# What's a winchman?



## PrescottJr (Oct 12, 2011)

Recently I was having a conversation with a fellow student of theatre and she asked me what a winchmen was. I was not sure my self and so I asked her what she thought they did, and she said in a show she worked on in college the stage manager always talked about giving the cues to the winchmen for moving scenery. I figured that the winchman was not touching the flown scenery but set pieces on the deck in tracks or on turtles/castors? Is this correct? What exactly is a winchman? Are they common in broadway shows? Is there another title for them?

Thanks,

Prescott


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## rochem (Oct 12, 2011)

Winchman is most likely just the winch operator. Many shows that use tracking scenery just move them with a manually-operated winch, turned by an operator. Manually-driven winches aren't as common on broadway shows as are automated winches, so the operators here would probably be called automation techs as opposed to winchmen. Technically, even running the scenic automation falls under the Electrics department in these situations, but that's a discussion for another day.


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## Footer (Oct 13, 2011)

Ya, electros and automation don't go together. Deck carps run automation. 

As far as a wenchman goes, soundsike an adaptation of flyman in a house that has electric hoists. 

Not an industry standard term. 

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## rochem (Oct 13, 2011)

Footer said:


> Ya, electros and automation don't go together. Deck carps run automation.



Nope, sorry. At least on local one contracts, the guy behind the automation console is an Electrician.


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## Footer (Oct 13, 2011)

rochem said:


> Nope, sorry. At least on local one contracts, the guy behind the automation console is an Electrician.


 
They can call that person whatever they want on a budget line, however PRG Lighting is not building the automation package for Hudson/PRG Scenic/Centerline Studios/Chicago Scenic/Adirondack Scenic gear.


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## shiben (Oct 13, 2011)

Footer said:


> ...PRG Lighting is not building the automation package for Hudson/PRG Scenic/Centerline Studios/Chicago Scenic/Adirondack Scenic gear.


 
And thats totally not relevant. PRG also sends video cable in PRG Lighting cases, does that mean anything? I could run a shop and have a winch division and a hoist division and a pulley division if I wanted, but the real relevant bit is not which group makes the product, but which department has to field the call. Heck, I could decide that Audio stuff gets maintained by my shop's electrical department because I dont want to buy more soldering irons, but that still makes it audio gear. Sounds like if your on a local 1 contract, you have the electrics department doing the automation control, and thus thats an electrics position.


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## MPowers (Oct 18, 2011)

rochem said:


> ....Technically, even running the scenic automation falls under the Electrics department.......


 

> Ya, electros and automation don't go together. Deck carps run automation.




> Nope, sorry. At least on local one contracts, the guy behind the automation console is an Electrician.



For what it's worth, my good friend Brooke Carlson has been the automation operator on Miss Saigon, Beauty, Lion King et.al. She also usually does the initial programing for Hudson Scenic before the shows hit the stage. She is an "Automation Carpenter." Carpenters move scenery that is on the deck, whether it is manual or automated. For most shows her operating location is on a truss deck about 20' up and over the SL offstage wing. Last time Wicked and Lion King were through, they rented about 60 chain hoists from us, not to move scenery, but to hang stuff and things like automation world in the wings.


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## Traitor800 (Oct 18, 2011)

In radio city music hall, it's a carpenter that maintens the automation, and pushes go during the show. However an electrician is required to plug any automation cables in. Go figure.
-Chris

_-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums_


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## Footer (Oct 18, 2011)

Traitor800 said:


> In radio city music hall, it's a carpenter that maintens the automation, and pushes go during the show. However an electrician is required to plug any automation cables in. Go figure.
> -Chris
> 
> _-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums_



Well, at least he does not have to be IBEW like some places in Chicago.


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