The theatre is the funnest (can you believe ‘funnest’ passed my spell check?) building in the school. I’m not one of those Chicken-Little-alarmist folks but it’s probably also the most dangerous place in the school. Combine a group of Mountain Dewed teenagers with thousands of watts of electricity, an unguarded four-foot drop, and several hundred pounds of scenery constructed by the same group of teenagers, and you have what looks like a recipe for disaster.
Despite all the dangers, you don’t hear about too many serious accidents in school theatres. Theatre teachers are to be commended for instilling the discipline needed to stay safe in the theatre.
If you want to keep up to date with theatre safety, then you should check out Erich Friend’s Theatre Safety Blog. If you’re looking for some tips I highly recommend subscribing.
I learned about it this past January at the TETA Conference in Dallas and made a mental note to share it with you, but time slipped away and I’m about eight months late. Oops.
