TheatreArtLife: Amidst all the automated lighting fixtures, automated scenery, and every conceivable high-tech toy now available to a modern theatrical production, the lowly tech table has lagged behind in terms of thought, consideration, and design.
As a theatrical lighting designer, I work at a tech table all day, 15 hours a day, six days a week, for at least one to two weeks. Without a doubt, my aching back, shoulders, and neck need help.
6 comments:
This concern may seem trivial, until one spends hours a day sitting at an uncomfortable tech table. I saw at CMU that some stage managers use foam cushions to provide more comfort, but this doesn’t solve the issue of the height of the table. Some of the solutions provided by the article on adding a chair wouldn’t apply to every theatre, as some have floors that curved up, rather than have steps up. This ergonomic concern should also be considered to individuals who have to sit in any uncomfortable position for extended periods of time, such as a spot op. The stretching suggestion is effective but should not serve as the sole solution. I have also heard of theatres that custom build their own tech tables to properly serve their spaces. However, this article showcases a traveling lighting designer who doesn’t always have the luxury. I admire the fact that he has thought to provide his own solutions.
While this may seem small, the idea of creating a comfortable tech table is much harder than it seems. Back at my high school, we went through many iterations of tech tables. When designing our final one, we started with traditional concepts. The table has to be bigger than a single row so it has to be able to "float" above the seats in the house. We created a huge table with a notch on the downstage side to sit on top of a row of seat backs and legs on the other side to keep it level. The depth of it, at four feet, allows you to have designers use a little over half the depth and other people to put stuff on the upstage side. The issue we ran into, and this is the common issue, was seating. People were sitting on top of the arms of the seats in order to be at the right hight. At first, we had just a board of wood that went over the armrests, but that wasn't comfortable. We ended up with a plank of wood with a back, and then we padded the entire thing for comfort. This proved to be a suitable solution that kept people sitting up in a comfortable way.
Tech tables are an incredibly important part of a show’s tech rehearsal process. Having all the designers close enough to each other and the stage manager makes all the difference in efficiency when a show is trying to get on its feet in the performance space. The fact that tech tables are rarely comfortable places to sit for long periods of time is most definitely a problem. Perhaps theatres could build their own tech tables that best suit their space, complete with padding on chairs and a normal, workable table height. However, Sidney makes a good point in saying that traveling designers would not always be able to reap the benefits of this, given that they work in so many spaces. Another possible solution to this issue could be bringing your own seat cushion, as I’ve seen many stage managers do here at CMU. Some mattress companies now make seat cushions designed to support people with back pain/problems.
This article brings up a great issue of the comfortability of tech tables. Team stage management uses a large piece of foam to sit on in the Chosky to deal with this issue. I’ve also seen people do a method similar to the one described in the article. However, this issue is so much bigger than the tech tables. It highlights the issue of how hard it is to get change done in an industry that is so based on institutional memory/traditions. It is so hard to get change done as the author of the article says that tech tables are such an afterthought. He isn’t wrong so many things in theatre are done rushed and in succession so there isn’t always lead-time to think about solving this issue. I have faith in one day there being a solution if not the solution already being out there in some small CORT or COST or SPT theatre just waiting to be brought out to the world.
The issue surrounding the comfort of the Tech Table is not one that I have ever given much thought to. Although, thinking back on all of the hours I have spent at a tech table, the thought of backaches is a consistent one. While I agree that this problem should have a solution in the making, the thought that a tech table should not be thought of as a temporary measure is a little absurd. A tech table is absolutely temporary and in some theatres, I have worked in, they just forgo a table altogether and have all of the designers and management communicate through com. This is also not an ideal solution but the article does raise awareness to a growing problem that seems to have been ignored for years in the past. The amusing picture inserted into the article of one of the many ways people have tried to make themselves more comfortable is very relatable.
I loved seeing this article because the tech tables at my high school were a continual source of frustration both for me and for everyone else who used them throughout the year. Their large size and high positioning meant that just sitting in the house seat made it difficult to reach a computer sitting on it and impossible to see the stage without either bringing in cushions or constructing another temporary seat over the house seat, which inevitably brought back pain and other symptoms of uncomfortable seating along with it. The article brings up a really good point about an issue that we kind of forget about- it’s not a big deal until you realize just how much time we really spend sitting at tech tables during the tech process. Due to their temporary nature, though, it feels like a very fleeting problem and therefore probably won’t be solved on anything more than a theater-by-theater basis.
Post a Comment