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  Teqniqal Systems

See Hear Do

www.teqniqal.com

P.O. Box 126287 Fort Worth, Texas 76126 817.249.4024

Consul tants Special iz ing in Performing Arts Technology and Safety

It takes a lot of close coordination to pack all of theproduction support equipment into a small space while

keeping it functional for the school staff.

Systems that do not serve the needs of the various users end-up being a

liability rather than a benefit.  Theatre people are ‘make-do’ folks that tend to

sacrifice safety for the sake of putting-on a show. It’s not a conscious effort to be unsafe,

but the results are the same: Extension cords are strewn about due to improper placement

of receptacles, un-needed equipment is haphazardly piled-up to get it ‘out of the way’,and work paths become blocked with last year’s scenery and props because there are too

few places to put them (theatre people are pack rats, too – they are proud of their work 

and want to keep everything because they “just know that they will need it again

someday”). Band, choir, and other assembly presentations have their own unique set of 

operational equipment and needs, as well. When each group has to ‘work-around’ all of 

the other user’s equipment and clutter, it becomes more difficult to mount a professional

show for the audience.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  Good production environments can bring-out the

best in the student’s abilities, be it a performance or an awards ceremony. The parentsask for little:

•  They want to clearly see and photograph their children.

•  They want to hear the little voices in what seems like a big room.

•  They expect the facility to be safe.

With proper stage lighting, staging & risers, contrasting masking drapes, and lights that

do not glare in the audiences’ eyes, we can provide the visual content that the audience

can enjoy. Likewise, low noise air supply systems, good acoustics, and well-designed

sound reinforcement systems can allow the audience to hear the subtle nuances of voices,

instruments, and sound effects. Proper venue layout means safer operations.

We can help.  We provide that bridge between the production environment and the

architecture / engineering demands of a project. We guide and advise your design team

so that buildings are conducive to teaching, learning, and presenting. Power, doors,

floors, paint, HVAC, plumbing, you-name-it – it all affects the way a space is useful - or

useless- when they are “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

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Teqniqal Systems We Fix Broken Theatres

Teqniqal Systems, LLC 

It doesn’t end there.  Production systems must be tailored to each space. Cookie-

cutter systems won’t do. Teqniqal Systems produces detailed construction documents

that define the equipment, connections, and placement so that infrastructure is properly

integrated without painting the owner into a corner for future upgrades or expansion. We

know how they’ll use it (even if they don’t), so we plan for tomorrow as you build fortoday.

Older facilities need love, too. In the flurry of new construction, many owners

forget about the older buildings in their system. Hand-me-down buildings can be a big

problem: What was originally the High School, became the Junior High, then the Middle

School, and now the 6th

Grade Center.  Not only are the new users younger, they are

 physically smaller and have fewer hazard recognition skills. If you combine this with

equipment that is much older, and that may not even be safe (by today’s standards), and

you have a recipe for disaster. To further compound the problem, the teaching and

maintenance staff may not fully comprehend the skills needed to operate and support theequipment they have inherited. And finally, the old users of the facility probably had

poor safety habits and may have “made-do” for a long time hoping to move into their

new facility. Now you have two problems: The new users of the old building don’t

know what they have or how to use it safely; and the old users at the new building have

brought all of their old, and likely ‘bad’ habits with them.

What’s a school district to do?  Assessment and training are what we recommend.

A Facility Assessment will carefully look at what the building and equipment conditions

are, and interview the staff to see what skill sets they have to manage and operate it. Be

the facility new or old, and the staff green or seasoned, there are always items to beaddressed. A ‘street-to-the-alley’ review of the schools district’s venues will reveal many

areas of concern. A thorough, objective report can identify hazards, failing equipment,

inappropriate equipment, and procedural problems. This can provide the Owner and

Design Team a clear idea about what needs removed, repaired, replaced, or upgraded;

and can guide an Owner regarding programmatic issues like staffing, training, and record

keeping so that work can be planned-for and budgeted.

Please keep in touch. We’d love to work with you to realize your production potential

and help you work toward operating more efficient, safer facilities.

And if you get a moment, visit our Theatre Safety Blog at:

www.TheatreSafetyBlog.blogspot.com

Play Safe!  See Hear Do 

We connect Fine Arts and Architecture — from tutus & tubas to tubaforz & tile.