The Techie Gospel - Proverbs

Proverbs

Behold, my son here is wisdom. Pay heed to these words, and in the days of thy play, in the hours of thy performing, thou shalt not be caught short. For truly, it is said, pay heed the errors of others and you shall not make them yourself, and again, as we have been told from on old, to thine own self be true.

I. Give not unto the actor his props before his time, for as surely as the sun does rise in the East and set in the West, he will lose or break them.

II. When told the placement of props by the director, write not these things in ink upon thy script for as surely as the wind blows, so shall he change his mind.

III. Speak not in large words to actors, for they are slow of thought and easily confused.

IV. Speak not in the language of the techie to actors, for they are uninitiated, and will nor perceive thy meaning.

V. Tap not the head of a nail to drive it, but strike firmly with thy strength.

VI. Keep holy the first performance, for afterwards you shall party.

VII. Keep holy the last performance, for afterwards you shall party.

VIII. Remember always that the PM is never wrong. If it appears that he is, then you obviously misunderstood him the first time.

IX. Leave not the area of the stage during the play to go and talk with the actors, for as surely as you do, you will be in danger of missing your cue and be summarily executed or worse.

X. Beware of the actors during scene changes, for they are not like you, and are blind in the dark.

XI. Beware of actors when flying in walls, for they will stand and watch and get crushed.

XII. Take not thy cues before their time, but wait for the proper moment to do so.

XIII. Take pity on the actors, for in their roles. they are as children, and must be led with gentle kindness. Thus, endeavour to speak softly and not in anger.

XIV. Listen carefully to the instructions of the director as to how he wants things done--then do it the right way. In the days of thy work, he will see thy wisdom, give himself the credit, and rejoice.

XV. And above all, get carried away not with the glow-tape, or thy stage will be like unto an airport.

The Techie Gospel - Genesis

In the beginning there was the Stage, and the Stage was without lights or sets, and darkness was on the faces of the actors. And the Technical Director said, "Let there be Lights!" and the techies worked and wired, and there were lights. Spotlights and specials, areas and backlighting--yea, lights of all shapes, sizes and hues. And the PM saw the lights, that they were well aimed and focused, gelled according to the scene, and no more was there darkness on the faces of the actors. And it was good. And the evening and the morning were the First Day.

And the PM looked upon the actors and saw that although they walked in light, they did walk upon a bare stage, and had no place to be, and the PM was moved to pity. And the PM said, "Let there be a Set!" and the techies scrambled and worked, and there was a set, with platforms, wagons, stairs, and furniture of various types and sizes, each according to the need. And the actors did walk within the set, and did have a place to be. And the PM saw the set, that it was good, and the evening and the morning were the Second Day.

And the PM saw the actors, that although they did have a place to be, they did look like fools, for they waved their hands, clutched at open air, and struck each other with nothing. And in his heart, the PM was moved to pity. And the PM said, "Let there be Props!": and the techies worked feverishly and did buy and build, and there were props. And they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Third Day.

And the Costumer looked upon the actors, and saw that they did go forth in blue jeans and the Costumer knew that this would not due. And the Costumer said, "Let there be Costumes!" and the techies did cut and sew and shape, and there were costumes, each sized to the actor, according to the play, and in keeping with the role. And no more did the actors go forth in blue jeans, and the Costumer saw the costumes, that they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Fourth Day.

And the PM watched the play, and saw that the actors did wait in silence, and was moved to pity. And the PM said, "Let there be Sound": and the techies worked and taped, and there were sounds, each according to it's place and cue, all at the proper levels. And the PM heard the sounds, that they were good, and the evening and the morning were the Fifth Day. And lo, all these works were complete in five days, showing that if God had used sufficient techies in the first place, He would have finished sooner.

Welcome to the SLC Blog

We would like to introduce ourselves to you as a company specializing in the supply and installation of Stage Equipment. Stage Lighting Centre was founded in 1987 by Pat Walsh and Paddy Farrell, two long-standing Strand Lighting employees. With their considerable experience in all aspects of Theatre and Studio Lighting they quickly developed their company into the national leader in this area. 

This Blog has been created in order to provide a central location where  Technicians and Designers can contribute useful and informative reviews and comments on all aspects of Stagecraft and indeed pretty much anything that they feel is relevant and wish to share with others in the industry. Please feel free to contribute it is easy to do and just may be important or entertaining to others. We look forward to hearing from all of you.