CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Wind Gust Topples Stage Canopy in NC, No One Hurt

FOH online: MercyMe band members and crew were performing a sound check at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 10 for a concert associated with the American Legion World Series when the event’s organizers noticed a wind shift and grew concerned about its intensity. Less than a minute after they evacuated the stage, a wind gust toppled the structure. The concert, also featuring Aaron Shust and The Afters, was canceled.

3 comments:

dharan said...

They were really lucky. In a similar case about a year and a half ago, a 20-year-old Israel Defense Forces officer was killed after a 50 something foot tall high steel lighting rig collapsed above a stage during a rehearsal for an Independence Day ceremony that was due to take place the next week. It was a really bad accident.

Unknown said...

Wow, just goes to show that we need to know other things besides just theater. Nature can sometimes be our worst enemy. I remember having the power go out at a dance concert rehearsal once, and it was really bad for all the dancers on stage. All the techies rushed out with flashlights in hand, yelling for them all to stop moving. Good thing we had most things glow taped, so we were able to evacuate the auditorium. Seriously, who builds an auditorium with no emergency lights!?!

Unknown said...

I've started to notice this occurrence pop up more and more. It really concerns me that massive structures suspending pounds upon pounds of equipment above performers and audience members can just topple so easily. Personally, I believe that this shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to stage setup.