ABSTRACT
Unless the venue is a dedicated performance venue, locating follow spots tends to be left up to people who are unfamiliar with the importance of their location to shows-for example, the person hired to erect a scaffold tower. Whether it is plain laziness or they run out of tower before they reach a platform that is no higher than the stage, more often than not this issue is about as important as the positioning of the portable toilets. As part of your advance procedure and as a followup with the venue or promoter rep, request that the platform be as high as possible (16 feet or more) and better yet on a scissor lift. Performers do not like to stare into follow spots that look like a freight train headed their way; also, a follow spot bouncing all over the set and offering no isolation can ruin the look of your great stage. If the facility does not understand your power requirements, it usually does not have good follow spots or operators, either.
