Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 12:27:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: jdunfee-AT-shadow.net (Joe Dunfee)
Subject: Re: Blacklight Theatre


  There have been some notes expressing concern with the exposure to UV
light while doing blacklight puppetry.
  The flourescent blacklight tubes puppeteers commonly use are not a
hazardous level of UV. You can't get a sunburn from them or cause problems
with your eyes. One fixure I have is 15 watts - that is just not that much
UV light, and it is spread out over the area of the bulb. 
   There is another type of fixture, the high power kind more commonly used
in theater and sold by the company Wild Fire and others. It takes a bout 5
minutes to warm up and has (if I remember correctly) about 500watts. Also it
is all radiating from a small area. So it is possible to get a much larger
exposure by putting your face right up to the opening. But this fixure is
designed to be used well away from the performers. Its smaller opening (in
comparison to a flourescent tube fixture) is also beneficial in that you can
use barn doors to restrict the light to only fall on your stage.

Joe Dunfee
Miami, Florida USA



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