Back to Start PageTechnical Resources Website
PRE-PUBLICATION DRAFT
STAGE DIRECTIONS
COPYRIGHT 1998
AUTHOR: Dr. Patrick Finelli
TITLE: Theatre Websites
The World Wide Web has become a major source of information for the theatre practitioner. We’ve pointed out how the web could be a portal on the theatre world in "Caught in the Web" (Stage Directions, 1996). Recently my colleague David Williams came into the office raving about a site he discovered which he found useful as a resource for stagecraft, design and technical theatre. While searching for information on lighting equipment, he discovered a non-commercial website that is in many ways a throwback to the "old" days when the web was free. The site is called "Technical Theatre Links" and there is no charge or registration fee. The appeal is that it contains hyperlinks to many vendors and services used in the theatre industry. It easy to navigate and relatively free of the fanfare you will find on the commercial sites.
One of the original attractions of the Internet was the ability to browse sites without regard for boundaries or software compatibility. Now it seems that there is rampant commercialism. Netscape, Microsoft, Yahoo and your local megastore vie for your attention with dynamic websites cluttered with advertising. Another new irritating feature is a little Javascript program that "redirects," implementing a behind-the-scenes method to send you automatically to other sites which then pay for the referrals. When you try to close those windows, other windows open automatically. "Technical Theatre Links" is designed with few frills. It is also undergoing redesign to eliminate "frames" (split screen windows that some browsers can’t handle). The result is an increase in compatibility with computers that are less than state-of-the-art. When you visit the site you will discover links to a wide variety of valuable information and resources along with some pleasant surprises (jokes and anecdotes) created by individuals who work in the theatre and have a passion for the technical arts.
"Technical Theatre Links" contains categories for lighting, sound, special effects, intercoms, rigging and drapes, scenic construction, design, puppetry, costuming and makeup. It is a relatively small site in terms of bits and bytes (68 files, 122 pages and 336K of data), but there is a full house in terms of links to product vendors and other information. There is a searchable costume index and archives among the links to 16 costume-oriented sites.
Scenic paint and construction contains one of the longest lists (34 vendors) with hyperlinks to companies that specialize in set fabrication such as Chicago Scenic Studios, drop rentals from Grosh Scenic and, of course, Rosco. You can find the home pages for Makita and Bosch tools and special products like adhesive technology (Phlexglu) and UV paint. I checked out a number of these links and one, Foam Systems, specializes in custom foam ornamentation. You might visit their site for some ideas about decorative props for your production of Antony and Cleopatra. There are lots of options for rigging and drapery. If you want to fly someone in Peter Pan, check out Foy Inventoprises for flying effects. There are 29 other vendors of rigging systems and services including the Fehr Brothers, Secoa, Tiffin, J.R. Clancy, ZFX Flying Effects and Loadstar. If you’d like to receive training, there is a link to educational rigging seminars and the rigger’s page.
There are hyperlinks to equipment vendors for permanent installations, running and touring gear, magazines (including Stage Directions) and no less than twenty professional organizations such as the Audio Engineering Society, the Association of Lighting Designers, International Music Products Association, U.S.I.T.T and United Scenic Artists. The list is not limited to the United States. You can find the home page for the Professional Lighting and Sound Association of Germany among other international associations. If you are looking for a new job, there is a route to the "Theatre job page" with opportunities in many categories.
There are five different ticketing systems listed for Front of House managers who want to review some options. Through the sound page you can find hearing impaired systems for your audience. The home page for Decade transmitters describes a system in which the receiver can be a simple, inexpensive walkman. The audience member doesn't have to borrow or rent a special receiver but only needs a walkman to enjoy the show with excellent sound quality.
You can tell that the site was created by a lighting designer because there are scores of links on this page including instrument manufacturers (22), intelligent (moving) lights (18), rental houses (79) and lasers (9). If you are looking for a light board or lighting instruments, try ETC or any of the other thirty three console and control companies.
The list goes on. You can find cases, cargo and staging gear, intercoms, special effects lighting software and pyrotechnics. Show control system vendors such as Crescit (reviewed in Stage Directions) and theme park specialist Richmond Sound in Vancouver are represented. Other bookmarks include a place to locate hard-to-find jazz recordings, microphone manufacturers (9 sites), amplifiers (23), speakers (12), mixers (16) and sound playback equipment. Remember, the site contains links to the vendors information, so you need to go deeper into the vendor’s site for instance to find specifications for the Shure SM-58 microphone.
There’s even a section on tech theatre humor with 191 uses for Gaffer’s tape and anecdotes on backstage theatre calamities if you are so inclined. Set design gone haywire.
Design contains twenty four listings, many of them are cross linked with other pages, but there’s a home page set up by a cooperative of theatre designers which is an innovative idea. If you’re looking for a CAD systems or rendering services, this is the place to start. You’ll also find the AutoCad shareware clearing house where you might locate some free templates for your CAD system.
The site was originally created by Jon Erwin of Westerville, Ohio a little over two years ago. He is a student in Theatre Design & Technology at Otterbein College. It reflects his interest in sound and lighting, so the site has many more links in those areas. There are some links that didn’t work, images that wouldn’t load and some pages were under construction, but Jon told me that when he receives e-mails with new sites or broken links, he usually addresses those right away. Every six months he tries to do a complete revision and check each link for validity. When requests come in for anything pertaining to technical theatre, he visits the site and determines which category or categories it fits.
I wasn’t surprised to discover that one of the most clever sites was maintained by a high school student who calls herself "Techie girl." The "191 uses for gaffer’s tape" bookmark on Theatre Links didn’t work (I’m sure Jon’s fixed it by now), but the one on her site was fine. I got a kick out of the page titled "You know you’re a techie when…"
"Technical Theatre Links" is an excellent "clearinghouse site" or dispatch point for your tech-related browsing. In short, it can be your starting point for finding all sorts of useful technical information. It is not a commercial site, but is similar to having a handy online "yellow page" directory. The creator of this list have done a lot of work to uncover sites for you, which means you can spend less time searching for something and more time doing theatre. While you are there, you can also have a little fun.
© Copyright 1995-1999 by Patrick M. Finelli. All rights reserved. These pages are protected by United States and international copyright laws. Copying or distribution by any means is strictly prohibited. Please send e-mail to finelli@satie.arts.usf.edu