Sunday, October 26, 2008
Walk Quietly When You’re Over the House
LiveDesign: "A theatre’s catwalk isn't likely to be something to get a prospective donor to open a checkbook or a publicist to write an inspiring marketing piece, but it’s an important part of the facility that affects its function. Straight or curved, expanded steel deck, plywood or concrete, removable rails or fixed. There are lots of choices."
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I'm not sure if you were describing this, but in the Chosky, there is the tension grid strung with air craft cable. As far as my understanding goes, it is virtually silent. I really like that setup, because it gives you the flexibility to hang lights up there without worrying about shadows cast from the cables onstage. I'm not exactly sure how that would translate into the space propsed by the case study, but I think that a setup similar to the one in the Chosky would do the trick. If there were problems with table legs falling through the holes on the grid, you might be able to create larger bases for them out of plywood, or something similar.
This is talking about perforated steel panels, and yes they are noisy. Plywood is also noisy, as is concrete up to a certain thickness. The ideal situation is not to have people on your catwalks during performances. If you really want a quiet catwalk you should be looking at two solid planes separated by a dense filler material like sand. But apparently the phrase "tread lightly" is now only a figure of speech.
I definitely think that Aaron has a good point, the boards probably shouldn't be up on the catwalks in the first place. They described the extremely flexible space, but the control booth is on the ground level which seems more limiting than anything else. The issue with putting the booth on the second level is getting the board ops a good visual of the entire space. If the money and the complications were ever worked out, a mobile control booth is a thought.
above anonymous is me.
Yes its true the tension grid is very quiet and good for not casting shadows, but I feel that a sturdier structure is somewhat better because it makes whoever is up there feel more secure. I feel much more secure on the Rauh grid then I do on the Chosky tension gird. Then again, maybe I should just suck it up, but I feel that other people in the theatre world would agree with me.
The tension grid has definite advantages, but many theaters that aren't CMU related have catwalk systems that aren't quite as advanced. I've worked on shows where people have been in the catwalks during the run, and one of the problems I've found is not just in the noise, but also the potential for loose items overhead of the audience. That can be a real dealbreaker for directors considering the advantages and disadvantages of having people overhead.
I wonder if the curvature of the catwalk makes it difficult to have a tension grid. I'm not so sure about the physics of it, but I feel like the square structure must lend itself to something important. I think if they were eventually going to cover it with plywood and carpet, they may as well have covered it in the first place, although the temporary nature of the plywood would make it easier if a new lighting designer wanted to do something with the catwalk. It's a hard call, but I think it just depends on what you want and what you plan to use the catwalk for.
I think tension grid was ruled out because of initial cost versus catwalk, and if the catwalk rings the space, it's possible that at some point, they might have wanted the option to perform up there. If an audience sees an actor bouncing about, they might get nervous, but above all, the actor would feel uncomfortable and unable to do their job.
Catwalks I have found to be one of the most argued about aspects in constructing a theatre. Almost every space I have worked in has had not only a different type of catwalk but also a different arrangement. While as a LD I really enjoy the aspects of a tension grid from the ability to place a light anywhere, the one issue I have with it is the light shown on the actual grid. I find that it is a little bit distracting in the house. Again though, how do you weigh this against a traditional catwalk system. As for 'flooring' I am not a huge fan of the gridded/extruded steel as I find it hard on the knees and stuff tends to fall through. I have heard other options like black carpet upside down so that it is black to the audience but gives you a solid surface on top. Again this is a complete design decision and is dependent on the space.
Although I agree that the design of a catwalk can be important to the overall design of a theatre, I don't think it needs to be the primary concern. Money and safety should absolutely be taken into account first. Then, one can start to look at the aesthetic it creates. I simply have never been in a theatre and looked at the catwalk design.
I’m impressed to hear that theatrical consulting firms are doing research into what theatrical professionals want in their work spaces. I wonder what else is on the list of projects to research. I hope elevators to grids becomes the new fad.
Someone on the stagecraft list mentioned a while ago the idea of using face-down black carpet to have a removable cover for expanded or grid steel catwalks. That seemed like a nice idea for comfort. Kneeling on steel frames is rarely comfortable.
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