# A sailor has joined the crew.



## Jemplayer (May 15, 2005)

Hi I'm from Hattiesburg, MS and my experiance comes from a community theater by the name of Just Over the Rainbow Theater. I've been doing stuff with them for the past 8 years mainly lights and sound, with an occasonal apperance as an actor. Please understand is was aginst my will, the show must go on and every thing.

I came here looking for information on other instuments other then the 20 pars I've been working with for the past 8 years. After many years of being asked to join the board and the theater finding a perment home I accepted. With me being the only one who ever does the lights ir was time to figure out what else is out there so I can eventualy make recomendation about what we need when it comes time to raise the bar. 

Everybodys excited about the space as it's an old school building with enough room for seperate set and costume storage and a work shop. We also have a room that is excellent for a black box theater. We'll be the first community theater in Mississippi that I know of that will have both a procenium that can also be converted to a thrust with no problems and a balck box. We have an upstairs that I hope to see one day leased to a dance studio and we are already planning to lease a wing to the local arts council for diplaying their paintings and for them to hold meeting in. And we still have a few rooms left over for teaching classes. Between everybody I've talked too were all envisoning a total arts center and not just a community theater. 

In real life I work off shore as an unlicened enginner on crew boats in the Gulf of Mexico. I about a year I should have enough time to get a captains licence which is the next step for me. On my time off when I'm not running lights I'm helping my cousin get an IT company off the ground that focuses on small compines that want to outsource their IT needs. Yea I'm finely putting my degree in networking to use. 

For hobbies I like woking on my cars, a `96 thundrebird and a `98 Mark VIII. Play the guitar and sax. And in between the frenzied activity of work I read, watch movies and listen to a lot of music. 

Hopefully as time goes on you guys can help me plan for the new theaters lights and sound system and give me advice on how to best use it.


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## propmonkey (May 15, 2005)

welcome, wow that sounds like you have a pretty nise space there. i wish our civic theatre would leave our high school and get their own space instead of using our little theatre.


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## Jemplayer (May 15, 2005)

Yea were excited as this is the first time we can call a place our own, and for it to have so much potintial. I keep wating for somebody to pinch me. Before that we were nomadic playing any were somebody would let us. After about 20 years of this everybodys finely had enough.


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## ship (May 16, 2005)

That’s quite the stuff to do during free time and in career. And here I thought I would be able to pull out of the hat my endless list of swabbie jokes. One of my home theater’s started the same way http://www.athenaeumtheatre.com/, might post questions directly to them also in how they did it in a similar school/theater type of way. They are now up three floors plus the main stage that has I think four studio theaters, two rehearsal halls, one main stage and lots of offices. Their eyes when I left were on the school’s final floor - the gym in the basement that’s going to be some day quite the black box some day.

Unfortunately, now that you have the space you are in a much larger league also where it comes to safety and inspection. Anything from ensuring the fire hoses are in good and in constantly inspected condition to keeping all the exit lights in the proper wattage of lamp and functioning. Lots of little details now you are no doubt saddled with insuring. Fire links that need to be replaced every five years, what’s current audience safety standard verses what you have and can live with etc. Even mopping the floor or plunging the toilets becomes more extensive once you get a real theater verses use a found space. 

I might suggest as a defiant thing logging your and everyone’s hours even if not paid on separate time sheets - building verses production. This and separate out all building verses production expenses and keep what each entity has separate. There might come a time where such details come in handy to track separately which you will already have done.

That said, it’s the dream no doubt of most if not all to get a real theater to work in without worrying having to be labor in someone else’s space or production. Should be a great experience. Read lots - Especially the NEC Handbook, however because you are now also liable in a much greater scale.


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## Jemplayer (May 16, 2005)

Yea I don't handle bordom well. When you live for 14 to 28 days with 4 other guys that you might not like in about 1500 sq ft., when you get home you go like mad so that when you go back to work your so tired that you'r looking forward to the routine.

Sleep is for the weak.

We are adressing these issues and I will keep you comments in mind. Thanks. Thats the type of stuff I came here for.


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## Peter (May 16, 2005)

Hey, welcome to controlbooth.com! 

It sounds like you have quite abit of room to play with! That's very cool but also looks like alot of work, just in building maintance. Ah work is fun if you like doing it though! 

I hope you are able to find some answers to your questions and contribute to the conversation arround the site!

Welcome to Controlbooth.com!
--The Official Welcome Wagon (part 2)


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## avkid (May 18, 2005)

Welcome to controlbooth(again)!
The theatre I work at came about from a situation not unlike yours-
www.endicottarts.com

-The OFFICIAL Welcome Wagon (part 1 of 2)


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## len (May 18, 2005)

If I were to outfit a new space, I'd first make sure that I had lots of dimmers. More than I had instruments. Adding in more later is probably the hardest lighting job you can do.

Second, I'd make sure I had a good bit of 110v and 220v power blocks in the rigging. Nothing worse than need to rent something and having nowhere to power it from. Drag 300 feet of feeder into a venue enough times and you'll appreciate taking the time and finding the money.

For instruments, make sure you have a good variety, pars (and get some various lenses), fresnels, lekos, etc. You may also want to invest in moving lights, depending on what the budget and the need is. If you're near the gulf, I assume there are some decent lighting companies down there who service the casinos, etc. and you can probably rent from them if you don't want to buy.


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