Know what you’re asking for
Rigging and power are the two parts of a show where the vocabulary is genuinely technical and the consequences of getting it wrong are physical. Here’s what the terms mean on a Los Angeles plot. Everything below is speced, calculated, and documented before anything is hung.
RiggingRigging point
A single attachment to the building’s structure that a hoist or dead hang connects to.
Ask for it when: Everything overhead starts here. How many the venue has, and what each is rated for, shapes the entire design.
RiggingChain hoist
A motor that raises and lowers truss on a chain, rated to a specific load.
Ask for it when: Any flown truss. Capacity and duty rating come from the load calculation rather than from what’s spare in the shop.
RiggingBridle
Two or more steels arranged to create an attachment point between existing structural points.
Ask for it when: When the venue’s points aren’t where your plot needs them — which is most of the time. It changes the load geometry, so it’s calculated.
SafetyLoad calculation
Engineered figures for what every point, hoist, and truss span carries.
Ask for it when: Every overhead build. It’s the document venues ask for, and the basis on which approval is given.
SafetyWorking load limit
The maximum a component is rated to carry in service, well below its breaking point.
Ask for it when: Every piece of rigging hardware. Working to WLL rather than to breaking strength is the whole safety margin.
SafetySecondary safety
An independent steel restraining anything flown, sized to catch it if the primary attachment fails.
Ask for it when: Non-negotiable overhead. Ask any vendor whether it’s included — the answer tells you what kind of vendor they are.
RiggingDead hang
Truss fixed at a set height with steel rather than on a motor.
Ask for it when: When nothing needs to move after build. Cheaper than a hoist, but the trim height is locked once it’s up.
StructureDeflection
How much a truss span sags under load across its length.
Ask for it when: Long spans. It’s why a wide truss with heavy fixtures needs a bigger section or an extra pick, not just more hoists.
PowerCompany switch
The venue’s dedicated tie-in point for temporary production power.
Ask for it when: Any show past what wall circuits carry. Ask early — not every venue has one, and its capacity caps the whole design.
PowerDistro
The distribution splitting one large feed into the many protected circuits a show needs.
Ask for it when: Every production of scale. It’s also where redundancy on critical circuits is built in.
PowerGenerator
Temporary generation where a site has no usable supply, sized to the show’s peak draw.
Ask for it when: Outdoor sites and venues without a company switch. Sized for peak load, with the fuel plan in the quote.
SafetyGrounding & bonding
Tying the system to earth correctly so fault current has a safe path and audio stays quiet.
Ask for it when: Every temporary power install. It’s both a safety requirement and the usual cure for unexplained hum.
SiteCable ramp
Covered ramps protecting cable where people and vehicles cross it.
Ask for it when: Any run crossing a guest path. Frequently a venue or permit condition rather than an option.
ComplianceCertificate of insurance
Proof of liability cover naming the venue and, often, the building’s management company.
Ask for it when: Before load-in. In many buildings the dock isn’t released until it’s on file, so it belongs with the drawings.