accident
The obligitory look back at 2009
I tell myself that I’m not going to do one of these, and then remember that they are marginally useful. Here’s just a few of the stories we looked at in the last year. Learn past or repeat… Chicago started off 2009 with the loss of its free downtown trolleys. Tourists (especially those heading to... »
Technician killed in 30′ fall
Fenton “Andy” Hollingsworth died today after falling 30 feet in the Rinker Playhouse, part of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. Reports indicate he was installing lights either in a catwalk or on a truss when he fell. There is no word on if he was wearing... »
Odds and ends for November 21, 2009
Roberts Brothers Coach Company driver William G. Douglas, of Austin, Texas died early Friday morning when his bus crashed south of Richmond, VA. Douglas was driving the lighting crew bus, one of four buses for the Miley Cyrus tour, when it went off the road and overturned on Interstate 85, near Dinwiddle, VA. Fourteen... »
Amateur rigging can result in injury, or death.
And I include amateurs operating professionally rigged systems in the above statement. Recently, @thtrbob posted some Youtube videos on his blog “Confessions of a Chicago Theatre Addict.” They were intended to be a followup to his previous post about his love of “Peter Pan” and not being able to get access to the Flying By... »
Around the Theatre web for October 6, 2009
NYC’s Joyce Theatre has agreed to IATSE Local One’s request to have a neutral 3rd party oversee a representation election. Local One requested that the Joyce voluntarily recognize the union as the bargaining agent back in August, and suggested that the theatre choose a neutral party to verify the number of signed authorization cards. ... »
“improper maintenance, operation, and ill-fitting parts”…
...add up to an eventual breakdown. The bigger the thing your theatre cheaps out on, the bigger the potential consequences. An accident at Russia’s largest hydroelectric power plant back in August killed 75 employees after part of an overstressed turbine broke off, flying into the air at high speed. The huge part careened through more... »
Passings
The entertainment world lost some friends this past week. Ric Wagner, co-founder of Concerts in the Country, and other Maryland artistic endeavors, drowned while trying to rescue his son from the Atlantic Ocean September 21st. His son survived. Producer and artist manager Greg Ladanyi, died September 29th from sustaining a severe head trauma while on tour... »
Really folks, safety cables aren’t decorative
Ok lighting folks, one more time: finger-tighten the clamp, secure the safety cable, then finish tightening the clamp with a wrench, or appropriate tool. That way the unit is safe even if the clamp breaks during final tightening, or if you manage to forget to tighten it correctly. Original poster’s idiotic title and comments notwithstanding,... »
Missed cues
My vacation essentially ends tomorrow, not that its been steady or continuous anyway. I’ve missed writing about a lot of things. Nick and his group have been making the internet easier for theatres to utilize without treating them like children. The old Victory Gardens/Body Politic space is suddenly back on the market. Skylight Opera Theatre... »
Around the theatre web for August 8th, 2009
IATSE Local 482 has filed a grievance against the University of Illinois protesting U of I’s hiring of a non-union, out-of-state company to install hoist systems in the university’s Assembly Hall. Local 482 members have been picketing Assembly Hall for the last two weeks, claiming this violates their contract with the university. IATSE has... »
Hudson & Gaines
