Geo23

Hello, looking at your theatre I feel you are very lucky to have such a nice space to work in. I've been helping out for the past 6 years in a theatre in Arundel, West Sussex which in a building which I think is as old as the castle! The building was a priory in the past and was converted in 1977 into a 78 seat theatre. we’ve recently had the DMX/tungsten dilemma and an ‘expert’ decided to go for an Etc Nomad +gadget and new laptop. nobody apart from the said expert gets on with it as it’s more like programming a computer than controlling lighting! I think we could exchange our progress with each other as we have some similarities worthy of exploring. We are all volunteers and our only income is from ticket sales.

Good point, as we only do 6 shows a year and the need would be for two or three weeks per show, including rehearsals and set-ups it could be the way to go. ill recommend that option to our committee as I can only make recommendations. thanks G

Firstly , thanks for all the interest, I really appreciate all your suggestions. Just to clarify, the wireless system that had been tried was to cover from one by end of our 80 seat theatre where our control room sits to the stage and also the SM location in the wings. The theatre is in a very old building in Arundel (famed for its castle) and has thick walls which the system was trying to penetrate unsuccessfully. My proposal is to use the existing wired coms from control to SM location and then situate some sort of wireless system just to give our SM some mobility around the stage and into the nearby dressing room. The area of coverage would then be almost line of sight if the base station was positioned with care and hard wired into our existing system.

Radio mics are rarely if ever used so that aspect should not be a problem.(I’ve been a member for 6 years and never known of a radio mic being used). we are an 80 seat venue and don’t use any amplification for our actors at all. short range radio mic and earpiece idea sounds good; any recommendations?

Hello from West Sussex, UK. I volunteer at a local Amateur theatre which has a good wired three way coms between sound, lights and S.M. location in the wings. 4 pin XLR sockets at each location having 2 pins for mics and 2 pins for headsets hard wired to a dedicated monitor amp. the system works well and has been in use for years. There is an increasing need for the S.M. To be mobile but still in contact with ops My idea was to put a base station in the centre of the desired coverage area, then link that to the existing wired system. We have already tried a fully wireless system but our venue is an old building with very thick walls so dead spots abound. Any ideas appreciated. I am quite tech savvy, but only visit from time to time.

Sorry for delay in replying, and many thanks to all contributors. As a newbie to the forum I really didn’t expect such a wealth of suggestions from busy people such as the ‘pros’ who responded. my colleague finally went for three ‘fire effect bulbs’ which he sourced from the states. They have a mildly opaque shell and we placed them under the rostra we used and allowed their light to spill upwards into the drapes slightly behind them. By introducing them sequentially it achieved the effect of a growing fire behind the bed where the actor was asleep. The required night effect meant the modest output from the bulbs was adequate. The effect was only needed for 10 secs or so and was accompanied by lots of surrounding business which detracted from the slight lack of realism!

Kerry Davies Comments useful, thanks.

Very effective. Area covered greater in your example than we would need, but a scaled down version could work. Greatly appreciate your contribution Richard, thanks.

Andy Laser, I had considered silk flames but the guy designing with me saw the project effect in the link and would really like to achieve as near to that effect as possible. Thanks for comments though.

Hi there, I think your best bet would be to search for this Pin Header, Wire-to-Board, 3.96 mm, 1 Rows, N Contacts, Through Hole Where 'N' = number of contacts required. Farnell do a good range but you may need to buy larger quantities than you need. For example https://uk.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/1-1123724-2/connector-header-3pos-1rows-3/dp/3398192 Alternatively 'CPC Farnel'l are perhaps more suited to smaller quantities, the link is only a starting point, a similar search would provide the pin numbers you need for different boards. https://cpc.farnell.com/molex/26-60-4040/header-tht-vertical-3-96mm-4way/dp/CN18481?st=pin headers 3.96mm Hope this helps.

Thanks for comments. The torch will not be needed, that's the easy bit! We only have a limited space behind our semi transparent cloth onto which we would need to project the 'flames'. I'm not sure what's available to achieve the effect at such a short throw distance. Any ideas welcomed.

Hello valued experts, I work at an amateur dramatics theatre in Arundel West Sussex. Our next production is an adaptation of Jane Eyre Eyre which will need an effect of fire. The stage is small, measuring only 16ft wide and 14ft deep and will have semi transparent drapes in box set layout. Can anyone advise on how the effect of flames can be achieved ideally from behind the drapes. I’ve seen an effect used in ‘Frankenstein’ and this looks ideal. https://www.facebook.com/markdave.clarkludlam/videos/10213287655559253/?idorvanity=489500337748371