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OFS Studio


The Old Fire Station’s induction pack, given out to each production company, is now hosted on the OUDS website as a PDF file.
OFS Induction Pack as PDF (4.9MB)

The Old Fire Station Theatre is a studio theatre situated on George Street in the centre of Oxford. Officially the studio theatre to New Theatre Oxford, it runs as its own separate venue, with its own management and theatre technician. About 20 student shows are performed there per year, with the rest of the weeks being filled by a mixture of professional, semi-pro and community theatre.

The capacity of the theatre is about 170, and it is a logical step up from working in the BT. Do not, however, think that it is an easy step to make, as all the jobs suddenly get a lot bigger when you move up there.

Lighting

The OFS has a very comprehensive grid structure, meaning you can put lights almost anywhere you want to. The main structure is divided into three main sections. The sections at either end will tilt 25 degrees up or down, and the centre grid will both tilt, and move completely up and down between a height of 1 and 7 metres. With all grids flat and at the same height, they lie at 6m. This structure serves two purposes – firstly it makes rigging easier, as you can do it at lower levels (whilst standing on the floor for the centre grid), and secondly, it allows you greater flexibility in the position of your rig, if you so wish to use it.

The lantern collection is perfectly comprehensive for the space, but it is made up of a slight hotchpotch of different lantern types, and some of it is a little old, but you can find enough to do most things. You may want to consider hiring certain types of light for a very heavy duty show (e.g. some extra parcans for a musical). You should always check with the theatre technician about the exact stock before you do your LX plan.

The control board is an ETC Express 125 – the same family as you will find in the BT, which helps to make the step up from the BT to the OFS a little simpler. If you have never used this board before, don’t be put off – it is a very simple and intuitive board, and you can get an off-line editor for it at www.etcconnect.com

Old Fire Station Theatre

Sound

The OFS has a 16 channel mixing desk (Spirit Live) and MD, CD and cassette players for playback of sound effects and music. There are 4 speakers and two subs, which are normally connected through the groups of the sound board for easy operation.

The venue does not hold a stock of any microphones or processing equipment, so if you are doing a musical in there, or indeed any show that needs this sort of kit, then you will have to hire that in. There are a set of wall boxes that allow you to get sources from one part of the theatre to another without huge cable runs.

Staging

The stage is flat on the floor at one end of the building (when in end-on formation) and the seats slope straight down to the stage. The theatre has recently bought a set of metrodeck, 1m x 2m steel deck sections.

Crew Structure

The crew structure for the OFS Theatre should be slightly more complex than the BT, but not so involved as the Playhouse. A common example may be as follows:

Production Manager (PM)
Set Designer
Lighting Designer (LD)
Sound Designer (may not be necessary depending on the show) (SD)
Costume Designer
Stage Manager (SM)
Assistant Stage Manager (ASM)
LX Op – may be done by LD
Sound OP – may be done by SD

On a simple show, LD and SD may be able to be one person, as may LX Op and Sound Op.

Typical Schedule

The PM is responsible for creating a schedule both for pre-production and production week. The creation of such a schedule can really help get-ins to run to time, and mean you run into less unexpected problems later on. The schedules given below are meant to be a guide. They are the sort of time scales that have been found through experience to work well. Obviously, things vary depending on the complexity of the show, but they are a good starting point.

Pre-Production Week

Time

Job
By The Bid
  • You should have recruited PM, Set Designer, LD, SD, Costume Designer and SM.
  • You should have statements from all your designers.
  • You should have set drawings and diagrams from your set designer.
4 Weeks Pre Show Week
  • You should have final set designs from you designer.
  • You should have costume designs.
  • You should be having regular production meetings.
  • Your SM should be sourcing props.
  • Your LD and SD should be thinking about their designs.
  • You should be recruiting other (running) crew.
3 Weeks Pre Show Week
  • Your LD and SD should have draft designs completed.
  • Costume sourcing and making should be well under way.
  • There should be a complete props list, and sourcing be well under way.
  • You should be sourcing set items now.
  • You will have your first production meeting with the OFS Theatre this week
2 Weeks Pre Show Week
  • Your LD and SD should have final designs completed.
  • You should have a full crew by this point.
  • You will have your second production meeting with the OFS Theatre this week
1 Week Pre Show Week
  • Costumes should be completed.
  • All props should be sourced/bought by now.
  • You should have sourced/bought any items needed for the set by now.
  • If you can construct any set before the get-in, that is good.
  • You will have your final production meeting with the OFS Theatre this week, where you will plan your get-in day

Production Week

Sunday:

10.00 Crew Call
10.00 – 1.00 Move any stage blocks necessary
Rig LX
Rig Sound
Start Construction of Set
12.00 Props Call
1.00 – 2.00 LUNCH
2.00 – 6.00 LX Focus
Sound Plot
Finish Set Construction
6.00 – 6.30 DINNER
6.30 – 7.30 Complete any set / LX items
7.30 – 9.30 LX PlotDo any painting required
9.30 Tools down and clear space

Monday:

9.45 Cast and crew call outside OFS Theatre
10.00 Cast walk around of OFS Theatre and shown to dressing rooms
10.30 – 1.00 Technical Rehearsal
1.00 – 2.00 LUNCH
2.00 – 5.00 Complete Technical Rehearsal
5.00 – 5.30 DINNER
5.30 Cast call for Dress Rehearsal
6.00 – 9.00 Dress Rehearsal
9.00 – 9.30 Notes
9.30 Tools down and clear space

Tuesday:

10.00 Cast and crew call for 2nd dress (if needed)
10.30 – 1.00 2nd Dress Rehearsal
1.00 Clear Theatre and set for opening night
5.00 Fire Inspection by OFS Theatre staff
5.30 Cast and Crew Call for opening night
5.30 Cast straight to dressing rooms
6.00 Notes
6.20 – 6.40 Warm up
7.00 HOUSE OPENS
7.30 + Performance

Wednesday – Friday:

6.00 Cast and crew call
6.00 – 6.20 Cast and Crew notes
6.20 – 6.40 Warm-up
7.00 HOUSE OPENS
7.30 + Performances

Saturday:

1.00 Cast and crew call
1.00 – 1.30 Cast and crew notes, including get-out notes
1.30 – 1.50 Warm up
2.00 HOUSE OPENS
2.30 + Performance
6.15 Cast and crew call
6.15 – 6.30 Notes
6.30 – 6.45 Warm-up
7.00 HOUSE OPENS
7.30 + Performace
10.00 – 1.00 Get-out

You should make the cast call for performances based on the complexity of the show, and how much there is to do in that time. Also, it depends on the punctuality of the cast. Generally, 6.00 is found to be about the right time, but you may need to push it back to around 5.30.

The OFS Theatre is a really nice studio space in Oxford, but it is quite a step up from the BT. It is worth getting some experience in there before you take on a major role (especially PMing) at the OFS Theatre. It is especially important here to create good schedules and stick to them, as time has a habit of disappearing very quickly. It is, however, very rewarding to work in this slightly larger scale venue, and you should definitely take the chance if you can.

If you have any questions on this space, the TAFF Committee or the theatre technician will be more than happy to answer them for you.

PK

10.04.03