[SML] Orchestra Pit Netting

[Riter, Andrew]

Our example:
1200 seat Concert hall.
Orchestra pit lift has 3 positions: stage extension; audience seating level, with 3 rows (total 77 chairs); and 10’ down in orchestra pit mode.

We have a manually movable front wall that moves from in front of row AA on the pit (wall is the stage front), to being in front of row A when the pit is down.

Pit is motorized, mechanics by Gala (spiral lift technology).  Reliable, quiet.

The netting was built locally I’m told, buy a fish netting company.
Anchors: under the stage slab, metal tabs welded to the slab.  The front edge is linked to the manually removable fence pieces.

The one time an opera student (horsing around) fell on the net (not all the way down into the pit), but broke the legs on 1 of the fence pieces when it gave (leaned into the fall).

The system worked, but at a physical plant cost.

Keep the net!!

If the motorized part stays, please consider this:  if you have stairs from the audience to the stage level, DON’T put the stairs over the pit lift.  We need to remove our stairs whenever the pit comes to stage height.  We have plugs to fill the hole, but lose the stair access.

The time/trouble to move the stairs also prevents the easy use of the pit lift as an elevator.  (that, and the province calls it an “elevator” which has a whole number of regulations around the “elevator shaft,” moving the “elevator” requires a cleared room (pit and stage area). . . .

That, and the time it takes to strike and hide the seating manually, when they didn’t give us storage space for it . . . .  sigh

Good luck with everything.  Review all the papers, about everything, stay on top of them.

Andrew M. Riter
Assistant Technical Director / Head Lighting Technician

604-822-2372
Andrew.riter at ubc.ca<mailto:Andrew.riter at ubc.ca>

From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Keith Newman via Stagecraft
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 4:21 PM
To: Stagecraft
Subject: [SML] Orchestra Pit Netting

Hi all,

My auditorium is getting an extreme makeover beginning in July that will close it for two years.

I'm at odds with the consultant on protection for the pit.  Their opinion is that instinct will keep an actor from getting to close to the edge and going in much as the way it is now with the edge of our current stage, which has a 3' drop and has a trim piece (a 3/4" kick strip surrounding the perimeter of the apron).  Mine is that we should protect our students and cover our asses by installing a safety net and potentially get some recessed or directionally faced EL wire or LED string that can dimly glow around the pit opening.

Keith Newman
Technical Director
Cleveland Heights High School


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