Wingwalker

Hi all, I've just been watching BBC Breakfast news (16th October 2020) and saw a very interesting piece that Niall from One Direction is going to do a virtual fundraising gig for all technical crew. The event will be held at the Royal Albert Hall next month whereby he hopes to raise enough money through online ticket sales to help support us all through these interesting times. First of all I'd like to say, fair play to him and wish to offer my personal thanks for thinking about us. I for one, appreciate it. Second - does anyone know where the pot of money will go to, and how I (and others) will be able to make a claim? Like a lot of people, we've all not worked for many months - I've done two days since March. I've been unsuccessful in claiming any government grant and have been living off pure savings for six months. I lost my wife due to cancer in February and I'm now having to find somewhere else to live so as to try and keep the financial outgoings down to a minimum. Stressed isn't the word, so if there is any chance of getting some assistance then I need to grab it. I know I'm not on my own, but some days - especially the long evenings - it just feels like it. Many thanks in advance. David.

It's interesting to see that in essence we all feel the same. Personally I'm now coming up to 36 years in this business and what everyone is saying really hits the mark. We are the old guys who have seen it, done it, got the T-Shirt and taken the pain killers because our creaking bodies are worn out. We know what we're doing and we know how best to do it. But we would really appreciate a bit more cash in our pockets to reflect on our many years of knowledge and experience. What I haven't seen on here yet is a younger person's perspective. I wonder what someone whose fresh out of college thinks of it all. Were you taught how to be multi-disciplined or was it just one specialist area you studied and that was that?

As a technician today, do you feel that you have to be more multi talented than the technicians of 20 years ago? And do you feel that the pay you receive reflects the extra work you now do? It seems as though Arts Centres and Outreach projects can only afford to have one resident technician who does more than just "set up a few lights" but is also the cook, the cleaner and the bottle washer too. I've heard stories of where technicians have also had to work as ticket stub collectors, maintenance engineers and toilet cleaners etc as the venue simply cannot afford to hire extra staff such as a caretaker. And yet in the same light, money always seems to be available to spend more on more admin staff. Because technicians are now having increased workloads, standards can sometimes slip, which can lead to dangerous working practices and poor performance. They can call in for extra assistance (sometimes) for a show but this is usually a casual tech who's willing to work for peanuts just to gain some experience within the industry. As technicians we're always the first in and last out. Our work is both physically and mentally demanding but we are often seen as low down in the pecking order of financial remuneration. Your thoughts please... D.

Never believe everything you read in the press... According to the photo caption “Lights were dangling”… Eh??? Hardly – looks like it’s the safety bond doing its job on a single barn door. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2526644/Audience-members-trapped-balcony-Apollo-Theatre-collapses-performance.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490