# The weirdest thing you've ever found...



## WestlakeTech (Dec 7, 2008)

Usually after performances we walk through the seats and clean up the trash. Sometimes we find some pretty weird things. I think my most interesting find was in our Black Box a couple of years ago; found a tube of Fixodent denture adhesive.

What are some interesting/funny things you've found in your theatre?


----------



## gafftaper (Dec 7, 2008)

Back when I taught high school, the PTA was holding a talent show in the main theater. I wasn't there for the event as it wasn't "My space" to supervise in those days. So the next morning getting ready for class I found a dozen empty bottles for a variety of alcoholic drinks sitting around back stage. This was the last straw in a string of problems with the PTA talent show and it was canceled after that.


----------



## slimrocktwo (Dec 7, 2008)

After a Talent Show we held about a month ago, my supervisor had found an unwrapped condom while cleaning up the house. He had also found a bottle of hair gel that only had japanese writing on it. They were found in different locations, so i doubt they were connected in any way..


----------



## venuetech (Dec 8, 2008)

Back in the early 70's when i was just a freshman high school student getting started, a rock group used the auditorium. they had used one dressing room to clean the stems and seeds from at least a pound of pot, leaving lots of remnants. after they left i walked in to the dressing room to check it..... turned around, shut the door and left

given the time period i would think that pound was likely part of the bands payment for the gig... redefineing greenroom.


----------



## Eboy87 (Dec 8, 2008)

I was board op for _Grease_ a few years ago at a particular venue. I know there's a member on here that is there now. I found one of those driveway reflectors on the window ledge outside the light booth. The booth is two stories off the ground. I have yet to figure out how/why it's there.

rwhealey, is it still there?

Edit: I may take that back. I found a footprint on the ceiling in the tech booth of one of our black boxes today. Not sure about that one...


----------



## lieperjp (Dec 8, 2008)

I think the oddest thing I ever found was a pair of socks... They weren't there before the house opened and I checked the house about 30 min after curtain call, so someone left a pair of socks (dirty, by the way) in the house... I have no idea.

At least it made the clean up semi-interesting... usually it's just a lot of programs and candy wrappers. (And we don't sell candy...)


----------



## rwhealey (Dec 8, 2008)

Eboy87 said:


> I was board op for _Grease_ a few years ago at a particular venue. I know there's a member on here that is there now. I found one of those driveway reflectors on the window ledge outside the light booth. The booth is two stories off the ground. I have yet to figure out how/why it's there.
> 
> rwhealey, is it still there?
> 
> Edit: I may take that back. I found a footprint on the ceiling in the tech booth of one of our black boxes today. Not sure about that one...



Yep- it's still there. There are a few around the theater - on the pinrail and the grid. We also have a plethora of rubber chickens and plungers in odd places.


----------



## gafftapegreenia (Dec 8, 2008)

There are several bra's and panties hanging from our grid. I have no idea why, and they are rather dusty.


----------



## TheDonkey (Dec 8, 2008)

gafftapegreenia said:


> There are several bra's and panties hanging from our grid. I have no idea why, and they are rather dusty.



Some n00bs visiting their actor friends on stage not realizing that techies go up there almost daily?


----------



## avkid (Dec 8, 2008)

A sleeping 8 year old.


----------



## erosing (Dec 8, 2008)

Uhh...seriously? I don't suppose there's an interesting story to be heard is there?


----------



## ETCspot (Dec 8, 2008)

I manage a 1,200 seat PAC on a community college campus. A few years back we were opening up the venue for a show (it had been closed for a week due to holidays) and I found a student from Kuwait that had turned the balcony mezzanine hall into his bedroom. He had a blow-up mattress, end table, lamps, clothes, Everything! I politely informed him that this was a State-owned facility and he would be unable to inhabit the theatre. Luckily we found out that he had lost the key to his dorm room and was afraid to ask for another. It was all straightened out and our short-term resident relocated to his room. What a weird day that was.


----------



## avkid (Dec 8, 2008)

Arez said:


> Uhh...seriously? I don't suppose there's an interesting story to be heard is there?


It's a summer camp so there's not really that much of a story.
It seems his counselors just didn't notice he was missing for 2 hours.


----------



## 1kfresnel (Dec 8, 2008)

Our booth is undergoing some minor renovations (new ceiling, acoustic tiles, paint, etc). Today we tore down and flew out the steel behemoth that used to be the original lighting console (twice replaced). We found two items hidden inside...a Dr. Pepper can and a noose.


----------



## lieperjp (Dec 9, 2008)

Ok, new thing. I was in the ceiling of the auditorium tonight checking an audio cable for a new mic we hung. I took a detour around the catwalk and found two interesting things. One, an odd assortment of buckets under a formerly leaking ceiling and also a large open area between the walls of the outside hallway and the auditorium - the former decorated wall that was the chapel/gymnasium of our school. It was quite a shock to see peach brushed walls and a large, ornately painted cross complete with Latin and Greek captions around it surrounded by dust, rough plaster walls, and cinder block walls.


----------



## avkid (Dec 9, 2008)

If there's water in those buckets I suggest you have someone pour it out before some nasty mold develops.


----------



## lieperjp (Dec 9, 2008)

No, no water in the buckets... The roof was replaced 18 years ago, the buckets and trays are from about 20 years ago.


----------



## erosing (Dec 9, 2008)

avkid said:


> It's a summer camp so there's not really that much of a story.
> It seems his counselors just didn't notice he was missing for 2 hours.



Ahh, ok, my original thought was the child had been left after an evening performance and nobody realized it until the next day, something along those lines.


----------



## avkid (Dec 9, 2008)

Arez said:


> Ahh, ok, my original thought was the child had been left after an evening performance and nobody realized it until the next day, something along those lines.


It's very possible that he would have remained there until breakfast if we did not look up before leaving.

That would have made for some excitement.


----------



## VeeDubTDI (Dec 9, 2008)

lieperjp said:


> ...and also a large open area between the walls of the outside hallway and the auditorium - the former decorated wall that was the chapel/gymnasium of our school. It was quite a shock to see peach brushed walls and a large, ornately painted cross complete with Latin and Greek captions around it surrounded by dust, rough plaster walls, and cinder block walls.



Can you get some pictures?


----------



## WestlakeTech (Dec 9, 2008)

lieperjp said:


> I think the oddest thing I ever found was a pair of socks... They weren't there before the house opened and I checked the house about 30 min after curtain call, so someone left a pair of socks (dirty, by the way) in the house... I have no idea.
> 
> At least it made the clean up semi-interesting... usually it's just a lot of programs and candy wrappers. (And we don't sell candy...)



We're the opposite. We DO sell candy during intermission. And yet we tell people not to bring it into the theater... I'll never get why we do that. Seems like we're just asking for trouble.


1kfresnel said:


> Our booth is undergoing some minor renovations (new ceiling, acoustic tiles, paint, etc). Today we tore down and flew out the steel behemoth that used to be the original lighting console (twice replaced). We found two items hidden inside...a Dr. Pepper can and a noose.



Yeah, when we were cleaning out our main theater before renovations began, one of our guys found a Pepsi can from the '80s; the theater itself was built in either 84 or 86... I can't remember which. Anyway, he let me keep the can and it's sitting in my room. I've got nothing to compare to the noose though.

Couple months ago, I found a purple foam tiara with the label "Purple Princess" painted on it. I believe it's still sitting in the Tech classroom.


----------



## cdub260 (Dec 9, 2008)

Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.

Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.

Then, about 2 years ago, I found that same Leatherman near an access panel near the costume shop at the Pageant. Once again, I had lost it a year and a half earlier. Is anyone else noticing a pattern here?

Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.


----------



## waynehoskins (Dec 9, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> Oddly enough, just last week, I seem to have lost my Leatherman.



You'll have to wait about a year, then, looking at history.


----------



## DaveySimps (Dec 9, 2008)

At an old place I worked the custodial found an unused adult diper. Several weeks back our custodian here found a dead bat. If I had a dime for every pair of gloves that go unclaimed, I could retire today.

~Dave


----------



## WestlakeTech (Dec 9, 2008)

I'll say he'll be lucky and find it in 6 months.


----------



## erosing (Dec 9, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.
> 
> Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.
> 
> ...



If you've misplaced that many leathermans I'm assuming you have bought more then one, correct? If so, I am curious if you always bought the same model that you lost or if you buy a new model to try out? I am also curious, providing that my previous assumptions are correct, if you have ever lost more then one at a time?


----------



## lieperjp (Dec 9, 2008)

I think he should just start cleaning and then he'll find it.


----------



## cdub260 (Dec 10, 2008)

Arez said:


> If you've misplaced that many leathermans I'm assuming you have bought more then one, correct? If so, I am curious if you always bought the same model that you lost or if you buy a new model to try out? I am also curious, providing that my previous assumptions are correct, if you have ever lost more then one at a time?



Actually, it's been the same Leatherman every time. It just likes to go on extended vacations without inviting me.

I have a Gerber that I use as a back-up, but I like my Leatherman Wave better.


----------



## propmonkey (Dec 10, 2008)

ive found a few empty gin, whiskey, etc. bottles after a few rap concerts we had before my old high school ban them. above our prop shop i have found old mountain dew and pepsi cans along with old cigarettes. i have a decent pair of drum sticks that were left by phantom regiment from when they stayed at the high school. my friend got a flag and some random stuff. they also left a bag full of Polaroid film behind...enough to make it worth buying a Polaroid camera.


----------



## theatretechguy (Dec 10, 2008)

Aside from what's already been mentioned (yes, I've found unwrapped condoms), some of the cooler things I've found (and never claimed): A Sony Coolpix 5 MP digital camera, a cool LED flashlight (LONG before they were mainstream), and of course, numerous umbrellas, gloves, etc. It amazes me how many people never come back to claim this stuff. I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.


----------



## derekleffew (Dec 10, 2008)

theatretechguy said:


> ...It amazes me how many people never come back to claim this stuff. I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.


That's certainly a valid course of action, theatretechguy, but why not consider an Unclaimed Property Sale, as a method of fund-raising? (Combined with the sale of never-to-be-used-again furniture, props, and costumes--just before Halloween). It works for Police Depts.


----------



## DaveySimps (Dec 10, 2008)

theatretechguy said:


> I usually end up donating it to Salvation Army at the end of every year.



That is what we do with all of our items in good condition. I think it is a good way to deal with it. Last July we had 3 large trash bags full of clothing to donate.

~Dave


----------



## Pan (Dec 10, 2008)

Probably a teddy bear the size of a child gaff taped to the ceiling of the box ... :-/ unimpressed.


----------



## WestlakeTech (Dec 10, 2008)

Pan said:


> Probably a teddy bear the size of a child gaff taped to the ceiling of the box ... :-/ unimpressed.



That is.... unique...


We switched around some rooms last year at school, so what used to be scenery/set piece storage became a classroom. We had to get rid of a lot of stuff since our new place for it was smaller. Once we decided what we wanted, we took what was left, put it in the Black Box and sent an e-mail out to all the teachers telling them to come take anything they wanted... completely free. Most of it disappeared.


----------



## theatretechguy (Dec 11, 2008)

derekleffew said:


> That's certainly a valid course of action, theatretechguy, but why not consider an Unclaimed Property Sale, as a method of fund-raising? (Combined with the sale of never-to-be-used-again furniture, props, and costumes--just before Halloween). It works for Police Depts.



I would love to have such a sale, but my District is very particular about such things and it honestly isn't worth the hassle. We try to recycle/donate what we can, some goes to other sites in the district, and some, goes into the trash.


----------



## jeffmoss26 (Dec 14, 2008)

They are remodeling our auditorium at school, and we found a 1976 bicentennial Pepsi can up in the ceiling! At my high school, a long time ago, someone smacked their head on a beam in the booth, and there is still blood on the floor...


----------



## midgetgreen11 (Dec 15, 2008)

Not really something I've found, but in a theatre I worked in, an AC duct in the coves said "Get High On Plays" and in my high school auditorium there's this ledge backstage left for no apparent reason. If you stand in a loft you can see the ledge, but there's no real access to it. There's a puppet-doll up there.

On that note, a church group left their baby jesus in our auditorium after their christmas pageant. Turns out its burled up in cloth body was of African descent, and is now used in several of my high school productions, referred to as Black Baby Jesus. We often joke about it zip-lining from the balcony to the stage...


----------



## TheSwami (Dec 15, 2008)

When I was in high school, we'd have to go rooting around under the stage every once in awhile to run XLR or pull out old props that had been tucked away down there. One time, one of our techs was digging around and found a little three-foot trampoline under a box of wigs. Not sure where it came from, but the fun it provided was endless.

Also, three old Kliegl ellipsoidals with _wooden_ spot handles. Woot!

73


----------



## cdub260 (Dec 16, 2008)

cdub260 said:


> Some of my more interesting finds have been while cleaning out various storage areas. While in high school I found a cassette tape of Hawkwind's Live Chronicles album, which I found I liked very much, while cleaning out a room filled with old retired equipment. In a storage shed at the Pageant, I found a half empty bottle of whiskey and a magazine of an adult nature. On another occasion, I found a Leatherman in that same shed. By a strange coincidence, I had lost my Leatherman in that shed 9 months earlier.
> 
> Probably, my best find though was about 4 or 5 years ago, while cleaning the ETC Unison racks in our smaller theatre, I found a Leatherman at the bottom of the rack, under the CEM. Coincidentally, I had lost my Leatherman while working in that area two years earlier.
> 
> ...



I found my Leatherman. It was hiding at home.


----------



## renegadeblack (Dec 16, 2008)

While I was waiting to see RENT for 5 hours being as the first 20 people got front row seats for $10 at a local venue, we happened to meet a former techie alumni. He was telling us about this cat walk type thing in the ceiling that we're no longer allowed to go into because someone fell through the ceiling (not all the way) and he was telling us about the activities that used to happen up there. I went up in the genie to take a peak through the access door (needless to say theytook away the ladder) and I saw all sorts of booze sitting up there. Also, in the basement which is locked and no students are allowed down there (other than techies) there are people who occasionally did manage to go down there and there is some of the most amazing graffiti down there. At some point I'll take some pictures and post them, someone spray painted a playbill for Guys and Dolls. It's amazing. 

As for just plain old in the house stuff, we found an iPod nano which was used for preshow music until one of the techies took it and gave it to her father as a Christmas present.


----------



## museav (Dec 16, 2008)

I can't even begin to recount the items found after shows when I headed up the maintenance staff at a 20,000 seat amphitheatre many years ago. From condoms (used and unused) to bags of illegal substances (which I swear were always turned in) to couples under blankets, panties/bras (onstage and in the audience), people passed out and so on. It was an adventure every night! And that was just the house, the restroom buildings and parking lots could sometimes be just as interesting. Then there was the time we found the entire fruit platter from catering the night before under a couch cushion in one of the dressing rooms.

Site surveys of old spaces for renovation and restoration projects are almost always interesting. I remember one old municipal opera house so full of asbestos that was falling off the walls and ceiling that we had to perform the site survey wearing full clean suits and respirators, yet it was obvious that several homeless people had recently been living in the space.

I also know of many newer theatres where people years from now will be wondering where the antique soda cans, food wrappers, etc. came from that got left on top of ceiling clouds or beams or inside walls during construction.


----------



## Cheever (Dec 17, 2008)

This may not be new, but i've found cigarrette packets and a pool of urine in the storage area upstairs. We also found one of the doors had been propped open. So people (high school) had been coming in and smoking and apparently peeing up there. Needless to say, we locked the door and we haven't found any since.


----------



## tech2000 (Dec 18, 2008)

All we ever find are old cigarette butts and footprints high on the walls in our grid...only boring stuff


----------



## HCP1 (Dec 18, 2008)

The theatre at which I worked until recently opened in Dec. 1928. While crawling through a plenum space above the ladies room (fixing a leak!) I found a newspaper from Nov. 1928 with the headline, "HOOVER'S ELECTION BREAKS ALL RECORDS".

I also have a box of unclaimed binoculars and kept a "lending library" of found umbrellas on hand at the employee entrance. We also did an annual donation of L/F items (mostly hats, mittens, mufflers and some coats) to St. Vincent.

I maintained a logbook of Lost & Found items/inquiries and actions taken to return them. Amazing that most of the calls we had for cell phones were for phones we did not find, but many of the phones we found were never claimed. Once in awhile though...


----------



## PeytonJr (Apr 29, 2009)

Wierdest thing - 

a black and red spiked leather wristband
this thread


----------



## mrtrudeau23 (Apr 30, 2009)

At my high school, we had a gymatorium, so there were hanging acoustical panels from the ceiling. Once every few months I'd take our Genie out on the floor and steal volleyballs, basketballs, kickballs, and wiffle balls from the phy ed department. By the time I left I had probably taken twenty or so balls of varying uses home with me or they were sitting in our booth. During one of these adventures, I also found a Mountain Dew can from the early 90s and a mostly used roll of toilet paper that someone decided to throw up there. And of course, the theatre favorite, lots of dust.


----------



## Sony (Apr 30, 2009)

At MVPAC it's used condoms...

Apparently some of the drama kids like to use the last row of the Stadium Section to "have some fun."

The funny part is that we know exactly which kids are doing it, the problem is we have no evidence (unless we DNA test the condoms) to do anything about it.

At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic


----------



## lieperjp (Apr 30, 2009)

Sony said:


> At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic



We once had a stage hand write out several games of sudoku on the back of a flat she had to hide behind during a scene in center stage (she had to throw out a bunny from behind the flat)... she only messed up one out of six games...


----------



## SweetBennyFenton (Apr 30, 2009)

Just this year I opened up my orchistra pit for the first time sence taking over as TD...

...I found a used condom.


Ewwwww!


----------



## pianoman55 (May 1, 2009)

I work freelance at a professional touring and regional theatre on a university campus. Two of my favorite finds are:

-a robotic dancing and singing Santa.. to scale
-a crotchless Scooby-Doo suit.


----------



## willbb123 (May 1, 2009)

SweetBennyFenton said:


> Just this year I opened up my orchistra pit for the first time sence taking over as TD...
> 
> ...I found a used condom.
> 
> ...



The other morning our PM said that he found condoms on the door handles of all 3 of our back doors. Just our doors, not anyone else. 

We've found proof that people were smoking in the dressing rooms, and in the house during concerts.

After a concert an usher came up to the stage, with a bottle of beer. She said "I can't believe that they didn't drink this, its full and warm." Another crew member said, "I don't think they fill them that high." I then told her why it was warm... People these days...


----------



## willbb123 (May 1, 2009)

Well these weren't found... But they were confinscated.

When groups bring in there own LD, I turn into security for the show (Which is really funny cause I'm not scary at all...)

I forget what the show was, but I took the silver flask. I saw 3 girls and a guy passing it around in front of the stage. I made it down there right as one girl was finishing a drink, I stuck my hand out and they handed it too me like I was the next person to pass it too. They then saw my name tag and security/access pass, and then looked really disappointed. 

My personal record is taking 20 some beers during one show. (We sell alcohol in the lobby, but back then it wasn't allowed in the house. I also kicked 2 people out for smoking in the house. (funny story but not real appropriate for the forum.) I enjoyed being the biggest buzz kill that night.


----------



## Kelite (May 1, 2009)

pianoman55 said:


> -a crotchless Scooby-Doo suit.




Well now.....


----------



## lchslightech (May 1, 2009)

WestlakeTech said:


> Usually after performances we walk through the seats and clean up the trash. Sometimes we find some pretty weird things. I think my most interesting find was in our Black Box a couple of years ago; found a tube of Fixodent denture adhesive.
> 
> What are some interesting/funny things you've found in your theatre?



we've found densures under the box office window...lol 
-LCHS Stage Crew


----------



## PeytonJr (May 1, 2009)

Sony said:


> At my college, the weirdest thing would probably be all the writing on the backs of the flats. People like to write inspirational sayings on the backs of flats or draw pictures...and there are some really weird ones. Some are very graphic



At my theatre we have a flat that is written on as far back as 1968, and ever since. There's a fairly large and accurate "The Who" logo in the center.
The flat might be about 90 years old, seeing as how we do have a couple of stage braces that are original to the school, which was built in 1917.


----------



## Sony (May 2, 2009)

willbb123 said:


> Well these weren't found... But they were confinscated.
> 
> When groups bring in there own LD, I turn into security for the show (Which is really funny cause I'm not scary at all...)
> 
> ...



I have to do this too sometimes, however much less often. There is no alcohol allowed on school premises, period. When people try to bring alcohol into events at MVPAC, all I do is tell them that "The possesion and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages on school property is a Felony in the state of Massachusetts." They usually hand it over without a fight. We also always have at least one police officer in the PAC when we are expecting a crowd of 300 or more as part of our rental agreement, so if they refuse the first warning, I get the cops involved.


----------



## TimMiller (May 7, 2009)

After a nelly show (i became the LD, when i got his LD escorted out by the police for smoking over my lighting console). These guys they think they can do anything since they are with the band, one of the guys found a big bag full of misc drugs that was valued around 5k.


----------



## WestlakeTech (May 15, 2009)

willbb123 said:


> The other morning our PM said that he found condoms on the door handles of all 3 of our back doors. Just our doors, not anyone else.
> 
> We've found proof that people were smoking in the dressing rooms, and in the house during concerts.
> 
> After a concert an usher came up to the stage, with a bottle of beer. She said "I can't believe that they didn't drink this, its full and warm." Another crew member said, "I don't think they fill them that high." I then told her why it was warm... People these days...



Hahahahaha!! nice...

Well a couple weeks ago after the first night of our dance show (which lasted for 3 nights) somebody found a pair of Crocs.... They were never claimed, as far as I know. They were still there by the last performance. 

We get some weird finds at stadium clean-ups. I think one of my most interesting was a couple of hotel key cards.


----------



## Slitterst (May 27, 2009)

Well, there was the mattress, tea lites and empty condom wrappers on the grid of the last theatre I worked in. I was at least grateful the students disposed of the condoms themselves...


----------



## sparkyinnc (May 27, 2009)

TheSwami said:


> Also, three old Kliegl ellipsoidals with _wooden_ spot handles. Woot!



Interestingly enough, the largest theatre on campus at the college I went to used this type of ellipsoidal (8"x22") for our farthest catwalk throw up until 2008.....great color wash, useless for anything else.


----------



## WestlakeTech (May 27, 2009)

ok, think I may have had the weirdest find at Westlake. Was under the seating risers in the Black Box yesterday.... found a pair of Blue Jeans... I win


----------



## rwhealey (May 28, 2009)

WestlakeTech said:


> ok, think I may have had the weirdest find at Westlake. Was under the seating risers in the Black Box yesterday.... found a pair of Blue Jeans... I win



There's a pair of shorts on our catwalk...

Nobody wants to touch it.


----------



## WestlakeTech (May 28, 2009)

haha. Well these seemed to be in fairly good condition. Everything else down there is covered in dust. These looked normal.

We've got a dead moth on the booth windowsill in front of our light board. His name is Fred. We love him and keep him there. So I was frustrated to find him underneath the table one day, moved from his perch. I put him back, promptly... the nerve of some people...


----------



## tjrobb (May 28, 2009)

Not weird, but really cool.
Found the original lighting to the 1928 theatre, back when all the sockets were screw-base. Not in the house, but under it. They re-raked the house, creating a dead space... and storage.
Found a ladder of death- 40' feet straight up, no cage, old iron bars.
Found a pit of death- 70' down, attic to sub-sub-basement, no guards, no tie-offs, just enough time to say goodbye (my guess was the pit was part of the now abandoned structural air handling system).
Two 6' diameter CAST IRON fans... hanging 50' above the house floor (above the ceiling, next to the previous pit of death).
Hemp-reinforced plaster chunks from remodeling.
Two-phase power equipment (brownies for those who know what this is).
Gold-pressed paint.
A sink. Behind a wall. Still connected. Attached to another wall.
Arc rheostats for the disused arc lighting system.
Enough dangerous electrical equipment to cause any electrician's head to explode.


----------



## cdub260 (May 28, 2009)

tjrobb said:


> Not weird, but really cool.
> Found the original lighting to the 1928 theatre, back when all the sockets were screw-base. Not in the house, but under it. They re-raked the house, creating a dead space... and storage.
> Found a ladder of death- 40' feet straight up, no cage, old iron bars.
> Found a pit of death- 70' down, attic to sub-sub-basement, no guards, no tie-offs, just enough time to say goodbye (my guess was the pit was part of the now abandoned structural air handling system).
> ...



Ah, the joys of old theatres.


----------



## erosing (May 28, 2009)

tjrobb said:


> Not weird, but really cool.
> Found the original lighting to the 1928 theatre, back when all the sockets were screw-base. Not in the house, but under it. They re-raked the house, creating a dead space... and storage.
> Found a ladder of death- 40' feet straight up, no cage, old iron bars.
> Found a pit of death- 70' down, attic to sub-sub-basement, no guards, no tie-offs, just enough time to say goodbye (my guess was the pit was part of the now abandoned structural air handling system).
> ...



You sir, should be bringing us pictures, please.


----------



## TimMiller (May 29, 2009)

please pics that is sweet!!! I worked at a theater a while back, and if you climbed over the catwalk, and walked the beams to behind the booth there was a fully built out room except for any doors. Its like they built the room but the sheet rock guys just covered it up. It had 3 painted walls, and a tile floor with recepticals, lights and light switch that work. talk about a screw up, i'm sure someone was going what ever happened to that extra room we were supposed to have. It was at a school that was built about 20 years ago.


----------



## venuetech (May 29, 2009)

Visiting the Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison (an opera house) I opened a floor pocket expecting to find a lighting circuit. there was a large cast iron ring secured into the concrete sub floor. I was told it was an elephant ring so you could secure your pachyderm during the performance.


----------



## avkid (May 29, 2009)

venuetech said:


> Visiting the Oscar Meyer Theater in Madison (an opera house) I opened a floor pocket expecting to find a lighting circuit. there was a large cast iron ring secured into the concrete sub floor. I was told it was an elephant ring so you could secure your pachyderm during the performance.


 There are two of those rings on a wall backstage at the James A Law auditorium in Schurman Hall at the Cornell University Vet School.


We've been told that the lecture hall used to be used for live veterinary "demonstrations".


----------



## wfor (May 29, 2009)

midgetgreen11 said:


> We often joke about it zip-lining from the balcony to the stage...



I'm really glad I'm not the only person who thinks about things like this.


----------



## cdub260 (May 29, 2009)

While it's not that unusual for my venue, we have, on more than one occasion found a live california diamondback rattlesnake in the house. Once the snake was found five minutes after we opened the house. Another time the snake slithered out into the audience during a performance. More often, we find them in the vacinity of the shop building.

Other wildlife found in Pageantland:

Deer
Coyotes
A Bobcat
Squirrels
Skunks (One went into the orchestra pit during a performance. Another went into the make-up department.)
Raccoons
Opossums
Various Non-Venomous Snakes


----------



## VeeDubTDI (May 29, 2009)

This thread is worthless without pics!


----------



## tjrobb (May 30, 2009)

Ah, pictures. I talked to my super and we are planning to meet Wednesday. If I get a few good shots, I'll start a new thread with them.


----------



## chris325 (May 30, 2009)

My high school's theatre was built in 2001, so there isn't any really old stuff, but i've found a couple of interesting things.

-A tooth (a 6th grader had lost it during the show.)

-A big, gold letter "I" that had fallen off an ancient mixed chorus award hanging outside the auditorium (how it got into the audience, I have no idea.)


----------



## willbb123 (May 31, 2009)

We have problems with people climbing an adjacent building's fire escape and walking over to our roof. There are also apartments with windows that open right next to our roof. 
We've found plenty of graffiti, lawn chairs, grills, and beer cans. The real problem is that they like to throw beer cans off the roof, to the ground, and on top of the marquee. We have also found golf balls up there, so they were hitting golf balls off our roof into the Ped Mall.


----------



## lieperjp (Jun 1, 2009)

willbb123 said:


> The real problem is that they like to throw beer cans off the roof, to the ground, and on top of the marquee. We have also found golf balls up there, so they were hitting golf balls off our roof into the Ped Mall.



Throw them back!!!


----------

