The Talk Of The Town - Opening Programme

Men and Machines

 

The most obvious place to begin is in the Prompt Corner, which one might enliken to the Captain's Bridge. In this particular enterprise it is really more of a room than a corner, measuring approximately 8'6" x 9', and situated on the audience's right-hand side of the stage. The main piece of equipment here is a manual Control Desk which operates the 20 motors, which together average 170 horsepower. They are used solely to operate the lifts, slides, bridges, chandeliers and other moving equipment on the stage. A picture of the Control Desk can be seen on the next page. There are 22 contactor control switches placed in two banks, one on the operator's right and one on his left. In the centre of the panel is the rheostat control for the 11 motors which operate the 10-panel contour curtain. The looped chain is set on this panel into the pattern it is desired to reproduce on the actual stage curtain. Merely by operating the buttons down the right hand side of the centre panel, various motors are set in motion and cause the chain pattern to be reproduced in the contour curtains - but 24 times larger. Along the bottom of the centre panel are a further set of 5 contactor control switches which operate the various other curtain arrangements on the stage.

On the wall immediately behind the operator is situated a six-way talk-back sound system through which the stage manager can give instructions to the lighting console situated on the floor immediately above his head; to the fly floor where is controlled the twenty-odd sets of counter weights, to which is attached the hanging scenery used in the production; to the spotlight boxes in the rear of the restaurant; to the understage for the rear orchestra lifts; and to the front stage directly under the dance floor, enabling him to talk to the mechanists working on the stage lift under the dance floor. This lift enables special effects to be brought up to stage level, and to form an apron stage, during the presentation of the show. Incorporated in this stage there is a revolving stage 18' in diameter. The sixth outlet is a cueing system to the dressing rooms and staff room.

This corner is controlled by the stage manager, Mike Hayman, who has been associated with Mr. Nesbitt in a number of his productions. The first qualification of such a man is a very retentive ear for music, as during the production scenes it is quite normal to have cues for changes of light occurring at the rate of three a minute and all of them occurring in time with the music.

Leaving the Prompt Corner and going to the lighting control console, it will be readily appreciated that this is laid out on the principle of a two-manual electric organ. From this is controlled the 176 lighting lanterns set in banks on the stage and out in the restaurant, in order to flood the stage at the touch of a button with 150,000 watts. The actions of the console operator are relayed through a complicated series of switch gear to the actual bank of dimmers situated in a room in the basement 120 feet away from the console itself. A picture of this room and the complicated switch gear is shown. The care and maintenance of all this equipment is only a part of the job of Ken Thompson and his staff who are also responsible for the maintenance of all the restaurant lighting and kitchen equipment, and many other electrical appliances necessary for the smooth operation of such a project as this.

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