Another Day at the Office Dear [Principal]-

During the routine annual safety inspection yesterday, I went into the gym and found out that [your school] is producing Peter Pan as its seasonal production, and that there is home made rigging in place to "fly" the student actors.→[More:]

A number of years ago, [someone else] and I were asked to evaluate the hardware used to fly kids in a previous rendition of Peter Pan at that school. We were informed of this several days before the show opened. Our response then was similar to my response now, had I been asked about it:

An elementary school (or for that matter, a middle or high school) should never undertake flying actors, regardless of age. This should be undertaken by people who have the experience and equipment which is made and certified to elevate human beings in the air. Even in an industrial or maintenance setting, one would never go to the hardware supply house and purchase cable and fittings with the intent of supporting a human being in the air with them. That also requires specialized hardware.

In the Third Edition of Stage Rigging Handbook, which is the cardinal reference source for these things, author Jay O. Glerum states,

Flying people . . .is a very special skill. If the main goal of flying people is to just lift them up in the air, then mountain climbing, rescue, or fall-protection techniques can be used. Contact experts in those fields for assistance. But if the goal is to create magic and give the illusion that a person is flying through space with no visible means of support, then the services, expertise, and special equipment of a company specializing in flying people are required.

Never use homemade equipment for flying people. Standard heavy-duty traveler-track hardware, blocks, and other components will not stand up to the complex dynamic forces of flying a person. A number of former Peter Pans and ex-Santa Clauses still suffer from the injuries they sustained while being flown on homemade equipment.

The production several years ago reportedly went off without incident, even if [that other someone] and I could not give it our blessing. The odds are that this production will, also.

But I have to tell you that I feel it is breathtakingly ill-advised to suspend kids (or anyone) off the stage to simulate flying without someone professionally trained, equipped, and insured to do so. In addition, if there was a serious injury to a child the District would clearly be found negligent and liable given the above the information. If you still want to proceed with the production, it will be necessary for others to be informed, including Risk Management, Human Resources, and Instruction. I hope you understand that it would be unwise for me to not communicate my concerns given the potential liability. I would welcome an opportunity to discuss this with you, you can contact me at [my cell #].

Dan