Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1991 - 55

nothing bur the best of both worlds is
acceptable because anything less wouldn't
work. Ideally inregrating all these needs,
MSC provides succinct, efficienr and rapid
communication between intelligent
conrrollers.
There is also a porentially brighter side
ro this scenario's employmenr potenrial.
Although we may now require fewer
operarors, our capabilities are expanding
tremendously. This means that elaborate
and complex live productions are acquiring
the-previously unheard of-reputation of
being safe, reliable and coSt effective as well
as exciting, stimulating and vital. Producers
who have had bad technical experiences
oravoided complex productions are
welcoming these developments. More and
more of them are now considering live
productions which were previously rejected
because of their difficulty.
The most signiflcanr increase in live
production is in theme parks. Where only
rides and mechanical arrractions once
existed, owners are adding live shows.
Disney and Universal have recently
invested heavily in live productions which
have quickly become their mosr popular
and exciting shows. In many cases, the new
show technology allows technicians and
stagehands ro learn faster and more reliably

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and their shows to run back to back
withour a hiccup thousands of rimes.
The net result is, happily, that there are
now even more jobs for stage hands and
theaue technicians. Soon, when traditional
theatre companies and Broadway/West
End productions discover this, we'll also
see them use the latest technology to help
keep their share of the ticket-buying
audience. By the time this uickles down ro
regional theatre companies, rhere will
hopefully be a revival of inrerest in live
theaue enough to keep us all employed for
a long time to come.
Maybe then stage managers will all be
talking like this one quoted in the
inrroduction to John Huntingron's master's
thesis:
Back in the old days, as a stage manager, I had a lot ro do during the show.
On big shows on Broadway, we had 40
or 50 people working backstage, all
running around like crazy. I had to use
a flashing light ro signal cues, talk ro
people on headsets and follow the script
on paper! You know, in some ways, I
almost miss those days .. .! didn't get
quite as bored during the show then.
Now we have these voice and music
parrern recognition systems, and they

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\Xlirh pracrice, your
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m

Charlie Richmond is the president of
Richmond Sound Design Ltd of Vancouver,
Canada and an associate editorfor TD&T.
Endnotes
1. John Huming[Qn. -1\ lethods of S}'5(em S)'nchronizalion
and Inrerconnecdon for Live Performance," rhesis, Yale

Un;\'ers;,v. (1\Ia)" 1990).

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Although I don't predict such a boring life
for stage managers, there will hopefully be
a lot more of them because good live
theatre is always bener than "canned"
enrertainmenr. Only time and our best
efforts at keeping theaue technically up-rodate can ensure a bright future.

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inrerface on the nerwork ro the lighting,
sound and automation systems. There's
only a few technical people backstage,
mostly in the wardrobe and props
deparunenrs, because they haven't quite
gOt the robotics cost effective yer.
The only reason I'm even here is in
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press this "Authorize" burron on the
dangerous cues, once the acror is in the
right position. Other than thar, I watch
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TD&T

1991

WINTER

53
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1991
