Planned stage production regime questioned
A stage production group on Monday said a proposed regime for stage engineering would allow people outside the trade to govern it, and that its costs may be unbearable for smaller performing groups.  The statement from the Association of Theatre Technicians and Scenographers comes as the government is consulting stakeholders over a proposed four-tier system governing stage engineering, a year after a giant screen fell on the stage at a MIRROR concert at the Hung Hom Coliseum. Under the proposed plan, engineers would need to certify equipment for most performances, and an extra layer of third-party vetting would be needed for shows involving complicated devices or trapezes, and when they involve ten or more shows. Jacky Chan, the association's vice chairman, said the new costs for such certification would basically double the budget for small- and medium-sized performance groups, making it unaffordable for them. Speaking on an RTHK programme, Chan pointed out many engineers have limited knowledge in stage production. "What happened in the end was that our stage production personnel needed to teach the engineer what he or she has to pay attention to, what are the things that should be listed in the report," Chan said. "So the problem we had was [that] the engineer we found wasn't actually able to provide us with guidance. It's people in our sector telling [them] what to do. So this mandatory requirement from the authorities is rather ironic." Meanwhile, Louis Szeto from the Institution of Engineers said engineers can sometimes cover safety issues that may be overlooked by stage production workers.