Pages

Trivia Time - Leave no stuff behind!

Recently at Prithvi Theatre the LCD projector went missing and turned up 5 days later on the lighting catwalk. In honour of that 'local' event, we feature a related story by John H. Landon of West Texas A&M University.

"I had to focus lights for a touring ballet once, and only once. I was atop an A-Frame ladder some 20 feet in the air, a tremendous height for a carpenter. I was being wheeled along the electric one instrument at the time, cautioning my handlers to 'start slow and stop smooth'. My head was just below the lenses.

All the lamps had been hung, cabled and left in a straight down position. I would grab each one gently and slowly focus it so I did not sway any more than I had to. As I slowly tilted one Par, I felt a heavy blunt thud on the top of my head and scared a 'WOW' out of me. As I looked down, I saw a full roll of black gaf (tape) floating down towards the stage! Luckily it didn't hurt anyone.

The round of black gaf (tape) had gone unnoticed on the back of the round black Par. As a TD today, I still check the tops of instruments and the tops of raceways on electrics for gaf and tools.

Found a C-Wrench once and a Screw-Driver the other!"