Really Dull Shows

[andy_s]

I've only ever done one corporate - spent 3 days and one night manically rigging and focussing in Ally Pally while the lighting designer was in Earls Court. This was quite fun, but tiring. Then (following immediately on from the overnighter) spent the next 4 hours under the stage with my colleague waiting for our one smoke machine cue for the MD of this large insurance company to make some kind of star wars entrance after reading out interminable list of sales figures ...or something. Smoke machine didn't work properly - it was an early "low smoke" thing - no-one around really knew how to make it work, but it seemed like a nice toy to add to the spec). then waited three months to get paid. Somehow it's never bothered me that I never seem to have been offered more of this sort of work. However, I have done a few shakespeares where my weekly spen on works of literature increased proportionally to the gaps between cues. Never done a Ring, though, but had a local amatuer op soc threatening to do Meistersingers once..... they changed their mind and started planning Aida instead.

[David Ripley]

In the conference line but slightly different, both at the same venue

 

Turn up at 6AM (Park Lane) get in past bins still reeking of last nights nosh and set up a dozen mics in a room feeding a mixer and tape recorder (no PA)

 

Then sit through 8 hours of people talking about financial something or other IN JAPANESE! :)

 

Followed by a few months later the same scenario except this time it was a vetinary meeting IN GERMAN! <_<

 

And they expected me to stay in the same room, monitoring the LED's on the desk and stay awake!

 

David

[mark b]

We are not alone! forever to be stuck in rooms warm rooms while faceless suits drone on and on about nothing in particular. I find valium works cos then you dont care that you are board rigid! All the same you have my sympathy.

[Mikey]

Scary thought, imagine old Doddy performing in 'The Ring', how long.....

Anyway we've still got another SIX, yes SIX weeks of techs and run throughs of the Cycle until our first performance in Edinburgh, it's still very dull........ <_<

[the kid]

I've just found this and I've just done arsenic and old lase with appart from the house light cues there were 6lx cues.

[nick_field]

My best was an exceptionally dull and unimaginative performance of Little Women;

 

No colour, and 2 LX cues, or 4 if you count the house lights...

 

Whether it was 3 hours or 6 I could not tell you, but it was far, far too long.

[Techno_Monkey]

Having to board op Pirates of Penzance this Saturday as the main op can't make it. Will only have about 10 LX cues including house lights.... Can't wait.....

[Stu]

Well count yourself lucky it was one day! I've just done 2 full weeks of the stuff, oping Bill & Ben / Andy Pandy (15ish cues) and Godspell (75 cues).

 

Both boring, and was more than happy when I came to the end of the two weeks!

 

Remember, the number of cues does not determine how much fun you'll have on the show! It's the show that keeps you interested...

 

:)

 

Stu

[tuxlux]

Having to board op Pirates of Penzance this Saturday as the main op can't make it.  Will only have about 10 LX cues including house lights.... Can't wait.....

In which case you'll be able to sing along to "A lampies lot is not a happy one....."

 

All together now.

Ahhhhh,

When illuminating duties to be done, to be done,

A lampies lot is not a happy one.....

 

Aren't show fun when the lighting stays constant...... :)

[TomLyall]

if you get the timing between the cues right you can run to the chippie and back before the next cue:D

[andyc]

I recetly done arsenic and old lace aswell......

 

Night to day scene...15minute cue, good job I had tetris on my mobile!!!!!

[Stu]

Just done a week of that myself on the desk. Thank god for my book or newspaper, and my iPod!

 

Stu

[the kid]

I vaguely remember that the cues were snap to (light switches) and not fade so slipping in and out of consciousness was not really a option.

[timpman19]

the worse shows have to be primary school productions,

 

[rant] having to sit at the lx desk all day incase it goes down and u need to get extra lights up so u don't send the kids into mass panic!

watching the first school rehearse in the morning and the second school rehearse in the afternoon as they do alternate nights, then watching the show every night for a week, wanting to kill the parents in the audience that are taking flash photos of there "cute children... aww bless them!" even though you have sent multiple announcements out asking them not to! then having 150 kids all leaving the theatre at once met by 300 parents that want to congratulate them before leaving!!!

 

[/rant]

[KindredHyperion]

I have to say one of the most boring things I've done is PPE (prospective parents evening) - that's the thing where the headteacher, deputy head, curriculum director etc stand up and say "everybody come to our school, isn't our school great" for half an hour. No lx cues at all, not even any house lights, no sound cues either.

The worse bit about it is that after it's finished we have a 10 minute break, and then we do it all again. And again. And again. In fact we do the whole thing about 8 times spread over two days >_<

 

Still, at least next time I'll have Tetris on the new 408...