![]() Ahoy there! I’m heading out to Mexico on the Carnival Firenze in a couple of days! I’m looking forward to bringing you a boatload of blog posts about the theatres and the venues on board! I’ll be leaving snowy 20degF weather and arriving to sunny20+degC – how crazy is that! But, as bad timing would have it, my laptop suddenly refused to charge a couple of days ago. I took it in, and, of course, it’s going to take several days to repair, and won’t be back before I leave. Luckily I have my Emergency Backup Laptop (if I can get Chester, my land-lubber cat, to let me use it!). But, I’m only able to access my email and websites - all of my documents (including my intended blog post for today) are held hostage. (I know, I know, back-up, back-up. Lesson learned!) Here’s a random tip for you solo travelers… if you’re not traveling on Norwegian Cruise Lines, which has an awesome program for solo travelers...and you’re having to pay the Single Supplement most cruise lines demand…
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![]() HAPPY NEW YEAR! Is this the year you get your first job working in a theatre on a cruise ship?! You’ve done your Discovery Cruise, you connected with some theatre techs on board the ship, you’ve decided this is the life and career for you. What’s next?! Now it’s time to decide which cruise line you want to work for, and find out what positions they have available. Here’s a boat load of job boards for some of the more major cruise lines - all in one place, so you don’t have to spend your time searching. ![]() You can travel solo on any cruise line you want, however for most cruise lines you’ll end up paying what’s often called a Single Supplement. That means you’ll pay for double occupancy for your cabin. This is because if one person occupies a cabin, the cruise line misses out on the revenue of two people purchasing drinks packages, excursions, etc, and the gratuities are halved. Fair enough, I suppose, but it makes for an expensive Discovery Cruise if you want to, or need to, go alone. However, there is a good solution out there if you want to do a solo Discovery Cruise and not have to pay double. ![]() Before the audience sees a show on a cruise ship, and before the running crew learn the show, and before the show is teched (usually on land, often in a warehouse), the show has to be designed – just as in a land-based theatre. But there are some differences between designing, installing, and programming land-based shows versus shows on cruise ships. Maybe this might be your calling? Don’t want to work on a cruise ship full time? Consider working for a cruise line as a designer, installer, or programmer! This article from Cruise Industry News features Visual Connection, one of the companies that provide entertainment lighting services for cruise lines. And while this article is primarily lighting-oriented (my favorite subject!), it applies to any aspect of technical theatre. The article addresses how it’s essential to understand all of the ship’s structures and systems, not just the theatre’s systems, the challenges of delivering and running a show on a cruise ship, and more. Check it out at…. ![]() Ahoy there! Let’s talk SAFETY! This is the second in a series of real life court cases involving safety incidents in theatres on cruise ships. (One more coming after this one – in two weeks.) Be sure to read about CASE # 1 at: https://www.cruisetechies.com/cruisetechies-blog/safety-lawsuit-series-case-1 This lawsuit is again about a pit fall, but involves an audience member. When we think about theatre accidents we often think about the performers or crew while the audience sits and looks on. However, cruise ship shows and events often involve a lot of audience participation. I’ll let Monona tell you all about it, then we’ll talk… ![]() Ahoy there! Let’s talk SAFETY! As promised, following is a series of real life court cases involving safety incidents in theatres on cruise ships. (Two more coming after this one – one every other week.) It’s always been my mantra – NOTHING happens without safety! Just like in theatres on land, safety in cruise ship theatres is paramount – only even more so, because a theatre on a ship is moving! I’ve sat in a cruise ship theatre before – with my seat rocking up and down - watching an acrobatics show, wondering how they were able to balance on two feet, let alone on top of balls and platforms. And just like theatres on land, accidents do happen, as do lawsuits. Enter stage right – Expert Witnesses. Expert Witnesses are called to provide information in court cases. Expert Witnesses didn’t ‘witness’ the event happen, but they are experts in their field - in this case, theatre safety. I was once contacted about being an Expert Witness for a woman who fell into a pit. I didn’t see it happen, but it was caught on video. After reviewing the video I felt I had to decline, because it was not clear that she wasn’t at fault(!). But I’ve never had to be an Expert Witness for a cruise ship theatre, but I know someone who has – three times. And she’s kindly offered to share the three cases with you in this blog. Please let me introduce Monona Rossol of Arts, Crafts & Theatre Safety (ACTS), a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to providing health and safety services to the arts. She is also the Health and Safety Director for Local 829 of the United Scenic Artists, IATSE. Monona is a chemist, artist and industrial hygienist, with a background in theatre, art, music, chemistry and math, who has lectured and consulted in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Mexico and Portugal - and the seas in between. Our first case study involves a performer who fell 9 feet into a pit of a theatre in a cruise ship. But let me have her tell you about it in her own words… Have you heard of Mercy Ships? They are state-of-the-art hospital ships that are staffed by volunteers, that travel around the world providing life-changing surgeries to children and families who are in dire need of medical care but don’t have the resources available to them. Check them out at https://www.mercyships.org/
Have you heard of Emma Cruises? Hopefully you have, in one of my prior blog posts. Well, she has a cat called Hudson – wait, this is related! Long story, but, she also has a mascot toy cat called Captain Hudson. Each year she comes out with a new version of Captain Hudson, which people then take on cruise ships with them. You can see all the places Captain Hudson has been here: https://captainhudsonmap.com/ In any case, back to the Mercy Ships connection…. ![]() Before you can work in a theatre on a cruise ship, you still have to search for vacancies, apply for jobs, interview, and sign contracts, just like any employee. While these two websites don’t specifically address working in a theatre, they are chock full of information about cruise ship profiles, job descriptions, salary ranges, vacancies, application processes, and more!
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WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WORKING ON A CRUISE SHIP? Check out a Discovery Cruise! Teachers can go on Discovery Cruises, too! Click here LETS BE SHIP MATES!
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