Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.1.8 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #38 Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 03:00:56 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #38 1. TD Opportunity by "Stephen E. Rees" 2. Re: Rockets! Re: Not About Nightingales by Jerry Durand 3. Re: Lexan and Projection by Mick Alderson 4. Friends of people on the list by "Delbert Hall" 5. Re: Lexan and Projection by "Delbert Hall" 6. Re: Lexan and Projection by Dave Bowman 7. Re: Braille Sign (Somewhat OT) by "Rob Carovillano" 8. Re: Lexan and Projection by Richard Niederberg 9. Re: Friends of people on the list by usctd [at] columbia.sc 10. Building the school theatre: a special report by "Storms, Randy" 11. Scrap Wood by usctd [at] columbia.sc 12. Re: Scrap Wood by Stephen Litterst 13. Re: Scrap Wood by "Erika Smock" 14. Re: Friends of people on the list-Small World by "Stephen E. Rees" 15. Re: Scrap Wood by Rigger 16. Re: Scrap Wood by "Delbert Hall" 17. Re: Friends of people on the list-Small World by "Delbert Hall" 18. Re: Scrap Wood by Pat Kight 19. Re: Scrap Wood by "Scott C. Parker" 20. fire extinguishers (was Nightingales) by StevevETTrn [at] aol.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: <40C9A92B.7020807 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:44:27 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Subject: TD Opportunity Hi, I'm passing this along for a friend who is having some trouble posting to the list. Please reply directly to him. Thanks, Steve Rees, TD SUNY-Fredonia Hello I joined but can't get the listing posted I do not know what I am doing wrong. Could you post it please and pass along to others that might be interested? Many Thanks. Thomas Technical Director Lancaster Opera House The Lancaster Opera House an award winning Victorian Theatre located in Lancaster NY has a immediate Technical Director opening. Candidates will provide complete production support to a wide range of theatre companies. Candidates must have lighting and sound design training and experience. Successful candidates must have strong communication and organizational skills and be a creative problem solver. Full-time, year round position with competitive salary and benefits. Send cover letter/resume/salary requirement/references to Thomas T. Kazmierczak III, Executive Director, Lancaster Opera House, 21 Central Ave., Lancaster NY 14086. Fax: 716-683-8220, Email: lancoperahouse [at] aol.com EOE. ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.1.1.0.20040611071410.09353060 [at] localhost> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 07:17:39 -0700 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: Rockets! Re: Not About Nightingales In-Reply-To: References:

At 10:22 PM 6/10/2004, you wrote: > > You can see an article about our Rocket Ranch on our web page, just > > click where it says personal stuff HERE. > >So, did you meet the end-of-century goal for reaching orbit? Well, the shuttle I worked on did. :) There's a group competing for the prize using our ranch, but we aren't working on that ourselves. Lately the rockets I've worked on all blow up...display fireworks size ("B-Line"). :) ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <40C9D809.4020303 [at] uwosh.edu> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:04:25 -0500 From: Mick Alderson Subject: Re: Lexan and Projection Delbert wrote: > 2. Can Muslin make an effective rear projection material? > > One trick that heard used (although I have never tried it myself) is to > use bleached white sheeting saturated with a clear oil (painted on the > back) to improve the brightness of the image. From what I was told, > this trick creates a very inexpensive but effective (and a little messy) > rear projection screen. > > -Delbert Just don't try anything like that with a "drying" oil like linseed or tung oil! It's INCREDIBLY flammable! I used to make fire starters for camping trips that way. In fact, any oil soaked fabric is essentially a wick and fuel combination. Maybe a clear liquid plastic like liquid acrylic might do something similar, and be treatable with a flame retartant? -- Mick Alderson TD, Fredric March Theatre University of Wis. Oshkosh ------------------------------ From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Friends of people on the list Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 12:17:35 -0400 Organization: ETSU Message-ID: <000801c44fcf$9c5d47c0$6400a8c0 [at] delbert> In-Reply-To: Stephen Rees - I did a flying effect last week for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST with a colleague of yours, Curtis Phillips. I did not deal much with him personally (although we met and he was very pleasant), but the parts of his set that were finished, looked very nice. Eric Rouse - I also worked on a production of PETER PAN this week with an old friend of yours from Penn State, Rob Waltz. (Sterling - do you know Rob or was he after you?) Rob is head of the fly crew for this production and was a really nice guy, and a very efficient worker. Rob says "Hello." I go to the Jenny Wiley Theatre on Sunday, so if anyone has any friends there, I might meet them. -Delbert ------------------------------ From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Re: Lexan and Projection Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 12:42:11 -0400 Organization: ETSU Message-ID: <000b01c44fd3$0ba59030$6400a8c0 [at] delbert> In-Reply-To: Good advice. Over the past 30 plus years in theatre, I have heard many stories, tips and tricks, etc. I try to note in my posts which stories I know to be true, and which are just stories that I have been told. I also try to not which techniques I have actually used and which I have not. As I noted in my post, I have not tried this techniques. I have always used Rosco RP screens. You correctly note that this technique could easily create a very dangerous situation. Thank you. I have to keep reminding myself that many of the things that were commonplace in theatres in the 1970's and 80's, seem totally stupid today. -Delbert -----Original Message----- Just don't try anything like that with a "drying" oil like linseed or tung oil! It's INCREDIBLY flammable! I used to make fire starters for camping trips that way. In fact, any oil soaked fabric is essentially a wick and fuel combination. Maybe a clear liquid plastic like liquid acrylic might do something similar, and be treatable with a flame retartant? -- Mick Alderson TD, Fredric March Theatre University of Wis. Oshkosh ------------------------------ Message-ID: <40C9E632.6070005 [at] syr.edu> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:04:50 -0400 From: Dave Bowman Organization: Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Subject: Re: Lexan and Projection References: In-Reply-To: Hey gang, Delbert Hall wrote: >I have to keep reminding myself that many of the things that were >commonplace in theatres in the 1970's and 80's, seem totally stupid >today. > I'm sure that in the 70's and 80's most of what we do today may seem stupid and unfathomable.... DMwho over Etherwhat? "Moving" lights? You have how many channels on that board? You built your sets out of steel...how did you move it into the theatre? Hey, buzz boy, where's your reel-to-reel deck? You talk to other techs over a listthinggy? Wasn't it Bill Gates who was quoted as saying that the modern computer will NEVER need more than 640K of memory? Nowadays, a PC with anything less than 128Mb is an anchor (and 128Mb isn't a heck of a lot anyways - especially for the major Micro$oft products). And I'm sure that 10-15 years down the road, future members of this list (if it hasn't evolved into something else) will be saying the same things..... That's one of the things I love about our industry, it's ever evolving and the silliest thought can turn into the next big thing. Accountants have been using the double ledger system since the monks kept track of everything.... how boring! ;-) dave B. -- David M. Bowman Syracuse Stage / SU Drama Master Electrician / Adj. Professor dmbowman [at] syr.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: <000501c44fd9$fd515580$a8a44481 [at] rcarovil> From: "Rob Carovillano" References: Subject: Re: Braille Sign (Somewhat OT) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:31:53 -0400 In Disney's Epcot park they have a braille map of the whole park. It is in a strange location so I always wondered how the visually impaired would even find the map. Rob Carovillano Technical Director Bluett Theatre Saint Joseph's University rcarovil [at] sju.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 10:44:00 -0700 Subject: Re: Lexan and Projection Message-ID: <20040611.110001.2748.0.ladesigners [at] juno.com> From: Richard Niederberg Nobody asked, but you definitely CAN dance with character shoes on a fairly efficient RP screen made of 1" frosted Lexan... /s/ Richard ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! ------------------------------ Message-ID: <4859.129.252.241.105.1086980646.squirrel [at] webmail.columbia.sc> In-Reply-To: References:

Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:04:06 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Friends of people on the list From: usctd [at] columbia.sc Delbert, If you have any contact info for Rob please contact me. -- Eric Rouse TD-University of SC, Columbia Freelance Foyboy ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Storms, Randy" Subject: Building the school theatre: a special report Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:28:45 -0700 The most recent issue of Teaching Theatre, the quarterly journal of the Educational Theatre Association, is entirely devoted to the construction of new school theatres, and is worth a read for anyone involved in a school theatre construction project. .PDF's of the articles are available at the link below. http://www.edta.org/publications/teaching_theatre.asp Cheers, -- r. Randy Storms rstorms [at] bham.wednet.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: <4862.129.252.241.105.1086980806.squirrel [at] webmail.columbia.sc> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:06:46 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Scrap Wood From: usctd [at] columbia.sc What do all you scene shop types do with weird pieces of scrap sheet goods. I am going into my 3rd year here and am trying to come up with ways to free up some real estate. We have a scrap box that is out of control and kind of unsafe. We try to save as much as we can due to budget. Any brilliant ideas? -- Eric Rouse TD-University of SC, Columbia Freelance Foyboy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:35:09 -0400 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Scrap Wood Message-id: <40C9FB5D.1D6955DB [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: usctd [at] columbia.sc wrote: > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > What do all you scene shop types do with weird pieces of scrap sheet > goods. I am going into my 3rd year here and am trying to come up with > ways to free up some real estate. We have a scrap box that is out of > control and kind of unsafe. We try to save as much as we can due to > budget. Any brilliant ideas? Well, anything under a certain size gets junked pretty quickly. That size varies depending on the show TD (student TDs save much more wood than faculty TDs) My personal limit is that to save a chunk of plywood, it should be wide enough to become a stair tread or two. A couple of times a semester we have students cut jig blocks out of the scrap ply. I find that the secret is to not let the scraps accumulate to the point of it being unsafe. If it can be used, use it. If not, get rid of it. You can drive yourself nuts keeping an odd shaped piece because "Well, we might do another piece about parallelograms!" If it's large enough for general scenery needs, that's a keeper, but don't wait for the perfect time to use it. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ From: "Erika Smock" Subject: Re: Scrap Wood Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 12:37:57 -0600 Message-ID: In my shop, we had the same problem we didn't have enough room, but because of budget we tried to keep everything we had. In the end we ended throughing out we would never use by saying if it's this long then keep it anything shorter through away.. If it was a weird peice we through it away. There just wasn't enough room erika smock > > _________________________________________________________________ Watch the online reality show Mixed Messages with a friend and enter to win a trip to NY http://www.msnmessenger-download.click-url.com/go/onm00200497ave/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <40C9FEF4.2060301 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:50:28 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Subject: Re: Friends of people on the list-Small World References: Delbert, We're really pleased to have Curt here and his designs are great. Didn't know that you were involved the B&B gig in Crossville. Such being the case, you probably also met John Partyka who is the TD there. Both these guys are former students of mine albeit about 15 years apart. Very small world after all. Steve > > Stephen Rees - I did a flying effect last week for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST > with a colleague of yours, Curtis Phillips. ------------------------------ Message-Id: In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:53:55 -0400 From: Rigger Subject: Re: Scrap Wood At 3:06 PM -0400 6/11/04, usctd [at] columbia.sc wrote: > What do all you scene shop types do with weird pieces of scrap sheet > goods. Once a year, all our scrap wood goes into a shredder over at University Recycling, where it is converted into either ground cover or mulch for the agricultural colleges. I would suspect that somewhere near you is a recycling center that can do likewise. -- Dave Vick, IATSE #274 Head Electrician, The Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University Carpe Per Diem ------------------------------ From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Re: Scrap Wood Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:53:58 -0400 Organization: ETSU Message-ID: <001801c44fe5$74267900$6400a8c0 [at] delbert> In-Reply-To: When I was a TD, my general rule for keeping scrap wood was: 1"x ? if 3 feet or longer 2"x ? if 1 foot or longer (we made platform legs from 2x4s) 1/4" ply if large enough to cut into keystones or corner blocks 3/4" ply if at least 1 foot x 3 feet (cut off any pointy parts and throw them away, immediately.) Delbert ------------------------------ From: "Delbert Hall" Subject: Re: Friends of people on the list-Small World Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 14:58:20 -0400 Organization: ETSU Message-ID: <001901c44fe6$10963b90$6400a8c0 [at] delbert> In-Reply-To: I have known John Partyka for almost 18 years. He is a nice guy and very loyal to the playhouse. -Delbert -----Original Message----- Such being the case, you probably also met John Partyka who is the TD there. Both these guys are former students of mine albeit about 15 years apart. Very small world after all. Steve ------------------------------ Message-ID: <40CA037A.7030304 [at] peak.org> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 12:09:46 -0700 From: Pat Kight Subject: Re: Scrap Wood References:

In-Reply-To: Stephen Litterst wrote: > usctd [at] columbia.sc wrote: >>What do all you scene shop types do with weird pieces of scrap sheet >>goods. I am going into my 3rd year here and am trying to come up with >>ways to free up some real estate. We have a scrap box that is out of >>control and kind of unsafe. We try to save as much as we can due to >>budget. Any brilliant ideas? > Well, anything under a certain size gets junked pretty quickly. That > size varies depending on the show TD (student TDs save much more wood > than faculty TDs) My personal limit is that to save a chunk of > plywood, it should be wide enough to become a stair tread or two. If it's too small to use for, say, a stair tread, we toss it into a scrap wood bin and eventually into the dumpster. Occasionally, some of our volunteers will claim the small stuff for use in their fireplaces or wood stoves. Our local waste disposal company offers wood recycling, for a fee; at one time we had a special wood-recycling dumpster out back, but the hauler took the dumpster away one week (by error, I think) and we don't seem to have asked for another. We've got a bit of a problem with homeless people camping in the small park next to our theater, and I think there may be some concern that they'd raid the wood bin to start fires. -- Pat Kight Albany (Ore.) Civic Theater kightp [at] peak.org http://albanycivic.org ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.0.1.1.2.20040611194017.02b2aec0 [at] mail.hstech.org> Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:42:17 -0400 From: "Scott C. Parker" Subject: Re: Scrap Wood In-Reply-To: References:

I keep those odd shaped scraps for use when teaching saws. With a tech class of 15 to 30 students all needing wood to cut, we get rid of the scrap pile at the beginning of the year. Scott Scott C. Parker Production Designer/Technical Director High School Tech Production Web Site hstech~AT~hstech.org High Schoolers: come visit the HS Tech Web Site... http://www.hstech.org Our Mission: To assist High School Technical Theater students in their desire to learn about, create, and execute theatrical productions. ------------------------------ From: StevevETTrn [at] aol.com Message-ID: <54.2bc7a8b0.2dfbe6ce [at] aol.com> Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2004 00:55:42 EDT Subject: fire extinguishers (was Nightingales) >This is a job for a CO2 extinguisher Since we have a wide range of readers on this list, perhaps it would be good to clarify that the *job* of a CO2 extinguisher (and any other type of fire extinguisher) is to be ready at all times to extinguish fires. In some places it is illegal to discharge a fire extinguisher except to extinguish a fire. Particularly where students are involved, a strong distinction should be made between any units used for effects and those that are in place to fight fires. Casual practices can so easily be turned into deadly habits. Practice safety. SteveV ORL,FL ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #38 ****************************