Moss Lab Theater: rigging grid, lighting patch and production in Cutler Bay

Which room and seating capacity should I use for a performance?

Request a Lab plan identifying the building, doors and configuration. The room page places it in the Activities Building, but specifications carrying the literal revision 09.01.2022 place it on the east side of the Main Building. Resolve this difference before routing trucks or positioning equipment.

The capacity figures also differ. Do not select the highest number: submit the stage, seating, control position, equipment, circulation and accessibility layout so the venue can confirm the configuration. If the design changes, resubmit the plan before selling or installing the revised layout.

Where does equipment enter and how should the floor be protected?

The specifications list two loading doors from the plaza and two chorus dressing rooms with exterior access. Before dispatching cases, request clear opening dimensions, route, level changes, schedule and unloading surface. Two doors do not confirm that a case or assembled screen will fit.

The varnished pine floor is sprung on rubber sleepers. Screwing or drilling into it is prohibited. Submit total weight, wheels, supports and protection for equipment resting on the floor; do not use the grid rating to justify a floor load.

The plot marks DIMMER ROOM and AV STORAGE access that must not be blocked. Check the plan to keep control, cases and cables clear of those doors and circulation. If equipment will not pass along the accepted route, stop its entry and review dimensions or dismantling with the venue; do not improvise another route.

Does 200 lb/ft² allow an LED screen to be suspended?

It does not establish an allowable point load. The specifications describe a Schedule 40 pipe grid in 4 ft squares, 19 ft 1 in above the floor, and state 200 lb/ft² for the grid. That area loading figure alone cannot establish the capacity of a pipe, joint, motor or sling, or the available load of the entire system.

Submit positions, weights and reactions at each support, including the structure, accessories, cables and lifting system. Request accepted points and attachments, point capacities, load distribution restrictions and usable assembly height. Grid height is not the available trim below motors and hardware.

All rigging requires advance approval from the Moss Center production manager. If a support moves or weight is added after approval, submit revised drawings and loads before making the change. Without applicable point documentation, keep the suspension pending; a ground supported alternative also requires floor, stability and egress checks.

Why does a fixture or the house lighting not respond to the patch?

Compare the plot updated 02-23-2023 with the installed inventory and accepted show file. The drawing specifies conventional patch 1–1, constant power for LEDs and House Lights on dimmers 46 through 48. Fixture and power positions are approximate; do not use the drawing as a placement survey.

There is a model discrepancy: the specifications list 10 Chauvet COLORado Tour2 fixtures, while the plot identifies COLORado 1 Tour in 11 channel mode. Do not apply that mode to another fixture because its name is similar. Identify the exact model, mode, address and manual with the operator before correcting the profile. The Strand console also appears under different names in the specifications; confirm its model and version before following menu instructions.

Before changing the patch, save the show and record the current values. With the operator, propose checking a single fixture outside the performance; observe which fixture responds and restore the file or previous values if the response is wrong. Moving or rehanging fixtures may incur labor charges and requires restoration of the house hang.

How should an audio source be checked or a stream prepared?

The Lab list includes a Mackie 1604 mixer, two EAW loudspeakers, a Tascam player, four Shure SM58 and two SM57 microphones. It does not identify the mixer variant, loudspeaker models or assigned connections. Confirm patch, source level and operator; do not import another Moss room’s console, projection equipment or inventory.

For a preliminary check, propose a known source on an agreed input, with the operator controlling output volume. Observe input signal and then the assigned output: signal at the input alone points toward assignment, mute or output level; no input signal points toward the source, cable or input. Save settings and restore previous connections and levels afterward. Until the variant and manual are identified, do not apply another model’s button sequence.

The specifications offer the open Miami-Dade Wi-Fi network. This does not confirm throughput, a dedicated connection or streaming stability. Define the connection, authentication, bitrate and pre-event check with management. If the connection does not meet the event requirement, revise the stream or backup plan before depending on it.

What must be confirmed before connecting power distribution, haze or lasers?

The document lists 110 V outlets and a 100 A three-phase company switch with cam-loc connectors. It does not publish phase-to-phase voltage, spare capacity, protection, pinout or the event allocation. Submit loads by circuit and request authorized distribution, connection and personnel; do not calculate available power from nominal current alone.

Before connecting, check with the authorized person that the accepted distribution and equipment match in voltage, frequency, protection and connectors. If they do not, leave the circuit disconnected and revise the distribution. Energizing and measurements must be handled by authorized personnel; a guide does not authorize electrical work.

The fee schedule lists fog equipment, but a price does not authorize use in the Lab. For haze, smoke, lasers or pyrotechnics, submit equipment, position, beam path or dispersion and intended operation. Request venue acceptance and a determination of permits and inspections by the authorities competent for that address and effect. This guide contains no laser authorization, detection modification or confirmed event permit.

Which approvals and deadlines are needed before installation?

The policy excludes private parties and banquets. It publishes at least 45 days for requests and at least 30 days for contracting; another section describes sending the License Agreement and Rider no less than 180 days ahead, with a 50% deposit. Ask for the applicable schedule to be clarified in the contract: these deadlines cannot replace one another or become a municipal permit deadline.

A date hold lasts 7 days and the public calendar does not show every booking. The 1/23/24 fee schedule identifies charge categories, not current prices. The package of up to 7 hours includes load-in, performance and load-out; confirm staffing, house plot restoration, insurance, recording, technical impact and surcharges in the event quotation.

Keep the accepted plan, loads, patch, electrical distribution and version. Any change in weight, location, route, effect or program must return to the party that approved that scope before implementation. Keep the previous version so it can be restored if the change is not accepted.