Featured Listing: InterAmerica Stage Inc. SkyDeck™
Safety. Access. Creative Flexibility. These terms are not mutually exclusive. Providing access to overhead equipment, SkyDeck™ is the most efficient tension wire grid on the market today. From intimate black box theatres to giant arenas, SkyDeck™ is the solution you’ve been looking for. SkyDeck™ completely eliminates the risk of falling when working at height. The walking surface, woven on 2” centers, is nearly co-planar, with a difference of only ¼” between the woven wire and the hybrid steel framing. Professionals, students, and volunteers can work confidently side-by-side because you simply cannot fall through a SkyDeck™. This means you can have overhead and deck crews working simultaneously and shorten your load in and load out times significantly. The system is modular, so there really isn’t a configuration that we can’t handle. We can do tiered grids or round grids. We can do hinged panels with gas assisted openers. We can add a pipe grid beneath the SkyDeck™ for even more flexibility. Because it’s modular, in the rare event that you do need to replace a wire, the integrity of the entire grid isn’t affected. SkyDeck™ provides unparalleled safety and flexibility. Truly a win-win.
407-302-0881
ETC Master Phase Loss Detector 2
The Master Phase Loss Detector 2 (MPLD2) is the next phase of emergency detection and control bypass. With extensive, customizable input and output configurations, the Master Phase Loss Detector 2 can detect an emergency situation from a multitude of triggers and send multiple control bypass output commands simultaneously. The MPLD2 contains 16 slots, and each slot can be filled by an input or output card. The only requirement for each Master Phase Loss Detector is that there be at least one input card, and one output card. The rest of the configuration is up to you.
InCord Custom Theatrical Safety Netting Orchestra Pit Net
InCord Orchestra Pit Nets (OPN) have saved many lives over the years and have prevented countless injuries and legal complications. Today, they are the most respected solution to orchestra pit safety available. Properly deployed, an OPN serves as a passive fall arrest system to safely catch a person falling from the stage or audience into the orchestra pit. Net is attached to anchor points installed to the pit wall, railing, or removable panels, depending on your theatre’s architecture. InCord custom, USA made safety products address the unique hazards of a theatre venue. Contact netting expert Joe Menhart today for more information.
IWEISS Align Stage Rigging Hardware
Align is a complete line of counterweight rigging which includes head blocks, loft blocks, and guide systems for overhead rigging and provides a cost-efficient stage rigging solution. Align products have been installed in various performing arts centers, educational venues, Broadway Theatres, and churches alike. All Align products are highly visible and manufactured with strict engineering as stock equipment designs. The Align products can be customized to your request using the highest industry standards in machining including CNC laser cutting, forming, and lathing technologies.
Just Industries the.BRIDGE
When “The Show Must Go On!” meets the reality of the health and safety demands on modern productions, Just Industries the.BRIDGE is an incredible tool for mitigating health risks and an insurance policy for your event. Designed by forward thinking industry professionals, the.BRIDGE makes global collaboration and decentralized production control a reality. Your gear, your creatives, your operators, your entire network, in as many remote locations as you need them in—but connected as though they were sitting at the same desk. Just Industries is distributed by ACT Entertainment in North America.
MEGA-LITE Drama Work Light
The Drama Work Light 100 and Work Light 3200 is a low-profile work light solution for large and small theaters. Equipped with 324 White SMD LEDs it can produce three different brightness settings (33%, 66% & 100%). The included barn doors allow the unit to be used for lighting wide and narrow spaces. Designed for ease of use, the Drama WL 100 has a rotatable knob for quick setup or installation.
MTN SHOP MTN Chain Slider
The MTN Chain Slider was created for safe and efficient cable management across your entire hoist fleet. It features a revolutionary interchangeable insert system creating a one-size-fits-all solution that has been ergonomically designed for use with any brand of electric chain hoist. Equipped with varying sized inserts, this proprietary system not only provides a precise fitting for all standard chain sizes, but also dramatically reduces cost and redundancy in your fleet. Made from low friction HDPE materials, the sliders can freely rotate while stacking, resulting in neatly coiled cables every time you rig. The MTN Chain Slider is available globally at MTN SHOP™.
Pro-Tapes Pro Gaff® Fluorescent Colors
Pro Tapes® developed 5 fluorescent colors in the Pro Gaff® range several years ago to assist in stage safety by offering high visibility in low light or UV light atmospheres. They are a quick and easy way to mark stage exits, steps, changes in elevation and low hanging props or rigging. They are an inexpensive way to visually illuminate ever changing dangers to avoid accidents or injury. Pro Gaff® fluorescents are available in 5 UV activated colors that require no electricity or charging. They can be applied and adhere to a wide variety of surfaces, are conformable and can be removed cleanly from most applications.
www.protapes.com/pro-gaff-tape
Sapsis Rigging, Inc. ProPlus™ Rope Access™ Harness
The ProPlus™ Rope Access™ harness is a full body harness designed for rope access activities and fall arrest conditions. The harness features padding at the shoulders, neck, waist, and legs. It comes with dorsal, lumbar, hip, sternum, and waist rings as well as utility loops at the waist. At 4.8 lbs. it’s one of the lightest rope access harnesses on the market. The ProPlus™ Rope Access™ harness is OSHA and ANSI/ASSP Z-359 compliant.
Staging Concepts ADA Ramp
Many venues and live entertainment event spaces require ADA accessibility, which is why Staging Concepts, a Trex Company, offers portable ADA ramps which conveniently can connect to any of our portable platforms. These ramps can be made to match your stage height, whether it is fixed or adjustable, and can be custom designed to meet the needs of the space. To make ramps compliant with ADA recommendations, Staging Concepts recommends and provides quadruple, slip resistant surface along with a continuous handrail.
Thern Stage Equipment Brickhouse™ Front Loading Arbor
Thern Stage Equipment Brickhouse™ arbors deliver a level of operator convenience and load handling security that is superior to traditional side-loading arbors. The front-loading design and weight shelves allow counterweight bricks to be loaded at the most convenient and comfortable location, eliminating the need to reach over and to the side of an arbor. Weights are placed on sloped shelves, eliminating spreader plates. The self-engaging gate fully encloses the arbor structure to prevent accidental escape of counterweight bricks. More weight is contained in a shorter arbor, increasing travel distances for the arbor and batten.
Upcoming Safety Training
Behind the Scenes Mental Health First Aid Training Classes
Mental Health First Aid Training Classes for February 2022 are now posted on the Behind the Scenes website. Do you know how to respond if you see someone who is deeply depressed, having an anxiety attack, or showing signs of alcoholism? Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations with someone you are worried about by teaching you how to recognize the signs and symptoms, how to listen nonjudgmentally and give reassurance, and how to refer that person to appropriate professional support and services.
The course is delivered in two parts. The first is a 2-4 hour self-paced online course that must be completed prior to the second part, which is a 6 hour virtual live instructor led session. Upon completing the course, you will become a certified Mental Health First Aider, which is valid for three years. The registration fee is $125. IATSE Members and those working under IATSE agreements may be eligible for Training Trust Fund reimbursement upon proof of successful completion of the course. A limited number of partial and full scholarships are also available. Private group classes of 15 -20 are available contact mhfa@btshelp.org for information. Training for Canadians is available through the AFC at https://afchelps.ca/mhfa. Find sessions, dates, times and registration at www.btshelp.org
Event Safety Alliance, In Person and Online
Event Safety Alliance (ESA) is holding the next Event Safety Summit (ESS) on March 22-24, 2022—both in-person and virtually online. The ESS brings together professionals from around the globe and across the entertainment, sports, and corporate event industries to discuss all aspects of safety, security, and health at live events. Featuring a diverse lineup of presentations, panels, workshops, and networking opportunities, the ESS provides attendees with actionable ideas, enables collaboration with and communication among like-minded professionals, and sends attendees home with new motivation to put life safety first in their daily work. For this ESS hybrid event the in-person Summit will once again take place on the campus of Rock Lititz in Lititz, PA. Capacity will be very limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is also available now for virtual attendance, for which space is unlimited.
Current planned sessions will include covering How to Develop a Training and Education Program; ICS for Live Events Tabletop; Science, Design, and Decisions that Impact Event Evacuation; Event Control Room Design & Operations; The Labor Shortage and What One Can Do About It; Codes, Standards, and Reasonable Safety Practices for the Event Industry; Sexual Harassment Policy Development Workshop; Accessibility in Practice; Trucking & Transportation Safety; Applying a Harm Reduction Approach to Event Safety; Extinguishing Fires at Live Events; Risk Identity; Designing Safe Event Sites from the Ground Up; Cyber Security for Live Events; and Leveraging Technology to Create a Proactive Safety Culture.
Registration fees for the Event Safety Summit are as follows: In-Person: Members, $850; Non-Members, $950. Virtual: Members, $100; Non-Members, $150. Find sessions, and registration at www.eventsafetyalliance.org
The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium
The 2022 New World Rigging Symposium will take place virtually April 5-7. While the USITT Conference and Stage Expo will take place in person in early March, the team behind NWRS decided to continue the NWRS virtually again this year. This symposium brings together professional riggers, engineers, manufacturers, venue managers, educators, and students to further their rigging knowledge, hear about challenging projects, get up to speed on new technologies, discuss current industry challenges, and get their questions answered. The Symposium will carry ETCP education renewal credits for re-certification.
Current sessions planned include Rope 201; Load Monitoring Systems: Know Your Limits; Rope Access in Entertainment: Training and Usage; Performer Flying Case Study: It Happened at Wembley; Hosting Road Shows at a University; What the Engineers Want You to Know; Touring Overseas: Getting Your Ducks in a Row; Rigging Challenges: Infrastructure Case Studies; Women Riggers of ETCP; and Intro to Mental Health First Aid. For the most up-to-date list of presenters, visit www.esta.org/nwrs.
The three-day Symposium will also include breakout rooms where attendees can get in-depth information from NWRS sponsors as well as virtual networking opportunities with attendees and presenters. The cost of the NWRS is just $99. You can register at https://secure.usitt.org/NC__Event?id=a0l5a00000FGWbRAAX . For more information on sessions and times go to www.esta.org/nwrs
Work Safety Books
Safety and Health for the Stage: Collaboration with the Production Process, by William J. Reynolds
Safety and Health for the Stage: Collaboration with the Production Process is a practical guide to integrating safety and health into the production process for live entertainment in the context of compliance with applicable codes, standards, and recommended practices. This book explores the need for safety and health to become an integral aspect of theatre production and live entertainment, focusing on specific steps to take and policies to employ to bring a safety and health program into full collaboration in the production process. Readers will learn how to comply with legal codes and standards as they initiate and implement an effective safety and health program in their theatre production organization or academic theatre department. The book includes references and links to other industry-specific safety and health resources, as well as a Glossary of Safety and Health Terms to navigate the safety and health jargon in the context of theatre and live entertainment. Safety and Health for the Stage: Collaboration with the Production Process provides links to electronic versions of sample safety and health programs, industry-specific policies and recommended practices, and forms and templates related to many of the topics covered in the book. Written for practitioners who are engaged in all aspects of theatre production and live entertainment, as well as educators who train and influence the next generations of these practitioners, this book is an essential resource for creating a positive culture of safety in live entertainment.
The author, William J. Reynolds, joined the faculty of Yale School of Drama in 1982 and in June 2017 he retired as the Director of Theater Safety and Occupational Health, though he continues to teach occasional workshops in theatre safety for Yale School of Drama and other theatre organizations. He is the USITT Safety & Health Vice-Commissioner for Education and the Student Alliance Program. He is an OSHA Authorized Outreach Trainer and has consulted on theater safety for such institutions as: The Juilliard School; Wesleyan University; Carnegie-Mellon University; the University of California; Tencue Productions; The Alley Theatre; and Theatre Projects. Safety and Health for the Stage: Collaboration with the Production Process is available at booksellers and from the publisher at http://bit.ly/SD_WilliamJReynoldsBook
Productivity Through Wellness for Live Entertainment and Theatre Technicians: Increasing Productivity, Avoiding Burnout, and Maximizing the Value of An Hour, by Brian MacInnis Smallwood
Productivity Through Wellness for Live Entertainment and Theatre Technicians provides the tools for individuals and organizations to achieve a healthy work—life balance and increase productivity in the production process of live entertainment. Through examination of the limits of the human body, the fundamentals of motivation, and best practices of project management, the reader will develop operational mindfulness and look at new ways to achieve work—life balance. The book explores case studies that show how organizations are promoting work—life balance and reaping the benefits of increased productivity, makes recommendations to reduce burnout and increase productivity among technicians, and discusses how to deal with the various phases of production. An excellent resource for live entertainment technicians, production managers, technical directors, arts managers, managers in live entertainment, and students in Technical Direction and Production Management courses, Productivity Through Wellness for Live Entertainment and Theatre Technicians offers practical solutions to improve the quality of life of employees, by reducing the burnout and injuries of overwork, and maximize the value of an hour.
The author, Brian MacInnis Smallwood, has been researching the impact of wellness on productivity since 2010. He has led workshops and seminars for Washington College, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. A co-founder of The Arts Wellness Group, Brian currently serves as an Associate Professor and Production Manager for the School of Theatre and Dance at James Madison University. Productivity Through Wellness for Live Entertainment and Theatre Technicians is available at booksellers and from the publisher at http://bit.ly/SD_MacInnisSmallwoodBook .
To download a PDF of PLSN’s Feb. 2022 Buyers Guide, CLICK HERE
