Two Golden Mask winners fell into the orchestra pit
OperaA tale of horror from Silesian Opera in Poland:
The Golden Masks were awarded yesterday at the Silesian Opera – awards for actors and creators of the most interesting theatre performances in 2022. During the gala, two winners who were entering the stage to receive their awards ran into the orchestra pit. One person managed to get out on his own, in the other case an ambulance was necessary. Despite these incidents, the gala was not interrupted.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza , after the first incident, the proscenium and audience were illuminated, and the gala host warned against the narrow passage to the stage. The second accident involved a person who was late for the gala and probably did not hear about the earlier incident. After the second episode, the orchestra pit was fenced with security tapes, and the awardees were asked to enter the stage from the backstage side.
Neither winner suffered serious injuries, the woman taken to hospital only suffered from a dislocated finger.
If it’s accessed via the wings, isn’t the entrance to the pit secured as a matter of course? These seem to have been accidents waiting to happen.
The really embarrassing thing that the place was reopened just a month ago after a two-year renovation.
One person falling in, probably an accident, two falling in probably will result in many lawsuits for negligence.
Was there an orchestra in the pit or was it empty for this occasion?
Most venues have means to cover an unused pit to prevent these mishaps.