“Knowledge is power.” – a smart stagehand.
That quote is from an automation carpenter on a tour that did production in my home local, and he said it to me when I asked to read the manual to his automation console. He was gracious enough to hand it over to me, and answer any questions I had, even though I was working in the sound department, and have limited carpenter skills.
Hi, my name is James. I’m a stagehand. And I believe that knowledge is power, and in our industry, every stagehand can learn a little more, gain a few more skills, and understand something about what other departments are doing if they want to. The knowledge is out there, and I want to help people find it.
There is a ton of free information out there, from training videos to manuals, and from technical articles to classes. My aim is to post and reblog some of these resources, and if things go well, maybe even start creating some original videos, tutorials and articles along the way.
Our industry is becoming more technical with every new show that comes out, and as events we have a hand in become more spectacular. We are the ones who have the largest hand in the success of these events, and we need to stay ahead of the learning curve.
Who am I?
I’m a proud member of IATSE local 7. I’ve been on tour as a sound engineer (I know, but I try to prove that sound people are techs as well) and a spot op / caller. I’ve been in theater since I was 15 in community theater, moving on to high school theater, a few years as an engineering assistant in radio, and the general A/V and theater tracks that come with being a local and road stagehand. I am not the best stagehand out there, and would never claim to be. But I like to learn, and I like to keep my skills up. Technology in theater interests me quite a bit.
If I can help bring that interest and knowledge to other people, I’m happy to be of service.
Who is this site for?
This site is for stagehands of all abilities and skill levels. It is for union and non-union stagehands alike (yes, I am a union stagehand, and have a bias towards union labor and jobs, but theater is for everyone, and everyone has to start somewhere). It is for all departments, and will attempt to have something for everyone, from lighting to wardrobe, from hair and makeup to carpentry to video.
How you can help.
Got something you would like to contribute? Have a suggestion? Is there anything you would like to learn, or see a tutorial on? Let me know. You can hit me up in the contact form here. I ask that you keep it positive and in the spirit of contributing to stagehands and the craft.
Knowledge is power. This is your chance to take the power into your own hands.