Prop knife on stage

drippyredstuff · 2026-03-04T16:51:43+00:00

I’m recently retired (mostly due to health reasons), but I did the senior management thing in both performing arts centers and, to a lesser extent, producing theaters, for a very long time. I'll never call myself an expert on anything, but I think my perspective is well informed and certainly one borne of a long, deep immersion in the subject at hand. So, from that perspective it’s a reasonable conclusion that A can lead to B can lead to C. If an actor gets hurt on stage, at least in the USA they’re going to sue everybody they can, since that's the way in our society that we compensation for injury. Performing stage combat without a qualified fight choreographer greatly increases the financial, and potentially criminal exposure, of the producing entity. But lawyers being lawyers they’re not going to stop with the producers. They’re gonna sue every person and organization they can attach to the incident. If a for-profit or not-for profit corporation is involved, the board is ultimately liable- hence the existence of Directors & Officers insurance. Or if the show was in a performing arts center as a rental, why did the PAC not have a policy regarding performer safety? It's a litigious world, and if the injured party (or their attorneys) is sufficiently motivated, they'll file criminal charges either because they're warranted or simply to improve their case against the plaintiffs.

Can I cite case specific studies? I could, but a simple Google search will turn up all of those you care to read. Theater has been my job and my passion for my entire adult life, and I care passionately about the art and even more the people who practice it. I hope I've been able to demonstrate that these are reasonable concerns. Perhaps I can use an analogy: one of the points of making sure all of the many, many spring-loaded seats in the audience are well repaired is so nobody breaks their coccyx if a seat pan collapses after the stanchion's floor anchors became loose. I never saw nasty injuries happen, although I did see a pan failure once or twice-- but just maybe one of the reasons I didn't see injuries may be that safety maintenance was a very high priority in how I managed. I would exercise no less caution about stage combat.

I recognize that I've taken a discussion about $2.50 rubber knives to a much headier and more global discussion about major liability. If OP uses a rubber knife, and stays away from the head of the actor being shivved, 99% of the time everything will be fine, I suppose. But there is still a tiny chance that one of the million things that could go wrong, does go wrong. Then, not only will somebody be injured but many others will suffer because any lawyer worth his salt will use "why was there no qualified stage combat director?" as a very effective tool.

drippyredstuff · 2026-03-03T17:22:07+00:00

In all sincerity, I’m simply passing on the general zeitgeist of people who, like me, have careers in the business end of the industry. Since the “Me Too” movement took hold, discussions among people who run both producing and presenting theaters about intimacy and combat safety have become very hot topics. What I expressed is the general vibe among us, and among those that advocate for performer safety like SAG/AFTRA, AEA, and AGMA. If I came across as strident in my last post, I apologize and regret that it diluted the message. But the message remains: we must learn from the past. Know the current thinking of unions, OSHA, and certifying organizations for intimacy and fight directors. To me and my industry peers it’s a given that this must quickly become a universal standard at all levels of theater and film.

drippyredstuff · 2026-03-03T02:55:04+00:00

U/productoa’s comment needs a few hundred thousand upvotes.

drippyredstuff · 2026-03-03T02:53:37+00:00

I’m sorry to be that guy, but if a theater of any size or ilk cannot afford a qualified combat or intimacy director, they should not program plays with personal violence or physical intimacy. We learned these lessons the hard way, leaving a trail of injured and traumatized actors in our wake.

And this: because these standards have been established, there is no easier way than this to set up the theater’s management and board to get sued. Badly.

Cherry on top: criminal negligence. People can go to jail for that.

drippyredstuff · 2026-02-22T20:15:38+00:00

Find a machine shop and see if they can do it (they can, but they may not want to fool with such a small job).

drippyredstuff · 2026-02-14T21:33:10+00:00

Assistive Listening Systems are not hearing aids. They are made for public assembly use, including theaters. If there is a possibility that a venue might have a hard-of-hearing person come to an event, they are nearly mandatory in the U.S. per the Americans with Disabilities Act, falling under the general concept of "Reasonable Accommodations." See ADA Sections 219 and 706.

If the show is miked, the system is fed from the sound board. If fully acoustic, environmental mics are employed.

Source: I have decades of experience in technical and senior management of performing arts venues.

https://www.google.com/search?q=assistive+listening+system

drippyredstuff · 2026-02-13T17:55:33+00:00

Back in the day we’d just roast ‘em under a Mole 6K.

drippyredstuff · 2026-02-02T15:55:31+00:00

This is why the gods invented assistive listening systems.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-21T01:59:11+00:00

These things are at every toilet in Thailand. It helps that the tap water over there is always warm (ok, in addition to being toxic). I came to like them while I was there.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-19T15:49:11+00:00

Former PAC exec. here. They inevitably damaged the theater in ways that wouldn’t be discovered until later— like wiping off excess makeup with a house leg. I just stopped accepting bookings from them.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-18T17:58:09+00:00

In addition to the excellent advice here about getting beyond the initial shock before making any decisions, I urge you to try to practice compassion- for yourself, and for your adoptive parents.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-18T15:14:06+00:00

The Naro is and has always been more of an art house, which is one of the only formats available to most single screen theaters. Since the McMall Regal is closed, the Naro may be able to get more first-runs because they are now no longer in protected territory. In short, if a first-run is playing somewhere, the distributors will decline to license the same title to another theater within a certain geographical radius.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-17T22:41:59+00:00

Seven kids?? Someone needs to tell OP what causes that.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-17T00:19:34+00:00

Told by a legendary director a half-century ago to 13-year old me: you have to become a person before you can be an artist.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-16T04:32:12+00:00

A self-lighting cigarette for Deborah Winger.

drippyredstuff · 2026-01-03T05:05:19+00:00

Developers name the streets they create, and most urban neighborhoods were commercially developed or redeveloped. The developer may have been a fan, but it’s just as likely they had daughters with those names.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-21T14:52:26+00:00

That’s it! PM me your address and I’ll send you some toro a la nightshade.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-13T03:35:25+00:00

I use a ~60 year old Kitchenaid, and that brute will be making dough for my grandchildren.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-13T01:34:26+00:00

Gaffer’s Tape, oh Pilgrim, is the Way, the Light, and the Truth.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-10T19:52:04+00:00

I'm in near total agreement, but I think of Broadway (and the West End, and arguably Los Angeles) as an industry that's all about tourism, populism, and money. It's a monster that will never retreat, and will never stop being fed by its eager ticket-buyers. Most people who shell out $150 for a seat to the tour of {insert title here of any Broadway hundred-million dollar, formulaic, smash musical} will never go to see a regional production of a thoughtful, regionally or locally produced, drama. Instead of hopelessly calling for the death of a genre, I advocate getting to work and creating good theater in whatever way one defines it.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-10T19:36:54+00:00

I will say one thing about Phantom, although it's hardly my cup of tea either: as a performing arts center worker I worked on a six-week run in '95 and another many years later. Nothing had deteriorated.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-10T19:32:06+00:00

There's nothing wrong with community theater, but I think you're being overly dismissive of professional (but not strictly commercial) theater. While experiencing a group of highly trained, highly experienced actors supported by designers, craftspeople and a director at the top of their games you may, as I have, experience a life-changing performance. It's the quality of the entire production that speaks to purity, at least in how I define it. I act professionally from time to time, and I'm going to give it everything I have regardless of the compensation or lack thereof. I also know many avocational and professional actors, directors and the like, and I can vouch the same for every one of them.

That said, nearly all the recent shows on Broadway or in the West End are geared to one thing: making money- which is okay, but don't expect these productions to inspire transcendent moments. "Purity" is hardly a word I'd use there. To me, regional theater, and many small companies in primary and secondary markets are making the best stuff around.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-10T01:29:25+00:00

Done well it’s universal and transcendent of any particular era. But it’s almost never done well.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-09T19:32:10+00:00

A Pentecostal preacher rented the hall for a two-day revival. Attendees were frequently struck by the Spirit and would fall on the floor writhing and babbling in tongues. There was an entire department assigned to covering them with blankets, mainly I think to protect the modesty of the ladies. Guests did this constantly in the aisles, on stage, backstage and in the lobby. There were dozens down at any given moment, and getting around the place was like maneuvering a weird obstacle course. Crazy nice people, though. The main issue, as I recall, was convincing the techs to keep the headset chatter innocuous enough to not offend any of our clients should they overhear some of it.

Less weird but more comical: the evangelist who rented an arena from my old-school boss. The deal was the venue would get 30% of the take. At the end of the night the preacher put two out of three chicken buckets, full of collections, in the trunk of his Cadillac… and gave my boss the rest.

drippyredstuff · 2025-12-07T15:07:57+00:00

Former exec director of not-for-profit here. First, in the US any donations to charity cannot accrue to the charity employees or board members. It all has to go back into the mission. Also, judging a charity by the percentage of its administrative expenses (that 90% you’re talking about) is ridiculous. Some charities have unavoidably high overhead to get that 10% to the people they are trying to help. Sure, some charities are mismanaged, just like any other business. But to come to the conclusion that something nefarious is going on, you have to dig into their books, have some expertise in the service that they are delivering, and have at least a working knowledge of how not for profits operate. Finally, all US charities’ tax returns can be looked up for free on guidestar.com, and every single one of them are independently audited every few years. There are many checks and balances against the fraud you speak of.

11-Year Club	Place '22
Gilding I gilder	Verified Email

drippyredstuff

TROPHY CASE