Well the CX Roadshow is on its way this year and looks like it is going to be a great chance to network and also exchange ideas and learn about future trends.
There will plenty of seminars and people to meet and network with.

A one day Programme, identical in all 5 cities
Four big CX Seminars:
9.30am: CX Dirty Money Seminar:
Avoid being a victim of a corporate restructure or bankruptcy
11.00am: Outdoor Stage Safety Seminar:
National guidelines for better, safer events
1.00pm: Digital Lighting:
The Revolution Explained
3.30pm: Digital Audio Routing (and Comms):
The State of the technology
One Day Broadcast Conference:
The National Broadcast Technical Conference. 10.00am – 5.00pm
Open SMPTE meeting 5.00pm. Cocktail Party 5.30pm
Manufacturer Seminars all day:
• Martin M1 training
• SMAART Acoustic Tools 101
• Intelligibility and beam shaping (Duran Audio)
• Selador LED
• Wireless microphone spectrum update
• Designing an ethernet based lighting control system
• Line array design and optimisation
• Room acoustics (Peter Janis)
• Maximise audio with Radial (Peter Janis) *and more!

Jands@home is coming to the CX MAG Summer Roadshow! We will be presenting four FREE training sessions in each location:

1) ETC Selador: LED Lighting Without Compromise;

2) Wireless Microphones and the Digital Dividend;

3) Bits and Pieces: Designing an Ethernet Based Lighting Control System; and

4) Computer Assisted Line Array Design and Optimisation. Register here http://www.cx-tv.com/cx_sr_registration.asp

Trade Show from midday until 7pm:
• 12 major distributors show the latest technology
•    Free    entry    from    midday    until    7pm
•    Cocktail    party,    free    drinks    from    5.30pm

One area that to me seems to be not often thought about is the technical side. Having been involved with several Fringes and productions, it is often a blank look you get when you ask the companies about their technical requirements. This is not to say that all are behind in this aspect. The purpose of this article is to help those that might have left it a little late, or do not have the expertise in this department. We do want your show to be a success and also not to cheese of the venue that you are performing at.

First of all get as much technical info about the venue as soon as possible. The sort of information that you will find useful is floor plans, equipment lists and the contact details of the resident technician. This resident tech is going to become your next best friend. This is especially true if you live a long distance from the venue and therefore are not able to visit. The tech is going to know exactly what is possible in the venue. Keep asking questions as your show evolves. Remember you are likely to have a set lighting rig so you are not going to able to rig and focus the lights exactly as you would like them, you need to compromise without complaining.

To make things easy for techs you could send them a script, potential ideas and maybe if the production has been staged before some photos. There is always a possibility that they may be able to incorporate some ideas into the standard rig. All this info can make everybody’s jobs easier. Now if there is extra gear required you need to organize this in advance. Again pay attention to local knowledge, the venue tech may be able to lay their hands on what you need. This extra will need to be organized as soon as possible, as with many festivals there could be a shortage locally.

As with many Fringe venues there are going to be several shows each night back to back. So there will always be little time to set up and bump out. So you need to take this into consideration. My advice is always to try and keep it simple. Remember simple can be really effective and really is in keeping with the concept of Fringe festivals. If you are bringing in gear to playback audio and video make sure it is of professional quality. Do not expect to play music from your phone or iPod device. A CD would be much better, or even a computer file. And no I-Tunes is not professional playback software, it will give you headaches on production days. Most venues will have a CD player, or the tech might have his favourite software. It would be a good idea to go with what they are familiar with. In fact if you forward the tracks to them early they can have them already to play.

Now you arrive at the venue, and you got a truck load of scenery. Where are you going to store it? This is another consideration that you need to think about. Set and props can take up a lot of space backstage and also time to set up. So you need also to carefully think about what you need and don’t need.

If you are going into a “found Venue” and you are the only group using it, you need to make sure you have everything arranged well in advance, and have contingency plans in place. You will need to plan for ever eventuality technically. Here you will need to visit the site and measure, photograph and ask the owner/landlord a million questions. You then need to make sure you have plenty of time to get it all happening and also make sure you have enough people to make it happen. No point in pulling overnighters and half killing yourself, that is not what this is about.

You need to make sure that you comply with the local regions Occupational Health and Safety regulations. It would be a good idea to in fact investigate, and make phones calls to find out what you can and cannot do. No point in breaking the law and being shut down.

And last but not least, actually plan and budget for the technical staff costs. Too often this is left until the last minute when the tech asks how much am I going to get paid. Always plan to pay, none this “let’s get in a student, it will be good experience” You still need to give them something.

Well I hope that is some help.

People often have the belief that the career of a roadie is a glamorous one. Rubbing shoulders with stars as we go about our business. But this is far from the truth. The job entails long hours; the work is hard and at times dangerous. We work to crazy deadlines, often with little sleep. The pay is often not great, and the strain on your body can be horrendous, lifting road cases of unbelievable weight, climbing to great heights, suffering falls, electric shocks and I could go on. This is the side that the audience never sees; this is the real hard work. The longs pushing roadcases up and down ramps, the hauling trusses, the endless bad coffee.

The toll on the road crew both physical and mental can be staggering. Burnout is often the cause of many people quitting the industry. But there are those that have passed away. They may have passed away due to an accident, suicide or other causes. But they are all part of our brotherhood; we should honor our fallen comrades. These are guys that brought joy and magic up there on the stage, but you never see them on stage. These road warriors work backstage making those on stage appear brilliant.

So take time on the 20^th January 2012 to quietly reflect on those that have gone. This is an online event that was created by Crewspace and WorldWideCrew.org

Take time to watch the memorial video prepared for the event by Mical Caterina.

Allen & Heath are set to release a new range of consoles onto the market. This is the new GLD range.These are a user-friendly, cost effective and scalable live digital mixing system, conceptually based on the hugely successful digital iLive series. A standard GLD 32 input system offers 28 XLR mic inputs with plug n’ play I/O expanders allowing easy expansion up to 48 inputs (44 XLR mic inputs).

At the heart of the system is the GLD-80 mixer, providing 48 input processing channels, 8 stereo FX returns fed by iLive’s acclaimed FX emulations, 30 configurable buses, 20 mix processing channels, and DSP power to provide full processing without compromise.

GLD-80 has an analogue-style channel processing control section complemented by a graphical 8.4 inch touch screen. A fully-customisable drag ‘n drop layout allows quick and easy assignment of inputs and mixes to fader strips. There are 20 fader strips in 4 layers, each with motorised fader, a channel LCD display which can be named and colour-coded, plus a rotary control for direct access to gain, pan and aux/FX sends. The mixer‘s local I/O comprises 4 XLR mic/line inputs, 4 XLR line outs, 4 RCA inputs, 2 RCA outputs, and digital outputs in SPDIF and AES3 formats.

The GLD-80 connects to a range of plug ‘n play I/O racks to ‘build’ 28, 36 or 44 mic input systems. A primary AR2412 rack (24 XLR inputs, 12 XLR outs) and up to two AR84 expander racks (8 XLR inputs, 4 XLR outs each) can be connected over 120m CAT5 runs using A&H’s dSNAKE protocol. dSNAKE provides control to the remote preamp, and all mic preamps are scene recallable. AR2412 also includes a connection for personal monitoring systems.

GLD has the ability to record and playback a stereo signal on a USB memory stick. Standard iLive audio I/O option cards for Dante, MADI, EtherSound and Allen & Heath’s ACE protocols can be fitted, allowing multi-channel record/playback, FOH/monitor splits, and connection to A&H iLive systems, which can easily be configured using GLD’s extensive soft-patching.

“Designing a system which is suitable for both the professional engineer and occasional user has been a priority. With GLD, our aim was to take much of the complexity out of digital mixing, opening up the tremendous benefits of digital technology to a wider group of customers, such as the rental companies, houses of worship and live venues where our GL series analogue mixers have been working so successfully for years,” comments A&H MD, Glenn Rogers. “GLD offers high quality processing and stunning sonic performance. Key to the system is GLD’s remote plug ’n play I/O audio racks for flexible, easy set-up system building.”

GLD will be launching at NAMM 2012.

More information from Allen & Heath

It’s Martin Professional’s 25th Anniversary year and it’s time to celebrate! To mark the company’s quarter of a century in the entertainment lighting industry, Martin will be celebrating with a variety of special activities in 2012, including anniversary events at trade shows throughout the year.

Incorporated in 1987 as a producer of disco lights and fog machines, the Danish-based company has grown over the past 25 years into one of the leading manufacturers of dynamic lighting and video displays. Martin’s MAC line of moving heads alone has sold over 350,000 units and the company’s growing line of LED products is the fastest selling on the market.

The anniversary is also being marked on the Martin website, as well as Martin Professional’s Facebook page, where industry professionals will find special opportunities to interact and share in Martin’s look back at 25 years in the lighting industry.

“2012 marks our 25^th anniversary year yet it is also remarkable in the fact that it marks the year in which our LED-based products total more than 50% of our sales, emphasizing our technological leadership in the entertainment lighting industry,” stated President and CEO Christian Engsted, who has been at the helm of Martin Professional since 2005.

“Our relentless focus on developing and launching new break-through products to the market – like the already released MAC Aura™ as well as our MAC Viper™, set for launch this spring – has set new standards for moving heads in the mid-segment and will continue to preserve Martin as the leading brand in the industry.” 

Playwright:
Leaps Short Buildings With A Running Start
Is Almost As Powerful As A Switch Engine
Is Faster Than A Speeding BB
Swims Well
Is Occasionally Addressed By God

Technicians:
Runs Into Buildings
Recognizes Locomotives Two Out Of Three Times
Is Not Issued Ammunition
Can Stay Afloat With A Life Preserver
Talks To Walls

Director:
Leaps Short Buildings In A Single Bound
Is More Powerful Than A Switch Engine
Is Just As Fast As A Speeding Bullet
Walks On Water If The Sea Is Calm
Talks With God

Actor:
Makes High Marks On The Wall When Trying To Leap Buildings
Is Run Over By Locomotives
Can Sometimes Handle A Gun Without Inflicting Self-Injury
Dog Paddles
Talks To Animals

Chorus:
Falls Over Doorsteps When Trying To Enter Buildings
Says, “Look At The Choo-Choo!”
Wets Self With A Water Pistol
Plays In Mud Puddles
Mumbles To Self
Stage Manager:
Lifts Buildings And Walks Under Them
Kicks Locomotives Off The Track
Catches Speeding Bullets In Teeth And Eats Them
Freezes Water With A Single Glance
Is GOD

How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
All of them. One to do it, and the rest to talk about how much better they could have done it.

How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Just complain to the director at notes.

How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Doesn’t the stage manager do that?

How many actors does it take to change a light bulb?
Nobody knows. They can never find their light.

How many stage managers does it take to screw in a …
Done.

How many stage managers does it take to change a light bulb?
I DON’T CARE!!! JUST DO IT!!!

Ok then, how many electricians does it take to change a light bulb?
None of your business.

How many volunteer crew members does it take to change a lightbulb?
One to collect every clip light in existence backstage, one to cut a 3×3 sheet of gel into unusable pieces, one to search for a cabinet key, one to wander through the dressing rooms asking the actors if they need anything.

How many apprentices does it take to change a lightbulb?
2. One to sweep up the glass and the other to pull out the base.

How many lighting designers does it take to change a lightbulb?
None…its a carefully orchestrated blackout.

How many stage managers does it take to change a lightbulb.
I DON’T CARE–JUST DO IT NOW!

How many Producers does it take to change a lightbulb?
What’s wrong with the old one?

How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?
What’s its motivation?

How many Lighting Designers does it take to change a lightbulb?
After a long conference, it was decided to use several fresnels, and ellipsodal, warm tones for a cozy atmosphere and a strobe to effect lightning striking in the background, for that stormy effect. Also several gobos will be used for tree patterns on the cyc. What was the question again?

How many executive directors does it take to change a lightbulb?
What do they need light back there for?

How many actors does it take to change a lightbulb?
One, the actor holds the lightbulb and the world revolves around him.

How many electricians does it take to change a lightbulb?
None, it’s a lamp.

Ok then, how many electricians does it take to change a lamp?
None, it worked during rehearsal!

What’s black, crispy, and hangs from the ceiling?
A dancer changing a lightbulb!

How many directors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Well…um…what do you think?

How many lighting techs does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Nothing happens on that @#$%ing side of the stage anyway!

How many designers does it take to change a light bulb?
Does it have to be a light bulb?

How many playwrights does it take to change a light bulb?
Change? Why does it have to change? No changes, it’s perfect just the way it is.

How many directors does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Give a note to the stage manager to fix it!

How many stage managers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Pull the technical director off of a set installation to deal with it.

How many technical directors does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Call the master electrician at home to fix it.

How many master electricians does it take to change a light bulb?
We don’t change bulbs, only halogen lamps. It’s a Props problem.

How many props masters does it take to change a light bulb?
Light bulb?! When did they even get a lamp?

How many theater critics does it take to change a light bulb?
All of them. One to be highly critical of the design elements, one to express contempt for the glow of the lamp, one to lambaste the interpretation of wattage used, one to observe how trite the use of a light bulb was, one to critique the performance of the bulb itself, one to recall superb light bulbs of past seasons and lament how this one fails to measure up, and all to join in the refrain reflecting on how they could build a better light bulb in their sleep.

How many theater students does it take to change a light bulb?
Uh, what’s the deadline, ’cause I may need an extension.

How many producers does it take to change a light bulb?
None. Why do we need another light bulb?

How many high school theater students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two, if they can find a lamp big enough and figure out how to get inside it.

PROP: A hand-carried object small enough to be lost by an actor exactly 30 seconds before it is needed on stage.

DIRECTOR: An individual who suffers from the delusion that he/she is responsible for every moment of brilliance cited by the critic in the local review.

BLOCKING: The art of moving actors on the stage in such a manner so as to have them not collide with the walls, furniture, or each other, nor descend precipitously into the orchestra pit . Similar to playing chess, with the exception that, here, the pawns want to argue with you.

BLOCKING REHEARSAL: A rehearsal taking place early in the production schedule where actors frantically write down movements which will be nowhere in evidence by opening night.

QUALITY THEATRE: Any show with which one was directly involved.

TURKEY: Any show with which one was NOT directly involved.

DRESS REHEARSAL: The final rehearsal during which actors forget everything learned in the two previous weeks as they attempt to navigate the 49 new objects and set pieces that the set designer/director has added to the set at just prior to the DRESS REHEARSAL.

TECH WEEK: The last week of rehearsal when everything that was supposed to be done weeks before finally comes together at the last minute. This week reaches its grand climax on DRESS REHEARSAL NIGHT when costumes rip, a dimmer pack catches fire and the director has a nervous breakdown. See also Hell Week

SET: An obstacle course which, throughout the rehearsal period,defies the laws of physics by growing smaller week by week while continuing to occupy the same amount of space.

MONOLOGUE: That shining moment when all eyes are focused on a single actor who is desperately aware that if he forgets a line, no one can save him.

DARK NIGHT: The night before opening when no rehearsal is scheduled so the actors and crew can go home and get some well-deserved rest, and instead spend the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling because they’re sure they needed one more rehearsal.

BIT PART: An opportunity for the actor with the smallest role to count everybody else’s lines and mention repeatedly that he or she has the smallest part in the show.

GREEN ROOM: Room shared by nervous actors waiting to go on stage and the precocious children whose actor parents couldn’t get a baby-sitter that night, a situation which can result in justifiable homicide.

DARK SPOT: An area of the stage which the lighting designer has inexplicably forgotten to light, and which has a magnetic attraction for the first-time actor. A dark spot is never evident before opening night.

HANDS: Appendages at the end of the arms used for manipulating one’s environment, except on a stage, where they grow six times their normal size and either dangle uselessly, fidget nervously, or try to hide in your pockets.

STAGE MANAGER: Individual responsible for overseeing the crew, supervising the set changes, baby-sitting the actors and putting the director in a hammerlock to keep him from killing the actor who just decided to turn his walk-on part into a major role by doing magic tricks while he serves the tea.

LIGHTING DIRECTOR: Individual who, from the only vantage point offering a full view of the stage, gives the stage manager a heart attack by announcing a play-by-play of everything that’s going wrong.

LIGHTING DESIGNER: Individual who whines, bitches, throws fits, and says “This is the last show I’m doing here! I swear to God!” (rinse, repeat)….

ACTOR [as defined by a set designer]: That person who stands between the audience and the set designer’s art, blocking the view. Also the origin of the word ‘blocking.’.

STAGE RIGHT/STAGE LEFT: Two simple directions actors pretend not to understand in order to drive directors crazy. (e.g. “…No, no, your OTHER stage right!!!!”)

MAKE-UP KIT: (1) [among experienced Theater actors]: a battered tackle box loaded with at least 10 shades of greasepaint in various stages of desiccation, tubes of lipstick and blush, assorted pencils, bobby pins, braids of crepe hair, liquid latex, old programs, jewelry, break-a-leg greeting cards from past shows, brushes and a handful of half-melted cough drops; (2) [for first-time male actors]: a helpless look and anything they can borrow.

FOREBRAIN: The part of an actors brain which contains lines, blocking and characterisation; activated by hot lights.

HINDBRAIN: The part of an actors brain that keeps up a running subtext in the background while the forebrain is trying to act; the hindbrain supplies a constant stream of unwanted information, such as who is sitting in the second row tonight, a notation to seriously maim the crew member who thought it would be funny to put real Tabasco sauce in the fake Bloody Marys, or the fact that you need to do laundry on Sunday.

CREW: Group of individuals who spend their evenings coping with 50-minute stretches of total boredom interspersed with 30-second bursts of mindless panic.

MESSAGE PLAY: Any play which its director describes as “worthwhile,” “a challenge to actors and audience alike,” or “designed to make the audience think.” Critics will be impressed both by the daring material and the roomy accommodations, since they’re likely to have the house all to themselves.

BEDROOM FARCE: Any play which requires various states of undress on stage and whose set sports a lot of doors. The lukewarm reviews, all of which feature the phrase “typical community Theater fare” in the opening paragraph, are followed paradoxically by a frantic attempt to schedule more performances to accommodate the overflow crowds.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Individual willing to undertake special projects that nobody else would take on a bet, such as working one-on-one with the brain-dead actor whom the rest of the cast and crew (including the director) has threatened to take out a contract on.

SET PIECE: Any large piece of furniture which actors will resolutely use as a safety shield between themselves and the audience, in an apparent attempt to both anchor themselves to the floor, thereby avoiding floating off into space, and to keep the audience from seeing that they actually have legs.

And finally, remember this: “It’s only theatre until it offends someone…then it’s ART!”

Last year I upgraded from Community Theatre 5.0 to Small Professional Theatre 1.0 and noticed that the new program began making unexpected changes. It installed something called Microsoft Stage-manager (TM) which it launches whenever rehearsal software is powered up, severely limiting access to munchies, praise, and practical joke applications that operated flawlessly under Community Theatre 5.0. No mention of this phenomenon was included in the product brochure.

In addition, Stage Manager 1.0 uninstalls many other valuable programs such as Hamming 2.0, Smoking in costume 7.5, Coming and Going at will 5.6, Unlimited Comps 8.3 and Borrowing Theatre’s Equipment 2.3 and installs new, undesirable programs such as Schedule 3.1, Discipline 1.3, Expectations 5.0, and Accountability 2.4. Divafit 4.1 no longer runs at all, and invariably crashes the system. Under no circumstances will it run Whining 14.1. I’ve tried running Attitude 5.3 to fix Stage Manager 1.0, but this all purpose utility is of limited effectiveness. Can you help please ?!!!!

Jane

Dear Jane:

This is a very common problem many actors complain about, but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Community Theatre 5.0 to Small Professional Theatre 1.0 with no idea that Community Theatre 5.0 is merely an ENTERTAINMENT package for actors.

However, Small Professional Theatre 1.0 is a performance OPERATING SYSTEM and was designed by its creator to run as few applications as possible, eliminating unnecessary routines and delegating as many tasks as it can to the end-user in order to conserve all system resources for its own use. It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the Stage Manager files from the system, once installed, as Stage Manager 1.0 rewrites your other software so that it rejects Community Theatre 5.0 routines once exposed to SM’s superior methods.

Having Stage Manager 1.0 installed myself, I would suggest you read the entire section of the owners manual regarding General Director Faults (GDFs). This is a wonderful feature of Stage Manager 1.0, secretly installed by the parent company as an integral part of the operating system. Stage Manager 1.0 will take on ALL responsibility for ALL faults and problems, regardless of root cause, and will somehow solve EVERYTHING. To activate this great feature enter the command C:\ DIRECTOR\SCATTERED DREAMER-SENSITIVE ARTIST\CAN’T FUNCTION WITHOUT YOU

Sometimes ActorsRIdiots 6.0 or higher must be run simultaneously while entering the command. Stage Manager 1.0 should then run the applications Organise 12.3 and Miracles 7.8.

TECH TIP! Avoid excessive use of this feature. Overuse can create additional and more serious GDFs, and ultimately you may have to give a C:\APOLOGISE\RAISE\PERSONAL DAY command before the system will return to normal operations. Overuse can also cause Stage Manager 1.0 to default to GrumpySilence 2.5, or worse yet, ArtSearch 6.0. GrumpySilence 2.5 is a very bad program that can create Dysfunctional.acting files that clog all rehearsal and performance programs and are very hard to delete. Save yourself some trouble by following this tech tip! Just remember, the system will run smoothly and take the blame for all GDFs, but because of this fine feature it can only intermittently run all the entertainment applications Community Theatre 5.0 ran.

After several years of use, Stage Manager 1.0 will become familiar and you will find many valuable embedded features such as FixesBrokenThings 2.1 and Ensemble Loyalty 4.2.

A final word of caution! Do NOT, under any circumstances, install any version of MeddlesomAdministrator. This is not a supported application, and will cause selective shut down of the operating system. StageManager 1.0 will run only CurtGoingThrutheMotions and CovertArtSearch until MeddlesomeAdministrator is uninstalled. I hope these notes have helped. Thank you for choosing to install Small Professional Theatre 1.0 and we here at Tech Support wish you the best of luck in coming years.

Tech Support

An Actor’s Guide to Performance:

Cultivate an attitude of hostility. Tension gets results—on stage and off.

A good performance, like concrete, should be molded quickly and then forever set.

Your first responsibility as an actor is to find your light.

Do not listen to your fellow actors on stage. It will only throw you.

Do not look at them either—you may not like what you see.

Always be specific—point to what you’re talking about.

If a line isn’t working for you, change it.

Stage Managers are NOT actors—ignore them. Keep them alert by never arriving on time or signing in.

Never be afraid to ad-lib to get attention, especially if you feel the leads aren’t very entertaining.

Mistakes are never your fault.

Always find something to bitch about, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Your fellow actors will respect your professional attention to detail.

Never carry make-up—someone will have what you need.

Never help understudies. (They secretly hate you and want your job)

Do help your fellow actors by giving them notes whenever you feel necessary.

And give the notes immediately before they go on—it will be fresher that way.

Speak your lines as if the audience had difficulty understanding the language.

Keep other performers on their toes by ridiculing their performances, and never let them know what you’re going to do next.

Play the reality—always be aware of the audience and whether you think they like the show, then gauge your performance accordingly. Why knock yourself out for ungrateful snobs?

The only difference between an amateur and a pro is that the pro does exactly the same thing for money.

Need a character? Get a costume.

Never change anything that is working, no matter how wrong or phony it may seem.

When in doubt about an ad-lib, go “whoo”!

Go up on a line? Clap twice, look at the audience, and giggle.

Even if a piece of “shtick” doesn’t work, keep using it. The important thing is for you to have fun and feel good about yourself.