<div dir="ltr"><div><div>I'm keeping my fingers crossed on getting an automated lift
but if it falls through it is good to know we have some options.
Regardless of what we end up with, getting some sort of fall protection
is a high priority on my list. I haven't had any serious injuries yet
on my stage (running to knock on wood) and I really want to make sure we
maintain a safe working environment. The last thing I want to see is
EMTs carrying someone out on a stretcher due to something that is
completely preventable.<br> <br></div>A net over the orchestra while they are playing is a must in my eyes. Incord can provide a gap in it for the conductor. <br><br></div>Thanks again to all of you for your thoughts on the matter. Bill, thanks for all of the specifics you gave. The Life Safety Code info should prove to be quite helpful. Using a TWG is something I had never considered for supporting a pit cover. It might have a lot less sag than a net but it would probably be a little rougher to land on then a net but a lot less painful than a drop to the bottom of the pit. <br><div><br></div><div>Andrew, thanks for all of the details on your system. That gives me a few more things to think about.</div><div><br></div><div>It looks like we will not have any storage space or a back entrance to the pit from the upstage side. The only entrance will be from the front. That is an unhappy revelation. The amount of use we will get out it will be dependent upon rentals (which are currently non-existent). For school functions, I only anticipate needing it open a few times a year but when it is open, it will need to be open for a few weeks at a time. I find it hard to believe that we can easily justify an automated lift with the exception of trying to minimize man hours (including both set up and moving of instruments throughout rehearsals from practice spaces to the stage. If it is in the budget, I won't fight against it so long as it is done correctly and safely.</div><div><br></div><div>On the plus side the biggest fix being provided is to the fly loft and grid. My current stage measures just under 60' at the proscenium. The grid is only 30' wide. That makes it very difficult to work with drops or to fly out full stage pipes more than a few feet. That whole mess will be replaced by a grid that will travel the full length of the stage. I never expected that part of the project to ever be approved. I am thrilled that it did though. </div><div><br></div><div>Keith </div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Dec 16, 2014 at 1:20 PM, Riter, Andrew <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:andrew.riter@ubc.ca" target="_blank">andrew.riter@ubc.ca</a>></span> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Our example:<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">1200 seat Concert hall.
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Orchestra pit lift has 3 positions: stage extension; audience seating level, with 3 rows (total 77 chairs); and 10’ down in orchestra pit mode.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Pit is motorized, mechanics by Gala (spiral lift technology). Reliable, quiet.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">The netting was built locally I’m told, buy a fish netting company.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Anchors: under the stage slab, metal tabs welded to the slab. The front edge is linked to the manually removable fence pieces.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">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).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">The system worked, but at a physical plant cost.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Keep the net!!<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">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.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">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). . . .<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">That, and the time it takes to strike and hide the seating manually, when they didn’t give us storage space for it . . . . sigh<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Good luck with everything. Review all the papers, about everything, stay on top of them.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Andrew M. Riter<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">Assistant Technical Director / Head Lighting Technician<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="tel:604-822-2372" value="+16048222372" target="_blank">604-822-2372</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="mailto:Andrew.riter@ubc.ca" target="_blank">Andrew.riter@ubc.ca</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> Stagecraft [mailto:<a href="mailto:stagecraft-bounces@theatrical.net" target="_blank">stagecraft-bounces@theatrical.net</a>]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Keith Newman via Stagecraft<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 12, 2014 4:21 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Stagecraft<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [SML] Orchestra Pit Netting<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Hi all,<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">My auditorium is getting an extreme makeover beginning in July that will close it for two years.
<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">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. <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Keith Newman<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Technical Director<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Cleveland Heights High School <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> <u></u><u></u></p>
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