The technical information package often provides the first contact that a touring sound crew has with a given performance facility.
This is often called “advancing the show,” and can be vital to the success (or failure) of both sound quality of the production, as well as addressing important factors such as the speed and efficiency of the system load-in and set-up.
In a perfect world, the sound mixer/designer for a touring production will receive a copy of an in-depth description of the venue’s technical package well in advance of arriving on site. Any concerns can be addressed well before load-in. A nice benefit of our current era of electronic communication is that some venues already have this information available at any time, either posted on a web site or capable of being sent via e-mail.
In my experience as head sound engineer at a large live performance theatre, however, I’ve found that touring personnel often walk into a venue “cold” or with just a hazy memory of the last time they worked in the room.
As a result, the first thing I do after “meet and greet” – and before a single box or rack comes through the door – is to hand the visiting sound crew leader a folder containing all information about the room that could be wanted/needed. I back this up with a brief verbal rundown of the most important items, focusing in particular on potential trouble spots.
IN THE DETAILS
No matter when received, the tech package can be a great reference tool for both the touring sound crew as well as the house engineer. With that in mind, it’s important to list both information considered essential as well as that of a less-essential nature. Victory often resides in the details.
I’ve put a fair amount of time and thought into generating the technical info package for our venue. Two things to keep in mind here. First, my approach isn’t the only way to go about it, but can at least serve as a guideline as to what a package should include. Second, both touring and house staffs can benefit by being keenly aware of the specifics of a given venue, leading to better shows. And that, after all, is the object of the exercise.
Here’s how I’ve gone about assembling the technical package supplied to visiting personnel. Listing is done front to back, in the order it appears in the documentation.
Cover page. Right up front, all of the basic and most requested information, and in large, clear type. Remember, this is going to be read by a person with way too little sleep, sometimes way too early in the morning or too late at night, so keep it simple.
A list of the names of house personnel is a good starting point. Contact information for house sound crew, including e-mail and cell phone or pager numbers are vital. Make sure to include the name of the venue’s head rigger, head fly man, and head carpenter (if any).
