Backstage Switches

Looks kinda like equipement that might be found in a mad scientists lab.

Or one-armed bandits at a casino.

Great capture! Love the color mixed with the rust.

Colored lighting controls

Outstanding shot !

The leftover of yesterday.

looks like an ancient 'Ariel' dimmer panel

This place was obviously outfitted for some fairly elaborate stage shows. Look out for classic falling sand bags!

This is a pretty good sized stage lighting switchboard/dimmerboard. The dimmers were most likely manufactured by the Superior Electric Co. (judging by the style of the handles) and equipped with a rack and pinion assembly coupled to the large handles extending through the front panel. It looks like there could be two or three rows of these dimmers. There also appear to be longer handles connected to shafts, to which dimmers can be coupled (by rotating each handle to one side) to couple them together in order to operate several dimmers at one time. There also appear to be breaker or fuse panels at the far edge of the board as well. A study of the labels on those breaker panels, as well as the labels above the dimmer handles, would provide interesting information as to what kinds of lighting equipment were in use here. I've spent a good deal of my life working with these things in Elementary, Junior High, High School, and College. It's a shame to leave these things behind, but at least they have not been mutilated or destroyed so that people can appreciate them for what they are , study them, and take photographs of them to share with others, as you have so graciously done.

One Question, dear Motts. Did you find any evidence of a counterweight system or sandbag (hemp) system for flying pipe battens containing curtains, lighting equipment, or scenery in this theater?

switch for the electric chair

of all things, the rigging equipment? i bet the chairs in that other ward of the hospital were worth more..

then again i could be wrong

Anyone else think of Rocky Horror?:)

IGOR PULL THE SWITCH