Stage Magazine

[beanie]

I recently did a bit of work in a school, the second show I'd worked on for them..and I was quite worried by the setup... The drama teacher who was involved last time was off sick (and had been since Christmas) so there was basically no-one there that knew how any of the equipment worked...Although after the first show I did there, he said all he knew was to turn things on but that was his limit.

They have no technician as such, and the only school kid that was involved in the tech side last time was there to operate one of the shows because I couldnt (but was also acting in the show......) so that involved pushing a few faders...

When I was in there the first time some of the dimmers werent working, so I removed the fuses to check them and change, but left some out of the dimmers that were not working full stop. So I go in again in January (previous show was October) to set up for the other show, and see random plugs in the dimmers with no fuses, but the plugs arent actually patched anywhere... a followspot with the plug partly dismantled but still in its position... the rig hadnt been changed since I was last in apart from some of the patch rejiggled...but had been used as the labelling on the LX desk had been changed. No-one could tell me if there were smoke sensors in the drama studio, or even if there were how they could isolate them for using a hazer...

It is worrying that there are seemingly no enforced standards in place for situations like this, and quite frankly it is dangerous! The only other teacher that I had contact with this time was paranoid about plugging a jack from the CD player into the sound desk, incase she got a shock!

[AndyJones]

I know exactly what was meant by the above statement, I went to a school not long ago that was literally a black hole of health and safety!

 

The person in charge in this case actually did know very little and let students get on with anything!

I actually found a student taking apart dimmers trying to "fix" them (of course I put a stop to this immediately!)

 

school children naturally look for something to make them stand out, they love titles such as "Lighting manager"

as we know this is a completely faceless title-but never the less this tittle does go to children's brains they immediately see that they have this responsibly and therefore know all.

 

school children tend to pick an area they like to work in, I think therefore a course tailor made to this would be useful, so students can do either a sound side or lighting side or set design side were they learn all of the hse, all the theory all the electrical theory, THEN get given a controlled theatre environment were they can learn whilst doing.

 

I know this would be very impractical, it is in my opinion the best way

 

I'm sorry that I refer to you as children, I couldn't think of a better word, please dont take this as a critiscm, It's just how it is!

 

AJ

[steve1159]

I do quite a lot of work in different schools and the standards and procedures vary considerably in many aspects.

 

As bobbsy points out in his daughters case there is up to a 40% exam element that is technical for both GCSE and A level (and A/S) from the majority of the different exam boards. The actual sylabus requires that the exam centre has sufficent resources for the particular technical skill to be demonstrated e.g. you can't offer lighting design if the school only has (and is not prepared to pay for a few weeks hire) a couple of profiles. While that is a good reason not to offer that unit many schools only offer the acting unit as the staff involved do not have the necessary knowledge to actually teach the more technical units. I would consider Bobbsy's daughter's school very much the exception if about 50% of the students are going for technical options . Normally the students just get told you have to do acting as the individual school or if they are aware of the other options there is often a lot of pressure not to do them and stick to acting. In the few cases where a technical skill option is chosen then there is rarely someone with the skills to teach it. Some schools get round this by contracting in an expert and although I think this is a step in the right direction (other than the teacher being suitably trained) the contact is limited. On a number of occasions I have done 2 3hour sessions and then a rigging day with students doing lighting. The rigging day is more to actually rig their finished designs because H&S prevents them from doing so. Therefore if you are generous and call it a total of 9hours teaching/learning and practical experience how does that compare to the time for those that have taken the acting option. I agree with paulears that the technical level required is not very great but since all individual skill units are meant to be equal you could argue the same with the acting and therefore surely should have equal teaching. Basically it is something else that is coming back to budgets. I would also argue how well can a teacher that admits they do not have the necessary skills to teach a technical skill be in a position that they can then mark the portfolio and see the finished piece to give the exam mark.

 

Having finished that rant another huge variation is H&S. One school I do work in does not allow students to rig lights due to working at height regs (fair enough), carry lights around, plug in circuits to the dimmer etc etc. Menawhile another school is totally reliant on a couple of students(6th form) who rig lights, change plugs, advise staff what needs to be done technically. This is all done unsupervised. I am not saying either is right but it demonstrates the huge variation in standards that apply when everyone is meant to be working to the same rules and regs.

 

Going slightly off topic the other area that potentially gives cause for concern is the fact that some schools I can go to during a normal school day and can't get in without signing in and being met by whoever has booked me whereas others I can turn up wonder around the school and load the van up with equipment and drive off without anyone asking who I am or what I am doing.

 

I think I will shut up ranting now as this seems to have turned into quite a long post.

[Simon Lyall]

Prehaps renaming of students roles as pointed out by other members, calling a student XXX manager really just makes them big headed, maybe calling them such titles as lighitng operator and things.

 

Personally I see my ability it two ways: in my school specifically I 'know' more about sound then any other student and am at a par with the music teach in live sound reinforcement only, but, in a national aspect, how am I surposed to know if im any good at all, just becasue in a school enviroment I am surposedly good, doesnt mean that I really am good.

 

Our school runs no courses for technicians, things jsut get picked up and taught from othres in the crew, which I raelise is not very good, for instance we dont have a SM or DSM who calls all the cues, each operator does there own. Students at schools that a acedemic and not vocational and thus only have theatre based things as an extra curriculam activity need to be told that they might not be top notch in 'real life'

 

A problemn that I have noticed in my school is that there arent that many in the stage crew that acctually want to do it proffesionally, I am the only one currently who is even concidering it proffesionally, this sometimes, I feel, leads to a mentality for not striving to make things better then they were last time that gig happend. When I first joined I asked the crew why there was a slight buzzing comiing out of the speakers, the reply I got was ''oh its always been like that''

 

I am always careful not to try and be a 'know it all' because, I dont, and never will; but often I find myself being that person, and in a way I surpose im a prime example of why school (extra curriculum) stage crews are a bit messed up somtimes.

[pumphouse]

This is a jolly interesting thread. I have just helped out with a school show at the school which I failed to leave around 20 years ago. I have been back to do pretty much all of their shows, and have seen interesting shifts.

 

In the old days, there was a staff member who was interested in the technical bits and had some knowledge (but not lots). Students who came forward and expressed an interest were allowed to be involved, supervised but there was no formal training. Drama didn't even exist as a subject at that time, and the standard of most of the shows, put on as an extra curricular activity, was actually fairly good.

 

Then the strikes happened, and it all kind of fell by the wayside a bit. Only really keen and dedicated staff did shows, and often ended up doing almost everything themself. Still good quality though.

 

More recently, drama (theatre studies, whetever you want to call it - I am not an academic) has come along and got very popular, and the shows appear to have become more about participation than quality. No-one in the school has any idea about how to put the production together technically, how we know when to start, who looks after microphones etc. - even a running order with all the stuff on it would be a start! Some attention is paid to safety, but generallly only by the Estates Manager.

 

He was off ill for most of the last show. Some of the exit doors were partially blocked by scenery, and they oversold some nights so just put more chairs out until there weren't many gangways left. Suggestive advice to the head of Drama (show producer) and even the head teacher came to no avail. The old caretaker was a stickler for gangways (he had a measuring stick and if it didn't fit in the gangway you didn't open until it did!). The new caretaker actually put up the offending scenery.

 

They also don't have a premises licence yet - I am helping them sort this out though.

 

In terms of the students, I pick up some interested young people along the way from this school, and also see some with a youth theatre group who I work with. Many are very willing, some are too keen, and most don't actually know very much, if any, of the fundamentals behind what they are doing. Some of 'learnt' some very strange practices. Many are as interested in the social side of the activity more than the technical side. This is no bad thing in itself, but they often get easily distracted from the task in hand. I try to impart safe working and some basic knowledge as I work with these youngsters. Some of it sticks and some of it doesn't.

 

I have also been to some other schools to help out. One I went to to rig a couple of moving lights had a tower with inadequate bracing, no outriggers, and was too short. To reach the lighting bar, the platform was placed one rung below the top of the side frames. The 'hand rails' became more like trip rails. This stuff really frightens me.

 

Supervised learning by doing is a good thing, but it needs to be supported by some fundamental knowledge and training. The latter seems to be lacking these days.

 

Jason

[oli]

hey just reading your thread which is very interesting!!

 

having taken the step from college studying technical theatre to working as a full time theatre tech I found it how shocking the difference is!!

the college shall remain nameless however it is supposed to be the best course for our age in the country however they allow students of 14 upwards to climb tallescopes use genies, wire plugs, pat test, rig various lighting set and truss instalments and generally maintain everything with the basic training of this is how you do it go and do it!if the HSE got involved I have no doubts that the school would be shut down.

 

I understand that learning from a young age is a good idea but I really do believe that learning should be done correctly and in guidance with HSE Regs. Else when these people do make the leap into the big bad technical world they are going to find it very difficult to get up to speed

 

There's my 2 bit

[Simon Lyall]

though I agree that safety is a primary concern, and this question is not being said rhetorcially:

 

If this forum was around and as acessible by everyone, would people be complaining about students rigging and foucusing being agaisnt H&S rules?

[oli]

though I agree that safety is a primary concern, and this question is not being said rhetorcially:

 

If this forum was around and as acessible by everyone, would people be complaining about students rigging and foucusing being agaisnt H&S rules?

 

 

im not complaining at all !!with out going to that college and working at my old school when I was 13 onwards I would not be where I am no ok I am jus a theatre tech with no formal qualifications however I have my heart set ona goal and im working towards that!!

 

That said, I do believe that if a college with a specialised technical course cant even teach their students to the appropriate levels not only for the students safety but also the employee (in this case the colleges safety) what hope is there in a typical academic school where there is hardly any interest shown by teachers! I just think that if more teaching on HSE regs is shown then 1 people arent going to get hurt and 2 some truly good tec's could come from schools level!!

Maybe a 2 week course jus to cover the basics should be introduced!!

 

I should have made that clearer!My bad

 

Oli

[Just Some Bloke]

This is, indeed, very interesting. Various points of interest arise.

 

Firstly, on a purely off topic point, I'd like to point Simon to this thread to remind him how important spelling can be in the "real world". I'm afraid there were 40 spelling mistakes in your last post, many of which could have been sorted with a quick run through the spell checker.

 

Back on topic, though, it seems that the trouble here is that we wouldn't dream of allowing children to play with Bunsen Burners without prior teaching and supervision, but some places will let them find out how technical theatre equipment works through a process of trial and error. The consequences of something going wrong are just as bad (maybe even worse). How much would it cost to have a professional theatre technician come in and do a few hours' training for drama teacher, caretaker and whoever supervises the students? Very little. Does it happen? No. <_<

 

I've designed lighting at several schools when employed by them to do so. If I spot anything wrong I point it out straight away (e.g. fire exits blocked, set not flame proofed) because if I don't I'd be complicite in a crime. Often I'm pointing out things which have (as has been said before) "always been like that". Well, hopefully, now they will always be like they should be, because someone who knows what they're doing spotted it and pointed it out.

 

We are failing the students if we don't look after their health and safety, and we're failing those interested in technical theatre if we don't give them a chance to learn properly rather than "picking things up" (like an electric shock, maybe ).

[Bobbsy]

We are failing the students if we don't look after their health and safety, and we're failing those interested in technical theatre if we don't give them a chance to learn properly rather than "picking things up" (like an electric shock, maybe <_< ).

 

Exactly! The H&S aspects are a major worry. Inevitably, a student will be seriously injured or killed in a school theatre accident someday, then the proverbial will hit the fan. It shouldn't have to wait for that.

 

However, even without the safety aspects, students who have a interest in the technical side of theatre are also being short-changed educationally. As pointed out earlier, my AS-level daughter will receive 40% of her final mark this year from her work on a lighting "Design Element" for a devised piece. However, unlike acting students, the training and support she gets from the school amounts to nil. Ironically, she will likely do okay...because the ones doing the evaluation are the same teachers who don't know enough to instruct her!

 

You mention bringing in a professional to do extra training sessions. Well, my local school does this. Trouble is, it's a professional actor/director. I know the man in question and no doubt he does a brilliant job at instructing and motivating the acting students...but this practice just serves to emphasise the divide in training levels between acting and technical students.

 

Bob

[mikienorth]

When I left school to go to college, there were even less technical theatre courses around than there are now, or at least in my area there were. I chose to travel for an hour and a half each day to a college that allowed me to work towards technical aspects of theatre rather than dance, acting and singing as part of a theatre studies course. Due partly to the fact that the college failed to meet my needs, in as much as I was waved into a corner and left to it, being a) the only male in my class, and b) the only technical nerd there, I left. This was approaching 10 years ago.

The other colleges in my area, although offering the same course, refused to allow you to specialise in technical theatre.

 

I left education, became an apprentice electrician and, upon completing my apprenticeship, tried to forge a career in this industry, the place I have wanted to be for 15 years. I think I have done well, without any formal theatre training, just loads of amateur experience, and bits and pieces I picked up along the way.

 

I was the school stage technician, and that was all we were called, there being a pair of us chosen to do it in our final year each year. I was allowed to do a fair bit, but it was so long ago now I forget exactly what, but I do remember operating followspots, stagehand work, and operating sound and light for alot of assemblies.

 

Something I remember hearing about a few months ago was the Birmingham Rep's? trainee/apprenticeship scheme. I thought it was a marvellous idea, and something that possibly should be explored by other venues. I am not clear as to how it works, but I thought if the rep is offering formal qualifications with genuine professional experience, then that surely will be a better recipe for future success than no formal theatre qualifications, but a bit of worked experience, or formal qualifcations but no experience outside of college? It is said of one drama school not too far from where I am that you can tell the good technical students, as they are the ones who do the least college shows...

 

While I'm at it, why is it that everyone knows you need experience to get anywhere in this profession, but the local drama college threatens its students with failing the course if they take time off to work on major productions as casual staff, both for fit ups and show staff? The work being offered is frequently for large shows such as My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon, Chitty, etc, yet the students are told if they miss college time or college shows they will fail a course designed to help them work in the industry they are being offered work in. It annoys me as it affects how efficiently I can sort my staff calls for shows, and no doubt annoys the students as they can't get good paid work, build up contacts, see how things are done in major show and space where the budget exists, unlike many college events and more than anything build up a CV.

[Andrew C]

Something I remember hearing about a few months ago was the Birmingham Rep's? trainee/apprenticeship scheme. I thought it was a marvellous idea, and something that possibly should be explored by other venues.

This got a plug on Radio 4 last week. I was going to mention it earlier but couldn't for the life of me remember which theatre was mentioned.

[Just Some Bloke]

While I'm at it, why is it that everyone knows you need experience to get anywhere in this profession, but the local drama college threatens its students with failing the course if they take time off to work on major productions as casual staff, both for fit ups and show staff? The work being offered is frequently for large shows such as My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon, Chitty, etc, yet the students are told if they miss college time or college shows they will fail a course designed to help them work in the industry they are being offered work in.

 

It's all to do with money I'm afraid. See post 16 on this previous thread.

[oli]

My old course was very good about letting you off on work experience even signing me and a few others off college for the last two weeks of term to do the fringe!!!

I think it just comes down to how serious the college is about the course!I was lucky and went to a performing arts college so it wasn't a subject that was "pushed to the side" so to speak!!

[KindredHyperion]

This is a very interesting thread to read through, and I would just like to give my opinion from the other side of the classroom door.

 

In case any of you don't know me, I have "worked" doing lighting at my school for a good four years now. Notice that I put that in quotation marks because I know that know matter how much I may have thought it was in the past, it is not true. I know that although I seem to end up doing a lot of the planning for most of the shows, it is not my legal responsibility if anything goes wrong.

 

Yes, for practical reasons I do sometimes resent not being allowed up the tower, but I also know that the rules that prevent it are there for a reason, and I would be the last person to dispute them.

 

Re: the thing about theory - I'm not very good at sound so I don't pretend to know anything about the various things Bobbsy was talking about. Nor do I pretend to know nearly as much about power as many of the professionals on here. I do however, have what I hope is a pretty good knowledge of power concepts (Volts, Amps, Watts, etc) and their relevance in a theatrical environment. I also admit to not knowing much about three phase, probably because I've never needed to - the power supply at school is only single. I would definitely never even consider taking apart a dimmer pack to fix it. ;)

 

I would also point out that just because I have never used a desk in anger doesn't mean I can't give my opinion on it's programming philosophy and way of thinking.