SAFETY LAWSUIT SERIES – CASE # 2

​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…

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Retained in January of 2011 by a law firm hired by a man who had been on a cruise attending a show.  He had been called up onto a darkened stage by a performer for audience participation.  The stage had an unusual configuration in which the top of the stairs accessing the stage had a short runway next to the pit.  It was reasonable to assume in low light that, once at stage level, one was on the stage.  The man ascended the stairs and walked toward the performer as directed--right into the pit. Interesting case coming under maritime law. Settled ~ July 7, 2011.
 
What went wrong here?  One thing I’ve always done when an audience member comes up onto the stage or goes back into the audience is to raise the house lights, so that the lighting transition is not so extreme.  It takes the human eye seconds to adjust to a brighter light, but it can take many minutes for the human eye to adjust to a dimmer or dark light.   I’m not sure why the stage was darkened at the time the man ascended onto it, nor whether the houselights were raised – even if the stage was darkened, the house lights typically light up the apron and side stairs areas, so my guess is that perhaps they weren’t – or certainly not sufficiently.  I sure hope this case was settled in favor of the audience member!
 
People make mistakes, but I always think that reading about theatre lawsuit cases is valuable, because we can learn from other’s mistakes, and gain more awareness about avoiding our own. As theatre technicians we have immense responsibilities when it comes to safety.  I would go as far as to say there is no more dangerous place on a ship than in the theatre.  (The same goes for schools and universities too!)
 
Please Like and Comment – I’d love to hear about your experiences too! Thanks!
 
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