Safety Cabaret (Rehearsal)

October 19, 9am – 5pm: Rehearsal
Rehearsal will focus on how all of those departments come together when the performer enters the equation. Using a real technical-rehearsal environment, participants will explore communication between performers, stage management, rigging, lighting, audio, scenic, and other production personnel.

The day creates space for questions that are often difficult to address during a normal production schedule. What information does lighting need from the performer? What does audio need before rehearsal begins? How do scenic or rigging decisions affect blocking? What does stage management need from each department? How should a performer ask about a technical element they do not understand? How should a technician explain a concern without relying on jargon? These conversations are valuable not only for performers, but also for technicians. A lighting technician benefits from understanding what the audio department is trying to accomplish. A rigger benefits from understanding how scenic and lighting departments use the equipment being supported. Stage management benefits from understanding where technical bottlenecks occur. Everyone benefits from knowing enough about the other departments to recognize when a decision may have consequences beyond their own work.

Participants may register for individual days or the full three-day event.
Registration and additional event information: Click for Details

Safety Cabaret is a hands-on, interactive training event designed for people throughout the live entertainment industry. Rather than separating performers, technicians, stage managers, and safety professionals into different classrooms, the program uses the real process of loading in, rehearsing, and loading out a production as the learning environment. A major focus of the event is cross-department education. Rigging, lighting, audio, carpentry, stage management, and other production departments are often highly specialized, but they depend on one another constantly. Safety Cabaret gives technicians the opportunity to learn more about what the other departments do, why they do it, what information they need, and how one department’s decisions can affect everyone else in the room.

In keeping with the event’s goal of making high-quality professional development as accessible as possible, Safety Cabaret will operate on a pay-what-you-want registration model. Participants can choose an amount that works for them, helping reduce financial barriers while still supporting the cost of producing the event. The goal of Safety Cabaret is simple: help the people who work onstage and backstage better understand one another’s jobs, communicate more effectively, and build safer productions together.

The three-day program follows the natural progression of a production.

The DeLong Foundation is a Bloomington-based nonprofit organization focused on providing affordable, high-quality training for technicians working throughout the live entertainment industry.
Backstage PASS develops performing arts safety and support programs focused on practical education, communication, and creating healthier production environments.
Risky Business Resources brings expertise in occupational safety, risk management, organizational culture, and the systems used to identify and manage hazards in the workplace.