rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft

You would probably get away with it because the voltage at zero is pretty
small.
However, it would certainly be considered bad practice by anyone here.
As long as the circuit is connected, there is a always the possibility that
the
circuit could become live and hurt someone. I would have the lamps connected
to a dimmer, but have an easily accessable conection off stage that could be
unpluged before anyone had to touch it. Being Am-dram, I might have the
person that could be in danger pull the plug personally before he enters
if he is off stage at the time.

Did you really mean to say 50 volts? I'm from the other side of the pond
and have never heard of mains power at 50 volts. 250 is more likely.

David

"Bob Nixon" <@> wrote in message
news:$@...
> Hi all
> Like to pick your experienced brains
> I am an Am-dram SM and we are in the UK doing "Absurd Person Singular Alan
> Ayckbourn " There is a point in the play when the female character is
> constantly trying to sincerely commit suicide by various means other
> characters mis-read her actions as her struggling to do something
> One action is to climb on the table with a rope (washing line) to attach
> the rope to the light flex in order to hang herself, to accomplish this
> she removes the lampshade and bulb having already turned off the power at
> the wall switch [There has to be two fittings so that one remains "on"]
> She then ties the rope at the top of the flex and pulls twice and it holds
> However on the third pull it slides down the flex and pulls off the bulb
> holder exposing the bare wires, Someone misunderstanding her action thinks
> she is trying simply to change the bulb and offers to do this realising
> the bare wires he tries to refit a bulb holder but he is very poor at
> doing this and someone comes in and not thinking turns the power back "on"
> so giving the man an electric shock
>
> My question
> 1) The light fitting needs to originally be operational (How can I secure
> the bulb holder so that it will be sufficiently attatched to safely
> operate correctly and light the bulb BUT loose enough to be pulled of
> easily when she pulls the rope first time after the third pull (ie pull 1
> + 2 hold, then pull three pulls off bulb holder at one pull)
>
> 2)WHAT VOLTAGE WILL THERE BE AT THE bulb when the LX operator pulls the
> fader to zero ( Our LX guys very experience amateur operators / designers
> feel the will be virtually no voltage not enough to give a shock (we are
> on DMX system)
> I feel it is unsafe, but don't want to cause unrest and loss of friendship
> and trust not knowing the correct situation first However If my theory is
> correct I will make the safety first decision and over ride their ideas
>
> We have a 50v system with 50v bulbs could this be attached to the DMX
> channel as a switch rather than dimmer circuit.
>
> Sorry for long winded question