Beloit Memorial High School Theatre 
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Kristi Ross-Clausen and I am an IATSE stagehand based in Appleton, Wisconsin. I work most of the time at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, but have also worked in professional theaters and high school theaters all over the state, including Beloit. Stephanie Klett, noted Beloit alumna, whom I met while working backstage at the Miss Wisconsin pageant, asked my husband (also a stagehand) and me to come down and make suggestions/"fix things" for one of her Spotlight on Wisconsin fund raising shows in the late 1990s. Because of the condition of the systems at that time, there wasn't much we could do, but we both loved the architecture and layout of the theatre.
As a former teacher (K-12 choral/general music and drama for 15 years), I know how tight school budgets are. And I know the vast majority of school theaters are managed by teachers who are mostly ignorant of the technical aspects. Those who are older than 40 may have even gone to a high school like the one I did -- where girls simply weren't allowed to do the tech work because that was reserved for the boys. You, on the other hand, have Greg Wallendal, who knows more about the technical aspects than most teachers. One thing he knows is that a properly working fly system is a HUGE asset to a theatre.
A fly system works similar to a teeter-totter. The thing that needs to be visible to the audience is attached to a long pipe (batten). Then weights to counter balance that thing are stacked off-stage out of the audiences' sight. When the weights go down the thing goes up and vice versa just by pulling the correct rope. This enables very fast changes of scenery, the ability to change the acoustical properties of the space, the fast creation of smaller performance areas, the ability to bounce focus lights, and many other settings. The same batten can hold a curtain one day, a movie screen the next, and a light the day after that. Correctly operated, it's a safe, fast, easy, and inexpensive way of moving scenery, lights and curtains and has been "state of the art" in theaters for over 100 years. A properly installed and maintained fly system can be safely operated by a 10 year old - I know because I've taught many to do it.
Greg wrote to a friend of mine, Peter Scheu, asking for advice. Peter is a professional theatre consultant and asked me to chime in since I live in Wisconsin. Theatre is a very small world! Your program is currently being discussed by professional stagehands, community theatre volunteers, college professors of theatre, and members of ISETSA (International Secondary Education Theatrical Safety Association) from all over the globe. The consensus is this: Help Greg to educate others so they know the truth and make the best choice.
It seems someone decided that the folks in Beloit don't deserve to have a safe, correctly operating fly system and will be just as happy with "dead hung" pipes -- meaning pipes that don't move and thus can't be easily adapted to a variety of situations. Please don't make this mistake!
When I load a show into a theatre with a fly system, I can quickly attach the items to the battens and know that they will safely store out of the way. If I don't have the fly system, I have to keep everything on the stage and that can create problems with fire exits and walkways.
I can change scenes in seconds by simply pulling a rope or two.
I can create snow fall effects, drop balloons, and do special lighting effects.
I can use and reuse painted drops which store more compactly and are safer and cheaper than traditional flats. They are also easier to flame retard and less likely to cause injury.
I know "Joe Taxpayer" may not see this as a good use of his money, but it's a matter of education -- something schools are supposed to be good at! Educate him. With the number of groups that use the space, there must be a good percentage of the tax-paying citizens who walk through the door each year. They deserve to be proud of it. I've never lived closer than an hour away and I've been there several times for the Miss Beloit pageant and Spotlight on Wisconsin. This isn't just Greg and a couple of kids -- it's your reputation.
I know Stephanie majored in theater in college; I wonder how many other alumni turned their experience on stage in high school at Beloit into part of their profession. Every alumni who is now a teacher, lawyer, or sales person uses acting skills to make a living -- skills probably begun on that stage.
Several years ago I was involved in building a new HS theater. The architects told us the cost for a fly system isn't in the rigging, it's in building the fly tower and the structural elements. You already have the biggest part of the investment made; now just do the maintenance. If this were a pot hole in the parking lot, you'd write out the check in a moment. It's a matter of safety as well as appearance.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Kristi