Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers - Event technical support: Safety

Digital @ The Arts Unit Creative Teachers

Event technical support - Safety

Teacher resource developed by The Arts Unit

Resource overview and purpose

This site includes resources to support schools and individual teachers in the event safety support often required in a school setting for various experiences including:

school assemblies
guest speakers
music, dance and drama performances
art exhibitions
musicals.

This resource includes 3 sections:

How to use this professional learning resource

Select the area you need to develop your knowledge, understanding and skills and navigate the information.

There are template documents and signs provided as a resource for you to reproduce and use in your school.

For further assistance or inquiry please contact The Arts Unit.

Australian professional standards for teachers

6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.

Information for logging this into ETAMs towards your professional learning hours.

Activity name – TAU Event technical support

Activity type – Professional reading

PD Type – Teacher identified

Duration -

Standards – 6.2.2

How did this activity address the standard descriptors? – Developing knowledge on how to use technical production equipment effectively for a school assembly or arts event. The Arts Unit developed this resource to upgrade the knowledge and skills of teachers in the specific areas of safety, lighting, audio, staging and video streaming.

Event safety in schools

Event safety in schools is required at various levels for different events and programs, including:

school assemblies
presentation day
year group or stage meetings
student workshops
professional learning guest speaker
parent information sessions
music, art, dance and drama nights
school concert
school musical
HSC music, dance or drama performances
external performances for students
sporting events
art exhibitions.

Work health and safety (WHS) defined

Health - the state of being free from illness or injury, including a person's mental or physical condition.
Safety - the state being protected from harm in an environment which is unlikely to cause anyone or anything danger, risk, or injury.
Duty of care - an obligation imposed to take reasonable care and ensure the safety or wellbeing of others.

WHS Legislation

In 2011 new federal Work Health and Safety laws came into place.

The current WHS legislation can be found at:

This video WHS law changes provides a brief explanation of this legislation.

WHS law changes

Duration: 01:56

Live Performance Australia (LPA) provides detailed resources on the entertainment industry's code of practice which are the Safety Guidelines for the Entertainment and Events Industry.

This code of practice provides information on areas including:

WHS commitment and responsibilities
hazard identification and risk management
the work environment hazard guide
performer hazard guide
audience and crowd management hazard guide
guides to working with heights, electricity, manual handling, rigging, special effects, hazardous chemicals, temporary structure, general operations, stage machinery and traffic management.

Resources - Live Performance AustraliaOur extensive collection of resources is here to help you navigate the complexities of the workplace regulatory landscape.

Stages of an arts production

When putting together an arts production there are 3 key stages:

Pre-Production

This includes:

concept
development of production teams and casting
rehearsals
publicity
design - lighting, sound, vision, costume, set
construction - set, costume, sound, props
bump in - transfer and set up everything in the performance venue including set, lighting, sound, vision, costumes, props
lighting and sound final set up, check and cued for the production
technical rehearsal
dress rehearsal
final directors notes.

Production

This includes:

front of house and venue management
publicity
SHOW TIME!

Post Production

This includes:

bump out - pack up or strike the production and remove from the performance venue
store or return all costumes, props, lighting and sound equipment
finalise all budgets
evaluate the production.

There are some key technical terms that are useful to be aware of, including:

backstage
stage left
stage right
prompt side
opposite prompt
downstage
upstage
wings
safety curtain
bump in
bump out
technical rehearsal
dress rehearsal.

Theatrecrafts.com provides a detailed glossary of technical theatre terms for further reference.

The video Theatre terminology from Union House Theatre provides some simple definitions of some of these key terms.

Theatre terminology

Duration: 06:40

Video full screen - Theatre terminology

WHS Signage

Select to go to WHS Signage

Safe work practices

Select to go to Safe work practices

Risk Management

Select to go to Risk management

Further resources

Additional support resources are available through The Arts Unit to improve the knowledge, understanding and skills of teachers to confidently and effectively manage all technical areas for school events.

Select the following resources to explore them further.