# epic theatre fail



## atm999 (Jan 12, 2009)

I was not part of this show, but this is so funny that I have to post it. The night before a production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat closed, the entire company went out partying. On the was back, the actor which plays Jesus slipped on ice and twisted his ankle. He's fine now, but his understudy took his place for closing night. in the final scene, when Jesus dies on the cross and floats un on the fly rail to heaven, everything went as it should have until the fly crew began to raise him. The US was 75 pounds lighter than the main actor, so he bagan to shoot up. One fly person grabed the rope with his bare hands and got third degree rope burns, while another smashed the brake back on. Because he braked it so quickly, the cross fell off of the bar and fell five feet to the floor with the actor still on it. Although it landed vertically, it then fell forward and smashed the actor's face into the floor. Cue blackout and curtain: the show is now closed!


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## TheDonkey (Jan 12, 2009)

Youch!

Were the actor's hands strapped to the horizontal of the cross?


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## gafftaper (Jan 12, 2009)

Did the actor SURVIVE?


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## jwl868 (Jan 12, 2009)

This is either an example of:

1. Why you should only have a professional company fly people.

2. A theatrical urban legend (like the “bricklayer accident”). To my knowledge, Jesus is not in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Also, as described, these amateurs would have had to have flown in a 150 - 200 lb (more or less) out of balance pipe just to attach the actor. And, of course the show closed – it was the last show.

Joe


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## Footer (Jan 12, 2009)

Godspell or Superstar I assume... Most places just fly in a batten and tie them to it, then curtain... no one flies out. Bad idea.


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## cprted (Jan 12, 2009)

jwl868 said:


> This is either an example of:
> 
> 1. Why you should only have a professional company fly people.
> 
> ...




on both counts.


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## zuixro (Jan 12, 2009)

Jesus is definitely not in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We just finished in October. Jesus isn't even mentioned in it.


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## photoatdv (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm seeing yet another problem here. Why was the cross not attached in a way that it wouldn't fall off if suddenly stopped? What happened to the 5:1 (it is 5:1 for rigged scenery, right) safety margin? And I know its higher than that for anything that people are flown on (plus safety lines, ect). Calling What Rigger or Footer.......


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## erosing (Jan 12, 2009)

I don't know if it's just me or not, but I really don't find it funny.

Edit: Assuming this actually happened in a different show since as mentioned Jesus wasn't involved.


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## Eboy87 (Jan 12, 2009)

Arez said:


> I don't know if it's just me or not, but I really don't find it funny.
> 
> Edit: Assuming this actually happened in a different show since as mentioned Jesus wasn't involved.



Amen, Hajlelujia, can I get a witness. Even though that sort of scene had nothing to do with Joseph and all the rest of it (I swear Andrew Lloyd Weber wanted to make that as painfully long a title as possible), it still isn't a laughing matter. I'm sure if you were on a pro theatre gig, and told that story to get a few laughs, you wouldn't get any. It's not something to even joke about, like yelling fire at a movie theater.


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## rochem (Jan 12, 2009)

photoatdv said:


> What happened to the 5:1 (it is 5:1 for rigged scenery, right) safety margin? And I know its higher than that for anything that people are flown on (plus safety lines, ect)



I don't have my copy of Stage Rigging Handbook at the moment, but I thought that any time you start talking about hanging people, you go with 10:1 at least. Could be wrong though.

And while I can see the humor in that, and while I probably would have laughed at this a year ago, it's really not funny. Just another one of the numerous examples why high school technical directors should not be so cavalier with their rigging systems. For all of those schools that don't have a fly system at all, I do feel sorry for you - but if people keep getting hurt and dying on these high school systems, then eventually none of us will have them.

At my high school, my TD isn't even remotely concerned about hanging a large flying piece from a batten and flying it while there's a person in it. Apparently, he's actually done it before in at least two different shows. "The actor only weighs about 150 lbs, and three or four techs can definitely hold him up for the 5 minutes he's there, right?" I wonder if he realizes that his teaching career, as well as the well-being of his family, is entirely dependent on three high school students not getting tired. The point I'm trying to make is that, while everyone here is appalled that this would happen, it is a fairly common thing in high schools.


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## Esoteric (Jan 12, 2009)

While I have heard this as an urban legend before it is more than illustrative of a sickness through school systems and community theaters of attempting things that are beyond their means and abilities. As you can see from my post on another thread even multiple rigging professionals will sometimes make errors. People without proper equipment and training should never attempt anything like flying a heavy piece of scenery over the heads of people, much less flying the people themselves!

My alma mater (high school speaking) did The Wizard of Oz. They hired a professional rigging company to come in and set the system up and train them on its use. It was always flown by an adult, and there was a licensed rigger on site every night. That is the way to fly kids in a school theater. The tech kids learned a lot (from watching!) the actors got a great experience (everyone in the cast who wanted to got to fly once) and the show looked very good. The parents of the kids who flew signed release forms and were informed of the dangers (per the district). They really did it right.

If you can't do it right, you have no business doing it. Not with someones life on the line.

I refused to TD several shows when I was acting as the FAA TD. The schools backed down, and decided not to fly people. I was not going to have that on my conscience. I know enough to rig lights, hang points, etc. But I am not comfortable (even after time in a rigging apprentice program, not to mention rigging and TD classes in college) flying people.

Mike


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## gafftaper (Jan 13, 2009)

rochem said:


> I don't have my copy of Stage Rigging Handbook at the moment, but I thought that any time you start talking about hanging people, you go with 10:1 at least. Could be wrong though.



At least 10:1 and there are a lot of other safety factors as well. This would not be possible if it was designed and operated by a procompany.


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## What Rigger? (Jan 13, 2009)

I call "shenanigans" on the original post, and the person who posted it. And I defy him/her to prove me wrong.


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## museav (Jan 13, 2009)

Esoteric said:


> While I have heard this as an urban legend before it is more than illustrative of a sickness through school systems and community theaters of attempting things that are beyond their means and abilities. As you can see from my post on another thread even multiple rigging professionals will sometimes make errors. People without proper equipment and training should never attempt anything like flying a heavy piece of scenery over the heads of people, much less flying the people themselves!


Unfortunately, this goes beyond just schools and community theatres as the recent death of a 23 year old woman in a church Christmas pageant showed, Performer was 'always loving, open' | Cincinnati Enquirer | Cincinnati.Com. Many churches are now rivaling theatrical and concert productions, but often with much less skilled and experienced resources and staff than those professional events.


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## gafftaper (Jan 13, 2009)

What Rigger? said:


> I call "shenanigans" on the original post, and the person who posted it. And I defy him/her to prove me wrong.



OHHHH YEAH! 

ATM999 do you accept this declaration of shenanigans? 

Everybody get your broom!


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## LordOfTheTechies (Jan 24, 2009)

I was crew chief for our community theatre's production of Peter Pan a few years ago. Our director was planning on hiring someone to come in a do the set up for the flying rig, and then leave it to my high-school crew to operate it. My crew was all excited about it and really wanted to "make people fly." But I convinced them all to refuse to crew the show unless she hired someone professional to fly the actors. She ended up hiring foy to set up AND operate the flying rig. Everything turned out ok, but that could have ended very very badly.


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## Grog12 (Jan 24, 2009)

While the original poster's plot holes have been shown time and time again. People have been flown on fly systems throughout the country. The load imbalance is usually made up for with 4 or 5 large strong folks to fly the thing in until the person is on it. It is completly unsafe and should never be done.

Also for the record the ****ing thing isn't a brake its a lock and should never be used as a brake.


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 26, 2009)

Footer said:


> Godspell or Superstar I assume... Most places just fly in a batten and tie them to it, then curtain... no one flies out. Bad idea.



I agree entirely. You will have a hard time convincing me that flying some one out is 100% necessary in any production. Sure it's cool, but it's also insanely dangerous as this story (theatre legend or real thing) shows. 

I'd laugh if it was funny, but I have no sense of humor when it comes to the fly system. We did Wizard of Oz two years ago and had a "hot air balloon" for when the wizard flew out. The guy playing Wiz kept begging us to let him fly out with it, but my teacher/TD never budged, and for good reason. What're we supposed to say to his parents? "Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Wiz, your son fell 50 feet to his death because we highly underestimated the danger of this situation"? Don't think so.

And I'm not saying it's impossible, but I have a hard time believing one of the techs got 3rd degree rope burn from this incident, if it actually occurred. Also seems like a stupid idea to use the rope lock when the improperly weighted lineset isn't fully in or out... but hey, maybe that's just me.


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## Anvilx (Jan 26, 2009)

What Play is this?


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## theatretechguy (Jan 26, 2009)

Since the OP hasn't been back to verify the story, and the number of implausibilities in it, I'm calling BS on the story (or the OP has realized he's been duped into believing another theater "urban legend")

1. '3rd degree rope burns' would mean his hands literally caught fire and charred his flesh. 

2. Nobody dies on a cross in "Joseph"

3. Taking a blackout after a serious theatrical catastrophe is stupid.


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## TheDonkey (Jan 27, 2009)

photoatdv said:


> I'm seeing yet another problem here. Why was the cross not attached in a way that it wouldn't fall off if suddenly stopped? What happened to the 5:1 (it is 5:1 for rigged scenery, right) safety margin? And I know its higher than that for anything that people are flown on (plus safety lines, ect). Calling What Rigger or Footer.......



From what I've gathered around the booth(DO NOT take my word for it,) it's 3:1 for "Regular equipment", 5:1 for scenery(as you said), and 10:1 for people(and only to be done professionally)


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 28, 2009)

... and I'm not sure if this has been pointed out yet...

But Jesus almost can't fall on his face. Since most line sets stop about 4 feet or so off the ground, that cross would have to be really poorly set up... so poorly that it practically wouldn't fly period.


I agree with everyone else and call the bluff.


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## erosing (Jan 28, 2009)

Not that I'm against calling the bluff, Westlake, but it's not out of the range of possibility that something didn't get tightened down properly, a rope was used and it broke, the cross broke, "Jesus" jumped/slipped, etc...there are a lot of mistakes that could be made, remember this is highschool, or seems like it was, even if it wasn't explicitly mentioned. Of course that's all assuming Jesus was magically involved.

But again, I'm still for calling the bluff.


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## WestlakeTech (Jan 29, 2009)

Yeah, I tried wording it so that it didn't seem completely impossible, simply improbable. Of course, rigging that poor would seem to make you have other problems, long before the outta weight Jesus.

Of course, I'm in high school myself and nobody here at Westlake is stupid enough to do anything of the sort without a certified rigger setting it up and being present 100% of the time the show is run (or at least that that line set is being used).


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## Hughesie (Jan 29, 2009)

Get the Brooms


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## What Rigger? (Jan 30, 2009)

Brooms indeed! So, shall we pronounce this thread DOA?


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## cprted (Jan 30, 2009)

What Rigger? said:


> Brooms indeed! So, shall we pronounce this thread DOA?






I've been thinking the same thing for a week.


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## spoonifur (Mar 2, 2009)

You know... Funny enough something like this happened at my high school. We were doing Jesus Christ Superstar (Which DOES have Jesus in it, on a cross.) I wasn't backstage at the time, but something happened with the rigging of our giant wooden cross. It was flying in, and a few feet or so before it hit the ground something broke. I don't recall what, but suddenly the cross was on the ground. Thankfully it didn't fall, but a crew member was able to get behind it and hold it steady while they attached our Jesus to it for the rest of the show. (There was a big stand in front, so it wasn't falling forward. If it went back our cyc wall would not be too pretty!) 

Something, somewhere went wrong. (For all I know THAT is the reason that one pipe is still broken.)(... High school theater.)Thankfully we don't ACTUALLY attach our actor to a giant wooden cross. The rest of the show went fine, and there was still one more night to go.


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## photoatdv (Mar 3, 2009)

Did they at least check to make sure whatever broke isn't in danger of falling onto anybody's head?


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## spoonifur (Mar 3, 2009)

Ah, I was mistaken. It wasn't the reinforcements, it wasn't the 200 pound cross, it was the brakes on our system. They were lowering it when they stopped working and it dropped. Thankfully the bar didn't go with it! 

Safe to say the incident could have been worse. Anyway, just wanted to say that crosses can fall, with Jesus on them or not.


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