sam.henderson Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 (In regards to Stu's Pot) No Stu, I don't work full time in the industry however I do often work in the theatre and consider myself to be between ameture and Pro. I would be annoyed if a 12 year old kid kept taking work away from me (and so do see your point) however I never have any objections when I'm working on a show if we have quite a few work experiance kids. I suppose if we didn't have these kids that had a passion for teching we wouldnt have an idustry in 10/20 years time. I also ahve to remeber that it was however Kind Production Managers, LD's etc. that let me mopperate when I was younger that has got me where I am now. I can see both sides of the argument. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Oh yes you have to give them something to full their interests in, but I firmly believe this is what Amateur shows / School shows etc are for - it's a far better enviroment to learn in (the basics I mean) and you can have a laugh with your mates as you all muck up together :) I have enough issues with unexperienced crew taking the job of a pro as it is, and I think for a 12yr old the best place for them really is a amateur show - much more productive for them BTW I don't do that stuff... Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalmatthew Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 The childrens licencing dose this still count if they are at school but are between 16-18 because our local council has always made this the case or is it bollox ? and what is the max time that they can be on stage for ?I cannot see this being the case. As a 16 year old I do not need a "licencse" to work as an extra on a flim set. Also a 16 year old van have left school and be in ful time employment. Why should a theater be any different from a shop or warehouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Once they are 16, they are classified as an 'young adult'. They are also expected to have a higher level of self-awareness. In essence this means that they can do more jobs that may have an element of risk. As said in the recent posts, there are no exeptions to the under 16 3m rule, but a 16 yr old could work some machinery, work in the flys, climb ladders etc as long as the risk assessment was satisfactory - they can also be deemed competent to do all sorts of things. We routinely train suitable students in working aloft - safety harness training is standard. Our heath & safety officer (ex-fire officer) also monitors this, along with me, so we have double assessments, just in case. we also put these people through the FAW course too. Some (not all, by a long way) 16 yr olds can be very safety concious. Others, of course are a danger to themselves just by being in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Be wary that some of the jobs fitting into the above categories may not be considered 'light work' and may therefore not be carried out by under 16s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la grande homme Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 It seems like unexperienced people being brought in over experienced staff (Cassies I mean here) is becoming more popular as it is... Careful in the cassie branding stu... some of us have worked full time in the industry for a long time and still 'cassie' sometimes because we choose not to be held to one employer or have other projects / companies of our own that we wouldn't be able to work on were we employed by only one theatre. Casual work probably accounts for a good 50% of my earnings... but I am certainly not unexperienced and cassie in one of the most modern and best equipped theatres in the world. I agree that sometimes you get people who are less experienced, but the majority that I work with in London (don't do much regional so can't really comment) are very experienced theatre professionals and often know as much about the venue and how it works as the the full time 'experienced' staff. Rant Over. All those in this thread who are suggesting that it is good for under 16s to gain experience in a professional environment... I'd suggest that all professionals (or professionals in training) should support school theatre classes more, (perhaps lending our expertise to local schools) to ensure that the training these kids crave can be accessed as a part of their scholastic diet... then by the time they join us in the industry when they hit 16 or more they'll have a useful contribution that we have all contributed to... contact your local schools, I'm sure they'd be only to happy to have any help you can offer...lets take the professional environment to them, it can only aid the industry in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Paddy, sorry but I think I've been misunderstood here! In my comment, It seems like unexperienced people being brought in over experienced staff (Cassies I mean here) is becoming more popular as it is... I meant more along the lines of unexperienced cassies being brought in over and above experience cassies! I didn't at all mean that a cassie is unexperienced as I'd be slagging myself and several of my colleagues off! And yes, alot of cassies know their venue just as well as the full timers, only today I ran the LX on a fitup along with a fellow cassie. I choose to cassie too so I can work for other theatres, opt into different seasons, freelance etc, so I really do agree with your points here! Sorry for the confusion!Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la grande homme Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 fair enough. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Basson Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 The childrens licencing dose this still count if they are at school but are between 16-18 because our local council has always made this the case or is it bollox ? and what is the max time that they can be on stage for ?While this is what life is like in Buckinghamshire: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/education_welfar...mance/index.htm I think it provides useful guidance for the subject in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted February 19, 2004 Share Posted February 19, 2004 I have done a youth project with I think it was 250-350 children from 10-25 and we did everything as in follow, scene making/setting etc but not much rigging because of height restrictions .Our hours were from 10 - 7 for the cast and most crew and 10-10 on 2 nights for the tech crew 3 of which only stayed on of which was me and then 6-10:30/11 on performance nights. We had to pay for it (£70) and there were strict rules on conduct etc but I don’t know what the rules on this were. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagardner1984 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hi, right I am looking to organise a Summer School (they will pay) for Minors. So I wondered if you guys could clear up a number of things for me. a. Can they work rigging lights off catwalks in a studio theatre. The catwalks are probably about 3m above floor level. The catwalks are very heavily barred up at the sides, so much so we are not required to wear harnesses or anything like that. b. If supervised and assisted by adults, could they for example move flats into place, and place Adjustable braces etc on them to give some idea of a Fit-Up. c. Presumably there are no issues with them Opping Lights/ Opping Sound / Cueing / Costume Supervision / ASMing. I would be very greatful for some feedback if anyone has done something like this before, if there is anything you think they cannot do. Also can they work evenings for show without a children's license. I am still trying to work this out in my own head, but obviously I don't want to produce a programme which is either illegal or dangerous for its participants. Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 You could try contacting the national Youth Theatre for advice - they must have to deal with this on a regular basis. Or try contacting Dazzler on here, I believe he is the NYT Production Manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Robertson Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hi, right I am looking to organise a Summer School (they will pay) for Minors. So I wondered if you guys could clear up a number of things for me. a. Can they work rigging lights off catwalks in a studio theatre. The catwalks are probably about 3m above floor level. The catwalks are very heavily barred up at the sides, so much so we are not required to wear harnesses or anything like that. b. If supervised and assisted by adults, could they for example move flats into place, and place Adjustable braces etc on them to give some idea of a Fit-Up. c. Presumably there are no issues with them Opping Lights/ Opping Sound / Cueing / Costume Supervision / ASMing. I would be very greatful for some feedback if anyone has done something like this before, if there is anything you think they cannot do. Also can they work evenings for show without a children's license. I am still trying to work this out in my own head, but obviously I don't want to produce a programme which is either illegal or dangerous for its participants. Cheers James James, See Me Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lena Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 I may be wrong but didn't a childrens charity recently hightlight the situation of many children in the Uk who work illegally? It was on the news, maybe a couple of months ago. I haven't got time to look for any info at the moment. But I am sure that some group like the NSPCC will have info on it. The number of children who work when they shouldn't is quite surprising. I don't know what other people think but personally if I was working along side a 12 year old I would question why they felt the need to work. The working life is long enough, ta. I realise I am going on a bit of a tangent. But it concerns me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ike Posted February 27, 2004 Share Posted February 27, 2004 I would question why they felt the need to work. The main reason I work is because I enjoy working!!!!! I started working at 14 and since then have never done a job I didnt enjoy. OK there are dull bits and occasionly I realy dont feel like working but most of the time I love it. I have never realy thought of work as something I need to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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