Cue3Go!

Issue 24, 2023

Techie Tip of the Week

headsets - single muff vs double muff

Part 5 of an 5-part series on HEADSET use in your theatre.                   Posted every other week

The muff is the padded ear piece that is attached to the headband that goes over the technician’s head.

Always spec single muff headsets. A theatre is not a recording studio.  Theatre technicians absolutely must have single muff headsets. It is essential that one ear is uncovered in order for the technicians to be able to hear what is going on around them.  Technicians on stage must be aware of their surroundings.  This is a huge safety issue.  They must be able to hear warning calls in case a set piece falls or a pipe is coming in above their heads.

Safety aside, it is the job of all technicians to pay attention to what is going on on stage, and most importantly the Stage Manager needs to hear each line the actors say in order to call lighting, sound and set/rigging cues at the right time.  Plus, an Assistant Stage Manager, Deck Manager or Stage Manager on stage must be available to answer questions from cast and crew, while also hearing what is going on at other areas of the theatre over the headset. 

The sound techs need to be able to communicate with the Stage Manager and other technicians, while being able to hear what the audience hears - they cannot have false sound levels being fed into their headsets. That said, the sound technician should also have a double muff headset that is plugged into their sound board, because occasionally she needs to be able to cue up a sound effect or piece of music without the audience hearing it and without them hearing the audience. 

Sometimes, when there are not enough headsets provided in a theatre, there are people who can do without.  For instance, if the Stage Manager is calling the show from the booth and is sitting right next to the light board operator then there is really no need for the light board operator to have a headset, as the SM is the only person they need to receive instructions from.  In this situation it’s especially important not to have a double muff headset because the SM needs to have confirmation that the light board operator has received warnings, standbys and/or has completed cues.  They cannot be wearing double muff headsets as they must have one ear free in order to have two way communication with the light board operator.

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

Leveling-Up

Online courses for school theatre teachers and staff

to find out more about the courses please visit:

Theatre Management Training Course

Theatre Management Tutorials

Lighting and Safety Courses

Safety Webinar for Students

Dear Techie,

Hello! I teach at a small private school. Currently there is very little in terms of performing arts available.  Students take do a music concert in 5th grade and do a class play in kindergarten, 1st and 5th grades. After they move to the ¨big building¨ for 6-12th grades there is only the senior class play. We have a very nice performing arts facility that many community members donated to build and it sees these four school performances. Our new headmaster wants to start invest in the facility and has asked me to give him suggestions.  Do you have any advice or suggestions on where to even start?  Please help me!

Starting Out in MS

Dear Starting Out,

You may be a small school, but it sounds like you have quite a bit going on in your performing arts center already, and it sounds like your new headmaster wants to grow the program (yay!)!  As you say, you already have 4 performances each year.  You also mentioned that community members funded the building construction.  Do community events use the space for their performances or other events?  If not now, will they want to in the future?  Or, do you want them to, in order to bring in more funds for the theatre’s operations?

It sounds like to me the thing to suggest to your headmaster is to get a Theatre Manager, and pronto.  Because, your theatre is already acting as a ‘roadhouse’, and there are a lot of things to take into consideration, such as scheduling, risk management and safety, event support, equipment use, staffing, administration, and so on.

If you, as a teacher (you didn’t mention if you were already full time?), start taking this on, you’ll soon find – as many performing arts teachers can attest to – that you will become the main contact for groups (school or community) wanting to use the theatre, and soon you will be the person to go to to find equipment and teach them how it works, and before you know it you’ll be needed to help run the events.  Suddenly you’re the Theatre Manager as well as a full-time teacher. You’re already saying you feel overwhelmed, and you’ve only got 4 or so events right now.

If your new headmaster is as forward thinking as it seems (again, yay!) – it’s great that he is looking for suggestions as to what will work! - I really recommend what will work best is to plan ahead and hire on a part time Theatre Manager now (which will grow into a full time position before you know it).  I have some free resource library for you that has 9 free resources designed to help you level-up support and funding of school theatres.  Here’s the link: https://www.presett.org/resourcelibrary.html

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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.