Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century: Compilation of Work on Rigging Practices, Safety, and Related Topics

318 Pages·2014·5.635 MB·English

by  Bill Sapsis

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Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century
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Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century
Compilation of Work on Rigging Practices, Safety, and Related Topics

Edited by Bill Sapsis
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First published 2015
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
and by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in
research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods,
compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of
others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
21st century: compilation of rigging practices, safety, automation, and
related issues / edited by Bill Sapsis.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-415-70274-4 (pbk) – ISBN 978-0-203-79541-5 (ebk)
1. Hoisting machinery–Rigging. 2. Theaters–Stage-setting and scenery–
Safety measures. I. Sapsis, Bill, editor.
TA660.C3E58 2015
790.028′4–dc23 2014018242
ISBN: 978-0-415-70274-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-79541-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Minion
By Keystroke, Station Road, Codsall, Wolverhampton
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Contents

List of Contributors
Foreword
MONONA ROSSOL
1 Forces and Formulas
ROCKY PAULSON
2 Structural Behavior
BILL GORLIN
3 Lighting Truss
TRAY ALLEN
4 Arena Rigging
ROY BICKEL
5 Outdoor Roof Structures
KEITH BOHN
6 Counterweight Rigging
KAREN BUTLER
7 Aerialist Rigging
STU COX
8 Performer Flying
JOE MCGEOUGH
9 Stage Automation
SCOTT FISHER
10 The Mechanics of Stage Automation
DAN CULHANE
11 Training in the 21st Century (US version)
EDDIE RAYMOND
12 Training in the 21st Century (UK version)
CHRIS HIGGS
13 Working Safely at Height
BILL SAPSIS
14 Medical Issues in Fall Arrest/Rescue
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CARLA D. RICHTERS
Index
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List of Contributors

ROCKY PAULSON
Rocky Paulson started rigging in 1969 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. In 1973 he became a member of
IATSE. That same year he went to work for NBC as a rigger for the Disney on Parade shows, as well as
working as a production rigger on NBC’s production of Peter Pan. After traveling on several continents with
these shows, Rocky did many rock tours. In 1977 he formed the first entertainment rigging production
company. Since that time Stage Rigging has maintained its position as one of the most respected rigging
companies in the US. At the end of 2005, Rocky retired from Stage Rigging, but has continued teaching
activities.
BILL GORLIN
Bill Gorlin serves as McLaren Engineering Group’s vice-president of the Entertainment Division. A graduate
of Cornell University in engineering, he is registered as a professional engineer in ten states and is a board-
certified structural engineer. His more than 27 years of experience include engineering of scenic,
entertainment, and amusement structures, staging, rigging, buildings, show action equipment, architectural
theming, sculptures, and other frameworks, nationwide and worldwide.
Bill is a member of the PLASA NA Rigging Working Group, the Performer Flying and Temporary
Structures Task Groups; American Society of Civil Engineers; Cornell Society of Engineers; and Structural
Engineers Association of New York. He has published articles in Architecture Week and Structural Engineering
Forum, and is a frequent lecturer at various universities and industry conventions.
TRAY ALLEN
Tray Allen became involved with theatre while attending David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
His first lighting truss hang was at this university and involved 20′ of truss and two crank-up lifts. After
graduating with a BSc in Engineering Science he worked for Bradfield Stage Lighting in Nashville, then as a
master electrician for Opryland USA. After getting married, Tray moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, and, in
1992, went to work for James Thomas Engineering.
ROY BICKEL
Roy Bickel’s career started more than 50 years ago as a circus performer whose skills included trapeze,
trampoline, and human cannonball. He started rigging with the circus and then moved on to become the first
rigger for Disney on Parade. He was also the first large arena tour rigger in the USA and was the first to
introduce fixed length wire rope slings and sling color-coding. Roy also worked on a number of Broadway
show including Chicago, The Wiz, and Truckloads. Roy introduced to the industry many of the practices still in
use by riggers today. After 50 years in the industry, Roy is still rigging for conventions, corporate events, and
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tours.
KEITH BOHN
Keith Bohn has been in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years. During this time he has been
involved in the use, manufacturing, and design of structural rigging solutions ranging from simple truss to
complex, permanently installed structures. Keith has also served the industry through PLASA as a principle
voting member for the Rigging Working Group since 1998, and has chaired the task group assigned to create
and revise ANSI E1.21-2013, Temporary Structures Used for Technical Production of Outdoor
Entertainment Events. A founding contributor of the Event Safety Alliance, he has contributed on a number
of topics contained in The Event Safety Guide. Additionally, he has taught classes on the safe use of truss and
outdoor structures worldwide.
KAREN BUTLER
Karen Butler lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and has been working in the entertainment industry since 1983. She
has had the opportunity to work in all facets and departments for music, dance, movies, commercials,
industrials, trade shows, and—her first love—theatre. In 1986, Karen became a proud member of IATSE
Local 336. In 1990 she created Suddenly Scenic and has worked as a scenic artist for 25 years. She is the
master scenic for Phoenix Theater and Childsplay Inc.
In 1996, Karen became part of the team to reopen the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix as the house steward
and head flyman. It was during this period that Karen became part of the ETCP Theatrical Rigging
committee; first as an SME, then as chair.
STU COX
Stu Cox has traveled the planet as a ZFX flying director, rigging and choreographing performer flying effects,
along with aerialists, oversized inflatable scenery, 500′ motorized zip lines, and no shortage of flying monkeys,
ghosts, angels, and Peter Pans. He received a BFA in Theatre Design and Production from the University of
Louisville. He has worked with Wicked, the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Green Day’s American Idiot, Fox
Sports, and FIFA. Stu is an ETCP theatre and arena rigger, and is an ETCP recognized trainer. He is a
member of USITT, CITT, and PLASA. In his downtime, Stu snowboards and spends time with his family
in Ontario, Canada.
JOE MCGEOUGH
Joe McGeough is director of operations for Foy Inventerprises, Inc., based in Las Vegas. Over the years, Joe
has worked on the development of new flying systems for productions worldwide, and has collaborated on
hundreds of productions for Foy, including shows on Broadway (American Idiot, The Lion King, Mary Poppins,
Tarzan the Musical), concert tours (The Backstreet Boys’ Into the Millennium World Tour), television (The
Drew Carey Show, The Grammy Awards, The American Music Awards), international productions (Wicked in
Tokyo), seasonal shows (The Flying Angels at the Crystal Cathedral and Phoenix First Assembly of God, The
Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, The Shoji Tabuchi Show in Branson, MO), theme parks (Finding
Nemo at Disney’s Animal Kingdom), industrials (The Microsoft Global Summit), special events (Olympic Torch
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Relay in Times Square, Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show) and more than a dozen Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
SCOTT FISHER
Scott Fisher is the founder of Fisher Technical Services and a pioneer in the development of theatrical and
rigging automation systems. A 25-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Scott and the Fisher Technical
team have provided cutting-edge automation systems to hundreds of theaters, theme parks, motion pictures,
and attractions, and the systems and techniques developed at Fisher Technical continue to be used throughout
the entertainment world today.
DAN CULHANE
Dan Culhane is currently the technical business development manager at SECOA Inc. Prior to this he spent
more than 11 years as SECOA’s engineering manager. He is an ETCP-certified rigger for theater and a
subject matter expert. Dan has spent 15 years as a technical director working for theatres across the country
including the Guthrie Theater and the Children’s Theatre Company, in Minneapolis, MN.
He serves on the PLASA Technical Standards Program, Rigging Working Group and chairs the task
group revising the standard for fire safety curtains. He is a member of the Stage Lift Working Group. Dan
also is on the board of directors for USITT and serves as treasurer. He is a member of the UL Standards
Technical Panel for Fire Doors (STP 10), and serves as an alternate committee member to the NFPA
Technical Committee on Fire Doors and Windows.
EDDIE RAYMOND
Eddie Raymond is a lifelong San Francisco Bay Area resident, graduating from and attending postgraduate
work in education at UC Berkeley. He has been a stagehand with Local 16 of the IATSE since 1975. After
graduating the Apprentice Program at Local 16, Eddie became involved as a member of the examining board
in 1981 and served as the chair of that committee from 1984 until February of 2014. Since 1981 he has been a
leader in the progressive improvement of stagehand training in Local 16 as well as in the International
Alliance. Currently he serves the IATSE as a member of their Career Advancement Program, providing
training and advising the IA’s Exhibition and Entertainment Joint Training Trust.
Eddie was a co-chair of PLASA’s ETCP rigging certification program and sits as a member of the ETCP
Council. He is the second term chair of PLASA’s North American Regional Board and sits on PLASA’s
governing body.
CHRIS HIGGS
Chris Higgs provided rigging for theatre, corporates, television, and concert touring from the early 1970s to
the mid-1990s and is one of the founders of entertainment rigging training in the UK. Total Training started
in 1998, as part of the Total Solutions Group, and delivers training courses in the UK and overseas in rigging,
work at height, rescue, and inspection, amongst other associated subjects. The Total Training three-day
rigging course is unique in the world, being held at least three times monthly throughout the year.
BILL SAPSIS
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