Oh You Beautiful Stage
Setting Line Principal, Craig Gamble was the Lead author for the 2012 rewrite (the red book) and the 2019 (the blue book) updated editions of “Oh You Beautiful Stage” Australian Design and Technical Benchmarks for Performing Arts Centres, for the Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres (VAPAC).
An internationally benchmarked document, “Oh, You Beautiful Stage!” is a unique guide to theatre design combining general advice with specific, detailed information about these complex spaces and their requirements. Providing industry acknowledged benchmarks for built form, infrastructure and equipment provisions OYBS has become a standard reference document for theatre venue design briefs and specifications.
“Oh, You Beautiful Stage is available from VAPAC. http://vapac.org.au/oh-you-beautiful-stage/
Metro Arts Sponsorship
Setting Line is a Strategic Partner sponsor of Metro Arts, a space at the fore of presenting and developing contemporary arts in Queensland. Through Setting Line's sponsorship, director Craig Gamble is providing pro bono support to lead the design and development of a theatre, all backstage spaces, two galleries, rehearsal rooms and offices for new home for Metro Arts, Queenslands leading multi-arts organisation.
We are advising on all performance and presentation systems and equipment, seating systems, rigging, art display, lighting, AV, sound and all venue operational design requirements such as load in needs, audience travelpaths, toilet counts, bar operations and storage requirements.
Setting Line are proud to be a Strategic Partner Sponsor of this organisation – we believe in developing the arts and the industry.
Presenting
Setting Line Principal, Craig Gamble, frequently presents at national and international conferences and events, sharing his specialist expertise in theatre planning. Presentations have included:
- International Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (ITEAC) London 2006, 2010, 2014
- North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference (NATEAC) New York. 2012, 2016
- Tech West 2017 - Circuit West Technical Managers Conference - Planning and Asset Management
- Technical Managers Conference - Stage Queensland, 2018 - Venue Audits, 2019 - Stage Floors and Paint
- Victorian Association of Performing Arts Managers (VAPAC) Conference 2017 - Project Planing and Development
- Tech West 2020 - Circuit West Technical Managers Conference - Sessions on Industry linkages & cross country developments (Day 1) and Strategic Planning facilitation for Tech West (Day 2)
Modular Floors
Initially developed by Craig for Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre the modular stage draws inspiration from various industries to meet an ongoing need in major venues for a quick to install and demount, safe, high working load stage floor system that has a minimal number of parts, meets OH&S requirements, is reusable, adaptable and flexible.
First installed in the Southbank Theatre this design has since been installed in Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre Lyric Theatre and is briefed for the new 1500 seat venue on the QPAC Playhouse Green site.
Movable Lighting Bridge | Wodonga Cube Theatre
Flexible venues require flexible solutions to traditional problems.
The Cube Theatre in Wodonga is a highly adaptable, flexible format venue where it is important to be able to clear the overhead areas of any impediment to performance rigging and yet be able to provide traditional lighting positions for productions as required.
With no commercial product available that met the needs for a safely accessible lighting bridge that could be easily cleared from the room and with other solutions, such as wire grids impeding the rigging space Craig developed a suspended lighting bridge that spans the auditorium and can be hand winched by a single staff member along dedicated tracks into any location over the auditorium or totally clear of it as well.
Stage Floors and Paint
Setting Line has worked to identify an industry wide problem and respond to it.
The top layer of any stage is sacrificial, installed to take the wear and tear of everything placed on them from heavy show wagons, road cases through to pianos and tap dancers - sometimes all at the same time. These floors need also to be smooth with minimal gaps for dance, easily painted and easily replaced when required.
What to do when the paint used won’t stick well to the floor surface?
We have surveyed over 50 venues, tested 10 different paints, and are working with flooring manufacturers and paint engineers to try and find a combination that is the most suitable for use in our venues, safe and that resits lifting under pressure or tearing up with gaffer tape.
We are not there yet, but we have made significant progress.
This is another way which the Setting Line team invest in developing our industry
Tech West 2020 - Invited Speaker
TechWest is WA's peak network of performing arts and theatre technicians. Technical teams from across the state come together, network and listen to experts discuss matters relevant to the industry
- Developing our industry across state borders; and
- Assisting with a strategic planning session for the Tech West network