theatres charging a rerigging charge

[mikienorth]

In the venue I work in, which is not a small theatre, and recieves major touring productions, as Gareth says, we have no real 'standard' rig. We have a way we use our lights when we need to and try to keep them in the same place as best we can. We used them toninght, and need them again in a fortnight. We looked into leaving them in place, as we look into leaving our 'black box' in place too, but as tomorrow's hanging plot was unlocatable, we had to strip it out. This was done as part of the 'get out' for tonights show. As it was a small show, requiring half an hour to get it out, we had 90 minutes extra paid time to do this.

On other shows where the time is more than a minimum call and we need to return our black box into the air for the next day's show, as it was probably taken out for the one leaving. It is done as a 'reinstatement', and done again by a couple of crew while the rest are on the trucks outside the dock during get out.

 

The majority of productions we recieve request in their rider a clear grid. To that end we try and provide that as best we can. We don't charge extra to specifically do the work, but it gets included in the work done to do the show moves. The exception is when someone insists on clear grid, and is willing to pay an extra call for it to be done.

 

I have come across that trick of adding things on before (Paulears) and, unless a band agree to it in writing, then it is easier to get out of. If on the day, any extra costs need to be met, often I will get someone to sign a piece of paper asking for the extra charge. It is often a piece of scrap paper with what they want, and the number of people and hours it will cost, their signature and their position. Easier to make sure they'll pay for it then.

[andy jackson]

I know here we have a standard rig which gets constantly hammered day in day out, so if a company comes in and moves it as an inhouse technician am buggered! So I have to re-focus etc at the expense of my employers as it was not something I had intended to do so I can understand when my employers want to pass on their costs, its just good manners to return someones rig to how you found it - companies even get arsy when I ask them to remove tape from the grid.

 

I dont think we intentionaly set out to over charge people but it is all set out in the contract and I think the way we do it is pretty fair

 

Andy

[erroneousblack]

The two follow spot people were also the lift people, so charged for the same people twice!

I don't really see what the problem is here. If you were charged two men for the in/out, and two spots for the show, the fact that they were the same people doesn't mean you were charged double.

 

I've had allsorts of bother over the years about recharges, from promoters complaining that his driver said the truck doors were shut before the two hours were up, yes but there's still a rig to take down! To Tour Managers disputing the start time of an out to avoid going over the dreaded three hour mark.

[paulears]

charged for 2 people at £15 p/h 2pm call till 23.00, then 2 people at £15 p/h 18.00 call till 23.00.

Now that's what I call double - looks fine on the invoice - till you realise they were already there, being paid!

[erroneousblack]

charged for 2 people at £15 p/h 2pm call till 23.00, then 2 people at £15 p/h 18.00 call till 23.00.

Now that's what I call double - looks fine on the invoice - till you realise they were already there, being paid!

 

Are clear now! Yes that is a bit off, and if you offer drinks you should at least tell them you are charging!

 

I'm looking forward to an interesting one today, two members of the band have helped themselves to litre cartons of orange juice from a store area. Resale value at the bar? £8!

[paulears]

Our closing show before shutting up for the winter was a dance show. During rehearsals the kids found their way into the foyer to use the loos, and emptied an entire soft drinks cooler!

[PhilT]

I'm sure Bryson would be able to supply you with a suitably sized security device!

[Nick Evans]

I just think that thay are a bunch of b@st@rds!! money grabbing b@st@rds at that.

seems a bit extreme for £80 no?

[Guest lightnix]

I just think that thay are a bunch of...

:o Easy, Tiger - this is a friendly forum ;)

 

I can understand your ire, but only up to a point. What I would do is (as suggested above) make sure that all venues quote in advance (and in writing), all possible "extras" charges, with the proviso (again, in writing) that any unadvised charges will not be paid.

 

What I wouldn't do is lose too much sleep over it. £80-100 doesn't seem that much really - after all, it's a late night for somebody and I doubt that whoever did the work will have actually been paid anything like that sum. If you wanted me to do it for that price at that time of night, I'd insist on a large stuffed-crust pizza and a Diet Coke on top (with garlic bread as the bargaining chip) ;)

 

By comparison: I was quoted 2 hours @ £70 per hour by the local Mazda dealer just to poke around under my dashboard last month and that was before they actually fixed anything. In the end I got someone else to do it and stopped the airbag warning light from flashing for about £100 less.

 

Then there was a mate of mine who received a US$1,200 bill for the services of a union technician and his overtime. The guy hadn't had to do a thing all day and it would have been cheaper to book a fresh tech for the night shift, but some kind of fiddle was being worked and in the end the easiest thing to do was to pay it, let the venue know that they were blacklisted and move on.

 

No disrespect to the OP, but as a general point: I'm personally getting a tad fed-up with the constant moaning about what seem, to my mind anyway, to be fairly reasonable prices and the aeons-old fact that people expect to make a :o profit :o in return for supplying specialist goods and services.

 

If somebody chooses to work at the low-budget end of the business, for the love of it then fine, just don't go knocking those who have chosen differently :huh:

[Bobbsy]

Hmmm..."featherbedding" that results in paying for the same people twice is the sort of thing that has given unions a bad name in the past. It's no more acceptable as a management ploy.

 

However, on the original topic, a lot of the smaller theatres (the sort that have a mix of local Amdram and small tours) have a "return it to 'square rig' or we'll charge you" policy. Square rig means that all colours are removed, all instruments are hung in a standard place and pointed generally at the stage and (where applicable) a standard patching scheme is in place.

 

The main reason given for this sort of policy is that most of these theatres also do a reasonable amount of corporate and meeting type stuff. This tends to require a few lights to be turned on but rarely justifies paying for actual rigging time. The red and green specials that may have looked right in your Dracula musical won't be so popular when focused on the chairman of the local steam railway society.

 

Bob

[Oli Jr Tech]

Most theatres have a standard rig. A re-rigging or de-rigging fee is charged when you alter the standard rig in any way.

Not in the UK they don't. Other than some of the very small 'civic hall' type venues (which don't really count!), I only know of one venue on the touring circuit in this country which has a 'standard' rig.

 

I work in a mainly touring house currently and we have a standard rig which is usually restored as part of the get-out there fore if it is a full re-rig taking aprox an hour then an extra hour will be added to the get-out charge so on and so on but not a re-rig charge as such.