Shop employees learn how to use power tools and how to climb and use ladders. The list goes on and on. The training course consists of a video, written text and a hands-on demonstration and testing. Students must read and sign a theater-safety guide drafted by Winn and David Moon, the department's technical director. It's always being updated because safety is an ongoing thing.
Participants also learn about less visible dangers.
Health risks also include second-hand tobacco smoke. Winn emphasizes that nobody is encouraged to do things that make them uncomfortable such as climbing a ladder, operating a pneumatic drill or using spray paint. His list of safety guidelines includes no working past midnight and a stop in rehearsals after four hours for everyone to eat and rest. But sometimes, even the most thought-out precautions can't prevent an injury. Tooth knocked out In one case, a fight scene during a performance didn't go quite as planned and an actor had a tooth knocked out.