Theatre or Music?

[Jonny DMX]

Theatre becuase there is more 'design' to it and programming

 

I disagree with this, I think there is equal levels of deign in both disciplines of the industry. You could argue that there is more subtlety in Theatre but I think you would be offending the designers that regularly work on live music events by saying there is less design involved.

[Martano]

Just out of interest, I'd like to know a few bits about what students work on at school. I realise that this is primarily a theatre forum, but I'm wondering how much of a role live music plays in schools.

 

At school almost all the work I did was on live music (which could be because the school's own equipment was all broken and the stage was condemned so they couldn't put on a show, and the music department bought their own PA!). We had a really good music department so we had at least one music concert a year as well as occasional fund-raisers or Battle Of The Bands. They would also organise entertainment for the end of every term. Unfortunately they couldn't afford a multi-core, so it did mean trying to mix FOH and Foldbacks from a single desk in front the stage, not good if you make a mistake or miss a cue and all the performers and everyone in the audience turns to you and gives you daggers! I started working sound, but as the concerts and performances got more complex I started to take on an SM-type role.

 

I feel more under pressure working in live music, since (in the small scale work I have done) there is less planning and things are more stuctured and you are given more preperation time in theatre.

[Aaron-Hill07]

I prefer live music for the busking and on the move programming. Theatre is a bit more structured as generally everything is programmed and ready to go at the beginning of the performance.

 

I work with a live music company and do gigs every 2 weeks, it's allways lively and keeps you on the move.

[Killyp]

Live 'rigged' music at school is very rare.

 

In fact, the last time I was involved in a production at school which also involved live music, the radio mics were the only bits I had control over. Everything else I had to 'set-and-go' on a separate mixer on stage before the show. <_< Luckily it wasn't too demanding, but still, things were completely the wrong way round IMO.

 

My school hardly ever seems to pipe musical instruments through the (actually very good) FOH PA, a bit of a waste IMO. It's usually used for speech and video clips. I suppose this is to make things 'simpler', although IMO it'd be 'simpler' to just whack a bass into a DI and then into the patchbay than trying to find a bass amp big enough to fill our school theatre with good sound (of which there are none within school). Oh well, what do I know? :)

[Rozztech]

I love the buzz of a musical event and that is my main type of show at school however , I cant get over the real feeling of excitement and of joy when putting on a theater production ( a rare occasion ).

 

My school hardly ever seems to pipe musical instruments through the (actually very good) FOH PA,

I find this is the case also at my school as the music teachers often don't like the idea that they have lost the control of their acts .

 

Still cant get over how often my older music teacher tells us to dim the lights . You can hardly see the acts !

 

 

Sam.

[Killyp]

I know what you mean, but our head of music is very technical, it's just this attitude generally in our school that we avoid technical stuff unless it's strictly necessary, although our relatively new theatre technician seems to be encouraging the use of the theatre in better ways as far as I can tell.

 

<sarcasm>

I mean, trying to fill a 400 seater theatre with a 60 watt/8" bass amp is easy, as opposed to a pair of PS15s + 3.4kw QSC amp which are COMPLETELY inadequate...

</sarcasm>

[billy jim]

As a noise boy, I prefer working either live music or musicals- straight theatre would bore the hell out of me.

 

As a lampy, I've not really had much experience doing theatre stuff, so I'd say live again...

 

@ Killyp: Get some authority stamping on the go, tell them that you're the one controlling it, and this is how it's gonna go- that's the way we've always worked, and it's produced some absolutely amazing shows.