Cue3Go!

Issue 3, 2023

Techie Tip of the Week

STAFFING YOUR THEATRE

Part 3 of an 8-part series on ACTION STEPS you can take to level-up support and funding for your school theatre.

YOUR CHALLENGE

How many staff are there for your theatre?  Are you a one-person-show?

How many “coaches” are there for each sports team in your school?

Your challenge here is to help your admin better understand your situation. Your goal is to help admin become aware of something they probably haven’t really considered before – just how many people it takes to run a theatre.  Highly qualified management and technicians are needed in order to set up the operating systems, create a safety program, maximize student learning, and determine building performance and academic outcomes.  This is no different from any other area of the school, yet the theatre department is often the poor cousin.

YOUR ACTION

For this one you’ll need to do a bit of research.

You can come up with your own methods, but here’s one example to get you started.  Research the following:

• How many coaches/assistant coaches does your track and field team have?  How many students are on your track and field team?  How much are the coaches paid?  What is the total amount of hours they work during the season?
• How many support staff (designers, technicians, directors) does your musical have?  How many students are in the musical?  How much are the support staff paid?  What is the total amount of hours they work during the production (season)?

Once you have all of your facts make a spreadsheet, a graph, or bullet points. 

Schedule a time to talk with your admin about this, and present your findings.

(For more information about what staff a school theatre needs and how to get them, check out the Staffing chapter of High School Theatre Operations. For more detailed guidance on how to advocate for staff for your theatre, check out the Theatre Management Training online course or tutorials.)

This editorial is the express opinion of Beth Rand, and is not intended for substitution for professional advice regarding your specific situation or circumstances.

Safety Stories

Safety 'Horror Stories' and/or Solutions(!), submitted by readers.

Imagine walking into an empty high school theatre to get ready for a show, it is pitch black and you stumble across the stage to find the work lights. Unbeknownst to you (communication is not always brilliant at high school theatres!) the orchestra pit cover has been removed and you trip and fall in. A dark theatre creates an unsafe environment that is prone to accidents and injuries. A ghost light, or night-light, can be an effective way to prevent mishaps in school theatres.

Predating the invention of electricity, ghost lights have been used in theatres for centuries - in some theatres it is believed that ghost lights are linked to the supernatural - either to ward off ghosts from causing mischief and mayhem or to invite ghosts to perform to prevent them from cursing a vacant theatre. Whether it is to repel ghosts or to appease them, the ghost light plays a significant role in the safety of a theatre. Any school theatre, no matter how big or how small, can be dangerous place with out proper safety lights.

The ghost light is not the only safety light that can help prevent accidents in a theatre. Aisle lights for your audience as well as backstage lights for your actors and crew are important safety precautions that every school theatre must have. Safety code requires that aisle lights be on at all times when an audience is in the theatre. Not only do aisle lights provide a safe illuminated path, but also it helps prevent trips and injuries that could lead to more serious issues for a performing arts center.

Backstage can also be a black void of darkness. Having a school theatre equipped with proper backstage safety lighting during performances is crucial. Many school theatres are not built with backstage safety lighting so it is up to the school to determine the best source of safety lights for their space. The easiest and cheapest form of backstage safety light is to gel a clip light with a dark blue gel and place it in area that could be considered high risk for hazard backstage.  Not only will this help your student actors from tripping and injuring themselves before making their grand entrance onstage, but also it will help your student crew keep the space organized and free of other hazards that could hinder the safety of an individual.

So the next time you are in your school theatre, look around - what ways is your theatre equipped to protect you when the theatre is dark? Whether it’s to protect you from those pesky theatre ghosts, or to help prevent you from falling into an open pit, safety lighting is key to lowering your risk and liabilities in the world of high school theatre.

Share your safety horror story or solution at [email protected]. (We only disclose which state or country you are in.)

Dear Techie:

My principal has told me that he considers my students as being “supervised” while they’re working in the scene shop, if I am within earshot of them while rehearsing my cast on stage.  I’d like to be cautious. Do you think this would be ok?

Dear Cautious:

I’m flabbergasted, flummoxed, and dumbstruck.  Would it be ok with your principal if the chemistry teacher were to pop next door and teach an English lesson as long as their students working on experiments were in earshot?  I think not. We can hardly blame the principal (although ultimately it is their responsibility), because “Muggles” (as I call those who don’t know the magic of the theatre) are often ignorant (as in: not knowing, not as in: stupid) of the safety issues of a scene shop. However, it is up to use to educate our principals and other admin as best we can. Assuming there is no way that your show would open on time if you had to supervise the set building and rehearse the cast one at a time, I would recommend educating your admin about the need for a CTE Tech Theatre teacher (they can also bring more funding to your program!) and the child labor laws in your state (to paraphrase: minors may only do these sorts of activities if they are in a bona fide vocational program), and if nothing else, using CTE woodshop (etc) training manuals to train and test your students before they can work in the scene shop, make up a Liability Waiver for parents to sign, and keeping copious records of who is trained and who has parental permission to work in the scene shop. Cover your anatomy, if the principal won’t.  For more safety and risk management ideas check out the High School Theatre Operations chapter on Safety.

Submit your Dear Techie questions to [email protected].  

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Overheard from a student techie:

High school theatre – where OSHA rules are ignored on a daily basis.

Submit your Bad Theatre Joke or Funnies to [email protected].

And finally, always remember...

It is PRESETT's mission to provide information to assist in endeavors for safe and functional operations of school theatres. However, PRESETT is not a safety consultant or professional, and any information provided or advocated is not intended to supplement, not supersede, industry safety training. Always consult a theatre safety specialist about your specific situation or circumstances.