Whether it be your daily commute, your late night hour to chill or your housework background audio, there is a Podcast to cater for anybody’s taste. Finding the perfect podcast for you can be a hunt though, especially when you don’t necessarily dig Apple’s top rated on iTunes. Here are a collection of industry related podcasts for you to explore.
Recently, I returned from doing a show at a large union venue in Chicago. I know that a lot of people have worked in venues around the US that are run by IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees). I am sure the experiences are both positive and negative. Some cities are better than others. But what had recently changed at this venue in Chicago was the addition of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to any outside venue hirer for some portions of the labor.
Today, the production manager just came onto our bus before load in to tell the entire crew that smoking pot is not allowed on this tour during working hours. Yesterday, he came on to deliver some fine gifts of cheese and wine from the venue and the whole bus reeked of marijuana cigarettes….. reefers.
Having a long-running show like the one for which I work, you’re constantly looking to improve equipment and processes. For us, changing large, flying scenic pieces from wired to wireless is one of those improvements. Over the years, I have, with the help of others, redesigned several scenic pieces to DC power and wireless DMX.
What can we do as lighting professionals to save lives in an emergency situation?
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write the hardest article I have ever written. I would much rather write an opinion piece on my feelings about rainbow chases and load-in puppy play days.
What is DMX? I ask this question to every person I interview for a job. It’s an important question because while the lighting industry is using ethernet-based communication in certain situations, DMX will still be around for a very long time.
Tom Warneke’s 16 Essential Items For An Entertainment Technician article generated many comments and responses from around the globe, so we thought we would collate the feedback and follow up with the public’s suggestions and add to his list. So as decided by you all:
I wouldn’t say I’m a particularly superstitious person but there are certain patterns I like to follow. Call it my show ritual, if you will. Most of these things happen over time on a show and many are forgotten once I move onto another one. Some things, however, stay with me. My signature “Hiya” for check-in before a show, for example, has been with me for as long as I can remember (as I’m sure Anna Robb could attest). I still to this day wear my dads’ watch on opening night (to bring me luck). My little native smurf sits on the left-hand side of my Nomad desk and gets a nod before my first cue (right after I’ve given an exaggerated wink to my long-suffering fellow operator Kirsty). When these little things get missed out, I feel as if my show isn’t the same. I realise of course that in reality, nothing has changed about the show but purely my routine. Still, it bothers the slightly obsessive-compulsive operator part of my brain.
I was on a job site last week and we were mid-show. The bands were changing over onstage and we were getting into the final stages of the night when all of a sudden one of the network racks started beeping incessantly. The headliner was next and we were under the ten-minute mark. Time pressure builds and the beeping won’t stock. Going one hundred miles an hour like trying to dispose of a bomb, what’s the problem and how do we fix it? Is there power? Is it the breaker? Is the UPS running? Are the batteries dead? If we don’t get this fixed, all the DMX fiber converters and switch racks will be offline, no data network means no show. In short – if we don’t get this right, show’s over.
I love retro computing. In my home office, I have a Commodore 64 on my desk next to my regular workstation. I’m not so much of a gamer. Rather, I enjoy programming this 35-year-old computer. Manipulating bits and bytes to make a normally docile machine come to life and do what you tell it to do can be rewarding. Moreover, it can help you understand the more modern equipment used in today’s theatres.
The seven steps to troubleshooting your theatrical systems:
#7: Break your system into a pyramid of priority using a Failure Mode Effects Analysis
Let’s get one thing perfectly straight. There is not one single large-scale (or small-scale for that matter) theatrical system that has ever been created equal, but there is one thing that all system must have in common. The fact of this commonality between them is that when they fault or fail, any one of them can bring a show to a halt and if you’re not quick enough, it can even bring a once considered perfect show to its swift unexpected conclusion.
That first impression is important. I, for one, am not looking for a suit and tie because that’s not our kind of work. You should be presentable, though. If you’ve just come off of a work call to be at the interview, and that’s why you’re wearing your blacks, let me know. I can appreciate the crazy schedules we have when we’re hustling for work, and I take that into consideration. Be wary, though, as not all hiring managers will understand. If in doubt, I’d recommend slacks and a button-down shirt.
I was reading Jay Withee’s article this morning, “Costs of losing long term employees: walking knowledge” and it got me to thinking just how much of an issue employee departure can be – not simply because of the impact that person leaves and the knowledge that Jay so rightly points out that walks out the door but more so, the underlying reasons of why often point to something much larger.
Why exactly do efficient, knowledgeable, long-term employees leave their jobs? Is it due to bad management, pay, policies, or something else? These are great questions, however, even though this is an extremely important topic, this is not the scope of this article, but it is likely that most of you reading this will have read some sort of literature on this exact subject in either a magazine, newspaper or social media over the past few months.
In the days before the Internet and e-mail, I was designing the lighting for a show in Germany. The theater in Munich had sent me the drawings for the theater and the lighting equipment inventory.
Part 1: The Resume
I recently gave a talk at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas to junior and senior theatre students. Among the questions, I was asked about resumes. It’s interesting. Over the years, how to craft an effective resume has been a frequent topic of conversation. Versions of this question come up regularly when I sit for Q & A’s in the theatre when I visit college classrooms, and in other professional and educational settings.
Tom Fairchild is a travel and portrait photographer who also specializes in capturing events and stage performances. Live theatre and events are some of the most difficult and challenging environments to be a photographer. They are dark, things move quickly and lighting is a challenge but here are ten tips to help you take great theatrical photos.
Tom Wright caught up with TheatreArtLife to discuss his new company, Additive Lighting located in Melbourne, Australia. Tom talks about what brought him to Oz and how he has carved his career path in the lighting design industry.
© 2021 TheatreArtLife. All rights reserved.
Thank you for your interest in the TheatreArtLife Archives, this area is for members only.
Our contributors are currently writing more articles for you to enjoy.
To keep reading, all you have to do is become a subscriber and then you can read unlimited articles anytime.
Your investment will help us continue to ignite connections across the globe in live entertainment and build this community for industry professionals.