tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82317195608443830982024-02-20T05:45:15.556-08:00No Parties in the GenieKDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-79876651688785220042012-02-04T20:54:00.001-08:002012-02-04T20:54:12.335-08:00New! nothttp://nopartiesinthegenie.blogspot.com/2009/01/summer-stock.htmlKDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-55783466191086286422011-07-14T11:25:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:37:05.836-07:00One Year DoneSo, it's been a while since I've revisited this blog. I guess grad school will do that to you!<br /><br />I've finished year one of my MFA, and it was incredibly busy, incredibly difficult, and incredibly fun all at the same time. The fun I owe to my classmates and colleagues, who are some of the raddest people ever. The difficulty- well, going back to school after five or six years off isn't the easiest thing in the world. Also, some classes are just really demanding. But I feel I've learned a lot (and still have a loooong way to go). I'm moving to a new house in New Haven for next semester, and it's a bit closer to campus and a bit further from the halfway house and pawn shop, which is nice.<br /><br />Spring semester, I greatly enjoyed my rigging class. I had been trained in rigging by a variety of TDs and electricians who just happened to be around wherever I was working, and I knew based on differing opinions and practices that there was a lot of misinformation out there. I always wondered about the systems in some of the theaters I worked in. Now I may not have everything memorized, but I do know where to turn for information, and I feel that anything I rig is going to be as safe as I can make it. And I can also analyze a pre-existing system for flaws fairly accurately.<br /><br />Structures got easier second semester, perhaps just because I got into a groove and had less of a struggle finding time for the homework. But also because I knew more about what to expect on tests. I genuinely enjoy doing structures, even if it is a pain in the ass. Learning it has made me feel somewhat accomplished.<br /><br />I ATD'ed a show in the spring, and that was a really great experience compared to my other production assignments. And somehow less stressful. Working with the staff carpenters was really cool- they are all very helpful, and very funny. I think my drafting improved greatly on that show, and I started to understand what it's like not to be so hands-on (like when you have a union crew). Not sure I like being hands-off, but I'm understanding it better at least. <br /><br />This summer, it was quite difficult for a lot of my classmates to find summer work, and I was no exception. I think in my case, it's just because I wasn't willing to do summer stock again. I managed to find a partial-summer internship with an events production company, which had me working on all manner of crazy things. And now I'm freelancing for the rest of my time in NYC until school starts back up.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-12558286345603992102010-12-19T01:42:00.001-08:002010-12-19T01:57:10.384-08:00Holy hell, batman!So here I am, at 5am the last day of first semester here at YSD. <br /><br />I survived- barely. I had a great time, made lots of friends, and nearly had a mental breakdown during finals week.<br /><br />So here's what's awesome:<br /><br />-My classmates. It's gonna sound cheesy, but I fucking LOVE my classmates, and they are amazing people, and we have all gone through what feels like an epic battle together. The people here are generally incredible and awe-inspiring. So that's rad.<br /><br />-Structural Design for the Stage. This class, though I might be failing it (we'll see), is pretty effing amazing, and taught with gusto. I had not taken a math class in ten years prior to this, and I'm still able to follow it for the most part. Not because its easy, but because it's just so well-taught.<br /><br />-The Rep. Yale Repertory Theatre is one of the coolest buildings I've ever worked in. Not because there aren't dangerous beams at nose height in the grid, but because when you're in the grid, you are surrounded by all this crazy church architecture. Pretty sweet.<br /><br />-I've probably learned more in one semester here than I did in all of undergrad. It's intense, but I feel like I'm getting a lot out of it, which is great. I came in never having opened AutoCAD, and have now drafted nearly an entire set. It may not be *great* drafting, but I'm doing it. I can tell you how much a 5/4 pine stick of any width can safely span with almost any variety of loading condition. I can accurately mill steel to a thousandth of an inch (well, on a good day).<br /><br /><br />Here's what's been difficult:<br /><br />-Not having time to cook a single meal for myself all semester.<br /><br />-Spending too much money on fast-food type places because I have no time to cook.<br /><br />-Pulling two to three all-nighters a week and still not getting caught up.<br /><br />-Production assignment during finals week.<br /><br />-Not being able to leave New Haven, even for half a day, ever.<br /><br />-Chicken pillow.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-87757270160248984262010-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:002010-05-31T13:13:57.295-07:00My email to SeleconI’ve been working at a theater with Selecon fixtures for the past few years, and I’m writing to offer some criticism and suggestions.<br /><br /> <a href="http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/?action=view¤t=prd9ec165af-34eb-4479-8bb8-6023dfd8.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/prd9ec165af-34eb-4479-8bb8-6023dfd8.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />We have Selecon Pacific zooms and 7” Rama fresnels. <br /><br /> <br /><br />The zooms have a great output and a great cooling system, but are unwieldy and tend to fall apart. The red or blue plastic pieces on the endcaps tend to be mistaken for handles by people used to working with Source Fours and Altmans, and are often picked up by these non-handles and broken, resulting in a lot of not-so-safe black-tacked endcaps in the grid. The end caps are also difficult to seat correctly for someone not accustomed to them (and most technicians in NYC are not accustomed to them). The gel clips are unnecessarily difficult, and the shutters fall out and will not go back in. Most of our zooms have only 3 shutters at this point. Granted, they are about 10 years old, but we have 30-year-old Altmans that are easier to repair. The focus knobs on the side get really tight sometimes and can cause hand injuries when they are finally loosened. I think this is due to the shape, where one side is longer than the other.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Our Rama fresnels are new as of last summer, and already metal pieces are falling off of them (usually breaking off of the dials) without provocation. We don’t use the safety cables that came attached, because they are quicklink and not carabiner, which is simply annoying. The “quick-focus” attachments for these units are sitting in boxes collecting dust somewhere, because they were too difficult to attach, and made little sense when the rest of our units have traditional c-clamps and require wrenches anyway. Good idea in theory, but they just weren’t worth taking the time to figure out. If they had come pre-assembled, we may have been able to use them. Again, these have great output, but the only 1k lamps that work in them die after only 250 hours. We will be switching to 750w next season to save money, but it will be disappointing to have a system that is not as bright.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Nobody I know enjoys working with these units, and I think if you made changes to address these issues, you may find more buyers in the states. I know this is easier said than done, but I wanted to put in my two cents.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-37223025759548846252010-05-18T23:14:00.000-07:002010-05-18T23:24:00.591-07:00Musicians<a href="http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/?action=view¤t=gifts-for-musicians.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/gifts-for-musicians.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />In the world of theater, things are generally scheduled tightly, due to budget constraints, time constraints, etc.<br /><br />In the world of music, most gigs are quick, painless, and fun.<br /><br />They don't sound so different, these two worlds. Yet- musicians expect to show up for a gig maybe half an hour prior (at the most), make sure the mics are working, and then play a show.<br /><br /><br />Theater technicians, however, expect to see musicians hours before a show, to check and re-check and re-check the re-checks of everything. And to program some light cues. Because running a show live off of an Express board with Altmans and Selecons just plain sucks.<br /><br />Musicians- when you have a gig at a real theater, please show up on time. Technicians, when you have rock musicians coming in- expect them at least two hours late. If we all just think this way, then maybe something will meet halfway, somewhere. Yes?KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-56542147348448698772010-04-23T20:28:00.000-07:002010-04-23T20:52:36.124-07:00Tech-Related News<a href= "http://www.grammy.com/news/artswatch-shure-backs-wireless-mic-legislation">Shure</a> no longer repairs its old wireless mics, even though they CAN operate at an FCC-approved range. They also, oddly, backed the legislation (more money for them? New wireless mics with receivers can be $4,000 each.<br /><br />There will be a <a href= "http://www.usitt.org/CostumeSymposium.aspx"> Costume Symposium</a> at <a href= "http://www.uncsa.edu/">NC School of the Arts</a> in August (which, by the way, consistently cranks out some really talented technicians and designers). The focus of the event will be wig making and styling. <br /><br />In the realm of awesome-looking European things that we will never have stateside, Frankfurt just hosted an event called <a href= "http://sceno.org/2010/04/16/luminale-2010-closes/">"Luminale"</a>, with over 150 lighting installations, with a focus on eco-friendly low-energy lighting.<br /><br />The <a href= "http://etcp.esta.org/index.php">ETCP technical certification exams</a> will take place in June in Las Vegas. Register by May 7th, or wait till <a href= "http://ldishow.com/LDI10/public/enter.aspx">LDI</a> in October. In related news, why the eff don't these conventions EVER come to NYC, which is pretty much the birthplace of American theatre?<br /><br />At <a href= "http://www.usitt.org">USITT</a> this year, there was a special <a href= "http://www.jimonlight.com/2010/04/05/five-decades-of-lighting-usitt-2010-lighting-commission-special-exhibit-consoles-edition/">50th anniversary exhibition</a> on the history of lighting consoles.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-16416785304603107542010-04-19T18:54:00.000-07:002010-04-19T19:14:16.086-07:00Grad SchoolIn the Fall, I will be embarking on a new adventure: grad school. <br /><br />I will be sad to leave NYC and to leave my full-time, kick-ass job with really great co-workers, but I am excited to begin the learning process all over again at Yale Drama, where I have been accepted into the Technical Design and Production department. I'll be focusing on technical direction, and learning all sorts of crazy awesome things from professors like John Huntington, Don Harvey, and Ben Sammler. <br /><br />It's been a long time since I've been in classes, and I've never had the luxury of JUST going to school- I had a full-time job nearly the entire time I was in undergrad- so I'm looking forward to focusing on my training for the next 3 years.<br /><br />The things I'm most excited for are the stage machinery/rigging and projection design courses. They all look really bad-ass. I'm also hoping to sneak my way into some playwriting stuff during my time there as well, as I am really into the creation of a production as a whole...and the fusion of production with playmaking, as seen in Big Art Group, Superamas, The Wooster Group, Radiohole, etc...<br />I'm also happy that I'll get a chance to learn more about sound design, as I am terrible at EQing and such...<br /><br />I'm hoping to keep up this blog while I am at Yale- I'll have to check with the department to see how much information is okay to post- <br /><br />It appears as though the work I'll be doing will be a lot safer and more regulated than what I am accustomed to- which is a welcome relief. Hard hats, harnesses, goggles, etc. I'm down with all of that in my old age.<br /><br />But I will say- if you haven't checked out Yale, do. They have an amazing program, and their financial aid is effing incredible. Seriously.<br /><br />And, to de-mystify the process of applying and interviewing for grad school in production- if anyone out there is reading and like me, could use the advice of someone who's been there: of course be prepared, be on time, etc. etc. But also- show them your personality, be honest, be as confident as you possibly can be. Honestly, I was a stuttering wreck through my whole interview with the dean. But apparently something I did worked.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-88496411817431794822010-03-29T21:27:00.000-07:002010-03-29T21:47:59.369-07:00I survivedMade it through the massive load-in, now drinking a beer, trying to catch up on life. <br /><br />In other news, I was recently asked to give an example of a time that a show tech went horribly awry. I explained to the asker that once, I worked on a show where not only did we break a neon light sculpture, but also all the transformers for the neon were busted (that week I learned more about transformers than I ever wanted to know), and there were motorized wheels whose motors couldn't handle the weight of the wheels, which pulled downward at a 45-degree angle. While we tried to fix these motors (for hours), a super-dramatic soundtrack played over the PA at full blast. There were also walls that were built to meet our 22-foot grid, and we had to chain up our fly pipes (which are just sandbag-to-ac cable-to pulleys) to accommodate that, and never quite got them back in working order again.<br /><br />So let's hear some of your tech stories- describe a time when everything went wrong, and what you learned from it!KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-50450824744674341392010-03-16T20:24:00.001-07:002010-03-16T20:25:40.173-07:00Next week...I'll be lighting a dance show with 7 choreographers on Monday morning and running it that night, and then I will be loading in a show with multiple rooms, a running shower, 12-16 video sources and an almost entire re-work of our rep plot. Apologies if new posts are slow to come!KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-39559462648796922942010-03-10T09:10:00.000-08:002010-03-10T09:31:25.347-08:00Lady GagaI was asked, yesterday, for my thoughts on Lady Gaga, after having called Cirque du Soleil "somewhat cheesy". Don't get me wrong- Cirque does some really amazing things, technically. I just have a hard time getting behind those mass-entertainment corporate types of things.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ladygaga.com"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/lady-gaga-kermit-suit.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Now, Gaga is ALSO cheesy (if anyone on Project Runway ever made something approximating one of her costumes, the Klumster would would call it trashy and "just weird", and Michael Kors would come up with some snotty, musical-based critique that said the same). And she's also become a corporate establishment. But, unlike Cirque, the things that she does onstage are somehow unexpected. You KNOW when you go see a Cirque or Gaga show that you are going to be wowed. But when Gaga does it, it has that element of surprise, and it's sometimes darkly comedic. Like when she covered poor Elton John in soot at the Golden Globes. Or when she sings on crutches with a broken neck in her video for "Bad Romance"<br /><br />She has shot fireworks out of her bra: <br /><a href="http://www.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynoid">" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/lady-gaga-pic-ap-269401546.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Set her piano aflame while wearing glowing PVC pipes:<br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1252196/Lady-Gaga-kicks-1m-UK-tour-style.html"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/article-gaga-420x0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />And met the Queen of England while dressed in a red vinyl sack:<br /><a href="http://www.hottopic.com"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/lady-gaga-queen-elizabeth.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I guess the thing I like about Lady Gaga the most is that so much of what she does is nonsensical, something my five-year-old self could have come up with, and my 27-year-old self still delights in. She's also giving us a female pop icon who's not about looking skinny and sexual and perfect all the time. All of this, and the woman makes some damn catchy music.<br /><br />How much would I LOVE to make costumes for this woman...<br /><br />Anybody out there working on her current tour? Tell us all how fucking amazing it is so we can be jealous...KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-66018480739148959052010-03-09T18:01:00.000-08:002010-03-09T18:10:56.402-08:00Hatred #901We have an abundance of Altman endcaps at the theatre which do not work. Upon taking apart the connectors, all seems well with the world: correct wiring, no corroded copper, nothing crispy. Tracing the entire tail, having removed the sleeve, there are no crimps in the wires, or breaks. The ground is tacked in place where it should be. Which brings me to the inside of the cap, where the lamp housing lives. WHY must the wires be stuck under a riveted housing? Even if I DO manage to get that apart and repair the wiring, I will never get it back together, because I own neither a riveter nor the will to survive after repairing 15-some-odd endcaps.<br /><br /><a href="http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/?action=view¤t=altman_360q_6_x_22.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/altman_360q_6_x_22.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-34850992985127553632010-03-09T17:34:00.001-08:002010-03-09T17:38:41.078-08:00Colbert mocks the sound editors<table style='font:11px arial; color:#333; background-color:#f5f5f5' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='360' height='353'><tbody><tr style='background-color:#e5e5e5' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;'><a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com'>The Colbert Report</a></td><td style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;'>Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr><tr style='height:14px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;' colspan='2'><a target='_blank' style='color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/266885/march-08-2010/best-foreign-language-film-category'>Best Foreign-Language Film Category</a></td></tr><tr style='height:14px; background-color:#353535' valign='middle'><td colspan='2' style='padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; width:360px; overflow:hidden; text-align:right'><a target='_blank' style='color:#96deff; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/'>www.colbertnation.com</a></td></tr><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><embed style='display:block' src='http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:266885' width='360' height='301' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='window' allowFullscreen='true' flashvars='autoPlay=false' allowscriptaccess='always' allownetworking='all' bgcolor='#000000'></embed></td></tr><tr style='height:18px;' valign='middle'><td style='padding:0px;' colspan='2'><table style='margin:0px; text-align:center' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='100%' height='100%'><tr valign='middle'><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes'>Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.indecisionforever.com'>Political Humor</a></td><td style='padding:3px; width:33%;'><a target='_blank' style='font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;' href='http://www.colbertnation.com/special/colbert-vancouver-games'>Skate Expectations</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></tbody></table>KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-44944583952380953292010-03-09T17:32:00.000-08:002010-03-09T17:34:16.726-08:00Superbowl Half-timeI've often wondered exactly how it's possible to put up those huge SuperBowl stages, with all their lights and projectors and pyrotechnics, etc. Now I know: with a fuckton of stagehands. <br /><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDUkQzWgOCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zDUkQzWgOCo&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-17680446619996256602010-01-20T17:21:00.001-08:002010-01-21T10:14:24.945-08:00Fire Code ShenanigansPatrick over at <a href= "http://backstageat.backstagejobs.com/?p=602">Backstagejobs</a> has a great article on how effing difficult it is to find information on theatre fire codes.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/EM/theatre_fire.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/fire10big.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />I've run into this problem myself on more than one occasion- in New York City, one would presumably go to the <a href= "http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/index/index.shtml">Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting website</a> to find out, for example, how many chairs can legally be put together in a row before an aisle interrupts them, or how many and what type of fire extinguishers should be on hand. One might also think that the <a href= "http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/firecode/index.shtml">FDNY site</a> could be a good resource. Now, I know I've found *some* info online before, but I remember digging around for hours before finding out that every audience member must be no more than 7 seats away from an aisle (or was it 6?).<br /><br />A logical stagehand might think that the city would put this information out there for fire-prevention at the many theaters here. Use a phone, you might say? I've tried that, too. The best I usually get as a response is "the dude who knows all that stuff is out today" or "call so-and-so and such-and-such-a-theater, he's great with all that". <br /><br />The theater I work at is blessed with many a visit from the fire department, as standard procedure. They send an army of four or five men decked out in full fire gear, five minutes before a show to scare the bejeezus out of anyone waiting in the lobby. Then I have the dubious pleasure of showing them around, making sure to point out exit signs and fire extinguishers.<br /><br />On one such visit, dude came with a clipboard and a list of questions. One question on his form was "thrust stage, proscenium, other?"<br />Dude turned to me and asked what a thrust stage was. <br /><br />I'm not saying that your average fireman has to know what a thrust stage is, but one would hope that the team that is inspecting theatres for public safety might have to know.<br /><br />Anywho. That's my rant of the day.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-79920000647008139182010-01-20T16:56:00.000-08:002010-01-21T10:11:33.669-08:00Facebook Love/More Job PostingsHey! I got a metric shit-ton of visitors from Facebook today! Thank you to whoever shared my link- brownie points to you, redeemable for two broken HPLs and a burnt-out stage pin cable!<br /><br />In other news, some more cool jobs posted around the interwebs this week:<br /><br />NOTE: I will not be posting Summer Stock Jobs, as I already have quite a comprehensive list of hiring theatres <a href= "http://nopartiesinthegenie.blogspot.com/2009/01/summer-stock.html">here.</a><br /><br />On with the work!<br /><br />Added Thursday: <a href= "http://www.playbill.com/jobs/find/job_detail/28563.html">Bentley Meeker in NYC seeks lighting production manager</a><br /><br /><a href= "http://backstagejobs.com/jobdetail.php?jobID=8657">Production Assistant, touring Illusion Show</a> (cue "The Final Countdown")<br /><a href= "http://backstagejobs.com/jobdetail.php?jobID=8657">Rigger, Wynn Las Vegas</a><br /><a href= "http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cwg/1561948726.html">Trade Show Tech Manager/Driver, Touring</a><br /><a href= "http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/cwg/1561307227.html">Stage Manager, NYC (stipend)</a><br /><a href= "http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cwg/1562122865.html">TV Production Asst., Seattle</a><br /><br />Well, that's all I got. It's apparently a not-so-awesome week for job-hunting. Dear readers: what sorts of jobs do YOU have?KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-52874246996994596342010-01-18T13:52:00.000-08:002010-01-20T21:57:52.673-08:00Golden GlobesSo, who watched the Golden Globes last night? Anyone? No? Okay, I'm not surprised; I wouldn't have watched it, either, except that my friends had a little shindig at their place, and I can't turn down a good time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzYdxa65Q_k" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/2009goldenglobes.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />So. Lets' talk about all the ways in which the production could have been waaaay better.<br /><br />1. Don't do an effing dinner service for the audience! It took eons for each winner to get to the stage, having to navigate through chairs and busboys. In the meantime, terrible music clips were played, which sometimes gave a bumbling-idiot feel to their inability to get through the crowd.<br /><br />2. If you're going to have a host, let him host. Ricky Gervais was barely onstage at all, and most of the time was the most entertaining thing going on.<br /><br />3. If you're gonna play someone off, don't pussy out. Do it, loud and clear. None of that slow....slow....fade-up of violins. And do it to EVERYONE, for fairness' sake. Yes, Meryl Streep is amazing, but she should know by now not to ramble at awards shows.<br /><br />4. Wake up the follow-spot ops. Yeah, it's boring work, but when two hosts come up on stage, and only one has a spot on their way, that's weird.<br /><br />5. I hate to say it, but would some musical acts have killed you? The format of award-award-award seems less sustainable to me than award - rock band - award. Sort of like a 15-minute union break every two hours. Breaks up the monotony.<br /><br />6. Don't cut to a foreign dude (Schwarzenegger) for the foreign film category. He wasn't IN any of them!! So many awkward camera moments in this show.<br /><br />Do YOU have any other gripes? Oh right: you didn't watch it.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-31638648216196700822010-01-15T21:52:00.001-08:002010-01-20T21:58:47.748-08:00Lighting Wall of Shame<a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131735009804#/group.php?gid=4621731311" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/11069_101668799860809_1000005306907.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A new(ish) facebook group dedicated to showcasing <a href= "http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=131735009804#/group.php?gid=4621731311">lighting mishaps and stupidity.</a> Enjoy.<br /><br />Also, got some stupidity to share? Send me your ridiculous production photos!KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-77908258967980250042010-01-14T10:46:00.001-08:002010-01-14T10:50:56.887-08:00Haiti Relief EffortsYes, this is wildly off-topic. And you're probably sick of seeing it.<br /><br />- Text "haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross for earthquake relief efforts.<br /><br />- If you're on the fence about this, don't be. Hundreds of thousands in Haiti are seriously injured or dead. It's just $10. It'll go on your next cell phone bill, so you have a month to figure out how to afford it.<br /><br />- Do NOT send packages. Just send money.<br /><br />- There are two hoaxes floating around on Twitter. One is that American Airlines is flying docs and nurses to Haiti for free. The other is that UPS is giving free shipping to Haiti tomorrow. Neither are true. The main airport in Haiti has been shut down for lack of space and fuel.<br /><br />-Let's not allow this to be another Katrina. It's bad enough already, as Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-47044840942665427122010-01-11T18:55:00.000-08:002010-01-11T19:13:02.258-08:00Materials for the Arts and Shhhh Projects, NYCI can't believe I haven't given a shout out to <a href= "http://www.mfta.org">Materials for the Arts</a> here yet. For those of you who live in, or are planning on moving to NYC, this place can be a trove of great free materials for your theatre pieces.<br /><br />There are a few catches, but they're not so bad.<br /><br />1. You must be involved in a 501c3 organization (a non-profit)<br />2. You must make an appointment to shop<br />3. You have a limited amount of time (I think it's 1.5 hours)<br />4. You must write (and provide proof of) thank-you letters to all the donors whose items you take.<br /><br />MFTA is a huge warehouse of wonderful things, with a staff of (I believe) mostly volunteer workers. I myself found par sockets, RCA cables, video mixers and all sorts of other neat gadgets for the theatre I work at.<br /><br />I'm shamefully ignorant of the goings-on of other cities- you folks out in Chicago and LA must have some similar types of resources, no?<br /><br /><br />Also, Janet Clancy, a wonderful, knowledgeable woman to work with and just a really cool person in general, started a salvage company, <a href= "http://www.shhhh-projects.com/">Shhhh Projects</a>, a while back- which was profiled in the <a href= "http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/nyregion/14about.html">New York Times</a> (they also got a really great shot of her atop a ladder draped in white fabric). Basically, for a small fee, she'll take unwanted arts materials (sometimes from all those Bryant park fashion shows), and then she'll dispose of them for you by delivering them to other artists in need. Cheaper and less wasteful than finding a way to trash the objects! A really great idea on her part. It's not a free service (she does need to make a living, after all!) but if you know of a film shoot or a theater set that's doomed to a scrap heap somewhere, it can't hurt to give her a call.KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-34754790334373930212010-01-08T21:02:00.000-08:002010-01-20T22:00:17.534-08:00Great BooksI just purchased <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/Technical-Design-Solutions-Theatre-Collection/dp/0240804929">"Technical Design Solutions for Theatre"</a> on Amazon.com, and let me tell you, it is the nerdiest, bestest thing ever. From growing flowers onstage to creating a realistic TV-lighting effect, it covers some of the most specific things I've ever seen in a technical theatre how-to manual. There are two volumes, and probably more to come, from the Yale Drama department. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Technical-Design-Solutions-Theatre-Collection/dp/0240804902" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/679-9.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> <br /><br />What about you? Favorite theatre books?KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-32052102913425652862010-01-05T11:15:00.001-08:002010-01-05T11:16:15.160-08:00Prop Gun DeathsSpeaking of the post below, here's a website detailing why you should always be super-careful with prop guns, regardless of type:<br /><br /><a href= "http://propguys.com/gundanger/">GUN DANGER, by PROPGUYS.COM</a>KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-85712178997368666222010-01-05T11:09:00.001-08:002010-01-05T11:13:54.188-08:00Most Popular Posts of 2009Here are the three posts that drive most of the traffic to this site. If you're a newbie, perhaps start with these.<br /><br />The winner, by far: <a href= "http://nopartiesinthegenie.blogspot.com/2009/01/summer-stock.html">SUMMER STOCK JOBS</a><br /><br />Like a train wreck: <a href= "http://nopartiesinthegenie.blogspot.com/2008/12/prop-gun-kills-student.html">PROP GUN KILLS STUDENT</a><br /><br />We loves us some YouTube: <a href= "http://nopartiesinthegenie.blogspot.com/2009/02/more-laughable-college-theatre-ads.html">LAUGHABLE COLLEGE THEATRE ADS</a>KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-46121762283554485632010-01-05T11:02:00.000-08:002010-01-05T11:04:35.040-08:00Oh. Ugh. A Safety Story.This was posted over at <a href= "http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/general-advice/17244-safety-4.html#post160255">Control Booth</a> by MNicolai.<br /><br />"A few years ago a guy was focusing lights from a one-man Genie. In a futile attempt to have an added safety measure, he wore a harness while in the lift, which he secured to the electrics he was focusing from. My guess is that his harness gave him a false sense of security and so he acted more dangerously while in the lift.<br /><br /><br />So with his false sense of security, this stagehand is leaning out of the bucket ([sarcasm]remember he's safer because of his harness[/sarcasm]) when the lift tips over. When the lift went over, his legs were caught in the bucket and both were snapped like toothpicks. As the lift came crashing down, he was suspended with his harness still, some 30' in the air gushing blood with what's left of his legs dangling, bones completely visible. A bad situation gone horribly worse, nobody had the key to operate the motorized winches supporting the electrics so it took some 5 minutes to get the key, meanwhile he's still bleeding out."KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-52401925556652782582010-01-05T10:47:00.001-08:002010-01-05T10:51:33.649-08:00New (To Me) Blog Alert- One From The RoadHey there- so my lil' blog is sorely lacking not only in frequent posts, but also in audio information. <a href= "http://www.onefromtheroad.com/">Here's a cool blog</a> with tips and tricks for clearcom, audio mixers, and other gear.<br /><br />Also, I didnt know about this, but maybe they'll do it again in 2010. At John Jay college in NYC, they held a sort of audio conference/training day called <a href= "http://www.stageresearch.com/Sound411/">Sound 411.</a> Anyone got info on that?KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8231719560844383098.post-20660582459166096332010-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:002010-01-20T22:01:12.356-08:00Rigging News<a href= "http://www.etcconnect.com/">ETC</a> gets into the rigging control business. Article <a href= "http://www.etcconnect.com/news.aspx?id=20305"> here.</a><br /><br /><a href= "http://tourtek.com/">TourTek</a> gets smart<a href= "http://isquint.net/2010/tourtek-truss-management-system/"> about cable management and truss design.</a> (why are they the first to figure this one out?<a href="http://tourtek.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww130/tekknogurrl/tourtek_modules.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> Because of these nifty connections ON THE TRUSS, the days of running hefty multi-cables will soon be over!KDubshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00528502867877593891noreply@blogger.com0