Category Archives: Safety

Facing Death Over Siberia

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by in airplane, Life events, Russia, Safety, Theater, Travels

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Omsk TheaterIn the spring of 1992 I had the opportunity to travel to Omsk, Russia. I was part of the advanced crew that was sent to prepare for our adaptation of OUR TOWN to be put on in the Omsk Theater in Omsk, Siberia. While there were many things that made this trip memorable, the flight from Moscow to Omsk stands out. It’s not everyday a theater nerd like me finds himself convinced he is facing death.

The Omsk Theater arranged for a cargo plane to take us from Moscow to Omsk. We were assured that the cargo plane would be empty. They even said that the Omsk company masseuse would make the flight with us.

We learned quickly there were not going to be any in flight massages. There was no room. The cargo plane was in fact filled with cargo. Two cars, to be exact, filled the plane from cockpit to tail. The cars were pressed up against one side of the plane and on the other side were fold out wooded benches that had plenty of knee room if you were an emaciated 12 year old. None of us were. The Russian crew proceeded to load us into the cars for the trip. Picture if you will, three large Americans crammed into the back seat of a European sized car. That was the day I discovered I had claustrophobia. As the panic started to set in I calmly (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) told them I had to get out of the car. I elected the lack of legroom over the lack of oxygen. So there I sat, with my knees pressed firmly into the side of the second car.

The Russian crew sat in the front smoking. About halfway through the flight we smelled gas. It became very overpowering. With the help of our interpreter we told them about the gas smell. With a heavy sigh, one of the Russians finally stood and headed to the back of the plane, his lit cigarette still dangling from his lips. It was at that perfect moment when I knew that this is how my story was going to end: in a giant ball of flame over the Siberian wilderness. Who would have guessed that I would go out in such a dramatic fashion? A faulty trap door in a set, I could see. A Phantom style falling chandelier would make sense. Getting a job on Spiderman the musical could be fatal. But going out in a giant ball of flame high over the Siberian wilderness was not something I’d worried about before.

Since you are reading this you’ve already guessed. We did not go up in a giant ball of flame. In fact it was all a bit anticlimactic. The Russian crew member calmly stuffed a rag in the hole that was supposed to have a gas cap. He went back to his fellow Russians, probably wondering why the Americans all looked so freaked out. What was for us a life threatening moment, was for him an interruption in his break.

Motorcycles And Cars Need To Share The Roads

10 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Life events, Motorcycles, Safety, Travels

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Well it’s that time of year again. Motorcycles are back on the roads and they need to share the space with cars. It can be tricky for car drivers in the spring to remember that not all vehicles on the road are their size. They’ve had all winter to dominate the highways. There is a learning curve every season for both cars and motorcycles. Here are a few simple steps to keep everyone safe.

For car drivers:

• Be aware that motorcycles are back on the road. Just as looking out for young kids near schools keeps children safe so does keeping an eye out for smaller vehicles.
• If you would not pass a car, don’t pass the bike. Sure, bikes look like they take up less room on the road, but trying to zip pass them in their lane is a sure way to hurt someone.
• Avoid falling into autopilot on your regular routs. Think about the times you’ve arrived home after work and have thought to yourself “gee, I don’t even remember the drive home.” This wandering mind syndrome is dangerous, especially to vehicles you do not expect to see.
• Do not tailgate! Okay I admit this is a pet peeve of mine. It bothers me when I’m in a car, but when I’m on my bike it drives me crazy. I do not believe that wherever you have to go it is worth risking my life to get there. An easy way to tell if you’ve left enough space is to use the two-second rule. As the vehicle in front of you passes an object, it should take your vehicle a solid two seconds to reach that object.

For Motorcycle riders:

• Do not assume you are visible. There is a bit of a learning curve at the beginning of the season for car drivers. Often they just do not see you. You know yourself how easy it is to fall into autopilot when driving on four wheels. It does not require the same amount of concentration.
• Drive defensively: Motorcycles well always lose in a battle with cars. No matter what your nature, it’s best to be a somewhat passive rider. Sure, when you are cut off, or pushed to the shoulder by an unaware car it’s easy to want to push back but don’t. You well lose. Even a Smart car can take you out.
• Make noise- use your horn. There is truth to the biker’s adage “If they can’t see me, they’ll hear me.” If you find yourself near a car that just does not see you, get their attention by using your horn. I’ve woken up a couple of drivers trying to fade into my lane that way.
• Do not tailgate! Remember, you can’t stop as fast as a car if you want to remain upright. Also, if you find that a car is crowding you, pull over and let them pass. Wherever you are going it is not worth dying to get there 10 seconds earlier.

In short, just being aware can save a few lives and keep your insurance premiums down. We all have places to get to so let’s work together to get there safely.

Top Ten Theatrical Superstitions

06 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by in Life events, Safety, Superstitions, Theater

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Putting on a play takes a lot of hard work by many talented people. In addition to all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into producing a play a large dose of good luck helps. The following is a list of the ten most common superstitions to be aware of when staging a play.

1. The Scottish Play:

Shakespeare’s Macbeth is cursed. It is so cursed that even mentioning the play by name can bring misfortune. Most performers call it “The Scottish Play,” in reference to its setting. This particular superstition is so prevalent that most people don’t think twice about observing it. Shakespeare may as well have named his play “The Scottish Play” in the first place and saved us all the bother.

2. Quoting from “The Scottish Play:”

In addition to the name of the play being verboten, quoting lines out of context is bad luck. Years ago there was a commercial that used some of the queen’s speech to tell you what their soap could do. It made me cringe every time.

3. Break A Leg:

As a rule, a positive expression of well wishing is not a good idea before the show. Instead most people will say, “Break a leg” or “Merde.” Much like saying “Nothing can go wrong now.” Just before your wedding. It’s just not a good idea to temp fate. We all know that life loves irony.

4. Whistling:

Whistling backstage, or in the dressing rooms, is in bad form. In addition to being bad luck, actors have a set routine that they need to adhere to before going out on stage. Many times that routine includes quiet contemplation, not suddenly having your off key version of “It’s a small world” running through their brain.

5. Peacock Feathers:

Sets should never be dressed with Peacock Feathers. These colorful feathers bring with them a lot of bad luck. In addition to being unlucky, several angry peacocks are left unable to get a date.

6. Bad Dress equals Good Opening:

This is a phrase you’ll hear backstage after most final dress rehearsals. If the audience does not respond as hoped, or there are problems during the show all we have left is the hope that this mantra proves true.

7. The Second Show Blues:

With the pressure off, after opening night has come and gone, sometimes people relax the next day and things get sloppy. I’m sure the opening night party has nothing to do with it.

8. Saying the last line of the play without an audience present:

Between the director, assistant director, stage managers, and understudies there is almost always an audience present. From the first day of rehearsal somebody is always watching the actors perform so this one rarely comes up.

9. Curtain Call staging:

The curtain call should not be staged before the first dress rehearsal. Superstitions notwithstanding, curtain calls tend to be the last thing on the “need to do list.”

10. Ghost light

Yes, theaters are haunted; and apparently by ghosts who are afraid of the dark. The last thing to happen is the setting of the ghost light. This is a single bulb on a metal post that sits onstage. This nightlight for the spirits has the added benefit of letting the living find the light switch the next day.