Tacuna Systems: Theatergoers are familiar with moving sets – trap doors that lower and raise set pieces and actors themselves, sliding “walls” and “buildings,” moving vehicles, flying witches or chandeliers. This stage magic happens night after night, usually without incident despite the inherent dangers.
3 comments:
I like seeing a company created by someone who encountered a problem, whose life was influenced by that problem, and who decided they wanted to fix that problem for current and future theater generations. The largest issue I see with this company, however, is the high cost. Most theaters simply do not have the budget for this equipment, even though it would solve so many issues (low crew numbers, safety, etc.) Only large, Broadway-budget theaters could afford this. I appreciate the amount of thought put into the safety of the operations. Any time large equipment is being moved in an automated fashion, there’s the risk of things going wrong. Having both automatic sensors and the ability to manually stop the equipment makes it extra safe. I’d love to be in the room when an organization is discussing a possible project with Creative Connors, and see how it comes to life.
This is a fascinating article about a specific company’s solution to automation. While I take minor issues with the positioning of Creative Conners as this innovation to save the world, I believe the innovations they talk about in the article are really interesting. One specific thing I found of special interest is the pressure plate to detect if an actor or someone is standing in the way of a moving part to make sure that it is 100 percent safe to proceed with the automation. The idea to use the innovations in automation to help create a safer environment on stage by stopping the automation if someone is in the way is a really smart idea and I hope to see more safety features like this in use on both large and small scales as safety is not often a top priority despite the fact that it definitely should be.
Making rigging more and more accessible to the masses is a great thing because it allows smaller theaters the ability to create effects that would have otherwise been impossible. That being said, the most important part of rigging is that it is conducted safely. Unlike the title of this article, if a rig is not safe the show must not go on. It is easy for amateurs who do not fully understand the purpose of equipment to use it in ways that may not be safe and could potentially hurt, maim, or kill someone.
That being said, I think that the inclusion of smart sensing and software into this equipment makes it much more reasonable to market it to a larger audience. If a winch can measure its load and ensure that it is operating well within its load capacity it is a lot safer to use for a lot more people. That being said, there is now another thing that can break and cause the winch to not work.
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