TECHNICAL THEATRE
“Without technicians, actors would just be people
yelling on a blank stage in the dark.”
The Director and his helpers
 Producer
 Director
 Assistant Director
 Stage Manager
 Prompt book
 Assistant Stage Manager
 House Manager
 ushers
Properties
A.K.A. “Props”
 Prop Master
 Prop table




Costume props (purse)
Hand props (telephone)
Floor props (furniture)
Decorative (painting)
 Buy
 Build
 Pull
Set- People and Terms
 Set designer vs. carpenters/crew
 Technical Director (TD)
 Stagehands
 Gaft tape
 Spiking
 Stage blocks
Fly system
•Batons- the pipes they attach lights and set pieces onto
•Pigs- the name for the weights they use to balance the weight of the lights and set
pieces on the batons (like a teeter-totter)
•This is how they bring in set pieces to change the scene or fly someone like Peter Pan
•Pulley system- The ropes and pulleys they use to raise and lower the set
A picture of the fly rail
Scene shop
This is where they build all the set pieces and store things
until they are ready to be put on stage. There are many
tools, and safety is essential!
Types of stages:
Thrust stage- audience
on 3 sides
Theatre in the roundAudience on all sides
Proscenium stage- Typical stage where audience in just in front of the stage
Examples of set designs and
ground plans done in CAD
Examples of flats
Fun set examples:
Fun set examples:
Makeup- steps and terms
 Actors usually do their own-(Cats) unless
professional or extremely challenging





Clean face
Base
Highlight
Shadow
Specialty
 Ben Nye/Mehron
 Wigs
Types of stage makeup









Basic
Old age
Fantasy
Animal
Period
Gender reversal
Celebrity
Specialty (scars, noses, facial hair, moles, etc.)
Blood and gore
Wigs
Makeup Sketch
Example of highlight and shadow
Animal makeup Example
Specialty makeup examples
Fantasy
Specialty
Period
Blood and Gore
Body makeup
Old age makeup example
Lights
 Lighting Designer vs. Light board op.
 Lighting designer creates a light plot and gives it to the
Master Electrician. The Master Electrician is the person in
charge of hanging all the lights to make it look as the
Lighting Designer had envisioned, and for recording all the
light cues.






Blackout & Blueout
Bite light
Follow spot vs. Spotlight
Work lights
Lighting instruments
Lamp- 750 watts (normal
is 75w)
 Fragile- sensitive to oil on skin
Example of a light plot
Details of a light plot
Light board and computer program
Lighting Instruments
Ellipsoidal
Very specific area is lit,
very condensed light.
These you can use gobos
for.
PAR Can
This creates a wash, or a broad
area that is lit instead of a
specific spot. Cannot use gobos
with these because the light is
too spread out.
Parts of a lighting instrument
Lighting colors
Intelligent lighting
Intelligent lighting is newer, and
therefore more expensive, but will
probably eventually replace both
ellipsoidal and PAR cans.
Benefits:
•Change color without changing gels
•Add and remove gobos
•Not stationary, can be moved around
•One Intelligent light can do the same
job as 10 of the older models.
Most Intelligent lighting is used these
days in concerts, on Broadway, and
even some DJs.
PAR Can lighting example
Elipsoidal example
Gobos
Gobo example
Gobo example (intelligent lighting)
Popular gobo example
What’s wrong with this picture? Name the 2 reasons
this is not a real gobo.
Gels
Gel example
Gel example
Haze example
Haze is used in concerts and in theatre so you can see the
beam of light. Otherwise it would just be the light on stage.
Fog example
Fog stays low to the ground to help
create a creepy atmosphere.
More fun lighting examples
More fun lighting examples
Sound
 Sound designer vs. sound board “op.”
 Sound designer decides placement of speakers,
what songs to play, what sound effects to use, and
use of microphones.
 Sound board op runs the sound during rehearsals
and the show. They not only have to play the music
and SFX, but also turn on and off people’s mics, and
can even change the way their voice sounds.
 Real sounds vs. Sound effects (Crash box-
real, cat meowing- effect)
 Sound cue
Sound cues
The Audio signal chain
Source
Processing
Amplification
Examples:
Anything that
makes sound:
Radio, I-pod,
computer,
microphones, etc.
Speaker
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
Mixing with a
sound board,
adjusting volume,
audio special
effects (Chipmunk
voices pitch,
reverb).
Making the sound
louder:
Some speakers have
amplifiers in them,
usually you need to
have an outboard
specifically made for
amplifying.
Self explanatory!
Lavalier /
Lapel Mic
These mics can be
hidden on actors.
The battery is
attached to the
actor’s back
Microphones
Condenser Mic
These mics can be several
feet away from the actors
and still pick up all the
sound. It picks up all sorts
of noise besides the one
actor’s voice.
Dynamic Mic
These are the most
popular mics. They can
be handheld or on
stands, but the actor or
singer needs to be
directly in front of it to
pick up the sound.
Sound board
Costumes
 Costume designer vs. stichers/dressers/builders




Pull (& alter)
Buy
Build
Rent
 Swatch
 Measurements
How to design a costume:
 There are certain things you need to know about
your character and the play before you can design:








Gender
Age
Status
Location
Season/weather
Time Period
Job
Personality
 Other things to keep in mind- color of the set and
lights, logistics
Animal costume designs and masks
And now you know EVERYTHING
there is to know about
technical theatre! (ok, so
maybe not everything…)