# The tech desk is my office...



## producer

Hey everyone, 
I am a Sound/lighting/recording/Camera/video technician and do pretty much anything else that either plugs into something or runs electricity. I am a TD for a local private school here in Canada, and also a Producer (like a sub TD like i keep saying) at another church. I also run cameras for yet another church. Tech has become my life and my curse. I bet most of you know the senario: Hey! we have a dance coming up, can you "tech" it? or Can you help me hook this tv up?... 

Ah well, 'tis me and my life

Jordan


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## zac850

Ah, sounds like my life. If it is anyhow tech, I end up doing it.....

Anyway, welcome to the boards. I hope to see you around a lot.


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## mbenonis

Welcome, welcome. And you are not alone in your lack of a real life...


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## avkid

what is this life thing people talk about? i go to work and school that is it


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## producer

Well if anyone knows (or even has one), give a shout. It would be great to try new things.


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## zac850

Why, spending every secound of free time that you have in the theater is safer.....

Besides, we get to play music loud, and flash lights. That makes us cool.......... right?......... right?.........please.......?


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## avkid

zac, i totally agree. afterschool i sometimes sit around staring at the strobe light and listening to music in the dark


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## yvfd82t

Well none of us in this site have "real" lifes, but we all like the life we got which i like to call "tech" life.


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## avkid

ooh, i sense an ad campaign , How's your "Tech Life"


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## yvfd82t

Can i be the Vice President of that ad campaign?


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## JP12687

I am also new here. but have done just about everything. I live in the theatre so much that the tech advisor just built me an office  and the principal has my cell on speed dial whenever somethign comes up..summer away from school yea right


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## SuperCow

producer said:


> I am a TD for a local private school here in Canada,



What school are you a TD at? I attend a private school in Ontario, and I've always wondered what other private schools are represented here.


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## yvfd82t

Has any one spent the night in the booth durring tech week??


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## avkid

i want an office , right now my office space is a practice room full of audio equipment


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## JP12687

yes, i have spent the night in the booth. The day before we opened Evita this year. I passed out finnally around 6:45am and woke up when the 1st bell went off at 7:25.


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## dvsDave

There have been a couple times I've pulled an all nighter at the theater. BTW, welcome to the community, Producer! That goes for you too, JP12687! Hope to see (both of) you around the forums often!


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## Radman

They won't let me stay all night. Yet. 
Velcome


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## producer

All nighter's are why my home is the booth. i do all nighters 2 times a year. 
I agree, Its a bit scary going out into the "real life" world. I'll just stay here wrapped up in 2400foot XLR (see punching bag - intern) cables with my Venti Carmel Machiato. But looking at a strobe? no offense but maybe you need to get some screws tightened. 
I'm the TD at a christian school in Beautiful British Columbia.
but I'm off to my church where i need to RE HANG ALLLLL my lights. some crazy people came in and set up Martin MiniMac's and hazers and other crazy lighting equipment for a wedding. To do that they took all MY lights down. TTYL

You are all invited to the funeral of the guy who OK'd this without telling me in advance.


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## JP12687

Rad- They never LET you stay, you just happen to stay without anyones knowledge. the pluses of having the keys to the auditorium and knowing the custodians.

Producer- did you say theyused minimacs and hazers for a WEDDING? that must have been some kick ass wedding.


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## Radman

Not only do I not have key there is a doorpass security system and motion sensors on the complex.


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## JP12687

Thats where knowing the custodians comes into play. they do not arm the alarm in the section of the building that i am in, the night shift assumes i have permission to be there, and the night shift is never aroudn during the day. it works out great


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## zac850

Yes, that and knowing that there is no security system and what door someone will forget to lock.....


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## avkid

if i have a screw loose, it is because i misplaced my drill bits


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## yvfd82t

Wow, not enough sleep.....i only do that on the weekend....hehe.


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## Foxinabox10

Unlike some schools, most of our janitors are mean. We get kicked out at 10:30 and we have to fight to stay that late. It's all good though, b/c it keeps our director under control.


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## yvfd82t

hehe all the janators dont give a sh**.


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## JP12687

haha then there is working in community theatre and they'll leave it open as long as i am willing to stay


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## yvfd82t

ya the community theaters are so cool you can stay as long as you want....even if it is a week stright


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## Radman

JP12687 said:


> Thats where knowing the custodians comes into play. they do not arm the alarm in the section of the building that i am in, the night shift assumes i have permission to be there, and the night shift is never aroudn during the day. it works out great



The alarms have to be set or the security company automatically sends in the S.W.A.T. team or some cop to investigate. Or a guard. Generally the guard.


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## Radman

Foxinabox10 said:


> Unlike some schools, most of our janitors are mean. We get kicked out at 10:30 and we have to fight to stay that late. It's all good though, b/c it keeps our director under control.



Oh at SCHOOL we are kicked out at 6:30 if we're lucky! Helps that we have next to no lights, doesn't help that I am the whole crew.


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## JP12687

yea normally we can stay til 11 at school. But like i said the custodians will look the other way as long as i'm not loud and dont make a mess. 

then when hell week comes along..god knows how late we will be there


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## Radman

Our theatre is apparently "haunted" so I leave.


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## Foxinabox10

If we stay past 10, the janitors will lock the bathrooms even if people have stuff in there, so that the actors can't change and no one can go to the bathroom. They've got some problems considering they're on duty until like midnight.


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## JP12687

Rad- from my experience EVERY theatre is haunted


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## Radman

Not the Playhouse, it's just cursed.


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## avkid

wow i envy you people who can find a janitor after 6pm


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## Foxinabox10

We can't find a janitor after 6 PM until they find us to tell us to leave.


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## Toul

Our janitors generally leave at around ten, but we often continue past then. I don't understand why everyone is talking like the janitors must be the last people out of the building. As long as a staff member is around to arm the alarm when we leave, everything is cool. Usually a few minutes before the end of rehearsal, an ASM is sent around with the Director's keys to lock all the doors...dressing rooms, musical suite, practice rooms, auditorium, offices, and exterior doors. And then we leave.

At midnight, the classes-changing bell rings. It's a glitch in the system, but it's very reassuring. I've heard it countless times.

As for sleeping over, I've never done it. The director sometimes does, when he has to do a lot of stuff. His office is full of sofas, so it's generally fairly doable.

The booth is a good place for naps, though. The thing about the booth is that we rarely use it. We have a mid-house console where we control lights and sound, and I think it's better for lots of reasons. It's closer to the stage, which makes for a shorter holler distance, and the technicians can better absorb and feed off of the audience's energy when they're in the booth, where it's sometimes tempting to almost forget that there's even an audience in the room.

The booth does have DMX hookups and headset jacks, so we can control lights from there or have the PSM up there if the mid-house desk is crammed with people (2 sound guys, a followspot caller, and a light board op and PSM, plus staff at times).


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## sallyj

Being staff, I have an alarm code and a key. I have spent a few nights in the theatre working on stuff. Usually during tech week. Our university will be taking over the security part, so I don't know if they will make me leave at a certain time or not. Or if I will get to keep my key.

SJM


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## yvfd82t

We dont have any janator problems at our school. The TD is good friends with the Asst princpil so we can stay as long as we want.


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## jorno67

There was this dance show that we did twice a year where as the LD I would sync the light cues up with the music. I'd push play on my minidisc player and go on my ETC express 48/96 and let it fly. 400+ light cues/independent chase steps for the opening number - Beautiful People by Marlyn Manson. It took me 8 hours to do the one song. I spent 42 hours nonstop in the booth to write the whole show. My interns would come by and feed me and get coffee.


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## JP12687

Unfortunently in my school district the union states the janitor HAS to be the last person out of the building...fortunetnly they often disregard that because they like us


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## producer

our school doesn't have full time janitorial staff. we have a daytime maintnence guy, and a janitorial staff that works for days on the weekends and afternoons after school. Really, we can stay all the time we want. I dont have a pass card yet but the director does.


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## dvsDave

Depending on what janitor had the night shift, we could stay past midnight or we had to be out by 10.


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## producer

well, at my church, the cut off time is 11 for everyone. That is except for me. all the janitors know me by not only my first name but my middle name. I live there too much. As long as there's someone who can arm the system and lock the front gates, i can work as long as i need. (which is all night)


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## hollinj

LOL! Yeah this is were doing tech a boarding school comes into play. I spend more hours in the theatre than I do anywhere else. Any ideas on how to get a powerhungry over egoed tech intern to let the students do the productions? Last year we had freedom now we arent even allowed to look at the sound board... And he jacked my light design for our fall play which pissed the hell out of me and when I confronted him he told me I could be his assistant.... He is taking my love of theatre away... Any Ideas?


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## avkid

faculty intervention almost always works!


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## Foxinabox10

Consult the director. Especially if you worked with the same director in previous year(s), you'll be able to get them on your side pretty easily. Just stress that this is a school, and you're supposed to be running it as it is a student production. Although you should have the input of someone else, you should not be their errand runner and assisstant. You should be able to do Lighting or Sound and he should just help.


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## hollinj

Yeah, well I had a show tonight with the guy and hes horrible. He doesnt trust me over clearcom to run light cues.... He had to sit next to me and tap me for each one... Though the dumbshit fell asleep and leaned on me and I took it as a cue...


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## Foxinabox10

Seriously...Don't take this from him. Just because you are younger than him doesn't mean that you don't know just as much, if not more about what you're doing on the equipment you know. You are also just as competent as him, and personally, when he fell asleep, I wouldn't have run any light cues and then when the director asks where the light cue was, you tell her/him what happened. That might be what it takes to get action, but it's worth it.


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## run_dll

I reckon every Playhouse theatre in the world must have a ghost, ours is called Fred.

Used to get kicked out in High school at 7pm when the cleaners left, they were always nice to us, now i'm in college they gave me keys to the drama centre after the first year (btw: college here is grade 11 & 12) just so I'm ready for the lead up into the end of year season, endless dance companies Arrrrrrrhhhhhh! one month of all nighters...


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## 12yearoldlightingdesigner

The latest I've been is 10:30, and producer can verify that :wink:


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## producer

yes but that is the last time.


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## 12yearoldlightingdesigner

Humph!  Higher powers!


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## Peter

I have been in our Auditorium untill about 1 AM. I lockup the auditorium myself, but the janator has to arm the security system (ya, the swat team thing happens at my school too). They are usualy around until about 12:30 or 1:00 AM, but with budget cuts meaning we dont have a daytime janator, the night guy doesnt mind staying a little late, getting a little overtime and getting more work done!


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## producer

Our janitor isnt hard to reach. Considering that the booth is equipped with an internal phone system, and that the janitor has a cell, He's generally easy to get ahold of. But hopefully soon, i wont need him. Higher powers are giving me a better key!!!. Next the master key and the arming code. THEN the world. hahahahahaha


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## 12yearoldlightingdesigner

NOOOOO! THE WOLD HAS FALLEN INTO THE HANDS OF EVIL! AURGH!


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## ccfan213

yea, i have never needed to stay that late, the latest ive stayed was i think 11:30. the janitors were still there and had to be till i left, they seem nice enough, especially since i help them. that night was a festival for an indian group that rented the theater and along with cleaning up my stuff i helped the outside sound guys with there stuff and the janitors move tables, since both janitors were women and one was really old they appreciated this help so they like me and would probably have let me stay later but i had no need to. ill see what happens during tech week in like 2 weeks, i think we have a couch in prop storage.....


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## Radman

Argh! Stop distracting me! I'm trying to program the show!

-Time: 12:52AM
-Opening Countdown: 32:48HRS


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## avkid

sort of speaking of distractions, i ripped apart the booth at school yesterday, you can finally see the majority of the floor! yay


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## Peter

Nice! Good for you avkid!

Tomorow (well, later today, as it is already after midnight here right now), i get to pull a 16 hour day at school. I have school all morning (with at least one assembly to run) and then I have to move our enitire "non-portable" system to our gym for a dance in the evening. 

Somewhere along the line, somone figured out that the sound equipment from our auditorium was 'good enough' to DJ with, so now I get bugged into "DJ"ing dances with the schools equipment. They like it because it is chaper for them, and I like it b/c I still get paid quite well for doing it. The only big problem is, the system was not designed for dances, so I rig together nearly every piece of sound equipment we have to make something that sounds decent. (luckly the music that gets played at these dances is junk even before the amp and speaker distortion!)

If I can, i'll post some pics of the jurry-riged system. In the mean time, think of me carrying amps across my school at midnight tomorow night!


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