Theater folks...

[sam_gordon]

I know there's a number of folks who work (or worked) in theater and hoping you can help point me to a solution to a problem I'm having...

Looking specifically at body pack transmitters for females. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have times when the body pack TRANSMITTER (not the pigtail with the mic) needs to be quickly (ie: <2 min) swapped between two females. I've seen some ladies utilize an elastic strap around their thigh to clip the pack to, and I know some have used their bra straps (not the best solution for a quick swap).

No, adding more packs is not a valid solution for what we're dealing with.
No, we do not have costume people or anyone able to help with the swap aside from the two doing the swap.

Are there other "tricks" (the elastic around the thigh is pretty good) to help facilitate this?

TIA

 

[ashley0139]

I know there's a number of folks who work (or worked) in theater and hoping you can help point me to a solution to a problem I'm having...

Looking specifically at body pack transmitters for females. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have times when the body pack TRANSMITTER (not the pigtail with the mic) needs to be quickly (ie: <2 min) swapped between two females. I've seen some ladies utilize an elastic strap around their thigh to clip the pack to, and I know some have used their bra straps (not the best solution for a quick swap).

No, adding more packs is not a valid solution for what we're dealing with.
No, we do not have costume people or anyone able to help with the swap aside from the two doing the swap.

Are there other "tricks" (the elastic around the thigh is pretty good) to help facilitate this?

TIA

Are they wearing wigs? You can put the mic pack under the wig when the costume doesn’t allow it in the usual spots. Might work here.

The thigh placement is good too.

 

[sam_gordon]

Good idea but no wigs

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I've done backstage work, costuming and a number of mic placements/swaps. If you're only swapping the actual transmitter and the mic/cords can stay in place, you just need to find the easiest place to access on each actor. It really depends on their costumes. If they have a two piece costume (pants or skirt and top), you can clip the mike inside the waistband. If the actor is in a dress or other one-piece costume, a band around the thigh can work well. The youth theater groups I worked with always used mic belts. They were basically wide elastic straps with little pockets for the mic, and velcro to hold them around the waist. If an actor is wearing a two-piece costume over a mic belt, it's fairly easy to access the mic on their lower back.

The most important thing is for the two actors to practice the mic exchange over and over. They should choreograph exactly how they will do it so there are no slip ups during performances.