Cue3Go!

Issue 18, 2023

Techie Tip of the Week

how many headset jacks, and where?

Part 2 of a 5-part series on HEADSET use in your theatre.                     Posted every other week.

How many headsets positions should you spec in a new theatre or how many headsets should you purchase for an existing theatre?  It never ceases to amaze me that multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art high school theatres are provided with two to four jacks to plug in headsets and that’s it, or the theatre is built with enough jacks, but is stocked with just a few headsets. 

The very minimum I recommend is 8 jacks.  Here are the locations where you should spec a headset jack:

1. In the booth where the Stage Manager will sit to call a show.
2. In the booth where the Light Board Operator will sit to run the light board.
3. At the sound board (which you’ve put in the house because you’ve read this book).
4. At the position where the first followspot is placed.
5. At the position where the second followspot is placed. (Even if the followspots are together, each operator needs his or her own headset, or else one followspot will lag behind the other if “Go’s” have to be relayed. Also, headsets should never be daisy chained if your followspots are on the cats - such a tripping hazard!
6. Stage right.  This headset jack should be near the fly rail if it’s on that side of the stage and should not be placed such that the technician wearing it will drape the cable across a doorway or the path of an entering or exiting actor.  Plan ahead for where a crew member is likely to be standing, whether it’s a rigger operating the fly rail or a Stage Manager who is calling the show from back stage. Or both.
7. Stage left, or the side of the stage opposite the fly rail.  Likewise with stage left, think about what the technician needs access to and whether the cable will be in the way of actors making entrances and exits, and stage crew moving set pieces.
8. A jack in the floor at the center of the house where the Lighting Designer will sit to design the show.  It’s actually best to have two jacks at that position because the Stage Manager should be sitting at the tech table for the first few days of tech next to the Lighting Designer so that they can more easily confer on cues during the tech. 

OTHER HEADSET POSITIONS TO CONSIDER

ORCHESTRA PIT

Does your theatre have an orchestra pit?  If so, the Stage Manger will need to communicate with the Conductor.  The Conductor will not wear the headset during the show, because he or she has to hear the music. But it is useful to be able to communicate with the pit in order to let the Conductor know when to start the overture or the entre-acte, when a cue comes up that needs special notification because the Conductor can’t see what is going on, or in case of an emergency where the Conductor needs to talk to the Stage Manager or the reverse.

BOX OFFICE

The Stage Manager needs to communicate with the House Manager about when to start the show, because the Stage Manager must be in her place ten minutes before the show starts, making sure that the actors and crew are ready.  If the Stage Manager cannot communicate with the House Manager, the Stage Manager may start the show when her crew and the actors are ready, but there may still be a line of audience members in the lobby still waiting to get into the house. It would be inconvenient, if not unsafe, to black out the house before all of the audience is seated.  The House Manager needs to be able to inform the Stage Manager to hold the show if there are still audience members arriving.

DRESSING ROOMS/GREEN ROOM/WAITING ROOMS

It’s not a good idea to let performers have access to the crew’s communication system – too many cooks…  But, for a large show, a Stage Manager may need to communicate with a crew member who has been placed backstage (when I say “backstage” in this case, I mean out of the stage space, not in the wings – the term is somewhat interchangeable and depends on the context of the situation). 

SCENE SHOP AND COSTUME SHOP

Another reason it might be a good idea to have a headset backstage would be for a costumer to communicate to the Stage Manager in case there was a problem with a costume, which might require delaying the start of a show, or stalling a scene change. If the budget allows, it’s also good to have the option for someone to plug in a headset in the scene shop, although that location is primarily used before the show has opened, not during the running of a show.  Only in extenuating circumstances would set building – most likely a repair of some sort - be going on during a show.  Some scene shops are used for set storage during a show.

EXTRA JACKS IN THE WINGS

Again, if the budget allows, place at least one extra headset jack on stage right and one extra on stage left.  If you already have jacks down stage, consider placing extras up stage, or in the middle of the rail.  That way two crew members aren’t plugged in at the same place and daisy chained (see next section) together, and won’t trip over each other’s cables.

LOADING BRIDGE

The loading bridge isn’t used during a show, but it is used for re-weighting when hanging lights or scenery.  Do not install a headset jack up there. Use a wireless headset, and if a wireless headset is not available crew can shout to each other.  Better to go hoarse than to trip over a cable and fall over the edge!

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

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Dear Techie,

I am looking for recommendations and resources for a new dance studio/black box theatre lighting system design that will be suitable for my beginning students, preferably with sustainable materials and "green" design in mind?

Thank you!

Greenie in CA

Dear Greenie,

Beware architects who want to install an all-LED system in your Black Box in the name of ‘green’. Green and high-tech are not always the best solutions for a preliminary learning environment.  With one exception – if you have the staff to run the theatre or unless you are a wiz at programmable light boards and LEDs yourself.

Some years ago I did some work at a middle school, which had a (mega overkill, ultra expensive) state-of-the-art light board installed with a complete system of programmable LED lights in their 100-seat theatre. Why?  It was a ‘green’ school and the architect was concerned about energy and environmental design. Rightly so, but the LED system was so complicated that no one had used the theatre’s lighting for the first year and a half of the school’s operation.

For a start staff members in the school knew how to turn off the stage lights (all of the lights had been left programmed to come on when the board was turned on and they didn’t know how to create a blackout) let alone operate the lights individually. So my techs and I re-hung and focused the lights and programmed the whole system for them in a simpler format. That system will never be used to its full potential in such a preliminary learning environment and cost the school district hundreds of thousands of dollars.  This is a classic example of where simpler technology outperforms state-of-the-art technology when it comes to building performance affecting academic performance, as well as staff ability and retention of knowledge.

I’m also wondering why a black box was chosen instead of a small proscenium theatre? There are some general pros and cons to consider for the long term when considering investing in a black box theatre as opposed to a small fixed proscenium theatre.  A black box theatre has a high versatility factor; it can be re-configured to a proscenium stage, a thrust stage or theatre-in-the-round.  But, with versatility comes expenses.

Each time the acting space is reconfigured the lighting instruments have to be moved to new positions. Every school district should look at their theatre operations plans and look at the costs, time constraints and safety factors, and assess some questions, such as: Who would be doing this, a class of students lead by a CTE teacher and/or professional technicians hired by the district?  Are students allowed to go up on a genie or ladder to rehang and refocus the lights?  Are the students trained in how to safely rig flats and/or drapes from the grid?  Will there be enough time to re-hang and re-focus a significant amount of instruments.

One school I worked at had a black box theatre and they hired me to create a lighting rep plot for them.  Theatre-in-the-round and thrust stages require about twice the number of lighting instruments than a proscenium stage does because the actors and the sets must be lit from several sides.  This theatre had been given a lighting package, but it was insufficient for the space potential, so the Drama teacher decided to create a fixed proscenium stage within the black box space with flats as the proscenium walls.  In another black box school theatre I worked in there were an ample amount of instruments but there were no lighting positions to allow for lighting the sides of the stage, so we had no choice but to structure the theatre into a permanent proscenium configuration.  In these circumstances it would perhaps have been better to provide that school with a small 100-seat theatre, had the administration assessed future operations, budget and time restrictions ahead of time.

On the other hand, there are some plusses to a black box theatre.  For instance, a black box theatre’s floor space can be cleared for classes and rehearsals to be held in there.  Plus a black box theatre is great for learning environments where tech theatre skills are a part of the curriculum.  For instance, lighting techniques can be created for class exercises.  It all depends on the administration’s vision for their theatre operations; how the theatre will be staffed and what vocational program will be in place. In other words, you want to “design backwards” – the answers to your questions will determine how you want to design your system.

For more information about designing a lighting system for theatres, check out High School Theatre Lighting For Architects; designing backwards.

Submit your Dear Techie questions to [email protected].  

An old stage manager was wondering about the likelihood of there being some form of theatre in the hereafter. They decided to consult a medium.

Medium: I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that there is a wonderful theatre in heaven - well equipped, spacious, plenty of wing space. In fact, there's a show opening tomorrow night.

SM: That's wonderful! What's the bad news?

Medium: You're calling the show.

​

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

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.