TeeJay

Polar Audio are the UK dealers for HK Audio - parts for the PR:0 series are still available if you drill into the HK Audio website 

HTH

Depending on the work but specifically for carrying, consider this another voice for own brand vitrile.

However, for more general work, my preference is for framer's gloves. Protection for most of the hand and thumb and forefingers left exposed for those jobs that benefit from bare skin

Dirty Rigger do a decent set (De Walt do NOT!) but you can also pick them up at any sailing shop (Gill or Windward brands) 

On 11/23/2023 at 8:57 PM, J Pearce said:

@TeeJay - yes, sorry read this as if the OP was in the management team. Now I re-read it seems they may well be in the crew team.

no problem - I think we need the OP to clarify the situation here ...

On 11/20/2023 at 10:37 PM, J Pearce said:

From the BECTU-TMA agreement. If you're not a BECTU house then ultimately it comes down to the contract between their producer/booking agent and your booker/producer.

Not necessarily even this - it should be in the terms and conditions between the worker and the employer. I would really hope the producer is not in a position to dictate the contractual terms of workers of other employers! 

@Digger65 your employer should have a definition of when get-out rates apply and this should be part of your contract so you should already have access to this. The bookers may have their own criteria and ability to set themselves as a subsidised show or otherwise but this should not affect how you and your colleagues get paid

I had been about to add Accu Screw to the list of potential suppliers but their off the shelf length for 'wing screws' stops at 60mm in M10 flavour ... and I very much doubt the custom manufacture would be worth their time or your cost!

let us know how you get on with Zoro - we've just started using them recently and had had no issues with the few purchases we had so far made for tools and fixings

We upgraded from our previous Sennheiser IR system to the Tourguide 2020D and in many ways it has been a marked improvement.

Able to remove all the various radiators situated around the auditorium for two transmitters (we broadcast two different feeds); a better quality of sound; able to hire additional headsets from a local supplier when needed for the larger audio descripted shows; and a recent Bluetooth induction loop user was able to use one of the stethosets when she couldn't connect to our array for some of the best sound she has heard at a venue in a very long time. And as far as our users go, there was no functional change from the IR headsets (certainly less than when we upgraded the headsets ten years ago or so).

It is on Channel 70 so we were a little concerned but there is a lot of metalwork in the auditorium walls which helps to mitigate against any interference from external sources (including C70 microphones elsewhere in the building) and the stethosets themselves are noticeably heavier than their IR counterparts (not excessively).

We tried MobileConnect and similar to previous posts, it just wasn't suitable for our space or audience - though I could absolutely see it for a non-live sound broadcast situation with a younger audience. We are in the process of rolling it out to two more venues - however for a third due to open in autumn '23, we are also considering the Listenhear options as they'll interface far easier with the audio network being installed.

We did also check in with Vocaleyes, and our usual freelance describers as well to see what they, and their users, were expecting to receive. Little point in installing a system if it's widely different from what your patrons are presuming they will receive

Lot of viewpoints on this one - interesting to see.

As Simon Lewis says, the immediate financial concerns remain immediate. Whether or not there is a long term saving, there will be an immediate cost involved for any practice if it isn't already established. Arts Council England (and other funding bodies) already require some thought and response to the idea of sustainability so there is a requirement to some companies to already have this under consideration.

I'm old enough to remember the Mayor of London championing a Green Theatre Network that certainly wouldn't be an easy Google search to find these days ...

As richardash1981 notes, there are some technical gaps. I know that the ASD is working on a more detailed section for sound - whether the ALD have also something in the works to add to this?

ImagineerTom notes the issues of adoption - from what I've heard from this initiative, the idea is to have this as a baseline. The work of the Arcola then can be held as a gold (green?) standard. But there are a lot more organisations and companies putting their name to this than I've seen previously. The content is broadly similar to any such endeavour that's looked at theatre environmental sustainability - and I get Junior8 frustrations there.

That doesn't mean however I agree with the implication that we shouldn't try. I'm not for one moment thinking that this new green code will be the means that will finally convince the human race to fundamentally alter it's approach to it's treatment of the planet. We already know from the futurologists who were working as far back as the 1950's that a substantial change in the climate is inevitable at this point. As kerry davies mentions, the 'Green Theatre' concept is to be welcomed and we should have input. That's how we then raise the concerns that it doesn't really address the economic and social sustainability aspects, or that people find the associated blumpf impregnable.

For that I'd throw it back to you and ask what you would see improved. Possibly address those concerns with those writing the code as well ...

It is not a simple or easy topic. There may be 'easy wins' but the core of it is going to require a seismic shift in how we approach things.

Wondering what people's thoughts are regarding the Theatre Green Book that seems to be getting a lot of traction recently:

Theatre Green Book

There have been initiatives before on sustainability so it's nice to see that many of the associations of the industry are involved this time.

I'd say as well to check out https://ccskills.org.uk/ and particularly their section on apprenticeships.

As for particular venues/companies offering, I believe that Sadler's Wells and the Roundhouse run a scheme having two apprentices at a time cycling between the venues. If more of a sound bias, then Brit Row have definitely run apprenticeships but going via CC Skills, or Get Into Theatre who should have up to date lists on schemes and any entry requirements would be a good starting point

Hope the hunt bears fruit

We present a few circus related productions a year and this was something that we kept coming across

One useful phrase I've come across in this is the idea of 'rehearsed competency'. It's the notion that a given risk assessment/method statement/safe system of work/your terminology here, etc is tied to a particular person who has regular and ongoing experience, training and knowledge in a particular area. We use it to say, for example, that a given silk trick is designed by, around and for a particular performer. It's not meant as a catch-all so that anyone could come along and perform the trick but it goes some way to explaining to an inspector that this person's job/career is designed around being about to do this.

Rehearsed competency also can apply to situations that aren't circus related.

As an example, a show we presented a few years ago was an in the round show for three dancers. The set was a three level tower where each level was a flat surface (at least 8' length and width and likely a foot or so more). As the show was in the round, there was no side bracing and only a minimum of corner bracing for the structure so every side was open and exposed. Lowest level was one or two foot off the floor, mid level was at around 6' and top level was at 12' (my measurements may be a little off). There was one dancer per level and the show is around 50 mins long.

A number of other performance spaces had passed on presenting it as they were concerned with performers at height with no means of preventing them falling off.

But if you actually checked the video of the performance (so it was an existing piece), the dancers remained in the centre of their level, and never extended to any side whilst standing. If they were to faint there was enough platform at their level for them to fall onto, rather than fall off.

Did we remove the risk of falling. No.

But we minimising the likelihood of that risk by using performers who had rehearsed repeatedly the routine, had devised the routine to prevent any motions that would unnecessarily bring them close to the edge and who had to maintain a good physical routine.

We weren't devising a system for anyone working with us to be able to dance on an unguarded platform 12' in the air; we were devising a methodology for that particular performer to undertake their routine.

Definitely do not use lino, marley or expensive Harlequin rolled dance floor for tap!

You need to have a hard dance surface for both the sound of the tapping and also for the pushback that the tappers are expecting (which is more important to you can vary ...)

Soft dance floor will not survive repeated impacts in a usable condition (and particularly not if a tap shoe breaks and one of the metal pieces catches it)

remember that you will need to ensure that the sheets of whatever you use don't ruck up at the edges, particularly if there is any kind of slide action. You may find using clear dance floor tape on tape as well could be necessary

And if using tape on the floor, I'm sure you know but check that the adhesive of your tape isn't enough to damage the fresh coating ...

Hope it all goes well

Hi all,

As part of a recent company wide update to Office 365, I'm looking if there is a way to have a work rota that is viewable online by workers who aren't permanent within the company, and which ideally would allow a viewer to 'pencil' in availability for a shift.

The aim would be to be able to create a rota for upcoming shows, have slot available for various departments and then publish it so that both permanent and ad-hoc workers would be able to view it online and see what shifts they are booked for, and to be able to 'request' to work on upcoming shifts that still have slots available which would then be confirmed by a relevant member of the team.

The classic version of Artifax used to have a module that did this (missing from the current version). Microsoft have an app called Shift that looks like it would come close to this for permanent members of staff but it doesn't allow for guest viewers (and I'm not certain whether it would be scaleable for a large number of freelancers)

Hope I'm making sense and interested to know what others are using to schedule their staff

Acre Jean in London?

I'd second this one, or possibly J&C Joel

If it's just the flameproofing, there is also Gorts Flameproofing (who do an onsite service if needed) but I'm not certain if they offer cleaning services as well

Hi,

thanks for keeping the info coming - nice to have someone posting who actually replies after the initial enquiry.

You've had some good advice already so I'll try not to repeat what has been said previously in this thread but a couple of other things to consider:

If that £10K is to be spent in one hit, it's likely you will need to get at least three quotes for equipment from different suppliers. You need to track down a copy of your college's procurement policy, or at least some guidance on Cap Ex (Capital Expenditure).

As well as checking your local suppliers (check with your music/creative departments and see who they use currently) have a look at companies that have a national presence. By no means an exhaustive list but known names in the industry include Stage Electrics, Hawthorns, Autograph and SSE Audio (all of whom have install experience alongside audio hires.)

The forums own MarkPAMan works for SFL who may also be able to assist.

Do you need to factor in speakers for the stage itself? Musicians may not always bring their own monitors and if there is ever a plan to have some measure of performance on the stage, you'll need speakers for them in addition to the main PA.

Briefly mentioned elsewhere but do put some consideration into how the cables get from from the mixing desk to the amps and speakers, particularly if the desk is not by the stage and mechanical aids to transport everything from it's store to the position around the stage.

Lastly, I'm in agreement this is something that should go via professional for whom their day job is supplying kit for a budget. By all means, bounce ideas or ask questions of the forum. But deal with the people who are paid to do this, and who can be held accountable if something goes amiss ...

Good luck!

Hi all,

taking up space in our store are seven x Strand Orion 4-cell groundrows and seven x Strand Iris 4-cell cyc floods

These are available for free for anyone who can get the transport to collect them. Collection has to be between 10am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday in mid Kent - afraid that's a limit of where that store is located and we can't change that

The Orions have their yoke bracket and the Iris have hanging points - all are currently terminated to bare end. I will be passing the store on Monday so will be checking if any still have lamps inside and how many units have safety bonds. They were electrically/mechanically maintained up to a few years ago when they came to store though they are all now out of date of any non-visual test.

The orions have a neat trick where they can be a rigid traditional groundrow unit or can hinge whilst in use (though can't easily be flown if doing this ...) and I'll note the Iris configuration is four in a line and not the more typically seen two x two cube

We would consider part-collection as an option if you didn't want all of them - we use them so infrequently now that we are valuing the space more than the units.

Thanks for reading

I do not agree that RoH shrugged it off, as soon as they learned about an issue they took measures, they just weren't informed. The claimant had pre-existing hearing damage, refused to wear the supplied custom plugs, refused to share his medical auditory history and did not avail himself of the long-standing "just walk out" policy. Be that as it may, after 2 days, one of which they did Die Valkurie, he finally used his custom plugs and then his foam ones and then said it was still too loud. RoH immediately made individual doseimeter measurements and changed layout. That isn't just shrugging it off.

 

I think the crux of it is that the pit should never have been set up in the way that it initially was. He should never have had a trumpet bell a foot from his head. It was set up that way for artistic reasons, but when the crew set it up that day it should have been noticed and brought to someone’s attention and the rehearsal delayed until it was sorted, because a problem of this nature should really have been foreseen. I don’t think they shrugged it off, but it shouldn’t have got to that point. I do agree that the claimant is partially at fault as well and could have done a lot more to protect himself.

The rearrangement of the pit is fairly key to the final decision. Noise measurements taken with the configuration when the incident occurred, and again later for the same piece with a revised layout show a marked decrease in exposure levels. ROH had argued originally that they couldn't change the layout - but obviously did after the incident and the appeals judge picked up on this. Could the ROH have done more? Yes. So could have the claimant.

If you have any interest in this case, it is worth reading through the appeals judgement in full.

I may well be missing something crucial and putting my own spin on things (I'm old you know) but I do think we haven't seen the last of this. HSE is and has been ominously silent on this matter. I suspect they hope it goes away before they are forced into taking criminal proceedings against anyone.

I think HSE have been quiet so far as it's an active court case and their general policy is not to comment - sub judice in effect. The Sound Advice guidance is mentioned in the appeals decision (as is the ROH having been an advisory to that guidance) and I speculate that there have probably been some quiet conversations been had.

Yes definitely more will follow from this ...

 

Not knowing PCStage at all I may be wrong on this, but does QLab not now cover this area as well? Cheaper than Showmagic, it does require a Mac. Or were there additional functionality I’m missing in PCStage?

I'm going to guess the biggest issue with QLab is that you need a Mac ... ;-)

A fine program for sure (and what my venues use) but if you don't have the hardware, and I get the impression from the OP that they are operating on a tight budget, then this becomes a cheaper way to achieve something approaching the functionality required.

In any case, it's nice to see a how to guide rather than another variation on 'how do control everything cheaply? kthxbai' that is a forum perennial

Not theatrical* but we would all benefit; A Teleport. Powered by a potato (see The long Earth for reference), simple to use, no chance a big corporation could buy it up, next best thing to free.

No more traffic jams, no pollution, anyone could be anywhere in seconds - thus breaking down all the barriers so afflicting humanity.

 

 

 

 

 

*Could also be used to get followspots up to impossibly remote balconies.

off topic I know but I'm now stuck with the idea of having to step out to the low megs with a cyrano to find the correct Earth where the topography matches the internal height of the balcony in Earth-0 ...

Must admit,

I am wondering why all the interest in such specific desks.

Am very intrigued. :(