The Illinois High School Theatre Festival, the largest and oldest non-competitive theatre festival in the nation, recently outfitted its tech crew with Gig Gear’s Gig Gloves, work gloves designed with theatre production and live production professionals in mind.
The Festival features high school students from across the state who audition to do not only the acting in the productions, but the tech as well. In preparation for the annual January festival, 32 tech crew members purchased a pair of Gig Gloves and selected their own style preference — Original Gig Gloves or Gig Gloves ONYX.
“My biggest concern as a high school tech director is safety,” said Vic Pilolla, executive director of the Illinois State High School Theatre Festival. “At the high school level, safety is something we have to focus on because these kids still think they’re invincible. For example, we only use only safe saws. Gig Gloves fit right in with our safety processes — they have padding so the kids don’t slam their fingers, and they protect the entire hand.”
Since Pilolla’s crew is made up of teenagers, he said the removable fingertips for easy access to smartphones and other touchscreen devices was a major selling point.
“The removable fingertips were a must for us,” he explained. “The gloves protect the hands of the kids, but also allows them the opportunity to easily play with their phone, which with teenagers, is very important.”
“I couldn’t believe how much the kids are wearing them, and when they don’t have them on, they have them on their belts,” Pilolla added. “No one puts them in their bag. They are using them the whole time.”
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Gig Gloves are available in three models: the Original Gig Gloves — which provide visibility of the hands in low-light environments; THERMO Gig Gloves — which are fleece-lined for working on cold sets; and Gig Gloves ONYX — an all-black version for those who need to be discreet. All three variations are available for customization.
Gig Gloves complete protection on the back of the hands and palms, breathability for extended use to eliminate sweating, access to the first three fingers via fold-over fingertips for fine motor tasks, and touchscreen capability directly through the fabric. All three versions of Gig Gloves come in 6 sizes (XS - XXL) and allow production professionals to keep their hands protected the entire time they are working without compromising on the ability to do their work.