Seeking theatre technician to install Gas fire

  If what you seek is psuedo-flame, then above the "piano cupboard" in PlayLovers Bar there lurks the "Fire" from "Beauty and The Beast" which we mounted at The Regal Theatre... a boxed dichroic halogen light unit with fan driven silks that when lit, resemble actual flame.

OR, if you are after a "practical" I have a circa 1970/80 freestanding gas fire that you are welcome to... "PLEASE!!!!!!" (Kath comment)..... no charge/non-returnable.

Give me a ring John, 

Graeme.

"Each morning is the dawn of a new error" - anon.

Gawd everytime I Do a post, it ends up as a 'WP' (Wally Post)?  Even though I'm log'd in.  I'll try again?

It worked this time  - So it's me - wot a yoyo!    

In fact Gas lighting in theatres way back when, was the case of most fires backstage, which brought about the 'iron' safety curtain, that I believe may be still Manditory in Pohmy Iheatres these days & I remeber the 'woosh of the hydrolics when it was brought in.    

Your right Logos as any Electrical Techie does require at least a valid  licence. - Either workig for profit or not. But I wonder how many actualy have one? Also the same with Gas!

Maybe Jeff from Melville can clarify this, as an Electrical Contractor!

Also I feel that ameatre groups should offer at least a complimentry Membership, for licensed techies - - now that will hoy a few glowing embers int' coal hoose!

That's a good piont to add a constant 3rd globe.

On a tangent, this how footlights became known as floats, prior to electric lighting. In the days when oil lighting was used on the apron of the stage. They used a trough of water & floated oil lamps in it. So if they were knocked over by a warm prop or whom ever, they would extinguish in the water.

Sorry I though I'd hoy that in!

Your right Logos! I forgot  as I'm becoming thicker than a brick these days 'n twice as dence! I suppose that's what comes of using mainly electrics.

Of course the flame heats up the mineral material & defues to a constant glow.

  Apologies for the late reply John -  Check your emails/Theatre Oz inbox for relevant contact peoples numbers....

Chookas,

 G.

"Each morning is the dawn of a new error" - anon.

  Joe, the concept of enticing sparkies into the comeatre arena with free club membership is a damn good one. 

Lord knows, the am-dram clubs that have an in-house electrician are the envy of most others and the few "theatre friendly"sparkies that are out there are in VERY hot demand. Take the likes of the legendary Don Allen, Melville Theatre's Ian Black and "Dynamic Duo" Jeff & Jodie Hansen, Stage Left/Goldfields Rep Club's Lewis Johnson, Geraldton's Andrew Thompson, Stirling Players/PlayLover's Tony Ridout or our dearly departed Old Mill/Phoenix Theatre's Hywell Williams. It seems their phones constantly run (rang) hot with: "Hi mate, I was just wondering if you could help us with.........." phone calls. I'm not blameless here either, I have (on several occasions) called each of these people myself!

Invariably payment for their invaluable services comes in the form of Comps, a heartfelt and sincere "Thank you" and the ever presented bottle of wine...obviously nowhere near what they would get for the same job in the outside world.

Non-Theatre Electricians - Please don't get me wrong - I  am fully aware of the situation that "outsider" freelance or company employed electricians are placed in. They realise that as community theatres we have shoe-string budgets and they really do want to help but.... well, their hands are tied.

The costs of "commercial" electrical work have been explained to me thus:

When a licensed electrician sets foot into a community theatre (after having the usual initial "Oh My Effing Gawd!!! What the hell is THAT!!"  OHS related heart attack) they are required to operate as if it were an "industrial" installation - IE no pensioner discounts, no "domestic" fittings, and they are required by law to repair any faults or dodgy wiring that they find and because of the scope of work this usually involves, the fee is usually just short of astronomical. (This is assuming that they haven't backed nervously away as soon as they saw the lighting grid, to sit cowering in a corner shaking uncontrollably, muttering about extension cords, Kambrook 4 point boards and double adapters to themselves!)

Offering free club membership is a great idea, but don't stop there - make them Life Members, these guys and girls are hard to come by! I would be tempted to also offer comps to any show they wished to see throughout their membership, reserved seating in the best your company has to offer and a personal parking bay directly opposite the front door. Those clubs with a bar could also include a perpetual tab and stock the sparkies favorite tipple. After all, how much could a sparkie possibly drink???? (Note: Do NOT use Jeff as an example here.... :) )

  I can pretty much guarantee that the end cost for these perks would not come anywhere near the cost of any "commercial" work that the theatre had done and , as a club member - even if they did "have" to charge for their services - they may just offer a discount..

 P.S. No, I will not give out any numbers for the previously named theatre sparkies!! Find your own!! :p

"Each morning is the dawn of a new error" - anon.

To follow on from Taureen, I have always thought that 'Aunty' should offer at least complimentry membership to theatre electricains each year, In turn this can be extended by each ameatre member group. 

G'd on Mellvile Ameatre Group, should be more of it!

Just a thought maybe we aude 'Lifers' should fire up a loose, very loose! Ameatre association of sorts.

I remember eons ago,requesting the minister for Energy that the then SEC Licensing Board, make provissions &/or whatever. To instigate a provisional Electrical Restricted Electrical Licence for Ameatre primarly. Much the same as the original licenses issued years ago way back when! I remember recieving virtualy a ream of paper, which bioled down to why it was not possible - I still have no idea how it was relevent to the request, only it was a lengthy way of saying rackoff hairy legs my hands are tied! However the ream of paper came in handy by being used as jotting scrap paper! At least I got an answer - if it was a kin to whistling in the wind!

What did come to mind was working in proeatre in Melbourne quite a few years ago. At that time I found I was the only Licened Sparkie working on the show. Some of the the work practices were rather sus & would curl ones hair.