Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The San Francisco Animal Project

Dave Chisholm from San Francisco said that he and his fellow stagehands went
crazy collecting animal names for stage terms. Here is his list: 

Pig (Iron) = Theater weight 
Hog Trough = Two sticks of 1"x joined in a V-shape 
Seagull = Swoop in on someones gig (from catering) 
Chicken = Slack (San Francisco) 
Fox and Hound = Two part cable tester 
Rabbit, Turtle, Hare, Tortoise = Fast, slow (lift controls)
Duck = Opposite of "Heads Up" 
Clam = Bad musical note (Buddy Rich)
Albatross = Case with a bad caster (England)
Birdie = MR-16 based mini-par light 
Squid = Fan-out (audio) 
Yellow Jacket/Bumble Bee = Cable trough 
Dog = Cam 
Spider = Speaker part 
Spider Box = Movie electrics distro 
Sheep Shank = Hitch 
Snake = Multi channel audio cable
Fly = Where scenery is stored when not in use
Dog House = AC breakout box or mixing board cable protector
Dog and Pony = Routine show 
Cattle Call = Many workers/actors
Turkey = A particularly awful show
Mouse Off = Using bailing wire to secure a hook 
Fish = Pull cable through a narrow passage 
Squirrel Around = Thread cable through a tight area 
Monkey Push the Buttons = Learn to operate a piece of gear through trial and error 
Catwalk = Elevated walkway 
Hamster = Short wave radio operator (not a stage term but super funny) 
Honey Badger = To tear something apart without caring (OK, we stole that one from Randal) 
Branch-a-Loures.. (Really a Film term) Think Gobo. 
Animal = When we are over-performing. This could be either a positive or a negative observation.

Crap we made up:
Mice = Audio 'cause they squeak
Magpies = Props 'cause they hoard and distribute shiny things 
Owls = Video 'cause the peer intently into little screens
Wilde Beasts = Carps
Riggers = Flies
Monkey = Any Hand
Electricians = Visigoths (ACT)

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