Lighting Load-In With Ten Usable Circuits
The auditorium you inherited has 12 dimmer circuits; two are permanently tied to house lights, leaving 10 usable. Your student lighting designer has drawn a 24-channel plot using 18 ellipsoidals, 6 Fresnels, and 4 LED PARs. Load-in is in two days, tech rehearsal in five, opening in seven. While prepping, you discover that a 4-foot-by-8-foot rolling platform used for the balcony scene wobbles when two actors stand on it, and students have been jumping from it during fight call. The platform was built by a parent volunteer who is unavailable. The director wants 'a big lighting look' and has already advertised the platform jump in the show description. You have one adult volunteer and a $0 emergency budget. The district requires a written safety check.
1. Prioritize the next 48 hours. What safety decisions are non-negotiable, and what alternatives exist?
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The platform is the non-negotiable item. A wobbling 4x8 rolling unit used for standing and jumping is a fall hazard. I would immediately prohibit actors from standing on it, tag it 'DO NOT USE,' remove it from the floor plan, and either brace and bolt it to the deck with rated hardware after inspection or cut the balcony elevation and stage the scene on the floor. The advertised jump must be removed from the show description and replaced; marketing cannot dictate a stunt.
Next 48 hours: document with photos; ask district maintenance or a qualified adult to inspect; tell the director the show will open with safer staging; assign a crew member to enforce the no-jump rule at every rehearsal; write the safety check the district requires. Alternatives include a low, wide platform with a handrail, a ladder unit secured to the wall, or a purely symbolic balcony using a lighting special and a sound cue.
The reasoning: student safety overrides the director's visual wish. The show does not need to be canceled; the physical action must change. A parent-built platform without engineering is not worth the liability.
2. Propose a realistic circuit allocation and explain the trade-offs.
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With 10 usable circuits, I would not try to power 24 channels. Use the 4 LED PARs on non-dim/Edison or a separate safe circuit for color washes, freeing dimmers for face light. Allocate roughly: 4 circuits for front light (two warm, two cool), 2 for downstage specials, 2 for the upstage area or balcony substitute, 1 for a backlight wash, and 1 spare or floor practical. Combine only fixtures of the same wattage and color on one circuit, and never exceed the dimmer rating; 18 ellipsoidals plus 6 Fresnels cannot all run at once on 10 dimmers.
Cut side light and the 'big look.' Use color and intensity contrast instead of fixture count. If district policy allows, rent a 6-channel dimmer pack with a certified electrician, but do not daisy-chain extension cords or remove grounding. The trade-off is less isolation and fewer specials, but the actors will be visible and the system will be safe-the priority in a three-sided cafeteria.
3. How would you communicate the changes to the director, students, and audience?
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Tell the director first, privately, with the safety finding and two viable options, not an ultimatum. Then meet the cast and crew together: state the change, the reason (safety), and the new staging plan; do not blame the parent volunteer. Reassign the fight call to a supervised, matted area and remove the jump from the choreography. For the audience, revise the program and online description before printing; if already printed, insert an erratum or make a brief announcement. Assign the stage manager to write the platform inspection and the no-jump rule into the rehearsal report.
The reasoning: transparent, early communication prevents rumors and protects the school. Students learn that technical theatre has professional protocols, including documentation and chain of command. Follow district policy for reporting a hazard, and keep a paper trail in case of a later question.