Old School
(and new too)

Here are two shots of the old Exeter High Stage - before and after we converted it into
New York for the Odd Couple.

Pictured above is the modern lighting board for the old stage. Lehigh, 10 channels, X-Y faders.

Pictured right is the dimmer cabinet, which featured ten dimmers (the black things), patched with "butterflies" (the white things) to the circuits around the stage. It was really fun when sparks shot out of the butterflies when moving them. Note the writing on the stickers :-)

All of this was dismantled and scrapped when the new theater was built in '93

The original high school lighting board - pictured in a yearbook. It shows the original board, with the rheostats in a cage on the floor. I remember seeing this back in 1983-84, so the Lehigh system (above) must have replaced it shortly after.

If you look above, the same lamp is still hanging from the original grey cabinets, which are behind the newer blue Lehigh board.

A well-dressed stage crew of five is operating sound, lights and opening the curtain. No-one dresses to school like this anymore, nor do they play records either.

Here is the view, in the new high school theater, from up in the control booth. (during Brigadoon)

The Lighting Console (and monitor) are on the large desk - to the right is the houselight system. The console with the blue buttons in the right corner was a Gel Scroller system we rented for the show.

The "Original" Junior High lighting board.

This was a Major 15-channel rheostat board, with the dimmers connected to mechanical handles and then butterflies to the right to patch the dimmers to the circuits. As this was located in the stage-right wing, a TV on top of the board provided closed-loop video for me and the stage manager. This picture was taken during Lil'Abner, 1992.

This was removed from service when the Jr. High was renovated in 1996 and replaced with a modern Lehigh system.

Here is a view of ...errr... me... in front of the board for Oklahoma! ('93). This monster required two arms and two legs to operate - and sometimes another cast member. It was a real workout and was probably the most fun I ever had running a show. The entire cast knew that a blackout occured because the noise 15 levers made being slammed to OFF could be heard everywhere. The sign above me says "QUIET". This was so I could hear the show and also if any arcing or blowouts occured so I could grab the fire extinguisher.