Behind the scenes of every MacTheatre show, there is a constant stream of quiet communication among the "run crew" who run the technical aspects of the production during performances. For musicals, the run crew often numbers over 20 students who are spread out across the theater...in the lighting and sound booths, on the spot deck, in the wings, and backstage. To communicate during performances, they use an intercom system (often referred to as Clear-Com) to take their cues, keep the cast (and each other) safe, and deal with any problems that arise, often within seconds, without disrupting the show or letting the audience see that there's a problem.

The intercom equipment in both our spaces, the MAC theater and the FAB theater, have worn out over time, which is where you come in. It is critical for our theaters to have a full set of intercom equipment to keep the performers and crew safe, and ensure that audiences see the best possible performance every night. We need your help to make a full set of comms a reality. Please consider making a gift today. Every donation, no matter the amount, will have a positive impact on MacTheatre performances for the next decade.

Thank you for your support!

WHAT WE HAVE NOW

We can support only five intercom stations across the MAC theater and the FAB theater because we have only five working belt packs. We have 14 working headsets. We have no signal lights.

WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE

We should have 12 intercom stations in the MAC theater and 9 intercom stations in the FAB theater. There are times when shows run simultaneously in both spaces, so all intercom stations in both spaces should be fully equipped. We also need three signal lights in the MAC theater and one signal light in the FAB theater. Each theater requires an additional belt pack to run the signal lights.

WHAT WE NEED

18 Portable Headset Stations (Belt Packs) - $285 each

7 Headsets - $180 each

4 Signal Lights (Beacons) - $250 each

Additional Information

WHERE ARE THE INTERCOM STATIONS?

In the MAC theater: stage manager, stage right ASM, stage left ASM, stage right deck head, stage left deck head, flyrail one, flyrail two, light board operator, sound operator, projection operator, spotlight one, and spotlight two.

In the FAB theater: stage manager, stage right, stage left, flyrail, light board operator, sound operator, projection operator, spotlight one, and spotlight two.

WHAT IS A SIGNAL LIGHT? 

Signal lights are commonly used in university and professional settings to provide a visual cue when it isn't possible for the people on stage to have headsets on. For example - if a set change is about to happen and the technicians have to take off the headset in order to walk onto stage and move the set, the stage manager can activate a signal light at the moment that they need to take the cue.

In the MAC theater, we would use one signal light for the fly rail and one on each side of the stage. In the FAB theater, we would use one for the fly rail. Having belt packs designated for the signal lights allows them to be on a different channel of intercom than the rest of the headsets so the stage manager can activate them independently with no risk of other technicians activating the signal lights at the wrong time.

SPECIAL THANKS

To Carson Bragg, Ruby Cloke, Anna Fox, Lilli Gonzales, Coco Gravois, Evan Henderson, Ava LaWare, Jack McCaskill, Oscar Morales, and Kristin Vandenberg for lending their expertise on run crew communications and the intercom system.