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  • 1.  Backdrop Lift

    Posted 12-18-2019 11:58
    Although we have a beautiful and modern high school theater that I am so grateful for, it doesn't have a fly system, so hanging backdrops has been...dangerous.  Last year we rented a backdrop lift from Grosh, which was wonderful, but the cost of shipping was astronomical.  To save money, I went and picked the lift and our rented backdrop up from Indiana, then drove them both back.  However, I don't really want to take a personal day, put miles on my car while hauling a trailer, pay for gas out-of-pocket, and drive over three hours one-way, all to do it again a week later.  Plus, based on what someone told me when they bought theirs from Grosh, it would pay for itself after three shows.
    Does anyone have a company from which we could look into purchasing a backdrop lift?  Grosh used to sell them, but they told me they stopped and only do rentals now.  Alternately, we could possibly build one, but I've looked online for plans and couldn't find anything suitable.  Our kids and parents are pretty handy, even though we don't have any sort of tech class.  It would need to be able to lift a 40' backdrop at least 17'.  Any suggestions/resources would be much appreciated!
    Thanks in advance.


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    Katherine Lowther
    Fine Arts Department Chair
    Winchester, KY
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  • 2.  RE: Backdrop Lift

    Posted 12-19-2019 09:29
    Hi,

    A question. Does your theatre have battens from which a drop could be hung? If yes, why not hang it from one of those.
    If your theatre is "dead hung", as you describe this would require the use of a personnel lift but likely your district already
    has one of those.

    Also, you might wish to reach out to Mark Shanda, Dean of Fine Arts at UK. Mark is a great resource for all things technical.

    Thanks,

    Dana

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    Dana Taylor
    Dana W. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    Evansville IN
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Backdrop Lift

    Posted 12-22-2019 05:04

    In general, backdrops are a very low over-all weight, so it is likely that a permanent set of pulleys (blocks), a batten, and a means to safely raise and lower the batten could be installed for a fairly low cost.  This may be a cost that, when amortized over the foreseeable future of the performance space, is much less than renting and setting-up some temporary rigging for every show.  It certainly would reduce the labor (and time = money) and increase the safety of the operation.

    Can you post a picture that shows the typical installation when viewed from the front and from the side?

    Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this in more depth.



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    Erich Friend
    Theatre Consultant
    Teqniqal Systems
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    Original Message


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