Student
Technical
Pack
For Assessed
Performances
Contents
Page
Introduction
2
Production planner
3
Contact details_______________________________ 4
Cue Sheets
5
Jubilee Theatre Rules and Regulations
7
Appendix
Cue Sheet
Props list
Technical Questionnaire
Theatre and Studio Theatre Floorplans
I
II
III
IV
1
Introduction_and General Information_________________________
This information pack is designed to provide you with all the information and documentation you
need to put on a performance in one of the Jubilee Spaces. Although comprehensive it is not
exhaustive. We encourage you to come and speak to the technical team on any aspect of
technical theatre you would like more information on.
Production Meetings
Production meetings are important for both you and the technical team. They give you the
opportunity to find out what it is possible to do in your performance and they give the technicians
an idea of what will be required by you and what equipment needs to be prepared.
Your final Production meeting is normally in week 10. This will be your last official meeting so you
will need to know exactly what technical requirements you’re going to need for your performance.
Technical Rehearsal
It is vital that everyone arrives on time for their technical rehearsal with all necessary preparations
having been made. All your props and costumes should have been sourced, set built and cue
sheets for sound and lighting complete. Any lighting or sound operators whether from within or
outside the group must also be in attendance.
Performance
Performances will where possible take place in the evenings for invited audiences. It is expected
that the group performing will arrive at least an hour and a half before the show, longer if there is
a lot of set or props to get ready. Each group will be asked to provide 2 ushers for another groups
show. The ushers will be in charge of organizing the audience coming in and leaving a
performance and dealing with late comers. Full usher duties will be explained to those who
volunteer.
Technical Support
It is a requirement, although un-assessed that you have at least 1 production meeting, even if you
think you don’t require support. It allows the technical team to advise you on whether anything
you’re doing contravenes health and safety requirements. Unfortunately failure to do this will
result in you not being able to use any props, set or lighting whatsoever for your performance.
2
Production Planning______________________________________
When planning your performance you will need to spend some time thinking about the
various technical elements of the piece. In order to assist in this process we have
suggested an in-exhaustive list of things you may want to consider.
Lighting
The lighting in each studio space can change at anytime and is used simultaneously for
two or three different courses at any one time. This means that there often has to be
some degree of similarity between the lighting for groups performing around the same
week.
When designing the look of your show and deciding what lighting to use it is worth
spending time thinking about the following;
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How the lighting can help set the mood, tone and rhythm of the piece.
How the lighting can be used to signify and heighten actors emotions.
How the lighting can draw an audiences attention to a particular area of the
stage.
The significance of colour and how it can be used to achieve the above.
The lack of coloured light and how that affects a space.
Using lighting to set the time of day, location and setting for a piece.
How and when you need blackouts?
What type of lighting will start and end the show.
Sound
When using sound it is best to put all music and sound effects onto one cd in sequential
order. When considering sound for your performance, think about;
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What equipment you will need.
How you will cue sound in the show.
Checking that your sound media works in the equipment you intend to use for the
performance.
You should avoid using rewritable cds known as CDRWs as the theatre cd players don’t
always play them.
Set and Props
The first thing you should consider when starting to think about your set, props and
costume is budget. It is not normally very much but with a little imagination solutions can
normally be found. Consult with Victoria, the scenic designer early on in the process as
she can guide you and advise you on how to achieve the scenic elements you require.
3
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Remember you will to book time in the workshop if you want to use it.
You will also need to book time if you want to look through the costumes.
You should try and have regular meetings with the scenic designer.
All props/set need to be flamed proof before your tech which can take up to a
couple of days.
Remember the technical team is here for your benefit, to help and advise you on all
aspects of performance.
Contact Details___________________________________
Contact details
Costume, Workshop, Set meetings: v.lewis@roehampton.ac.uk
Sound recoding: j.mann@roehampton.ac.uk
Lighting: j.wilson@roehampton.ac.uk
Phone number: 02083925046
Location of office: Opposite the jubilee building.
4
Cue Sheets______________________________________________
A cue sheet can be defined as a sequential list of changes running through a
performance. It can be used to document lighting changes, sound changes,
special effects and set movement. They are used by technicians to ‘run’ a show
and get all the elements of the show in the correct order at the correct time.
Large shows have a single cue sheet on which all the cues for all the elements
are listed, along with the position in the script at which they happen. This is
referred to as the book and is used by the stage manager to call the show, a
process by which each cue is relayed back to the various operators running the
show.
Example of a simple lighting cue sheet.
Cue
Act
Number Scene
LX 34
Ac I
ScIII
LX 35
AcI
ScIII
LX 36
AcI
ScIII
Cue Point
Page Cue Description
The stage left door is
shut
Stuart says “Shall we go
outside?”
Music stops
19
Hall light is dimmed to 30%
20
Lights in lounge dim slowly
and lights in bedroom go on.
All stage lights dim to black
and audience lights come up.
20
Example of a simple sound cue sheet.
Cue
Act
Number Scene
SX 15
Act I
Sc III
Cue Point
Page Cue Description
At start of scene when
lights go up.
22
SX 16
5 seconds after lightning
is seen on stage.
Janet says “how are we
going to get home now?”
23
SX 17
Act I
Sc III
Act I
Sc III
30
Sound of birds and gentle
wind which carries on for
5m35s.
Crack of thunder
Sound of car pulling up and
stopping.
Cue number – The number of the next cue. The prefix can be LX, SX, FX or Rail (used
for fly cues).
Act/Scene – The act and scene in which the cue takes place.
Cue point – The specific point in the performance at which the cue will take place.
Page – Page number of the script.
Cue Description – Description of what changes will take place during the cue.
5
Example of a stage manager’s Book
Fly in moonlight backcloth - Rail 4
Bring up lights for Scene II - LX 8 and
Fade in night time noises - SX 4
Bring up a flickering light to – LX 9
represent a candle behind Juliet
Sound effect of an owl - SX 5
hooting
SCENE II. Capulet's orchard.
Enter ROMEO
ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
JULIET appears above at a window
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. etc etc
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
JULIET
Ay me!
ROMEO
She speaks:
O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o'er my head
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
Producing a cue sheet will help you to focus on exactly how you want your performance
to look and sound. It is vital to have provisional copies for the Technical Rehearsal as it
will cut down on the amount of time you spend creating cues. Using the provisional
copies as a basis to start from cues can be added or removed from your list and a final
working copy can be produced.
When filling in a cue sheet include as much information as possible. Specify exactly what
you want to happen on stage and when you want it to happen. You might find it helpful
to include a TIME column so you can specify how long you want a cue to last. For
example you might want to fade the lights out at the end of a show slowly so a fade time
of 10 seconds might be required.
Bear in mind that a cue sheet may have to be used by someone other than you so making
it easy to understand is important. Also it’s not unheard of for a first time lighting or
sound operator to get flustered during a live performance and having a well prepared cue
sheet will help alleviate some of the panic.
For performances at Roehampton it is probably best to create a separate cue sheet for the
sound and lighting adding any special effect cues to the lighting cue sheet.
We’ve included a standard Roehampton cue sheet within this pack. It can be used as it is
or expanded or changed to create a custom one that best suits the needs of your
production.
6
General Rules and Stipulations for Performances in the Jubilee Theatre
Props
Any props used within a performance should be flame proofed. Certain personal items
may be exempt from this. If you are in any doubt check with a Roehampton Technician.
Glass props will only be allowed in circumstances where there is no risk of breakage.
Plastic alternatives are preferable.
Props made from expanded polystyrene should either by covered with an appropriate
outer material or avoided.
Set
Any set used within a performance should be flame proofed. This includes any furniture
and wooden, cloth or cardboard based sets.
The use of any scatter materials including all soil, sand, stones or leaves will have to be
authorized by a Roehampton Technician. Replica scenic alternatives are favored.
Weapons
Weapons including, knives, guns or sharp implements will only be allowed with an
appropriate risk assessment done by a Roehampton Technician.
Sharp kitchen knives, but not cutlery knives will be counted as weapons.
Smoking, Naked Flames and Pyrotechnics
Roehampton operate a no smoking and no naked flames policy. There are very good
electronic alternatives that can be brought or hired in as replacements. Pyrotechnics
should really be avoided but can be used in conjunction with an appropriate risk
assessment by a Roehampton Technician.
Electrical Items
Any electrical item being used in a performance should have had a PAT test within the
last 6 months prior to the performance.
Use of tape
We ask that only PVC and Gaffer tape are used to mark the floor and that it is removed
directly after a performance. Putting any type of tape on walls is not allowed. Any cables
crossing any part of the floor will need to be taped down.
Suspension
For those performances where an item is required to be hung from either the lighting
bars/curtain tracks or anywhere else in the roof there is a maximum weight limit of 15Kg
per item. The item should be suspended in a safe manner using professionally rated
equipment. Please ask for advice if necessary.
Use of minors (under 16s) in a performance
Any minor used in a performance should have been registered and given the appropriate
permissions from the necessary local authorities and the Roehampton Child protection
authorities.
Fire Exits
If any set or props are being used they have to be at least 1.1m away from any fire exits which
should all be kept clear at all times.
7
Appendix I
Standard Roehampton Cue Sheet
Show:
Cue
Number
Director:
Act/
Scene
Cue Point
Operator:
Page
Sheet number:
Cue Description
8
Appendix II
Props list________________________________________
The following list details those props that we already have for use in assessed
performances. They have all been fireproofed where necessary. In some
instances the prop could be modified or changed for a particular use.
Props
Bed
Bottles
Coffin
Cups
Doors
Flats
Gardening Box
Heads
Ironing board
Kitchen Ware
Large Mirrors
Masks
Metal Tub
Party Stuff
Pub bar
Shelves
Small Lights
Sport Items
Steps
Stools
Suitcases
Umbrellas
Watering Can
Quantity
1
6
1
3
5
box
1
1
box
6
5
1
1
1
2
box
2
3
4
1
9
Appendix III
Drama Department
Technical
Questionnaire
10
Drama Department Technical
Questionnaire
The technical questionnaire is designed to act as a Production File for your show.
When complete it should contain every detail of every aspect of your show such
that it could if required be replicated.
Performance Details
Title of
Production
Tutor
Performance
Space
Main student
contact
Email
Mobile
Show Details
Crew
Director
Stage Manager
Lighting Operator
Sound Operator
Cast
Actor
Character
List the names of anybody in the group not mentioned above.
11
Technical Details
Set and Props
List every component of your set and detail how it is to be constructed including materials
used. Mark on the ground plan where it is to be erected. If anything is to be hung describe the
method of suspension you will use.
Set details.
If you are using rostra list how many of each component part you intend on using.
Large rostra
Small rostra
Large steps
Small steps
Straight
R-angle hand
hand rails
rails
Qty:
Qty:
Qty:
Qty:
Qty:
Qty:
List every prop you intend to use remembering that anything you do use will have to be
flameproofed.
Prop list
Will you be painting the floor?
Yes
No
Sound
Describe what sound you will use and make a list of the sound equipment you’ll need.
Mention in your description where you intend to operate the sound from.
List of music and
sound effects.
Sound equipment
required.
12
Audio Visual (Camera’s Projectors etc)
Describe what audio visuals you want to use and exactly where they will be situated and
controlled from. If you’re using projectors or cameras where are they being projected onto?
DV Cameras
Qty required:
Location used:
LCD Projectors
Qty required:
Location used:
VHS Player
Qty required:
Location used:
DVD Player
Qty required:
Location used:
Any other equipment
required
Special Effects
Do you intend on using any of the following and if so how?
Smoke machine
Pyrotechnics
Real flames
Weapons
Strobe
Other, please state
Lighting
Describe what lighting you intend to use in terms of how you want the stage to look and feel.
Mark on the floor plan any specific areas you will need lit and what colours you’d prefer to
use.
Description of
lighting.
Specials (additional
lights used other
than those in the
general rig).
Additional electrical items
If you intend on using any electrical items in your performance list them below. It is a
requirement that any electrical item not provided by Roehampton will have to be electrically
tested before it is used.
Please use the space below to tell us anything else you think is relevant for the
technical team to know.
13
Appendix IV
Theatre and Studio Theatre Floorplans_______________
Studio Theatre
10.89m
10.10
6m
Studio 3
Theatre
8.420m
14.92m
17.07
2m
Studio 4
14