Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2010 - 66

smaller theatres, high schools, and community
venues still daunted inventors.
The company led the rigging revolution
by taking on custom projects that required innovative solutions, some of which would evolve
to become the off-the-shelf products of the
twenty-first century. As reflected in the scope of
its late twentieth-century catalogs, J. R. Clancy's
versatility allowed the company to manufacture
anything from belaying pins to complete stage
equipment systems for the world's top opera
houses, concert halls, and performing arts
centers. At the same time, the rigging compa-

ny served smaller theatres and auditoriums as
well, manufacturing rigging that was appropriate and safe for middle and high schools. Some
of the company's most important inventions in
counterweight rigging safety came out of this
era: rope with woven-in wear markers, safetyconscious rope locks, and J-guide to replace
the less effective T-bar arbor guides.
J. R. Clancy was ready to enter the off-theshelf automation market in 2004, introducing its
Powerlift line of motorized hoists and the updated
SceneControl automation systems. These products
use technology created for the world's major per-

forming arts centers and concert halls, based on
the knowledge gained from automated rigging innovations that began as far back as 1960.
Just as John Clancy knew that safe working
conditions were critical for his employees, J. R.
Clancy recognized that stagehands and others who
operate stage equipment must know how to use
the rigging safely. In 2003, J. R. Clancy helped the
Entertainment and Stage Technology Association
(ESTA) launch a rigging certification program to
train and test rigging professionals. Those who pass
the exam become Entertainment Technology Certified Professional (ETCP) riggers, a highly regarded
achievement in theatres across the country.
Today the J. R. Clancy catalog has moved
to the company's website at www.jrclancy.com,
but the spirit of those first letters John Clancy
wrote to his customers remains central to the
company's operating philosophy: J. R. Clancy's
stated mission is simple: "Make Our Partners
Successful" (MOPS). To accomplish this, the
company uses the exemplary manufacturing
and project management principles set forth by
the International Standards Institute (ISO). J. R.
Clancy has been a registered ISO 9001 company
since 2003, most recently achieving the ISO
9001:2008 certification.
Making a formal declaration of its commitment to its MOPS mission, J. R. Clancy offers its
customers an Extraordinary Guarantee. "If you
feel we've not met this commitment in any way
and have caused you to spend additional time
or money, we'll make it right at our expense,"
the guarantee states. "We'll send you a replacement, allow you to return it for full credit, or
reimburse your direct out-of-pocket expense
for correcting the problem."
High standards never go out of style, especially after 125 years of customer satisfaction
and technological achievement. v
Tom Young is Vice President of
Marketing at J. R. Clancy. He's been
developing lighting and rigging systems
worldwide for many years, and has been
a USITT Director at Large, USITT Finance
Committee member, and an ESTA Vice
President. Randi Minetor is an author
with eighteen books currently in print, on
topics including American history, the U.
S. national parks, and outdoor recreation.
[For access to the USITT collection of J. R.
Clancy's catalogs, contact David Grindle at
david@office.usitt.org.]

theatre

design

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2010

http://www.jrclancy.com

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