough that it does not go around, but certainly enough to cause errors in the encoder. (encoder is a C faced job, between the motor & gearbox) What turned out to be a simple, and really effective solution to this problem, is to apply 3M non skid tape to the inside of the channel. The 3M product is not the hard sandy stuff, rather the soft bumpy stuff. If you use 3M tape, accuracy on a 25' turntable was reduced to less than 10 counts per revolution, (out of about 40,000) Close enough, unless you are using your turntables to manufacture chips on the side. I have used a pneumatic tire to drive the tt without noticeable slippage, but different tire pressure, due to temp, made the encoder readings become inconsistent. Mark O'Brien Opera Technical Director University of Arizona, School of Music Tucson, AZ 520/621-7025 520/591-1803 Mobile On Jan 3, 2005, at 2:06 PM, Jared Fortney wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > Here's two related questions for the combined wisdom of the list: > > Does anyone have a good method for mounting an encoder on a turntable? > Our turntable uses a chain drive, but the chain slips enough to > create error if we drive the encoder directly from the chain or motor > shaft. Our current plan is to have a wheel ride against the edge of > the plywood deck of the turntable. That brings up the other question. > Has anyone used/found a very soft wheel (softer that most casters) > that may be a good candidate to ride against the plywood edge? We've > taken to calling this mysterious wheel the "sponge wheel" to give you > some idea of how soft we'd like it. > > Any help is appreciated. Thanks! > > -Jared Fortney > UC-CCM ------------------------------ Message-ID: <12533345.1104790772054.JavaMail.stevedecker [at] mac.com> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 14:19:32 -0800 From: stevedecker [at] mac.com Subject: Theatre Rentals? in-reply-to: references: Hello wise list. I am a Technical director for a new theater at St. Francis High school, that is a 502 seat house. The theater is brand new, with an full lighting package (168 ETC source four instruments from 19-50 degrees, 20 S4 par cans as well as 20 6" Fresnel's, Emphasis control board, 320 circuits,) sound package ( center cluster, house left and right mix, rear house right and left mix, a 48 channel sound board and 16 wireless body pack mic's. both lapel, and over ear, 8 hand held wire less) and fly system with 28 line sets. Every thing is state of the art with lots of room to grow. The policy of the school is to remain up to date on new technologies. The question that was asked of me was do we rent to outside communities? If we do how much should we charge for rentals and do the rates vary based on events, ie concerts vs. theater productions? How a contract should look and the legalities of renting such a space? How much staff should I have on board for each event? what should I allow or provide each group to use in terms of equipment? Some thoughts for lighting are that they may use a rep. plot that I have hung and can add specials to the plot. What should we ask for a deposit to cover potential damages? Do we charge for lamps or include that in the rate? The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a rental operation. I have only been on the other side of the rentals, and have the knowledge of a costumer renting the space, not the other way around. Of course our own needs come first but there are down times that we are not using the theater. Also I think this would provide some great experiences for some of my students to be exposed to other forms of theater production other than the ones that we produce. If any one has any experience in this please help me out in answering theses questions. Also if some one has a sample rental contract that they could show me that would be great. Of course we are looking for other models with similar equipment, however I'll take any advice. Thanks Stephen Decker Technical Director / Designer St. Francis High School ------------------------------ From: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 22:41:59 GMT Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? Message-Id: <20050103.144209.599.158336 [at] webmail13.lax.untd.com> Just make sure that all the revenue goes into a trust fund for bulb, gel, cable, connector, microphone, mixboard repair and instrument replacement, and does not get co-mingled or redeployed for any other purpose, such as show budgets or student body organization activities. Think of the rental income as a private stash that gets audited yearly. Good contracts make good friends, specially if you are renting to an entity that has some political connection with the school, such as the case when a teacher at your school 'just happens' to be directing a show in the space with one or more non-student actors. Try to demand adequate security deposits, even from government users. /s/ Richard The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a rental operation. Stephen Decker Technical Director / Designer St. Francis High School ________________________________________________________________ Juno Gift Certificates Give the gift of Internet access this holiday season. http://www.juno.com/give ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001001c4f1e6$1641ce40$66ecbed0 [at] hppav> From: "Joe Meils" References: Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 16:46:37 -0600 Stephen, Your first priority in assessing rental charges, is to contact the school's insurance company, and find out how much they would need in order to cover your facility, both from damage, and from liability. Once you have that worked out, you can then armortize that cost, plus the cost of paying someone to act as a house TD, and the general cost of overhead (heat/AC/electricity/wear and tear) into the cost as well. It's a bit of a math problem, but in the end, it's worth gathering the info rather than picking a sum out of thin air. We've been renting theatres as part of our Children's Theatre company. The rates for a 500 + seat house seem to be in ballpark of about $400 per 8 hour block. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 4:19 PM Subject: Theatre Rentals? > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > > Hello wise list. > I am a Technical director for a new theater at St. Francis High school, that is a 502 seat house. The theater is brand new, with an full lighting package (168 ETC source four instruments from 19-50 degrees, 20 S4 par cans as well as 20 6" Fresnel's, Emphasis control board, 320 circuits,) sound package ( center cluster, house left and right mix, rear house right and left mix, a 48 channel sound board and 16 wireless body pack mic's. both lapel, and over ear, 8 hand held wire less) and fly system with 28 line sets. Every thing is state of the art with lots of room to grow. The policy of the school is to remain up to date on new technologies. > > The question that was asked of me was do we rent to outside communities? If we do how much should we charge for rentals and do the rates vary based on events, ie concerts vs. theater productions? How a contract should look and the legalities of renting such a space? How much staff should I have on board for each event? what should I allow or provide each group to use in terms of equipment? Some thoughts for lighting are that they may use a rep. plot that I have hung and can add specials to the plot. What should we ask for a deposit to cover potential damages? Do we charge for lamps or include that in the rate? > > The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a rental operation. I have only been on the other side of the rentals, and have the knowledge of a costumer renting the space, not the other way around. Of course our own needs come first but there are down times that we are not using the theater. Also I think this would provide some great experiences for some of my students to be exposed to other forms of theater production other than the ones that we produce. > > If any one has any experience in this please help me out in answering theses questions. Also if some one has a sample rental contract that they could show me that would be great. Of course we are looking for other models with similar equipment, however I'll take any advice. > > Thanks > > Stephen Decker > Technical Director / Designer > St. Francis High School > > ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Theatre Rentals? Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 17:53:07 -0500 Message-ID: From: "jknipple" I work at a professional theater in residence at an educational institution. We do 6 theater shows a year, and rent the space at least once a week, every week of the year. I'm the TD for the shows, and someone else is TD for the rentals. The good side: rentals =3D money and exposure.=20 The bad side: making the rental and theatre worlds mesh. It seems like quite often that, during load in, I have to get the set to a point that's safe for renters to be on it. This can get hard with 2 level sets, etc. If you decide to rent it out, I'd suggest overseeing as much of the lighting and sound setup and operation as possible. We used to let outside renters run boards, set up mics, etc, but found that the skill sets of individuals varied, and that some renters didn't respect the equipment. By using our own, in house trained ops working with the renters, we were able to ensure that everything was done correctly. We also have our own house manager for each rental, and if backstage crew is needed, at least one of our own people backstage. We've also implemented in-depth technical meetings with performance groups who need more than just lights up-lights down. Each rental will vary. I'm not sure what we charge (contact me off list if you're interested, and I can find out). I believe that non-profit groups get a discount, though. And deals can be made. I believe that our rental crew gets paid a certain amount per hour, but the renter is charged 50% more per tech per hour, to cover costs such as lamps, gel, maintenance, etc. It's all outlined in the contract. For the most part, we've found that rentals can be a lot of fun, but sometimes you'll get a group that's a nightmare. By planning for that, you'll save yourself a lot of headache. If you want more info, feel free to contact me. I'll put you in touch with our rental TD. James Knipple =20 Technical Director REP Stage - www.howardcc.edu/repstage Student-Alumni Arts - Howard Community College=20 - www.howardcc.edu/studentarts jknipple [at] howardcc.edu 410-772-4451 -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of stevedecker [at] mac.com Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 5:20 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Theatre Rentals? For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- =20 Hello wise list. I am a Technical director for a new theater at St. Francis High school, that is a 502 seat house. The theater is brand new, with an full lighting package (168 ETC source four instruments from 19-50 degrees, 20 S4 par cans as well as 20 6" Fresnel's, Emphasis control board, 320 circuits,) sound package ( center cluster, house left and right mix, rear house right and left mix, a 48 channel sound board and 16 wireless body pack mic's. both lapel, and over ear, 8 hand held wire less) and fly system with 28 line sets. Every thing is state of the art with lots of room to grow. The policy of the school is to remain up to date on new technologies. The question that was asked of me was do we rent to outside communities? If we do how much should we charge for rentals and do the rates vary based on events, ie concerts vs. theater productions? How a contract should look and the legalities of renting such a space? How much staff should I have on board for each event? what should I allow or provide each group to use in terms of equipment? Some thoughts for lighting are that they may use a rep. plot that I have hung and can add specials to the plot. What should we ask for a deposit to cover potential damages? Do we charge for lamps or include that in the rate? The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a rental operation. I have only been on the other side of the rentals, and have the knowledge of a costumer renting the space, not the other way around. Of course our own needs come first but there are down times that we are not using the theater. Also I think this would provide some great experiences for some of my students to be exposed to other forms of theater production other than the ones that we produce. If any one has any experience in this please help me out in answering theses questions. Also if some one has a sample rental contract that they could show me that would be great. Of course we are looking for other models with similar equipment, however I'll take any advice. Thanks Stephen Decker Technical Director / Designer St. Francis High School ------------------------------ From: "ladesigners [at] juno.com" Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 23:18:17 GMT Subject: Re: More intel. prop. stuff Message-Id: <20050103.151820.599.158973 [at] webmail13.lax.untd.com> Need I say more? Thanks, Dale, for one more comparison of Warner Brothers' versus Disney's regard for their own patrons. Disney is so disliked by the majority of those persons who work in the entertainment industry that show business workers won't even buy Mickey Mouse stamps from the post office, whereas the Warner Brothers stamps sell out. Side note: of the 800,000,000 Bugs Bunny postage stamps sold in the US, over 300,000,000 were never used and are in peoples collections. This is not the case with Micky Mouse stamps. Another example: Disney nominally refuses to license their music to be played at the Hollywood Bowl, whereas Warner Brothers not only encourages their music to be played, but allows the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra to rehearse on one of their soundstages. /s/ Richard > Until I received the below statement, I had consistently found virtually all the mean-spirited actions that Disney management instructed their Legal Department to do were indefensible. Here is an exception. Unless a rightsholder vigorously defends their intellectual property from all potential infringers, they can, and often will, lose their exclusive rights to control the usage of their Trademarks, Service Marks, Trade Dress, and other protectable items. The items will then fall into the Public Domain forever. As ridiculous as it appears when we hear of some preschool told to remove the Mickey Mouse character painted on the side of their building, if Disney failed to send out a 'cease a desist' order upon hearing of the infringement, they could lose certain intellectual property rights. Warner Bothers is kindler and gentler in their protection of Bugs Bunny, but still effectively protect their intellectual property, by way of contrast. > /s/ Richard > > Disney does the exact same thing to attack anything that even remotely resembles an infringement. > --Dale That's why I used the term "Remotely resembles". They go after everyone that comes to their attention, and having seen some of the initial letters that go out, they are not at all nice about it. They seem to be a boilerplate letter that promises all sorts of dire legal retribution, and very short time-frames to respond before legal action is automatically initiated. No mention of how to get a license in the letter either. I heard about a volunteer fire department that wanted to use some disney characters on their new fire apparatus doing various fire-fighting poses. Many calls and letters to Disney produced no response at all. Meanwhile, the enthusiastic decorators, anticipating no difficulty in getting permission, had already started painting the characters on the truck. Periodic calls and letters to disney over the course of the next couple years still produced no response. Then there was a big accident, and the paper had a nice action photo that included the offending characters. Couple of weeks later the very nasty C&D letter from Disney legal arrived. Returning calls to the contact person on the letter produced only one response, which amounted to 'Stop immediately or we sue.' The guy couldn't even be bothered to give us the phone number of the licensing folks who could give permission. After some back and forth, the offending images were covered over, but disney sued anyway, for the time they were displayed unknown to Disney. When the entire timeline came out, the judge found that Disney had lost their protection due to their non responsiveness, and were entitled to no damages, and couldn't block the usage of the images on that specific vehicle. ( This took a couple of years to filter through the courts though. ) The next truck they bought, they contacted Warner Bros., through the phone directory at the local Warner Brothers retail store. WB licensing not only gave them the license to use the characters on the truck and on patches for a dollar per year, but also provided nice fire fighting artwork to be copied gratis. Said artwork also appeared on some of the clothing carried by the chain before they closed it. --Dale ________________________________________________________________ Juno Gift Certificates Give the gift of Internet access this holiday season. http://www.juno.com/give ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001101c4f1eb$e6497980$80fea8c0 [at] Fred> From: "Mike Rock" References: Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 17:28:15 -0600 My school rents out hte thearer, I only caught a glimps of the contract but there was a standerd package of two wireless mics and the rep light plot. I would like to say this was $60 an hour. The only real renters we have is a few dance shows and they are in for two weeks. They tell us what they want set up before they load in and we hang and focus lights as needed, they pay us to hang their plot as well as bring the gel. They bring in their own sound guy who is great to work with and their own SM who is a go between the teachers and the crew. She has a way of taking the message down from 80 db and angery to 30 db and calm. The pay extra for stage hands and moving lights. Hands get $8 an hour with is great for a high schooler and the four movers and the board for $250 IIRC two weeks. We have not had a problem with damage to the theater or backstage area. The only problem is and this is a show by show baises parents think they are above the laws of the theater. IE being backstage at all and eating or drinking as well as flash photography. Mike ------------------------------ From: MissWisc [at] aol.com Message-ID: <12e.5488b9db.2f0b311c [at] aol.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 18:37:00 EST Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) Cc: stevedecker [at] mac.com In a message dated 1/3/5 4:20:16 PM, stevedecker [at] mac.com wrote: <> Sure... if you REALLY want to. It's not as easy as it appears. Before you do, survey other facilities in the Sacramento, CA area to see what's already available and what their terms are. (Good way to get some sample contracts too!) Look at places that are competition for space rentals... not just other schools or other theaters. That means you need to call community theatres, churches, hotels, colleges, and so on. Even some businesses have theatre style meeting spaces. Determine if you have the time and energy to do rentals and if you have something to offer that's not already available. <> Lots of ways to think through this... what's common your area? What's works best for your administration to handle? Some have a flat fee. Some places charge a percentage of the gate (good idea for for-profit productions). Lots do a combination of both. You'll probably want to have different rates for student/parent/staff/church events vs. other renters. <> Contact your local legal professional. Bring samples from other spaces in your area. "Borrow" appropriate words and create what ever else you might need. If other areas of your school are available for rental, your contract may be similar to those ones with the additional personnel and equipment things specific to your space. << How much staff should I have on board for each event?>> Minimum of three TRAINED, RESPONSIBLE people - preferably adults: one to supervise back stage/dressing areas/stage door one to supervise the house/ushers/patrons (CPR/AED certified) one to be the big boss with the keys and supervise the technical booth. That said, I rent a local HS theatre here and the manager throws me the keys as he leaves. I've been there for a couple of years, I work as an IATSE stagehand, and he knows I have my kids well trained. <> Great idea. You do NOT want to be hanging a new plot for every rental if you can avoid it. This takes longer than any other part of the set up. IF they want to change things, they can hire you and your approved crew to do it AND change it back when they are done.. at appropriate rates. As for the mics... I'd suggest a rental per piece. The board/PA/etc comes with the theatre cost. Decide if you want to rent set pieces too or just include what you have with the cost. <> Lots. I'd suggest $500 minimum. Have them write out a check you hold until the show is done and YOU have inspected the space. Then you simply return the check if everything is OK. Be specific in what you consider to be normal wear and tear versus something they'd need to pay for e.g., When is a carpet spill normal wear and when is it damage? <> Personal preference... include it in the rate. IMHO that's part of normal wear and tear. Light bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. Lots of places do have a separate fee though. Dont' forget about batteries, piano tuning, and those kinds of things too. HTH Kristi ------------------------------ Message-ID: <000701c4f1ef$15499c80$80fea8c0 [at] Fred> From: "Mike Rock" References: Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 17:51:01 -0600 > <> > Personal preference... include it in the rate. IMHO that's part of normal > wear and tear. Light bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. Lots of places do > have a separate fee though. I feel that it would almost be unfair to charge per bulb that goes. I would put it under the rate because a group might get very lucky and and be in the space for a few days and not have one bulb go while another might come in for a nights rental and find several burnt out. I would take the cost of a bulb divide by the life span and multiply it by the number of fixtures in use. Then tack it on as a charge listed as bulbs. Still not 100% fair but a fairer charge. FYI I have no say in the contracts I just work here. Mike ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41D9E1F4.C7826591 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:23:16 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? References: stevedecker [at] mac.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > > Hello wise list. > I am a Technical director for a new theater at St. Francis High school, that is a 502 seat house. The theater is brand new, with an full lighting package (168 ETC source four instruments from 19-50 degrees, 20 S4 par cans as well as 20 6" Fresnel's, Emphasis control board, 320 circuits,) sound package ( center cluster, house left and right mix, rear house right and left mix, a 48 channel sound board and 16 wireless body pack mic's. both lapel, and over ear, 8 hand held wire less) and fly system with 28 line sets. Every thing is state of the art with lots of room to grow. The policy of the school is to remain up to date on new technologies. > You lucky barstard. > > The question that was asked of me was do we rent to outside communities? If we do how much should we charge for rentals and do the rates vary based on events, ie concerts vs. theater productions? How a contract should look and the legalities of renting such a space? How much staff should I have on board for each event? what should I allow or provide each group to use in terms of equipment? Some thoughts for lighting are that they may use a rep. plot that I have hung and can add specials to the plot. What should we ask for a deposit to cover potential damages? Do we charge for lamps or include that in the rate? > > The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a rental operation. I have only been on the other side of the rentals, and have the knowledge of a costumer renting the space, not the other way around. Of course our own needs come first but there are down times that we are not using the theater. Also I think this would provide some great experiences for some of my students to be exposed to other forms of theater production other than the ones that we produce. Lots of good advice from others. Most important thing is an iron clad agreement that all the money from rental of theater spaces that most or all of the money goes back into the theater. ( A percentage for expendables, a percentage for capitol improvement funds, and a percentage for the school system is a good formula to have laid out in writing beforehand. ) Things like blown bulbs, minor spills and such are normal wear and tear. Big spills, abuse of equipment causing damage, etc. comes under damage deposit. Break out the line items. So much per unit of time for the space. Then add in your people costs. So much per hour for the custodian, so much per hour for the TD. So much per hour for additional technicians. Note four hour minimums, and any time limitations that student labor can works. ( i.e.. no later than 11pm on school nights, etc. ) Work out a deal with a local theatrical labor house. This probably would be IATSE, but may not be. Get agreement from any outside unions that this is a non-union venue for school system employees and student employees to calm future hassles. Then additional items. Things like the repertory plot comes with space, add-ons and changes have to be done on their dime with approved by you labor force. Resetting back to normal is part of the package, and they have to pay for that too. Light board, sound board, and one wired microphone on the podium come with the space. Anything extra is extra, even if you can borrow it from the rest of the school for free. Tables, chairs, radio mics, batteries, wired mics, scenery, choral risers, etc. Everything has a price. ( The extras pricing is also the place that you can use to cut overall cost to groups that you favor. "I'll throw in the use of the two wireless mics for free. " ) Base your price on local rental houses and be competitive. Cheaping yourself out is a lose in the long run. Get the damage deposit up front, at least a 50% deposit on the total estimated bill. You can build in discounts for repeat clients, say a local business has a quarterly sales meeting. Find out about if you can serve food and beverages on the property. Food, drinks, and booze have decent profit margins if done right. Try to work out a deal with a local catering company who can bring in an entire bar/resturant to the lobby for an event. ALternately find other local venues that can do large meals for groups as a fund raiser, such as churches and fraternal organizations. --Dale ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 19:29:18 -0500 Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 1/3/05 4:51 PM, Mark O'Brien at marko [at] email.arizona.edu wrote: > I have used a pneumatic tire to drive the tt without noticeable > slippage, but different tire pressure, due to temp, made the encoder > readings become inconsistent. Rats. Does that mean my idea won't work? I'm going back to rigging. Overhead rigging, that is. Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile We stand behind, and under, our work. ------------------------------ From: "Jon Lagerquist" Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2005 17:07:22 -0800 Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels Reply-to: jon [at] lagerquist.com Message-ID: <41D97BCA.12225.F57B19F [at] localhost> In-reply-to: References: Mark O'Brien wrote: > is to apply 3M non skid tape to the inside of the channel. I have to agree with Mark, the best solution (all other things being equal) is to solve the slip issue. In my turntable ventures there is a fine line between slipping so much it does not move and snug enough to work well. It sounds like you are somewhere on that line. Two things I would look at. First, how are you tensioning your chain? Especially if the chain is long you will need to keep taking out slack for quite a while as the links settle in. I have never had any luck with a tensioner that had spring in it. We built a unit that is three idler sprockets with the center one mounted on a length of 3/4" threaded rod so it can be moved to and from. Mark has his motors on a sort of similar rig. Second is the surface you are running on. While Mark uses a steel framed unit, I have had good luck with polyhedrons framed in wood. We tried various rubber pads and found that the ends of the framing worked pretty well. The one time I wrapped the drive edge in ply I have more slip issues. Jon Lagerquist Technical Director [at] South Coast Repertory Costa Mesa, CA ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <31408B78-5DF2-11D9-B44C-000A95823EDA [at] Nifty-Gadgets.com> From: Paul Puppo Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 17:44:37 -0800 My friend who's the TD for a newly renovated gem of a community theatre, (The Marjorie Luke Theatre; http://www.luketheatre.com), in my home town of Santa Barbara, CA (sorry, commercial over), developed a training/certificate program for the community users of the space. The student crews and the parent "assistants" could learn about the venue, and it's hardware, and be trained in how to use it, *before* their load-in. The renters get better trained crew (and I think a discount if they use "certified" crew people), and the house gets to rest easier knowing that the people handling the equipment have at least been told what's right and wrong. win/win Paul Puppo ILLUMINEERING 547 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133-3905 (415) 397-8776 phone/fax http://www.Nifty-Gadgets.com mailto:Paul [at] Nifty-Gadgets.com On Jan 3, 2005, at 2:19 PM, stevedecker [at] mac.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > Hello wise list. > I am a Technical director for a new theater at St. Francis High > school, that is a 502 seat house. The theater is brand new, with an > full lighting package (168 ETC source four instruments from 19-50 > degrees, 20 S4 par cans as well as 20 6" Fresnel's, Emphasis control > board, 320 circuits,) sound package ( center cluster, house left and > right mix, rear house right and left mix, a 48 channel sound board and > 16 wireless body pack mic's. both lapel, and over ear, 8 hand held > wire less) and fly system with 28 line sets. Every thing is state > of the art with lots of room to grow. The policy of the school is to > remain up to date on new technologies. > > The question that was asked of me was do we rent to outside > communities? If we do how much should we charge for rentals and do > the rates vary based on events, ie concerts vs. theater productions? > How a contract should look and the legalities of renting such a space? > How much staff should I have on board for each event? what should I > allow or provide each group to use in terms of equipment? Some > thoughts for lighting are that they may use a rep. plot that I have > hung and can add specials to the plot. What should we ask for a > deposit to cover potential damages? Do we charge for lamps or include > that in the rate? > > The school is very interested in renting to out side sources but they > are hesitant as am I, since I have very little experience running a > rental operation. I have only been on the other side of the rentals, > and have the knowledge of a costumer renting the space, not the other > way around. Of course our own needs come first but there are down > times that we are not using the theater. Also I think this would > provide some great experiences for some of my students to be exposed > to other forms of theater production other than the ones that we > produce. > > If any one has any experience in this please help me out in answering > theses questions. Also if some one has a sample rental contract that > they could show me that would be great. Of course we are looking for > other models with similar equipment, however I'll take any advice. > > Thanks > > Stephen Decker > Technical Director / Designer > St. Francis High School > > ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Jason" References: Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 18:21:40 -0800 I agree I used to use a rental company that charged $3.00 per instrument as lamp usage charge on top the normal rental charge. When you rent 120 feet prerig double hung par truss plus the what ever specials I needed it got stupid for the extra charge. Plus I rented all the dimming, cabling, rigging and control from them too. Just easier to one rental company for each project, not so much separating to get it to right vendor. Haven't used that vendor in a few years. ----- Original Message ----- > I feel that it would almost be unfair to charge per bulb that goes. I > would > put it under the rate because a group might get very lucky and and be in > the > space for a few days and not have one bulb go while another might come in > for a nights rental and find several burnt out. I would take the cost of a > bulb divide by the life span and multiply it by the number of fixtures in > use. Then tack it on as a charge listed as bulbs. Still not 100% fair but > a > fairer charge. FYI I have no say in the contracts I just work here. > > Mike > > ------------------------------ Message-ID: <45c56d3405010319503b0d43d0 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 22:50:32 -0500 From: Jared Fortney Reply-To: Jared Fortney Subject: Re: turntable encoders/ soft wheels In-Reply-To: References: In answer to some questions: Jon- We use a threaded rod tensioner similar to what you described. The drive edge is wood. Mark- We've looked at some sort of rubber tape, but never pursued it. Do you have a part number or source for the non-skid tape? Mike- Once before we tried to run the encoder from the shaft. We used round belting to drive the encoder which was out from underneath the turntable in case we needed to service it. The belting slipped way too much on the pivot shaft. Do you have a way to service the encoder if you mount it to the pivot shaft? Bill- All our little people(read: MT students) were crewing shows last quarter. All we have now are the tall drama students. Thanks all for the help. I'll check Grainger tomorrow for a "sponge wheel" and hopefully some non-skid tape. -Jared ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Kelly Kohls" Subject: RE: Theatre Rentals? Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 22:20:40 -0600 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Steve, I spent seventeen years as a theater technician at a 2000 seat facility at a suburban Dallas school district and although I never had to get directly involved in the financial side of renting the theater, I was somewhat aware of what was required. School sponsored organizations only had to pay for custodial help and myself. Outside organizations were charged between $100 and $200 per hour which covered the basic rental of the facility, utilities charge, one custodian and myself. If additional custodians were required (this was based on the number of expected patrons) or if extensive use of the stage equipment (beyond the basic rep plot and basic sound system operation) was required then they paid an additional charge. Outside groups were also required to provide proof of liability insurance and pay for security personnel (usually off duty police officers). As someone else mentioned, do everything you can to have the rental proceeds go into an account to help cover the costs of operating the theater. Rental fees from our school ended up in the "general fund" never to been seen again (at least by us). Although we were fortunate to have a maintenance department that would pay for (even deliver!) lamps since they were considered an operational expense, however, getting almost anything else was difficult. For the most part, we had little to no trouble with outside groups but one thing that did occasionally cause tensions was smoking in the building. Although a city ordinance and school policy prohibited smoking, some people just didn't seem to think that those rules applied to them. Repeat offenders were reported to the district central office which maintained a list of "problem" groups. Finally, we had a list of "Theater Rules" that defined exactly what could and could not be done in the theater. This seemed to help quite a bit. If I think of anything else, I'll post again. Kelly Kohls ------------------------------ From: MissWisc [at] aol.com Message-ID: <13e.9d8cb75.2f0b75ae [at] aol.com> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 23:29:34 EST Subject: Re: Re: Theatre Rentals? In a message dated 1/3/5 10:21:25 PM, kkohls [at] prodigy.net wrote: << Rental fees from our school ended up in the "general fund" never to been seen again (at least by us).>> Excellent point! In many states... Wisconsin included... this is the way the law says it has to be done. Hence the many "sponsors" and "boosters" groups who fund sports, music, & drama things. Worked with a band director once who had reeds and similar things students needed come from the "booster" fund as it was the only way to be guaranteed that there would be money to resupply the store. Kristi ------------------------------ From: roguerpj [at] mn.rr.com Subject: Re: Theatre Rentals? (long) Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2005 01:44:38 -0600 Message-ID: <5mhkt01j20seb8afvt1lirkn6gggplc2me [at] 4ax.com> References: In-Reply-To: The house I just finished working at charged a flat rate per hour for each tech. This rate included things like lamps, tape, batteries, mics, etc. I want to say it was around $35/hr per tech. What got us was the event scheduling. This was done by the building owners . What would happen is the renter was charged a fee for time in the space and then had to contact us for setting up tech support. The owners did not do a great job of finding out the actual time the renter would need in the space so, most of the time we had to tell them it would cost them more for set up time. It was and still is a big back and forth game. Moral of this story is make sure who ever is reasonable for booking the space can adequately judge the needs of the renter. You would be surprised what renter think they are paying for even if they agree to having a unfinished set on stage. rob johnson ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #248 *****************************