Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.5) with PIPE id 4770572; Fri, 22 Oct 2004 03:00:34 -0700 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.5 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #171 Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 03:00:24 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Status: No, score=-4.3 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.0 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.0 (2004-09-13) on prxy.net X-Spam-Level: X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #171 1. College student-directed shows by MissWisc [at] aol.com 2. Re: Fire on Stage by Dale Farmer 3. Re: College student-directed shows by Pat Kight 4. Re: College Production Budgets by "Stephen E. Rees" 5. Re: Fire on Stage by Scott D Trites 6. Re: College student-directed shows by James Kosmatka 7. Re: College student-directed shows by "Janice Pohl" 8. Re: Fire on Stage by CB 9. Re: Fire on Stage by CB *** 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: MissWisc [at] aol.com Message-ID: <7d.5b2dd014.2ea9b235 [at] aol.com> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 20:45:41 EDT Subject: College student-directed shows Cc: alderson [at] uwosh.edu Received a solication from my second Alma Mater asking for donations. As an example of what $25 could buy they list: "Costuming, lighting, set design and props for a student production at the Fredrich March Theater" Now Mic, I know you're REALLY good at what you do, but isn't that on the far low end to finance all four of those areas? Did they even bother to ask you or Roy for a figure? Set DESIGN?? For the college teachers on the list... what are typical amounts for budgets for student productions at your campus? Kristi ------------------------------ Message-ID: <4178611A.DF3B4B3C [at] cybercom.net> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:23:38 -0400 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Fire on Stage References: Bill Conner wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Dale wrote: "Now the Station Nightclub fire just last year ( Where the > culprits were poorly marked fire escapes and flammable materials stapled to > the walls. )" > > I think this misses the mark by not noting that the pyro and poor procedures > and very poor judgment in it's use by the "entertainment technicians" were > the primary failure. Many other things contributed but without the reckless > use of pyro, there would have been no news. Instead 100 dead. Likewise > management was poor or non-existent. Certainly the flammable foam on the > walls contributed and could have been ignited by other causes though it > would take some work and coordination to ignite it in three separate places > simultaneously. > > Since everyone was cued up at the doors, I'm not sure how much marking of > egress contributed to the problem. Similarly, to those that claim that > "panic" contributed to the death tool - I'm not sure what the occupants > could have done differently that would have made a difference. They were, > after all, at the doors and trying to get out. > > There were standards and are standards for the use of pyro but in the end, > those people responsible for proper use and application of the standards > didn't hold up their end of the bargain. > > Regards, Bill It is a given that there are tens of thousands of nightclubs/bars and so on in the US. There are probably tens of thousands just in the greater NYC area, not that I would know. Given statistical probabilities and the murphy factor, fires are going to get started by all sorts of things in these venues. Electrical malfunctions, careless disposal of smoking materials, misuse of pryo, cooking accidents, arson, and hundred other things start fires. It is how the physical plant of the venue, the staff, and the customers in the venue react to the small fire that determines whether you end up with a mass casualty incident or a small repair job that the manager has to get fixed. Fire and life safety codes are written to reduce the likelihood of a fire starting, and to allow the people adequate time to evacuate safely and the fire to be extinguished. Thus the first major failure at The Station Nightclub fire was the misuse of pyro. It could have just as easily been a light leaning against a curtain or sterno can tipping over. The pyro did start the fire over a large area at once, and considerably speeded up fire progression. The second major failure was flammable wall coverings. The third major failure was inadequately marked, inadequately accessible fire exits for the number of people in the venue. There was a crush of people at the main door of the club, the other fire exits were all, AFAIK, usable and were used by people to escape. --Dale ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41785EB5.30408 [at] peak.org> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:13:25 -0700 From: Pat Kight Subject: Re: College student-directed shows References: In-Reply-To: MissWisc [at] aol.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Received a solication from my second Alma Mater asking for donations. As an > example of what $25 could buy they list: "Costuming, lighting, set design and > props for a student production at the Fredrich March Theater" > > Now Mic, I know you're REALLY good at what you do, but isn't that on the far > low end to finance all four of those areas? Did they even bother to ask you or > Roy for a figure? Set DESIGN?? IANA teacher, but if the student productions in question are class or workshop projects, the institution has some sort of black box/studio space and the students in question are told "pull your costumes, props and furniture from stock and use the standard lighting setup," I can imagine them getting by on no budget at all, assuming the institution takes care of royalties or they're doing student-written plays. I've seen it done, and some of the shows weren't bad at all. More likely, your alma mater's fundraisers have no idea how much this stuff costs, but somebody told them they had to include the theater program in their solicitation. I don't think my own alma mater's alumni appeals have ever mentioned theater; they're usually all about hockey. -- Pat Kight kightp [at] peak.org ------------------------------ Message-ID: <417865BB.9020403 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:43:23 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Subject: Re: College Production Budgets References: Here, it varies. There are the department produced shows in two different venues, 400 seat proscenium and 150 seat black box. There is also a Student Association supported group that does two major shows and two "experimental" works in the black box. Dept: Total for 5 show season which is Midsummer, Fantasticks, Dearly Departed, Deathtrap and Barnum. Scenery is $11,500 less ~10% that I've held back for contingency. Props is $1900 for the season less about ~15% contingency, Costumes $9000 for the season and I don't control this line. Light/Sound is ~$5600 total. Makeup is about $1000 for the season. Dept. lives off its box office receipts. No outside funding. Student Ass'n: about 1100 per major show all areas. Experimentals are well under $500 total all areas. Funded from student activity fees. Steve Rees,TD SUNY- Fredonia MissWisc [at] aol.com wrote: > For the college teachers on the list... what are typical amounts for budgets > for student productions at your campus? > > Kristi ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.0.1.1.2.20041021223044.03b70ec0 [at] mail.hiwaay.net> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:37:57 -0500 From: Scott D Trites Subject: Re: Fire on Stage Two of the community groups I work with have used a fire built out of foam and sticks with one of the little "witches" caldron's that has the flame tips blown by a little fan and orange bulbs in it for the flame. One show we ran it off batteries, the other show we used a long black zip cord to the AC adapter to run it. Either way it looked great, although there was no smoke; and the actors could cut it on and off as called for. Scott ------------------------------ Message-ID: <41788ED8.7040107 [at] cleveland-theater.com> Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:38:48 -0400 From: James Kosmatka Subject: Re: College student-directed shows References: In-Reply-To: MissWisc [at] aol.com wrote: >For the college teachers on the list... what are typical amounts for budgets >for student productions at your campus? > >Kristi > Speaking as an undergraduate student, the budget for our annual student-directed one-act festival (which we've done of so far) is very close to zero. I, as the production sound designer, actually did get reimbursed for about $15 worth of sounddogs.com purchases and a dozen CD-R's. So, a $25 donation really /would /have just about covered our entire design budget, as the set was already built for the succeeding show, the costumes and props were all pulled from storage or people's closets, and we own the lights and gels. A couple of $25 donations and we'd be ecstatic. Incidentally, how often can you say that sound design had the largest budget for a production? Yours, james kosmatka Cleveland State University ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001301c4b7f6$b77989d0$6d7444ce [at] OTC1375516> From: "Janice Pohl" References: Subject: Re: College student-directed shows Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:19:33 -0500 Ah. During the summer we were asked to pull together a list of "things we might be able to purchase" at various dollar donation amounts. This was indeed turned into a development office list. Some of the items were broken down in ways we hadn't imagined, either. Even though we set student prod. at $100 budget, I can see that 1/4 of the amount would be an item that would appeal to recent grads. I couldn't see our recent grads buying memorial bricks, but I could see they might want to help a student production. JPohl ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20041021225548.019794d8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:55:48 From: CB Subject: Re: Fire on Stage I just cannot get the image of Frank walking barefooted out of a burning theatre on hot coals out of my head... Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound MON AZ Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20041021225943.019794d8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 22:59:43 From: CB Subject: Re: Fire on Stage >As I implied, our fire codes >should not be constrained by historical events. > And there it is. Who was it that said, "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it"? ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #171 *****************************