Technical Theatre

Today in Technical Theatre, we learned how to rig and de-rig a light.

Here is what we learned about rigging the light:


1. The first thing you need to do is check that your lantern is fully equipped with all of the accessories it needs. For example, you should never use rig a lantern which doesn't have a safety chain attached.


2.Once you have made sure your lantern is fully prepared, take it with you to the lighting bar.


3. Place the lantern onto the bar and secure it by tightening the wing screw attached to the G Clamp.


4. Loop the safety chain around the bar, a few times if it is too long, and secure it back onto itself.


5. Focus and position the light so it points where you want. You can use the handle at the back of the light and the turning knob on the side to move it without touching the actual light.


6. On the top of the lantern you will find another wing screw. You can untighten this and it allows you to move the lantern during rigging and focusing, but then you must tighten it again to make sure that the lantern is secure.


7. Now you can plug the flex into the socket. If there is excess cable, you can wrap it loosely around the bar before plugging it in.


And this is what we learned about de-rigging the light:


You basically do the steps you just did, but in reverse.


1. Unplug the flex from the socket.


2. Take off the safety chain.


3. Untighten the wing screw and remove the lantern from the bar.

We were taught the names of different lights and what they do.

1. Fresnel: Fresnels are very commonly used lanterns. They provide a short edged beam of light, which you can adjust by moving the lamp.
2. Profile: Profiles can provide a very direct beam of light. You control the light in a profile by moving the lens. You can further control the light with gobos and iris's.
3. Flood: Floods can light large areas of the stage, but you can't control the beam of light from them.
4. Parcan: Parcans are like floods, but not as intense. The beam from the Parcan can be controlled using the lamp itself.
5. Follow spot: Follow spots are also very commonly used. The beam of light they provide is a circle which can focus on an actor and follow them around the stage.

We were also taught the names of some different accessories.

Barndoor
Gel frame
Safety Chain
Gobo
Iris
Gel
Shutters