It's bump-in time for TBC, and so we felt it was time to answer a few questions about our process. Or even more specifically for the especially confused, what the hell is a bump in? Here we answer all your questions and even a few you didn't think to ask.

1. Bump-ins have nothing to do with 70s disco trends.
Okay, so in the 70s people were doing craaaazy dance moves, like bumping their hips together. Oh, those crazy kids. There was even a song about it (Kenny, 'The Bump', check it out if you must, but it's awful. Check out this instead; it's much more entertaining. Disclaimer: TBC does not endorse the dance partner prejudices of 1970s disco stars ).

Bumping in has a whole lot less dancing, unless you count the 'where-is-the-gaffa-tape' shuffle.

2. Nobody knows why moving a show into a theatre space is called a bump-in.
Much as with many theatre terms, the origins are unknown for this particular name for moving all the set, lights, costumes and general ephemera into a venue.


Also like many theatre terms, the name can change from region to region. Apparently the Brits call it a 'get-in', which makes more sense but is also a bit close to 'get with' for comfort. Although one can lead to the other, of course.


3. Nobody knows why moving a show out of a theatre space is called a bump-out.
See above. Apart from the Brit bit, whence it is called a 'get-out'. Which is a bit harsh, honestly, especially when you're feeling all emotional from finishing up a season.

4. Gaffa tape can solve anything.
Need to secure a cable? Gaffa tape. Parts of the set falling apart? Gaffa tape. Lost a costume? Gaffa tape. (Seriously, TBC is associated with at least one person who owns a gaffa fedora.)

Gaffa tape is the miracle cure for everything. The only thing you can't do with the stuff is eat it. This is why you will see rolls of it being carefully guarded during bump-in, where everyone from the lighting techs to the front of house guys will be after it to fix something.

Gaffa: the material holding the universe together. It's official. Mythbusters have proved it.


5. If you search the term 'Bump In' on Flickr, you get a whole lot of pictures of heavily pregnant women.

So. There's that.

Flickr seems to be a lot more literal in its interpretation of search terms than other search engines. Yes, Flickr, technically those women have a bump in.

Okay, so we've all heard of hysteria? The whole 'wandering womb' theory, the hysterectomies, the 'you're crazy because you've got too much sperm' thing...

Wait. What? Yep, part of the hysteria epidemic involved having too much sperm.

First, a word on female hysteria.

It's often believed that we have the otherwise excellent thinker Plato to thank for hysteria, but belief in the condition dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Early thinkers thought that the womb was a living creature, wandering the female body and wreaking havoc (picture the Blob, and if you can't picture the Blob, look it up on IMDB and welcome to the wonderful world of pre-2000 cinema, guys!).

Some of the other thoughts on hysteria included the idea that the womb could be lured back to its proper place by putting bad-smelling things near a woman's mouth and luring the womb back down with perfume near her vagina. Another, much more fun-sounding theory, was that the problem was caused by lack of orgasms.

Interesting etymological fact: the Greek word for uterus was hystera. You do the math.

Sigmund Freud was a fan of the latter theory, although his thoughts on the topic were wrapped up with his ideas on how everyone's parents ultimately scar them for life.

Fun fact: hysteria wasn't erased from the Bumper Book of Legit Psychological Disorders (otherwise known as the DSM III) until 1980.

Spermatorrhoea: the male hysteria.

So, if lack of orgasm in females is a cause of female hysteria, the male hysteria is also a lack of...

If you said 'orgasm', you're wrong. Spermatorrhoea, the male hysteria, is linked with excessive semen discharge. Folks thought that an involuntary leakage of semen was caused by, among other things, too much masturbation.

The cure? Stop being such a pansy. Get up at 5am, sponge yourself down with cold salt water, lift some weights and go for a jog.

Yep, that'd put most people off a quiet moment alone in the shower. 

The cure is worse than the cause.

In both cases, the ultimate cure for chronic conditions was much worse than the cause. Females had to submit to invasive surgeries, while men had to submit to needles in their most beloved parts.

Yes. Needles. And worse. (Worse? Read the resources below.)


Hooray for medicine!


Want to read more? Check out these resources:


*This psych paper explores the history of female hysteria: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3480686/
*This article from The Conversation is an excellent read on spermatorrhoea: http://theconversation.com/spermatorrhoea-the-lesser-known-male-version-of-hysteria-9996

CC pictures courtesy of:
1. Quelle Horreur by Paul Stumpr
2.Uterus by Hey Paul Studios
3. Sperm race by Mike Goren
4. Ouch by Bark