Most theatre-spec PDFs assume in-house knowledge. A plain-language guide to fly heights, dead-hangs, dock dimensions, and the questions to ask before you sign.
A venue technical rider is the document that separates a production that bumps in smoothly from one that discovers on load-in day that its show doesn't fit in the building. Most venues produce them. Most producers have read one. Far fewer producers have read one well.
This guide walks through the critical sections of a standard NSW venue technical rider — what the numbers mean, what to ask when something's missing, and the questions that aren't in the document at all.
A technical rider (also called a venue spec sheet or technical specification) is a document issued by the presenting venue that describes the physical and technical capabilities of the performance space. It covers:
For a touring production, the technical rider is the primary document used to assess whether a venue can accommodate the show — and what additional equipment or adaptation is required.
The fly system section will typically lead with the number of sets (individual flying lines or counterweight sets), the grid height, and the maximum loading per set. Here's what each means:
Grid height is the clearance from the stage floor to the underside of the fly tower grid. This determines whether your flying scenery — cloths, borders, drops, hard pieces — can be stored out of sight above the stage when not in use. If your show has a 5-metre cloth and the grid height is 10 metres, that's workable. If your grid height is 6 metres, you're stuck.
A common trap: grid height is measured to the grid, not to the first bar. The practical flying height is typically grid height minus the length of the wire or rope, minus the hardware at the top of the set. A 10-metre grid height gives you approximately 8–8.5 metres of practical travel for a standard counterweight set. Know your number before you assume the cloth will fly out.
Safe working load (SWL) is the maximum weight each counterweight set can carry. Standard NSW touring shows typically load bars at 300–500kg. Line arrays and large flying pieces can push 600–800kg on a single bar — always check your bar schedule against the venue's SWL before finalising your design.
Hemp vs counterweight vs automation: Hemp sets (older, rope-and-sandbag) are found in heritage theatres and older regional venues. Counterweight sets are the standard across most NSW commercial and civic venues. Motorised and automated systems are found in major capital city venues and new builds. For a touring show with computerised cue sequences, a motorised system is preferable — confirm the venue's automation capabilities before finalising your ASM cues.
A stage spec might read "18m wide × 14m deep." That sounds generous. But the usable playing space — the area within the proscenium opening that the audience can actually see — is typically smaller.
The proscenium opening is what the audience sees. A spec of 18m wide might come with a proscenium of 12.6m wide. Everything outside the proscenium is wing space.
Wing depth matters for touring productions with large scenic pieces moving off in the wings. A wing depth of 3 metres is very tight — wide scenic pieces need to be broken into panels or trucked off on casters. A wing depth of 8 metres is comfortable for most touring shows. Always ask for a stage plan PDF with wing dimensions clearly marked.
Under-stage access (trap rooms, traps, orchestra pit depth) matters for shows with below-stage scenic elements. Heritage venues often have limited under-stage access due to their original construction. Ask specifically: how deep is the trap room? What is the maximum height of a piece that can rise through a trap?
The loading dock section is where most touring show post-mortems begin. A truck can't get in. The dock is the right height but the wrong width. The freight elevator is too small for the set piece.
Key numbers to check:
Dock height is typically given in metres above ground level. Standard semi-trailer tray height is approximately 1.2–1.4 metres. If the dock is set at 1.3 metres, a standard B-double can drive straight in. If the dock is at 0.5 metres (ground level), you're hand-bombing or using a tailgate lifter.
Dock access height (the clearance overhead at the dock entry) limits the height of vehicles that can access the dock. Heritage venues in Sydney CBDs often have restrictions of 3.8–4.2 metres — if your costume truck has a high-top body at 4.4 metres, it may not fit.
Dock width determines whether two trucks can work simultaneously or whether everything must sequence through a single-truck dock. Efficient bump-in scheduling on a tight window often requires simultaneous truck access.
Internal freight path from dock to stage is the section that riders frequently omit. Ask: is there a freight elevator, or a level corridor? What are the elevator dimensions? What is the maximum single-piece dimension that can be moved from dock to stage?
A thorough technical rider answers most of the specification questions. It doesn't answer the operational questions that determine whether a bump-in is smooth or chaotic.
Who is in the building before us? Most venues are in continuous use. The show in before you affects when you can actually access the dock and the stage. Ask for the full programming calendar around your bump-in window.
What's the crew arrangement? Many venues require their resident technicians to be present as "first call" crew, with your touring crew working alongside them. This affects your budget and your HOD structure. Some venues have strong resident crews who add value. Some don't. Ask for an introduction before you contract.
When are we actually on stage? There's the contracted bump-in date and there's when you actually get on stage. The difference is usually the get-out of the preceding production. Ask for the confirmed get-out call of the show before you.
What's the noise curfew? CBD venues often have noise restrictions that affect load-out, rehearsal calls, and technical work with PA at full level. Ask specifically about night work, weekend rates, and noise restrictions on truck movement.
Is there a resident LX stock that we can use? Most riders list equipment as installed. They rarely specify what's available for touring productions to use as part of their hire package. Ask your venue contact to be specific about what's in the package and what attracts additional charges.
A well-produced venue technical rider is formatted clearly, dated recently, and includes stage plans as PDF attachments. It names the Technical Director or Production Manager as the contact for pre-production questions. It lists the rider version number — because venues update their specs, and an outdated rider can contain information that's no longer accurate.
Be cautious of a rider that:
In these cases, a phone call to the venue Technical Director before you commit to the dates is worth more than any document.
Before you commit to a venue, work through this checklist against the technical rider:
A venue technical rider is a starting point for a conversation, not a complete answer. The productions that bump in cleanly are the ones that have had those conversations before the ink is dry.
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