Concert Lighting, 4th Edition

15LIFTS, HOISTS, AND ROOFS

When trusses were first used to solve the problem of lighting support they were ground supported. When trusses began to be tied to the building’s structure, the process, called rigging (borrowed from the circus and construction) came with its own set of considerations. First, many of the buildings did not have primary and secondary beams with adequate weight-bearing margins to hold the added weight. Second, the cost of hiring riggers was prohibitive. As the lighting systems and production grew in complexity in later years, it became necessary to use only qualified rigging specialists. So in the fall of 2005 the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA)¹ instituted the first arena and then theatre rigging certifications, ...