# OK - "Hi! My Name Is: "



## magnumBD (Apr 13, 2007)

I was gonna post this over in the "tell us something non-theatre about you" thread but I figured it was better suited over here, kind of.

My theatre experience goes back to when I was 10 - I started as an urchin in a production of "Oliver!" Since then I have acted in approximately 40 plays and have tech crewed on about as many more. I'm currently on the Board of Directors for a local community group, and serve as the scene shop foreman. I am always trying to learn more about carpentry and set building tricks.

So, I also provide firearm props, both blank-firing and "inert" replicas to the various local groups. I offer help in choreographing fight scenes and keeping everyone safe. In time I'd like to make myself available to the local colleges and also their film departments.

If I could extract myself from real-time theatre long enough, I'd like to go the proper route and get completely certified for stage combat and like that. Right now I am self-taught. I know plenty, but not everything. So, that makes me the one-eyed man who is king in the land of the blind!

For money I am a technical writer in the electronics industry, but I know very little about electronics. You audio guys can probably run circles around me.


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## gafftaper (Apr 14, 2007)

Welcome to the booth! It's great having community theater people around here. I'm always preaching "volunteer at your local community theater" to the young folks around here. It's such a great way to get involved, learn, and build your resume. 

Where are you at? I'm always looking for a good SAFE weapon source but haven't found one in Seattle yet. 

It must be a busy day out there in tech land because this post sat 11 hours without being answered. Usually there is a battle to be first. Van and Soundlight must be working for a change today.


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## soundlight (Apr 14, 2007)

Actually, look at his join date, search his old posts. I rememberd that he has been here before, making recommendations on stage armaments. Might check out some old posts! Always fun.

Also, see my new thread in the Lighting forum as to why I've had no time today.


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## Van (Apr 14, 2007)

Welcome Aboard!, I'm not sure you'll fit in, apparently you have a Real Job! 
 

I do weapons on the side a bit. Where are you ? I could hook you up with a couple of certified stage combat certified trainers. 
Anyway Welcome Aboard ! 

Why did'nt I respond earlier? Hmmmm Check the time on the post. I got to work at 10:00 am YESTERDAY, after being here till 2:00 am the night before, I took a 3 hour nap during a tech rehearsal tonight / last night , and just finished painting the stage floor. ARGH! 
Sorry for the hijack, 
Going for doughnuts, going home.


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## Chris15 (Apr 17, 2007)

Welcome Aboard!

Ah Van, as a heads up, I get Sydney time on the posts, so none of those references work...


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## gafftaper (Apr 17, 2007)

Chris15 said:


> Welcome Aboard!
> Ah Van, as a heads up, I get Sydney time on the posts, so none of those references work...



How is that metric time working out Chris?

10 seconds per minute... 10 minutes per hour... 10 hours per day... 10 days per month... 10 months per year... At that rate, you must be living in the year 2347 by now. What's the future like? Have they made LED technology bright enough and affordable in the future? I bet Color Kinetics owns the electromagnetic spectrum by the time you read this.


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## magnumBD (Apr 18, 2007)

Yes, it's true - I joined nearly four years ago and have "Seldom Seen Slim" (although 'slim' is a misnomer in my case!).

I am located in Maryland in the Washington DC suburbs. The community theatre scene is incredible - I think I've counted around 75 active groups that are located in Maryland on the DC side of Baltimore, DC itself, and in Northern Virginia. 

My little hometown in California had three groups - a drama group, a musical group, and a group that specialized in "mellerdrammers" where you hiss the villain and cheer the hero and throw popcorn at everyone.

Thanks for the welcomes, everyone. Please feel free to PM or email or whatever if you have any questions that I could help with, and of course I'll keep an eye on the posts.


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## gafftaper (Apr 18, 2007)

You know the "mellerdrammers" could be very popular with a theater technician audience. There are lots of times I've wanted to boo actors and throw popcorn around... just as long as someone else cleans it up.


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## Van (Apr 18, 2007)

magnumBD said:


> Yes, it's true - I joined nearly four years ago and have "Seldom Seen Slim" (although 'slim' is a misnomer in my case!).
> 
> I am located in Maryland in the Washington DC suburbs. The community theatre scene is incredible - I think I've counted around 75 active groups that are located in Maryland on the DC side of Baltimore, DC itself, and in Northern Virginia.
> 
> ...


 
Wow ! What a great and vital theatre community you have there. I was amazed at the preponderence of theatre groups in the DC area when I was there. I think it's pretty cool that the Old Ford Theater is still working as well. There is someone else on here from DC or the DC area.


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## gafftaper (Apr 19, 2007)

Van said:


> Wow ! What a great and vital theatre community you have there. I was amazed at the preponderence of theatre groups in the DC area when I was there. I think it's pretty cool that the Old Ford Theater is still working as well. There is someone else on here from DC or the DC area.



Plus you can throw popcorn at the actors!!


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## magnumBD (Apr 19, 2007)

*Popcorn!*

Plus you can throw popcorn at the actors!! - gafftaper

If only that were so! 

I have to say that it was a lot of work. We had a ten week run of the mellerdrammer, I personally popped 10 garbage cans worth of corn, carefully sifting out the projectiles (er, unpopped kernels), and other people popped about the same amount combined.

Luckily the manager of the restaurant venue was star-struck; he made his poor bus-persons clean up the mess every night. I believe they used shovels and large shop vacs!

Yes, Ford's Theatre is alive and kicking- they still produce world class shows. But I must say, some of the amateur theatre around here rivals and surpasses the professional efforts. I am blessed to work around some very sharp and talented people- it makes definitely goes a long way to making up for the unfortunate knuckleheads that also populate community theatre.


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## JD (Apr 21, 2007)

OK, my name is JD. I guess I would be considered a retired rock and roll lighting designer that did a lot of shows back in the 70's and 80's but left the profession around 1990. I have never lost interest in lighting and I am thinking about jumping back in. Back in the old days, shows were all about how many hundreds or PARs you could hang and how quickly you could put your back out lugging a carbon arc Super Trouper! I worked with many national bands, although my best design work was with a local band known as Witness. My Mid-Life-Crisis interest is more modest. We didn't have much in the way of intelligent lighting back then, yet this is where my current fascination is. As I am heavy into the IT world today, computer controlled lighting appears to be the perfect outlet for my frustrated creative side, that has had it with working 9 to 5 network systems. So, there's the last 30 year! Hello everyone!
_________
John D. (Former owner of DAE concert lighting)


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## gafftaper (Apr 22, 2007)

Welcome to the booth JD! It's great to have another tested road veteran around the booth. There are a lot of young folks here who are just starting out and could use the advice of an old pro-like yourself. Have fun, share what you know and ask what you don't. 

Send a private message to a member by the name of: Jfitzpat. From what I've read in his posts he also did a lot of road work back in the day when "intelligent lighting" meant you took a few minutes to think about where to hang the PARS. You may know each other or at least some of the same people. If you two start swapping old stories be sure to post them. A lot of us around here appreciate hearing about the history of the industry.


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## Van (Apr 22, 2007)

Ah ! snuck a new member in! Howdy!


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## jfitzpat (Apr 23, 2007)

JD said:


> OK, my name is JD. I guess I would be considered a retired rock and roll lighting designer that did a lot of shows back in the 70's and 80's but left the profession around 1990. I have never lost interest in lighting and I am thinking about jumping back in. Back in the old days, shows were all about how many hundreds or PARs you could hang and how quickly you could put your back out lugging a carbon arc Super Trouper!



Well, don't be shy, I still remember how to strike and run a Super Trouper. Back in the day I worked a lot for ShowLights, TASCO, and Bob See (See Factor). I also did a stint as the systems programmer at LaserMedia. From LaserMedia I fell into the early days of MIDI, which led to digital post production, which led into digital imaging... I always had a toe hold in entertainment (mostly taking calls about stuff I'd done 10 or 15 years before ) and have fallen, at least partially, back in.

So far, the water is fine. Sorry, I don't have any recollection of Witness/DAE, but my good friend Craig thinks he does. His recollection is sort of an east coast version of what Headeast was for many years - a regional group with a sincere following.

Again, don't worry - things have changed less than you might think. If anything, I think that some of the techniques of old are ready for a comeback.

-jjf


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## Chris15 (Apr 29, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> How is that metric time working out Chris?
> 
> 10 seconds per minute... 10 minutes per hour... 10 hours per day... 10 days per month... 10 months per year... At that rate, you must be living in the year 2347 by now. What's the future like? Have they made LED technology bright enough and affordable in the future? I bet Color Kinetics owns the electromagnetic spectrum by the time you read this.


 
Sorry, been busy and my computer hasn't been playing nice...

First, I did say Sydney time, not metric time. So I meant UTC +10, but I know you worked that out...

So we're creating metric time are we? Never mind that the current system is part of SI... Me thinks that using 100 sec to the min, 100 min to the hour and 10 hours to the day might be a reasonable compromise... Would of course stuff up most constants in physics and what not...


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## gafftaper (Apr 30, 2007)

Chris15 said:


> Sorry, been busy and my computer hasn't been playing nice...
> First, I did say Sydney time, not metric time. So I meant UTC +10, but I know you worked that out...
> So we're creating metric time are we? Never mind that the current system is part of SI... Me thinks that using 100 sec to the min, 100 min to the hour and 10 hours to the day might be a reasonable compromise... Would of course stuff up most constants in physics and what not...



Wow Chris it's been so long I gave up checking to see if you had found that post! 

I suppose that it's just that metric time system messing with me. After all, if you are in the future, as I suspect, then it takes my time line a few weeks to catch up to your posts. 

Can you send me some winning lottery numbers from the future?


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## Chris15 (May 1, 2007)

gafftaper said:


> Can you send me some winning lottery numbers from the future?



What's my commission?


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