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[94ssd]

Wait, hang on, they bought a light at six times the price because it was being sold by a charity? Why not buy the light at a reasonable price and make a donation?

I don't know if it would be possible for us as a university department to just donate money. Lots of theatre companies buy BC/EFA's stuff though.

Hell, why buy it at a reasonable price. We have a metal pole, casters, a light bulb, and cable all in the shop.

In retrospect it would have been nice to save the money because it turns out we need to replace our entire ClearCom system. But that's not a problem they knew about at the time it was ordered.

That's a fun story, I was working backstage when it went down and we had to run the entire rest of that show via cell phone. Our technical director discovered the smell of horrible burning in the control box. The next day it was patched into a back-up system, but that only allows for one-way communication, so cell phones were still involved. And it doesn't allow for communication with the dressing rooms or greenroom.

[Carl-E]

"Hello, greenroom!" 

"Hi, this is your 5 minute warning.  Everybody ready?" 

[snickering at the other end] "Are you serious?  They're as ready as they ever are." 

"Well, tell them to get something on, curtains in 5!" 


My wife and were in a travelling theatre troupe for a couple of years.  She worked theatre until she injured her knee and couldn't climb around painting, propping, building, lighting, or costuming anymore. 

At one point, I got her a black shirt that said, "Same Shirt, Different Show" on it. 


We have an interesting collection of disaster stories as well, including... let's see... I think only 3 unintentional fires. 



One was started by a ghost light...   

[Welu]

3 unintentional fires. 

 

[Barmymoo]

It's basically what happened, with the small but important difference that by selling it for six times the price, you're introducing an inflated price onto the market, and by buying it at that price, you're showing that there are people prepared to pay that amount. And suddenly the reasonable price rockets up to only half the price of the charity donation price.

[Carl-E]

3 unintentional fires. 

 

Frankenstein had torches.  Real ones.  We had to turn all the smoke alarms off every night.  We've also used fireworks on stage in the past, and candles for a production I was in (sorry, nothing lights as convincingly as a real candle).  Those are all intentional...

And, amazingly, no accidents with any of those.  One unintentional fire was a light pack that went south, another was a cigarette accidentally dragged in by an actress on the hem of her dress, and the ghost lite one was when part of a scrim came undone and fell over it.  Some wrinkle or other made contact with the 100 watt bulb and smoldered for a while, then caught.  Fortunately, the alarms went off just after the last folks out locked up and before they'd actually left the lot.  No real damage done. 

[94ssd]

3 unintentional fires. 

 

Frankenstein had torches.  Real ones.  We had to turn all the smoke alarms off every night.  We've also used fireworks on stage in the past, and candles for a production I was in (sorry, nothing lights as convincingly as a real candle).  Those are all intentional...

It didn't become a fire, fortunately, but we did have a smoke alarm activation during rehearsal because two cables had melted together. The perils of letting students do the wiring.

We rarely use pyrotechnics because we have to hire a certified pyrotechnican from outside the university at a ridiculously high cost. We even have to be very careful with what type of gunshot effects we use if a show has them. My stage management professor had a story where he extinguished a fire backstage in the middle of a performance of The Nutcracker and the show kept going on while it was happening.

As far as turning things off, we did once break* into a locked room, touch things we weren't supposed to touch, and incurred the unholy wrath of the Physical Plant by turning off the HVAC system (which you're not supposed to be able to do from the building itself) because it was making some kind of strange hissing noise that would have ruined the show.

Fortunately the TD was willing to take most of the heat (no pun intended).

*By break in I mean we used the stage manager's key to the Technical Director's office to take the key to that room from there.

[bainidhe_dub]

My high school used flashpots and other pyro devices a few times (including Anything Goes, when the tech crew dressed as pirates and took over the stage with a cannon during the final curtain call), but that tech director has since moved on and the new one (my dad) is subject to more rules and also works for the school system as his day job.

My favorite ClearCom moment isn't actually about ClearCom at all, it was during tech so as SM I still had the God Mic. It was like 9:45pm (they were cut at 10) and I gave the prompt to start from the line, "What does love have to do with it?" and the whole damn cast started singing that song and I got to use the mic to yell at them to shut up and move on because we were almost done and if they would just get through it then we wouldn't have to do any tech on Sunday. I'm pretty sure it was the first time in the entire rehearsal process that I yelled at that cast, and damn did it get their attention. 

[pwhodges]

The last show I was involved with at uni, we were still (the date being what it was) using rheostat faders.  One advantage of these is that they (mostly, just one failed) continue to work when champagne gets poured into them - but, oh, the smell!

[Loki]

*sigh*

So basically my study partner just typed our joint homework in one night. It compiled with 1(!) warning. I cannot imagine the amounts of caffeine that have been involved. I contributed the following:

- a Windows PC to compile the files on and find the one error
- ...yeah.

I will have to talk about him about how we split work, because I feel he is driving himself into the ground.

[snalin]

You're not hardcore if you don't compile with tons of warnings.

"The serializable class BlahBlahBlah does not declare a static final serialVersionUID field of type long"
"Class is a raw type. References to generic type Class<T> should be parameterized"

Yeah, whatever.

[Pilchard123]

(click to show/hide)

[94ssd]

My favorite ClearCom moment isn't actually about ClearCom at all, it was during tech so as SM I still had the God Mic.

We set up the tech table close enough that the God mic doesn't have to be used (although the table still has it for emergencies or if the SM has a sore throat or something). I've never heard it used except to show how it works during class, and it would be a very bad day if it was used.

[bainidhe_dub]

Ah yeah in our blackbox theater everyone was set up in the house for tech, but in the proscenium theater the SM went straight into the booth with all the designers out in the house and everyone on headsets. The god mic was used to cue the cast from the booth.

[94ssd]

Ah yeah in our blackbox theater everyone was set up in the house for tech, but in the proscenium theater the SM went straight into the booth with all the designers out in the house and everyone on headsets. The god mic was used to cue the cast from the booth.

In our proscenium the SM is set up at the tech table until dress rehearsals, the lighting designer can also program cues from there. In our black box the booth is close enough that the SM can just open the window and talk. That space only seats about 100 people and is just really awful. There's plans to get us a new one, but it will probably be long after my time.

A relatively recent change in our "modified thrust" mainstage was moving the sound booth into the house. Better for getting the levels right, but the poor board op has to stay almost completely silent while the rest of us are fucking around during periods with no cues. And people invariably try to talk to them.

There's also the issue of audience members. Our large auditorium (which is mainly for concerts and such, it's rarely used for theatre, but we will be having Kiss Me, Kate in there next semester) also has in house sound, and the damn thing is right in the middle of the house in a little recessed area Before a concert, the board op (whose a guy I know) was asked if he knew what all those buttons did. His reply was "No, I have no idea, do you? Because the show starts in 5 minutes."

[bainidhe_dub]

In the proscenium our sound op stayed out in the middle of the house, the light board op was in one side of the booth (back of the house below the balcony) and the SM was on the other side. In our blackbox it's a little weird because the booth runs the whole length of one side of the room and the catwalks have to jog up along that wall so you can actually see out of the booth windows. And of course even though it's flexible seating they never do a setup that lets you just sit and look out the window and see the whole stage. A photo from when I ran The Colored Museum went into the department brochure! That's my light board op Matt in the front, and my sound board op Matt in the back. All I really remember is that I was trying to prep something in my book for a dress run and the photographer kept asking me to take off my glasses and look up, and I couldn't get anything done until he left.

[pwhodges]

Before a concert, the board op (whose a guy I know) was asked if he knew what all those buttons did. His reply was "No, I have no idea, do you? Because the show starts in 5 minutes."

That's no problem so long as you don't press them

[94ssd]

So erm, speaking of our black box space, we're currently in rehearsals for our New Play Festival, an awesome thing that showcases student written, directed, and designed works blah blah blah.

I am stage managing one of the 4 shows. Because first tech is tomorrow, all 4 shows wanted to rehearse in the space today, leading us to have to rehearse from 9:30-11. Well we were making such great progress that we blew right past our 11 end time and were there until after midnight. That's fine, because I the benevolent Stage Manager God have been given 24 hour access to the building through a set of stage manager's keys. The other 3 stage managers also have these magical door opening devices.

Around midnight, a campus police officer comes through, which isn't unusual. What was unusual is that he asked if we knew anything about tape that had been applied to the stage door to keep it from locking shut. We were also told that if it happened again, we could lose access to the building after 10:00, which would ruin everything forever. It wasn't us, and the officer said it had to have happened after 4 PM. Unfortunately the first play's rehearsal started at 5, so we can't eliminate anyone based on that.

So yeah, our director and I are going to have some strong words to use during first tech tomorrow about RESPECTING THE FUCKING SPACE and NOT THREATENING OUR EQUIPMENT/PROPS/LIVES BY LEAVING THE BUILDING UNSECURED.

[Carl-E]

Check the smokers.  They're the ones that feel they need to get out, close the door and get access back in at a moments notice. 

[GarandMarine]

Yep that was always our issue in the Marines when it came to unsecured hatches. "HELLO YOUSE GO THE FUCK OUT THE MAIN HATCH!" (Direct quote from me sticking my head into an unsecured hatch that was marked "this hatch secured at all times. I walk off, their SNCOIC runs out "Who the fuck was that?" "Me Gunny!" "Spot on devil thanks for bringing that to my attention, less command voice if you have to do it again, I think one of my Privates had a flash back to boot camp"

[94ssd]

So no one is owning up to taping the door, and we have to give some kind of report to campus security about what happened. If we tell them that it wasn't us, I'm worried that's exactly the sort of thing that will make them go "SECURITY BREACH!!!" and pull the plug on night access to the building.

[94ssd]

Just got done registering and got pretty much everything I wanted.

[ankhtahr]

It's 02:39. I just finished the linear algebra exercise sheet. I have to get up at 06:00. Yay.

[94ssd]

These silly freshmen hoping class will be cancelled for like half an inch of snow.

[Welu]

Discovering four years into your course your two best skillsets and they don't have any common ground to build a solid career. WHOO!!

[Barmymoo]

Which skill sets? I bet we can find something that combines them.

[94ssd]

It's going to snow, and I'll still be here even though no one else will be!

Honestly I'm probably just going home for Thanksgiving and then driving back Friday. My lodgings at my house aren't exactly comfortable because of reasons.

Also, I donated blood the other day! Which not only makes me feel like a good person, but is also good because it means I've gotten my iron levels back up to a healthy level.

Also, there was a theatre department-sponsored Thanksgiving party yesterday. University sponsored means everyone was ID'd and limited to 2 drinks. So why did everyone sing showtunes horribly off-key as if they'd spent an entire night getting shit-faced?

[Barmymoo]

Because drunken behaviour is about 80% unrelated to alcohol content and is simply socially constructed - there was a study but I'm too tired to bother finding it right now

[Method of Madness]

So why did everyone sing showtunes horribly off-key as if they'd spent an entire night getting shit-faced?

A. Because it's fun.
B. Because they pregamed.
C. Both

(It is probably C)

[ankhtahr]

It's 02:39. I just finished the linear algebra exercise sheet. I have to get up at 06:00. Yay.

Hey, this week I'm done with it at 03:40. It's not getting better...

[94ssd]

The worst e-mail I can receive.

[Welu]

Which skill sets? I bet we can find something that combines them.

2D animation and film editing. I can still build off of one of those, especially if I get into the areas around each one. It's just the frustration with animation being a last minute addition to the course and it turns out to be something I really enjoy and rethinking what and where to study in the future, if at all.

[ankhtahr]

Hmm. So I'm still sitting at University. I'm finally done with the exercise sheet.

Somehow I got myself into some "Fachschaftsarbeit". I'll be doing a shift in the Fachschaft next week, so I'll be introduced to all the things I have to do there. I hope I can manage it, because I really want to do this.

Also I'm tired, and if I went home now I would get under two hours of sleep. I think I'll stay at university and go to the tutorium, which will be at 08:00. I'll go home afterwards and try to return for the lecture at 17:30. Afterwards I'll have to do another exercise sheet. Yay, university.

[Loki]

How are your exercise grades?
Also, you sure something taking up more of your time is a good idea? I mean, it's obviously an opportunity as well...

[Barmymoo]

I've somehow become a course rep for my cohort (there are 68 students and 6 reps - should have only been four but they decided not to make us run for election so we're all doing it) and just had my training, which basically consisted of them giving us a leaflet and chatting to us for 45 minutes about what constitutes an academic issue (not the price of sandwiches in the shop).

[ankhtahr]

So, I'm basically finished with the sheet which is due tomorrow, but it isn't worth going home and sleeping again.

My sleep schedule is all kinds of fucked.

And Loki: Well, my exercise grades are usually high enough for me to pass, but not by a lot. I can't allow me to take a week/sheet off.

And it doesn't really matter if I'm sitting in the Fachschaft or I'm officially sitting in the Fachschaft, as sitting there is one typical thing for me to do at that time and that day.

[Loki]

That is how it starts, yes. *ominous look*

[94ssd]

I've somehow become a course rep for my cohort (there are 68 students and 6 reps - should have only been four but they decided not to make us run for election so we're all doing it) and just had my training, which basically consisted of them giving us a leaflet and chatting to us for 45 minutes about what constitutes an academic issue (not the price of sandwiches in the shop).

I took a visit to Guilford College, and the "ambassadors" were very willing to talk with students about things like where the good places to party are, what the LGBT dating scene is like, dorms to try to avoid living in, etc. The honesty was awesome. When asked "What's the worse thing about this school" they had a straight-up answer rather than one of those "well sometimes there's too many fun things happening" responses.

[Welu]

I'm going to be genuinely disappointed if I don't get a first but even working at my hardest I don't think it's possible and that bums me out. Although I figure it's better to be aiming high and falling short of that than aiming pretty good and falling short of it.

[Barmymoo]

94ssd I think that sounds like a slightly different thing to what I'll be doing - my role is to represent the students on my course in my year, at Boards of Studies and with the course director. I won't be meeting new applicants or anything like that. Which is good because I know nothing about parties, the LGBT dating scene, the accommodation etc! It's quite odd really, this degree doesn't feel like being at university so much as having a full-time job which happens to include a lot of staff training.

[Thrillho]

I'm going to be genuinely disappointed if I don't get a first but even working at my hardest I don't think it's possible and that bums me out. Although I figure it's better to be aiming high and falling short of that than aiming pretty good and falling short of it.

My final degree percentage was 68.5. GODDAMMIT

[Welu]

That's so frustrating.  That happened to one of my mates.

How the hell has one of my project diaries ended up at over fifty pages before annotations?  I know it's mostly screenshots so far but almost all of them are cropped to only show the relevant bit. Other people's diaries are closer to twenty pages if that but I'm seeing very little I can cut so far. I know I generally can't let how other people are doing work dictate how I'm doing mine but I always seem to be the person handing in giant projects.

[LookingIn]

I accidentally sparked an internal turf war within my college's computer department. apparently the Cisco people are territorial about their networking equipment to the point of banning any other class from using the routers and switches despite the class being entirely networking majors and the professor being one of the school's Cisco instructors and the usage was a legitimate usage for a class- just wasn't a Cisco class.

[Barmymoo]

I am skiving uni! This is the first time I've done this on this degree and I felt quite naughty, but I also felt quite ill and completely exhausted so four hours of extra sleep won out over a pointless tutorial about the essay I've already finished, a very tedious Powerpoint about how to read a research paper, and two hours of uninformative discussion about breastfeeding which will be repeated on Thursday.

Now to make pancakes! And have a shower! And do laundry! All the things I have not had the time or energy to do very often lately!

[snalin]

I do that almost daily. It feels great!

Not that I do laundry or make pancakes very often, but I definitely should be getting on that.

[ChaoSera]

I haven't been to university in weeks, but tomorrow I'll have to go in. I hope I still find the way.

[snalin]

To be fair, one of the courses I had featured some of the slowest pace of lectures I've seen, combined with curriculum I was half-familiar with, and a real good book I could read instead. Another didn't really have lectures at all.

Next semester I'm doing formal logic, category theory and "computer theory" (Turing machines and shit). I suspect I'll do less well if I skip classes...

[Barmymoo]

These pancakes are not very successful. Perhaps I shouldn't veganise and gluten-free...ise a normal pancake recipe, but use a special one.

Normally, I couldn't miss a day of uni - on the whole there's at least one useful hour. But today was a special case!

[Loki]

To be fair, one of the courses I had featured some of the slowest pace of lectures I've seen, combined with curriculum I was half-familiar with, and a real good book I could read instead. Another didn't really have lectures at all.

Next semester I'm doing formal logic, category theory and "computer theory" (Turing machines and shit). I suspect I'll do less well if I skip classes...

If your university is anything like ours, then believe me, you don't want to skip formal logic.
(sent from my lecture on Turing machines, by the way)

[Barmymoo]

I'm watching videos of babies breastfeeding. My degree is awesome. Also so is breastfeeding. Science is awesome.

[snalin]

Is there any context to the breastfeeding, like a voiceover explaining stuff, or is it just hours of footage of breastfeeding?