Stagehand Training

In a safety meeting at my company a link was distributed for Creative Skillset, an organization in the UK that provides resources to people working in creative industries. They have a list of points that should be covered when doing training for doing theatrical work. The lists often include more than what we typically communicate, and I though t it was interesting to read through and think a little bit about how much and what information we provide the crew. I think that much of this information is overlooked, perhaps because we assume that it is magically known by a crew, or that there isn't time to talk about stuff that isn't, in a managers point of view, relevant.

Stagehand Tees

While obviously a site where you can find some great t-shirts, Stagehand Tees also supplied some good information. Next time you check out their tees, head over to the resources and check out the information as well.

Round Lightboxes

I found a new sources for light boxes today: DSA. Some of them are fairly affordable (less than $300), though others can run over a grand or more. There are a surprising number of items that go into making a light box with a nice even glow, particularly if it is thin. Obviously there are more high tech boxes available (edge lit boxes where the plexi is engraved with different depths of routing for even illumination for example), but these are often unnecessary for the bulk of the work we get into.

Drywall Finishing Spec's

A couple of the places I have worked in the past refer to scope in terms of the level of production value a certain show is going to be produced at. For instance a season may have 1 or 2 A scope shows (high budget), a couple B scope shows and a C scope show that will round out the season. Sometimes shows are an A for costumes, and a C for scenery. But this system was used as a way of giving the production team an indication of what was expected and what budgets were available for productions.On one hand it certain aid production planning as you can plan out time and resources according to a scope a year or so out without knowing the specific show, and when it comes time to production, it is well known about what is available.

Scope is also frequently talked about within projects. Scope often creeps as a project evolves, and goals shift slightly, slowly, and turn into something that they weren't originally. It is necessary to define scope of any given project because without an agreement of scope, you can't determine success or completion. Then, on top of the easy scope definitions (size, paint treatments, general construction and material notes) it gets even trickier. For instance we use flats to build sets, yet seams can get pretty ugly. While there aren't industry standard for every finish, drywall does have a finishing schedule. While different than what we typically do, it is insightful for calling out the differences. now, the next challenge is for people to understand the cost difference between levels of finish...

Tools

I was looking up profile gauges and came across Dieter Schmid. Granted, i'm not likely to order from this company anytime in the near future, but I thought some of their precision marking tools were cool, and they had a couple products that are new to me, and would likely be available a bit more locally.

What is Project Management

I have been reading Changing the Way We Manage Change bu Ronald R. Sims, and it is is interesting because the author refers to many things that I have not previously related together. He talks alot of high involvement organizations, which I think we often strive to be in theatre, but don't always accomplish. He also talks about Peter Senge's work on creating learning organizations, again something that are important within theatre's but not always fully successful. But the premise of the book is about change. And its about looking at change differently as changing an organization isn't very easy, yet I think most of us can see areas where the places we work could make improvements.

I thought it was interesting that the author looks at project management skills as a basic responsibility of a change agent. He defines project management in a way that I haven't done before, but in which I like:

Above all else, project management is a way of thinking; a process of keeping desired results in focus. Project management involves planning and identifying objectives and activities that produce a desired result. It also includes organizing people to get the job done and directing them by keeping them focused on achieving the results. Project management requires change agents to measure the project team's progress and give them feedback to keep the project moving ahead, constantly monitoring progress toward, and deviation from, the project's goals. This monitoring activity allows change agents to make decisions that redirect the project and provide corrective action to narrow the discrepancy between stakeholder expectations and actual performance.

Boxwood Hedges & Plants

Finding reaslistic greenery (usually specific plants) is always fun, and sources are always helpful. Looking for boxwood, I was suprised to see that Amazon sells in by the roll. A few months back I needed a very specific piece of laminate, which I also purchased off of Amazon because our local suppliers could not procur it. I remmeber propping in the 90's and how muh sites like ebay helped back then in the process of finding a needle in the haystack.

Also check out:
Geranium Street
Amazon Foliages
Silk Flowers Factory

Fiber Optic Star Drops

I am working on a bid that includes a star drop and I came across this page published by The Fiber Optic Store and written by Dan Norman. It’s an in-depth tutorial with pictures on how he created a star effect. Definitely worth a look if you are considering building one.

Vinyl Wall Coverings

We are just wrapping up the build of a desk where the front panel is a lightbox covered with a vinyl film from Astek.

Once applied to the acyrlic, and installed with lighting, I think it will look nice, though I imagine that diffusions will need to be added.

This company is a new resource to us, and one worth remembering for the future.

Tech Shop

Tech Shop is a workshop (only available in 7 locations) that allows a large group of people access to a variety of tools. They have cnc machines, milling machines, lathes, even laser cutters, and 3-d printers. The idea is that you buy a membership for access, and you can use these tools (and elarn how to use them) as a low cost alternative to purchasing fabrication services for prototypes. I think this is a really great idea - many people don't have access to shops - so from building something simple for themselves or developing new ideas is very difficult. Even with a pretty decent home shop, the average person is fairly limited with teh equipment they can own. And theatres fall into this as well - maybe we have access to a cnc router, but what about printing, 3-d printing, laser cutting, water jet cutting and so forth - each of these machines are large purchases and need a good deal of maintenance. While I know that a theatre couldn't take over the whole facility - I could see a special project goingthrough this service. I really think that this type of technology access and collaboration is something that is needed for the future.