Conquer Your Fears
The Guild, as theatres go, is not that big. "Imagine a black box..." with a roof about six metres high. Not that tall, right? Yet I've never really had the nerve (nor the excuse) to get up to the roof and do any sort of rigging for any of the productions I've worked on. In the past I've been pretty content to let other people (namely those who are (a) skinnier, (b) lighter, (c) not apparently as afraid of heights as I am) do the work up on high. But yesterday the 'Art' crew were bumping in and I said to Tim that I'd have to learn to hang tabs (curtains) one day. After a minute we decided that the next time he came down from the ladder, I would go up and finish it, and although that didn't quite go to plan, I ended up hanging the other black tab by myself (with James T on the floor, taking some of its weight) as well as climbing back up to adjust two white tabs; and later climbing up to start focusing the lights above the audience.
Just thinking about it now still gives me sweaty palms!
It's not that big a deal - I've seen lighting techs work much higher off the ground, and in more precarious positions that I was in (including the techs I've seen at concerts and performances who sit up high for the entire show, sitting on catwalks or laced into scaffolding working spotlights). It's almost like blood donation: it kind of scares the crap out of me, yet at the same time I find it incredibly fascinating and awe-inspiring; and all I can think is, "I want to try that".
Anyone who's ever worked in the Guild will knowing that hanging tabs and lights in there is not really a big deal, but for me yesterday it was another chance for me to tell me fears to bugger off for a little while and have a go at something I've wanted to try and hadn't. Now that I've done it once, I would have less hesitation about doing it again; although I can't guarantee that I still wouldn't be nervous and/or unknowledgable about it.
Now, back to my stupid English assignment!
Just thinking about it now still gives me sweaty palms!
It's not that big a deal - I've seen lighting techs work much higher off the ground, and in more precarious positions that I was in (including the techs I've seen at concerts and performances who sit up high for the entire show, sitting on catwalks or laced into scaffolding working spotlights). It's almost like blood donation: it kind of scares the crap out of me, yet at the same time I find it incredibly fascinating and awe-inspiring; and all I can think is, "I want to try that".
Anyone who's ever worked in the Guild will knowing that hanging tabs and lights in there is not really a big deal, but for me yesterday it was another chance for me to tell me fears to bugger off for a little while and have a go at something I've wanted to try and hadn't. Now that I've done it once, I would have less hesitation about doing it again; although I can't guarantee that I still wouldn't be nervous and/or unknowledgable about it.
Now, back to my stupid English assignment!