Theatre Tour Experience!

This is a photo of the spotlight (in the spotlight booth) located up at the back of the theatre. The machines spot specific characters, props, or a spot in a scene to highlight and give them focus. It can adjust the size, gels (color), and the position of the spotlight to provide different moods and settings during a scene. I chose this picture because the picture makes me think of the experience of moving and controlling the spotlight; it was so cool!

This photo is taken from the catwalk, a platform that allows the backstage crew to access lights. It is above the audience theatre, so it also works as a safety tool to prevent the light from falling into the house. These lights in the catwalk are controlled in the lighting studio in the back of the theatre, and they play a significant role in a play, as it creates a various atmosphere with different effects from the gels and gobos. And the light is sometimes dangerous since it heats up fast because of the excessive amount of electricity used for lighting the stage. I decided to upload this picture because I never knew there was a catwalk, even though I would have known if I had looked up once!

This is a photo of the lighting booth, where the crew controls the lights of the stage. It is right behind the house at the back of the theatre. Since it is a booth, no sounds are coming out from the studio, which makes it the crew easy to communicate with the people inside, and it does not bother the house to watch a performance. The gel (color), gobo (pattern), size, and position of the sidelight, front light, backlight, and top light (except the spotlight) are controlled in the booth here. It was an incredible experience because I never had a chance to go in and would not have if I did not have this tour!

   

(HS)                                                                         (ES)

This photo portrays the space where the cable moves up and down to lift the curtains and drapes by the motorized winches. It is located at the very top of the theatre. Before the machines moved the cables up and down, actual people had to use ropes and pulleys and pull down the ropes to raise the curtain and set pieces up. The photo on the right is from the ES theatre; the cables are controlled by the machines, and it is much easier and safer because it is wrapped in several layers without overlapping. I chose this picture because it reminds me of the theatre myth (that you can’t whistle in a theatre), and it was interesting to know how the system was different in the past.

  

(HS)                                                                          (ES)

This is a photo of the dimmer rack taken in, the dimmer room. It handles the electricity flow, powers the entire lighting rig, and controls the amount of electricity to ensure they do not burn. They can pull each of the dimmers out to manage the electricity. The photo on the right shows the dimmers in the ES theatre. Since there are more LED lights in the ES theatre, fewer dimmers are used (so there is no dimmer room). Also, it is much easier (just have to click buttons in the middle) to lower the electricity because we do not need to pull out each dimmer to control. The crew had to use candles and lamps to light the stage lights by hand in the past. It was interesting to see the development of the technology by the dimmers and how theatre changed over time.

This is a photo of the thrust in the ES theatre, and it stretches the stage out to give more space for the actors to perform. The audience seating could change; they could sit around the thrust, increasing the interaction between the house and the performers. The thrust is controlled by technology (remote control), and it is a unique characteristic of the ES theatre because the MS/HS does not have a thrust. I chose this picture because I never knew there was a way to extend the stage, and it was my first experience seeing it!