This book is written by Richard Cadena, who is the technical editor of Lighting and Sound America. It will answer virtually every question you've asked in your post, and it will also help you stay safe on the job. Worth every penny.

​

EDIT: Submit your questions for Richard's r/livesound Q+A here.

https://www.amazon.ca/Back-Stage-Guide-Management-3rd/dp/0823098028

You've got to take blocking/light/sound cue notes, call the show, hold talent accountable for call times, lots of paperwork... generally be in charge of the show when the director isn't there. As a disclaimer, I've never been a professional stage manager because it's way too much work, but I work in professional theater.

Three things are going to help you:

• Thinking in terms of Systems and Specials
  
• Specifically choosing how your lights are channeled and groupd.
  
• Having a Magic Sheet
  
  
  

  Systems and Specials
  

  
  First off, you want to always be thinking about your lights in terms of Systems and Specials. A System is a group of lights that perform a single function together. The most common form of a 'System' is a wash. Your front light is a system. Your top light is a system.
  
  Specials are the individual lights that do 'special' unique functions. For example, you might have a light that shoots through a window to make the effect of moonlight. Or you might have a light that sits on a chair for a musical number.
  
  Let's imagine a really simple show where you have four systems, an RGB cyc, and two specials. Your systems and specials are:
  
  

• Front Straight Amber Wash, R02
  
• Front Straight Blue Wash, R62
  
• Top Amber Wash, R16
  
• Top Blue Wash, R80
  
• RGB Cyc, each one individually controlled.
  
• Firelight special
  
• Moon Gobo special
  
  The first four systems are made up of 15 lights each, covering two dimensions: SR - SL, DS - US. Something like this:
  
  UR URC UC ULC UL
  CR CRC CC CLC CL
  DR DRC DC DLC DL
  
  You also want to individually control all the cyc colors so you can do mixing. The two specials each need to have their own channel.
  
  

  Specifically choosing how your lights are channeled and groupd.
  

  
  The next thing to do is to specifically choose how your lights are channeled and groupd. When you had a board with all sliders, you might just have assigned everything numerically, because you were limited in how many physical sliders you had (or perhaps limited by dimmers). The advantage of a modern board like the Ion is that you can use numerical mnemonics to visually identify/remember.
  
  Imagine your Ion screen is laid out something like this:
  
  01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
  21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
  41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
  61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
  81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
  
  Now if you just channeled everything in order, numerically, you'd end up with channels looking something like this:
  
  

• Front Straight Amber Wash, R02 - Channels 1-15
  
• Front Straight Blue Wash, R62 - Channels 16-30
  
• Top Amber Wash, R16 - Channels 31 - 45
  
• Top Blue Wash, R80 - Channels 46-60
  
• RGB Cyc, each one individually controlled. - Channels 61 (R), 62 (G), 63 (B)
  
• Firelight special - Channel 64
  
• Moon Gobo special - Channel 65
  
  That's not a bad way of doing it, but it's not really optimal. For one, there's no easy way to visually look at the screen and see what things are doing. Your systems wrap across multiple lines, and everything is just group'd up with no rhyme or reason. It doesn't help you remember anything.
  
  Visually, the channels will look like this on your Ion Screen: http://i.imgur.com/YJca3Ff.png
  
  Instead, imagine channeling it something like this:
  
  
• Front Straight Wash R02, Channels 1-15
  
• Front Straight Wash R62, Channels 21-35
  
• Top Amber Wash R16, Channels 41-55
  
• Top Blue Wash R80, Channels 61-75
  
• RGB Cyc, each one individually controlled. - Channels 81 (R), 82 (G), 83 (B)
  
• Firelight special - Channel 91
  
• Moon Gobo special - Channel 92
  
  Now look at that on the Ion Screen: http://i.imgur.com/3TXCGYx.png . Look at the nice neat columns and rows that let you easily see what's going on. What's more, the numerical mnemonics help you know where channels are:
  
  11: UR 12: URC 13: UC 14: ULC 15: UL
  06: CR 07: CRC 08: CC 09: CLC 16: CL
  01: DR 02: DRC 03: DC 04: DLC 05: DL
  
  You know that X1 is always DR. So 01 is DR Front Amber, 21 is DR Front Blue, 41 is DR Top Amber, 61 is DR Top Blue. You can look at the screen and see what's going on visually. Eventually, you'll be able to look at the channel screen and instantly understand what it should look like on the stage.
  
  Now, it does get tedious to select all the channels you want all the time. This is where Groups come in handy. You use Groups to select your systems so that you don't always have to type in [CHANNEL 1 - 15].
  
  Again, numerical mnenomics will help you out. Let's just think of our four front washes. You could group them 1-4:
  
  
• Group 1 - Front Amber Wash
  
• Group 2 - Front Blue Wash
  
• Group 3 - Top Amber Wash
  
• Group 4 - Top Blue Wash
  
  Problem is that way doesn't help you remember what your channels are at. Group 4 is... What? Oh, Top Blue Wash, my fourth system. When I make groups, I make them around channel numbers:
  
  
• Group 1 - Front Amber Wash, Channels 1-15
  
• Group 21 - Front Blue Wash, Channels 21-35
  
• Group 41 - Top Amber Wash, Channels 41-55
  
• Group 61 - Top Blue Wash, Channels 61-75
  
  That helps you remember what channel you're selecting. You can also add more groups to get more levels of control:
  
  
• Group 5 - Down Stage Front Amber Wash, Channels 1-5
  
• Group 10 - Mid Stage Front Amber Wash, Channels 6-10
  
• Group 15 - Up Stage Front Amber Wash, Channels, 11-15
  
  And so on.
  
  Eventually, you'll have a selection of groups that let you quickly and easily select areas of the stage you want to isolate.
  
  
  

  What is a Magic Sheet?
  

  
  Once you know what your systems and specials are, and you've got them grouped/channeled, you can make your Magic Sheet. Your Magic Sheet is for you, as the designer, to help you remember what your systems and specials are. It's a quick reference to tell you what your systems and specials are so that you DO remember what you have to use. That way you can just look down and know what channels you need to call out. Magic Sheets are unique to you... you might make them look like color keys, you might have them visually laid out on the stage.
  
  
  Here's an example of a magic sheet I drew up for this show:
  
  http://i.imgur.com/5uOvjYU.png
  
  The magic sheet has all my systems with their appropriate channel numbers as well as my cyc numbers and specials. Because I'm using group number mnemonics, I don't have to write down group numbers... I can just remember that Group 1 selects R02 Front, Group 61 selects R80 Top, etc. etc..
  
  I hope those tips helped. If you haven't yet, you should get (and read) the Practical Guide to Stage Lighting, which will really help you get the most out of your designs. http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003
  
  

  tl;dr
  

  
  Buy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003

Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician by Richard Cadena

Maybe The Great Treasury of Western Thought. It has a large collection of short passages from many classic works of philosophy and literature. Most are about 100 words but they range from a single sentence to a few paragraphs.

Or for a more visually pleasing book you could try 30 Second Philosophies.

May I present our lord and savior Jay Glerum (RIP). This guy literally wrote the book on stage rigging and was also the nicest guy ever. Seriously this is the place to start

See if you can ASM or be a PA for a show. See if there is a theatre that will allow you to observe the SM operations for a show. There are multiple ways you can get involved.

Stage Management Resource is a great source for advice.

I also recommend The Backstage Guide to Stage Management. It’s a book I had to read when I was in college and I still reference it for when I SM.

I'll try to respond to each item:
Rehearsal Time: 3, 4, or 5 nights a week is reasonable. As long as you don't have every actor called to every rehearsal. (I'll discuss this more later.)
Schedule: Plan out what you are going to work at every rehearsal. For example, on Monday we are working Act I Scenes 1-2. Call only the actors that are in those scenes. Work those scenes, run those scenes move on. If I have a long enough rehearsal process I like to plan in 30 minutes to 1 hour of rehearsal for every minute of show.
Warm-ups and Exercises: I'm a firm believer that these are activities that actors should take care of before rehearsal begins. Sometimes you'll encounter an activity or an exercise that will help with a scene or a moment in the show, then, by all means, work it into the rehearsal
Off Book: An expectation that I have for my actors is that the third time I run a scene, they are off book. They may not have a scene memorized at the start of rehearsal, but if you're using your rehearsal time well, they will have it memorized by the end. You can also set official off-book dates. With Shakespeare I would do it by Act. Let's say that I'm going to block and work Act I over 1 week. Well, the final rehearsal that week would be the official off-book date for Act I.
Staging: Venue size shouldn't matter too much. If your actors are comfortable in what they are doing, then they'll be able to adjust. If you can secure them a bit of time to work in each venue before hand that would be ideal. Just enough time for them to work their spacing and to move around the space and get comfortable.
Initial Sessions: I like to have a brief discussion with my cast, introduce the designers and stage manager, review the production calendar, and then do a table read. It's ideal if your designers are at the table read, but I know that doesn't happen all the time. Discuss your ideas about the characters, but don't dictate exactly what you want. As for character research, that is part of the actor's job description. Rehearsal is a place for the actor to try out the work they've done on their own. The director is there to shape what the actor brings, not to dictate what is seen.
Minor Roles: Call them when needed. Invite them to come to sit in at any rehearsal, but only call them when you need them. There's nothing worse than feeling like someone is wasting your time.
Individual Work: (See Above)
Technical Work: Preferably before you've even auditioned. You should have production meetings before you ever start working with actors, get everyone on the same page. Invite them to the table read.
Books and Resources: [Stage Management] (http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Management-Edition-Lawrence-Stern/dp/0205006132) [Tips: Ideas for Directors] (http://www.amazon.com/Tips-Ideas-Directors-Art-Theater/dp/1575252414/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394337595&sr=1-1&keywords=tips+ideas+for+directors)
Hearts and Minds: Don't waste their time. Be well prepared for every rehearsal. Do your director homework. Study, analyze, and plan. If you don't have an answer to an actor's question, find it as soon as you leave that night. Have an answer for them the next day before you even start rehearsal.
Actor Wishlist: This is strictly my opinion, feel free to ignore it. Don't give a line reading. Nothing more humiliating as an actor than for a director to have to give you a line reading.

That's how I work. I would absolutely kill for a 3 month rehearsal process.

[Production Stage Management for Broadway] (https://www.amazon.com/Production-Stage-Management-Broadway-Opening/dp/0896762939/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0896762939&pd_rd_r=d3da8c47-be70-11e8-9d90-8b493ea953ed&pd_rd_w=qpTgQ&pd_rd_wg=2Vf7g&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=EJNCW54K8P5G2AVSCW2P&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=EJNCW54K8P5G2AVSCW2P) is a seriously good book, but it's very specific to Commercial style PSMing.

[Stage Manager's Toolkit] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138183776/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1) is a great book if you're getting started, it's the Freshman textbook at my University. [The first addition] (https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Managers-Toolkit-Communication-Performance/dp/0415663199) is cheaper but it's a tad dated by now.

[The Backstage Guide to Stage Management] (https://www.amazon.com/Back-Stage-Guide-Management-3rd/dp/0823098028/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0823098028&pd_rd_r=a2cb0a09-be70-11e8-b3a9-1f5f95d9d540&pd_rd_w=ebcVw&pd_rd_wg=LVsxu&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=XKJPTT300SQHAVA9TJKW&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=XKJPTT300SQHAVA9TJKW) is great but a little dated. It has a great section on Opera stage management which can be rare.

Also, if you're doing some reading and you haven't learned this already, definitely read up on [how to read music!] (https://www.musicnotes.com/blog/2014/04/11/how-to-read-sheet-music/)

Two books:

A Sense of Direction by William Ball

Tips: Ideas for Directors by Jon Jory

Everything else you will learn from practice.

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Managing-Theatre-Etiquette-Basic/dp/1566632013

Best $15 you’ll ever spend

You might want to check out Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, which is a play that weaves in a lot of discussion about determinism and chaos theory. Even without the link to mathematics, it's a damn good play that's worth reading on its own merits.

Well, look, it only matters if it matters. Theater can be art, or on the other end of the spectrum, it can be trivial. If it's trivial to you, it doesn't matter, and so none of this discussion matters. If you think theater isn't trivial, then it does matter, and yes, things like this are dangerous.

No, no, not dangerous in terms of "Oh God, we cast Vladimir in Waiting for Godot as a small Asian woman and now I'm going to lose an arm" (though perhaps the Beckett Society has become more violent these days...), but when I read pheelyks saying "dangerous," my mind jumped to a Peter Brook-style interpretation in the way of Deadly Theater. (Check out The Empty Space if you haven't and are curious.)

Hey! I've done longform musical improv. The building block of it is the scene-to-song. Basically, learn how to push your emotion or character deal into a song moment. If you watch a lot of musicals, you'll start to see what I mean. After that, you can work on song structure (verse-chorus-verse, tagline, etc.) and then string the scenes together however you'd like (as a Harold, a montage, a single long monoscene, or narrative).

To that end, I recommend:
• Instant Songwriting
• The Improv Comedy Musician (For your accompaniest mostly)
• Musical Direction for Improv (The author has another older book but it seems to be out of print. I think this one's an updated/expanded/revised version of that book though.)

First things first, different areas are going to call different things different names. Never be ashamed about asking what people mean by a term, as clear communication is critical in this industry.

Next, three books that will help you.

1. Backstage Handbook while a little outdated, this is the stagehands bible.
   
   
2. Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician and Technician this is a good reference for how electricity works. Less of a what things are and more of a how things are. Good book regardless.
   
   
3. A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting also more of a how things are, this details more of the design and communication side of lighting. Also a very good read, as it details out paperwork for shows.
   
   As far as what equipment and systems you should be familiar with? ETC EOS family is a good starting point. It’ll get your mind familiar with how to program lights and is a pretty universal starting point. ETC Sensor Racks are also fairly standard for dimming. For moving lights, that’s really going to depend on what you’re able to get your hands on. If there’s a production shop nearby to you, call them up and see if they’re willing to take you on as an intern so you can learn things, or just ask them to spend a couple days showing you how everything works. Or see if there’s an IATSE chapter that’s nearby to you, they’ll also be able to help point you in the right direction.

My undergrad prof used The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management by Thomas A. Kelly for our SM class. I thought it was really helpful!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0809327414/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

Stage Rigging Handbook.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316736465

First Aid Manual

Just starters.

Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician by Richard Cadena. Understanding electricity and electrical safety is big, and a shocking number of technicians lack what I consider crucial basic knowledge.

Also, if you have interest in automated lighting, a decent grounding in electronics can be useful for troubleshooting and maintenance, and I'd start with Introductory Circuit Analysis by Robert Boylestad for this - you'll get a much more thorough grounding in circuit analysis than from Cadena, even if you don't work your way through the whole text.

Check out Steve Shelley’s book Practical Guide to Stage Lighting. I learned a fair amount about contracts from it, enough to write my own.

The above comment about consulting a lawyer is also wise, but most lawyers are going to know your business like you do. If you come to them with something to look over, you’re more likely to get a positive and meaningful reaction.

Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician and Technician

You don't have to become an expert on everything in the book but simply reading it through once will give a solid foundation for the working sound engineer. Nothing happens in our world without power so I consider this a fundamental read.

> Or perhaps the problem is something other than the power?

The thing that passed through your brain that made you think that this was a smart decision.

Here are some ground rules about movers and electricity that pertain to your situation, and some thoughts.

1. Don't power movers off of a dimmer. Ever. The power sent from them isn't full phase, and will most likely damage your fixtures.
   
   
2. Just because it seems like a good idea in your head, does not make it a good idea in practice. A reverse twofer??? A simple web search will show that you can't safely combine two sources of 110v to get 208v.
   
   
3. That VL is probably dead now, so have fun paying for repairs, and potentially having your university blacklisted from renting from them again.
   
   
4. If you don't get electricity, don't mess with it. That's a cardinal rule. I've never seen anyone silly enough to try to combine phases for their moving lights. This is dangerous.
   
   Please be safer next time, and don't break expensive gear that you don't own. Accidents are accidents, stupidity can't be played off as an accident.
   
   If you actually want to learn more about electricity and how to use it safely, please read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

Vectorworks and Lightwrite are pretty standard for generating light plots and paperwork. WYSIWYG and AutoCAD are also used, along with manually created fixture/patch/color/etc schedules.

I'd recommend this book for an excellent, in-depth guide to the practical side of lighting design.

Stage Rigging Handbook
That'll teach you how to do it the right way. Then you can adapt to fit your space.

This is a great read about power and is specifically geared toward our industry: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

Designing with Light is a great introduction to design, the price is criminal https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Light-Introduction-Stage-Lighting/dp/0073514233/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

A Practical guide to Stage Lighting is one of the best and most complete books on the subject https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51wHNTlRvuL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR124%2C160_&refRID=F1TC2GN49HDAM9GJ75ZZ

The Design Idea is a great book on design https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Design-Idea-Wadsworth-Theatre/dp/1111836868/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465919421&sr=1-1&keywords=linda+essig

Stage Lighting Design: The Art, Craft and Life is another great book https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/0896762351/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465919500&sr=1-1&keywords=richard+pilbrow

There are my top 4 lets see what others suggest.

Hello, live event electrician here.

Take a look at Richard Cadenas book, Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician (link below)

I both read his book and took a course he taught. Specifically with stage power, he made sure to burn into my brain using GFCI protected deck power. The time it takes for a short to happen and trip the breaker at your distro is enough to kill. It's happened before.

As for another resource I suggest protocol magazine. It's got all sorts of good, dry information if you are into that. I certainly am.

Educate yourself, don't lift your grounds, ALWAYS use GFCIs for deck power. Too many people have needlessly been electrocuted. Requiring GFCIs for deck power is currently being discussed (I believe)for addition to either the NEC or ESA (Event Safety Alliance)

Good luck out there!

http://www.esta.org/Protocol/protocol.html



https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

That is a great book, but really doesn't teach you rigging.

This is perhaps more on topic: https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Rigging-Handbook-Third-Glerum/dp/0809327414

I second the recommendation for Jory's book, and I really like Notes on Directing too.

A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415812003/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Stage Lighting Handbok-
http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Handbook-Francis-Reid/dp/087830147X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407560871&sr=1-2&keywords=stage+lighting

The Backstage Handbook (has the basics on instruments, cable, etc.)-
http://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407560935&sr=1-5&keywords=stage+lighting

Tips: Ideas for Directors https://www.amazon.com/dp/1575252414/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XCZxDbXY0NFG0

Harold Clurman: On Directing

Bill Ball: A Sense of Direction

Anne Bogart: A Director Prepares

A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting by Steve Shelley

Designing With Light by J. Michael Gillette

These are the two staple textbooks for any lighting design class.

Stage rigging handbook by jay O,Glerum

It's more theatrical but it makes the math and load calculations easy to understand.

The mixing part is the same. If you are solely the FOH mixer, and you don't want to be in charge of the bigger picture, you have no concerns - just make it sound good and know the consoles you are working on. The system tech is there to make sure that the rig sounds good everywhere in the room, and the PM and riggers are there to make sure it is run and hung safely and efficiently.

If you want to PM on bigger rigs like that, you need to start learning the details of all those people's jobs - not necessarily so you can tell them what to do, but so that you can spot safety issues and inefficiencies, and work hand-in-hand with them to meet your goals.

Here's a good book to start on power: https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

And here is a good book on audio systems: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415731011/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I haven't read this one on networks yet, but it's probably my next read...maybe others can chime in on wether it is a good one.

https://www.amazon.com/Show-Networks-Control-Systems-Entertainment/dp/0692958738/ref=asc_df_0692958738/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312115090752&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=449842820588414772&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061129&hvtargid=pla-415287733133&psc=1

​

And of course, nothing beats experience, so weasel your way into bigger jobs and watch what everyone is doing.

​

The bible on the topic: https://www.amazon.com/Automated-Lighting-Programmers-Handbook/dp/024081553X

Steven Shelley's 'A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting is an EXCELLENT lighting design primer. It walks you through everything from the initial discussions, to placing the units on the plot, to focus and cuing.

Don't take everything he says as gospel, but it is a comprehensive place to start. (And Steve's a great guy, too)

I really like this book: A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting. I think you'll appreciate how Steve Shelley lays his ideas out.

• Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Light in Theatre, Live Performance, and Entertainment
  
  
• A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting Third Edition
  
  
• Stage Lighting Design: The Art, the Craft, the Life
  
  
• The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook
  
  
• Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art and Business
  
  
• Light Fantastic: The Art and Design of Stage Lighting (Great theatrical resource for history and theory, and beautiful photographs.)
  
  
• Bullet Proof ... I Wish I Was: The Lighting & Stage Design of Andi Watson (The text reads like an design student's pseudo-intellectual wet dream, but the pictures are great.)
  
  
• Photometrics Handbook
  
  
• Stage Design: Concerts, Events, Ceremonies and Theater

It's one thing to learn the "how", it's another thing to learn the "why". I highly recommend doing some reading/research on the concepts of lighting design: when, why and how to use lighting to help tell the story. Some starting suggestions:

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/1854599968/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-3&keywords=stage+lighting

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-4&keywords=stage+lighting

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fantastic-Design-Stage-Lighting/dp/3791343718/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496027350&sr=1-5&keywords=stage+lighting

Rich Cadena’s“Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician” is by far the best read on this specific topic.

He also hosts training classes and is ETCP certified.

Also check out the NEC sections 400 and 520 for people in the USA.

ProSoundWeb’s AC & Grounding forum is great, as is Mike Holt’s websites and forum contributions throughout the Event Production and Electric industries.

for the power end of things: http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

for the audio-interconnection end of things:

http://www.rane.com/library.html

http://www.qsc.com/resources/document-library/

http://www.crownaudio.com/en-US/support_downloads#technical-paper

& http://www.prosoundtraining.com/site/resources/

I'd just like to point out that I'm not a film maker in any way shape or form so it would be nice if somebody could verify what I'm about to say.

I've been watching a lot of videos by FilmmakerIQ.com on Vimeo and have learned a lot from them. Anyway, they have a list of recommended books that I haven't checked out yet but would like to. I'll just list them out here:

Painting With Light

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need

The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (Hollywood Standard: The Complete & Authoritative Guide to)

Set Lighting Technician's Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution

Master Shots: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get an Expensive Look on Your Low-Budget Movie

Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers and Directors

The Camera Assistant's Manual

The Makeup Artist Handbook: Techniques for Film, Television, Photography, and Theatre

Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen: Making and Applying Prosthetics

Grammar of the Shot (Media Manuals)

Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques

I found this book to be a nice resource. Some of it I knew already, but some things I hadn't thought of. I don't know how advanced you are so I apologize if this is too basic.

Maybe Gospel? See here and here

Watch all the Whose Line Song Styles.

Also maybe check out this book, which was recommended by Laura Hall (side note: she did AMAs here and here).

Hey, I just wanted to tell you that I bought that book you recommended and I loved it. Thank you. This is off in a little different of a direction, but you might enjoy this one:

Arcadia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_(play)
http://www.amazon.com/Arcadia-A-Play-Tom-Stoppard/dp/0571169341

There's a little misinterpretation of the past by modern archeologists in it, and it leads to some great comic lines.

Books I recommend / see commonly recommended.

• • -
    Show Networks and Control Systems
    
    This is a great book all about how modern lighting networks work using sACN and other protocols. John Huntington is a great speaker if you ever get a chance to see him speak. He should be doing a session or two as USITT this year. He is also a professor at CUNY and has a great program there.
    

• • *
    Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician
    
    Another great book by another great speaker. I got to see a panel with Richard Cadena a few years ago at USITT. I was very impressed with how he spoke about stage lighting and some of the practical experiments that he has done and shared with us. I haven't read this book, but I've heard great things about it. A big topic of conversation at that panel was inrush current, and he gave some really great and easy to understand answers. I suspect that his book is more of the same.
    

• • -
    Designing with Light
    
    A classic. Very very well respected book. It will probably be the text book for your first lighting class in college, if you choose to study lighting in college.
    
• • -
    [Light Fantastic: The Art and Design of Stage Lighting] (https://www.amazon.com/Light-Fantastic-Design-Stage-Lighting/dp/3791343718)
    
    My favorite lighting book. Covers a huge array of topics, addresses lighting history & color, shows and demonstrates some really really interesting designs.
    
• • -
    A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting
    
    I see this book recommended most often. It's another great book. The title holds true, it is a very practical guide to stage lighting. How to do paperwork. How to write a contract. How to talk to people. Some nuggets of lighting knowledge. I didn't really get as much out of it though, as I am not trying to become a professional lighting designer.

Books

If you haven't already done so as a Stage Manager before, you should get and read through a stage management book. I like "A Backstage Guide to Stage Management" and "A Stage Manager's Handbook". Hopefully your stage manager will understand and take responsibility for all of their own duties, but you work in concert with your stage manager more than anyone else and understanding what their role is and how you can best work with them is a very important and often under looked part of the director's process. I'm sure you know something about this having stage managed for these events twice before.

My favorite books on directing are Notes on Directing and Tips: Ideas for Directors. Both books are laid out in a similar manner: as very small snippets of advice, no longer than two or three paragraphs, giving a very specific suggestion about preparing for rehearsals, your role in the rehearsal room, and how to give meaningful/helpful notes. I recommend these books to newer directors because I don't think that directing theory is very immediately valuable or accessible, and the tip format of these books is incredibly accessible to any theatre artist, regardless of experience, and is also wildly helpful.

My General Tips

• Have a plan - Come in to the first day of rehearsal with a very specific and well-planned out rehearsal schedule.
  
• Don't be afraid to modify your plan as needs change
  
• Do not run through the play over and over again - This happens especially often with new directors when they do not know how to spend their rehearsal time wisely. Running through your entire performance from top to bottom is only useful when done very sparingly throughout your general rehearsal process as a benchmark to see how the play is fitting together as a whole, and then later when done at the end of the rehearsal process when you are adding in technical elements. At all other times it is far better to work on specific scenes or songs, or even just specific moments in a scene or song.
  
• Have very specific ideas about what you think you want to see and how you will block it and how someone might perform it
  
• Be prepared to deviate from these specific ideas that you have as performers and designers bring something new (and likely better) into the room
  
• Be reserved in your design choices - The simpler that you make your design choices, like costume requirements, or set pieces, the more time you will have to focus on directing your performers, and this is especially important for a new director
  
• Do not waste performer's time - Have a rehearsal schedule, and stick to it. Do not call people when they are not needed for a scene. If there is a way to break down a scene into multiple parts so that actors are spending less time with their butts in the audience, you should do so. Personally, I apologize to my actors if they are sitting idle for more than 30 minutes. I try not to let it happen, but sometimes it does, and that's okay. Just don't make it a habit.
  
  
• 90% of the director's job is casting - I do not know the details of your event and whether or not you get to cast people or if it's an anyone-can-perform-who-wants-to sort of deal, but it's very true that a large part of a traditional director's role is to select the people that they will work with. Casting is the only time in the process when you have a direct effect in your performers: ability, attitude, dependability, level of professionalism, correctness for the role. If you are responsible for casting, dedicate a large amount of time to this process. When I was directing at the college level I preferred having three stages of casting: 1) Private auditions and casting of large principal roles if I knew someone who would fit the bill perfectly where I would either offer them the role outright if I was familiar with their work and capability, or where I would offer them a private audition and cast them based off of that audition; 2) Early open auditions several months before rehearsal would begin where I might typically cast many more big roles, but where I would make no casting choices at this stage that I wasn't 100% sure about; 3) General auditions very close to the start of rehearsals from which I cast the rest of the play. Also note that it may be your job to select your production team. Take special consideration when selecting your Stage Manager, Music Director, and Scenic Designer.
  
  
• Facilitate Collaboration - This is such a huge part of your job. Many people think of theatre directors as people who have the final say, and as the boss of the rehearsal room. If you have this attitude, you will cause problems. The truth is that you are there to help these artists learn from each other and build on top of each other's work. Every decision that you make should be in the spirit of collaboration. There is no room for your ego, for letting your pet design decision outweigh the scenic designer's choice simply because it's yours, or to steamroll actors about a blocking choice you made when they and their scene partner believe they have developed a better alternative. If you decide to outright veto an artist's choice, it should be because you believe it will help collaboration take place, and not because you believe your artistic choice is the stronger one. What you are building is greater than the sum of it's parts and you are the one who is responsible for ensuring that your team is looking with one vision toward the same goal, but that singular goal is rarely something that you envisioned by yourself in a box - it's almost always an amalgamation of many people's ideas and ability and brilliance, and you have to know how to get out of the way to let that happen while at the same time guiding people so that it will all fit together.
  
  
• When you are asked a yes or no question there are only three proper responses: 'Yes,' 'No,' and, 'I don't know yet, I'll have an answer for you tomorrow.'

Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician and Technician -- Richard Cadena

http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0240809955

https://www.amazon.com/Musical-Direction-Improv-Sketch-Comedy/dp/0974742740/

It all depends on what kind of design you want to get into? Concert/music design is totally different than theatrical, even within theatre musicals and plays often have different design principals.
I'd check out Steve Shelly's book https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0415812003&pd_rd_r=QMEV3MMX5JMSDAZPBNNT&pd_rd_w=uh8vJ&pd_rd_wg=jKgB8&psc=1&refRID=QMEV3MMX5JMSDAZPBNNT
as well as this one. https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Handbook-Francis-Reid/dp/087830147X/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=087830147X&pd_rd_r=YG5RCJMEPDWJ7E98CBCZ&pd_rd_w=QJmxz&pd_rd_wg=ZQ1Dr&psc=1&refRID=YG5RCJMEPDWJ7E98CBCZ

My biggest suggestion for someone who's just getting started is to not buy any equipment. Equipment is mostly cheap to rent, a PAR can is $3 or $4 a unit, and it's someone else's problem to fix it and buy lamps for it. You're not going to be able to afford quality gear, so you'll end up with cheap Chinese crap that's just going to disappoint you. The other thing to remember is that intelligent lighting is relatively new to lighting, lots of fantastic shows were lit without anything fancy. It's far better to master your color and angle work then get in to using movers than it is to just start throwing strobes everywhere and pray that it works. Learning to make choices and which choices are stronger than others will get you a lot further in life than being able to spit out flash and trash like everyone else can.

I am a director and I was given this book a long time ago. At first, I didn't know what to make of someone giving me a book about directing, but it really is great.

https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Directing-Leadership-Directors-Performance/dp/080271708X

It is now my go to gift to get for new directors.

also this http://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834 is a very good book. without electricity none of this works.

http://www.amazon.com/Show-Case-Second-Edition-Maintaining/dp/0240819268/ref=pd_sim_b_1/176-7324097-3879356

This is a pretty awesome book and it pretty much covers all the standards on how to present your design work in portfolio form its quite good.

John Berger's Ways of Seeing (absolutely brilliant)

Ron Carlson Writes a Story

Critical Theory Today

Wilhelm Reich-The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Amy Bloom-Normal

Tom Stoppard-Arcadia

Sara Marcus-Girls to the Front

https://www.amazon.com/Electricity-Entertainment-Electrician-Technician-Richard/dp/0415714834

A seriously good book, and an area a lot of techs seem to overlook. After that, what u/deviantpixel said about reading manuals is spot on. I have my job today because I blew my boss a away by actually reading manuals when I first worked with him. It turns out, they have a LOT of great info.

This is a great resource for portfolios:
https://www.amazon.com/Show-Case-Developing-Maintaining-Design-Tech/dp/0240819268/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478057461&sr=8-1&keywords=rafael+jaen

Some key things:

• Show your process. If you're including a set design for a show, you might have a small collage of some inspiration images, a thumbnail sketch, a final rendering, and a photo of the set.
  
  
• Keep it simple. Don't include 15 photos of the same set from a million different angles. Pick the best quality photo and make it big and bold. If you have a few looks, pick the photo that best represents the design and make that big and maybe include 3 more smaller images underneath.
  
  
• For college portfolios, if you don't have a lot of practical design experience, include examples of things that show your creativity and artistic or technical ability. This can be things like sketches, photography, graphic design, etc.
  If you're coming in person, don't be afraid to bring a physical item. When I had my final portfolio review in college, the strongest feedback I received was in regards to the fact that when I showed images of props I'd built for "Grease", I also pulled a fake root-beer float out of my bag and put in on the table.
  
  -Don't be afraid to go back and enhance your past work. If you designed a show in high school but didn't do a scenic design sketch at the time, go back and do one and include it. If you know how to do a scale drawing, make a simple scale plan for a scenic element that you built for a show.

FrostD makes a good point.

There are some standard textbooks that you might look into (with the accompanying knowledge that they will carry textbook-like price tags). I've found them more useful than websites, mostly because I had a lot of trouble finding any websites that did a broad overview of stage lighting.

Shelley's A Practical Guide to Lighting the Stage is a pretty well known one.

Personally, I learned a lot from Gillette's Designing with Light. But I also encountered it after I'd had some experience with the actual lighting instruments. So I remember it as a great introduction to "how do I design," but I can't remember if it covers any of the "this is a fresnel, this is a par" things.

If you want to learn how to program cues, I'd look into tutorials (or at least manuals) relating to whichever board you are likely to work with. If you don't know which board you're most likely to work with, there's a decent chance you'll end up behind an ETC Express [citation needed].

While I'm recommending texts, if you want to figure out how to draft a light plot (likely a further-down-the-line thing in your education), Hillmar's Light Plot Deconstructed is a pretty good way of learning how to make a plot in Vectorworks.

But really, the best way to learn is to do, or at least to be around people who do. If you're going to school, check out if the theatre program (if it exists) would like an extra set of hands on the next load-in/strike. Or if they need a board op (which was one of my favorite ways to pick up on lighting design without needing a lot of prior knowledge or experience).

If you're not going to school atm, see if there are theatres nearby who might want help. Often, even small places (high schools, churches, restaurants that host live acts) will have their normal "lighting guy/gal" they could put you in touch with. Most should be willing to at least point you in the right direction, even if they don't end up wanting/needing a hand with things.

This isn't by any stretch a complete guide, but hopefully it's enough to get you started in some direction or other.

And referenced adeptly in Stoppard's masterwork 'Arcadia'.

Not all of these are in our core training/ required knowledge, or related to our day to day functions as a university A/V department, but They are all available to my team for knowledge building and professional development. Additionally , and our job ladder includes Infocomm certifications, so the library is a little biased towards infocomm resources at the moment.
Books I use are

• [Master Handbook of Acoustics](
  http://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328)
  
• CTS exam guide
  
• sound reinforcement handbook
  
• a/v best practices
  
• Sound system engineering
  
• show networks and control systems
  
• television production handbook
  
• tcp/ip illustrated vols 1-3
  
• PMBOK
  
• network wiring
  
• entertainment electricity
  
• sys admin
  
  just ordered digital video and hd
  based on a recommendation in r/videoengineering
  
  infocomm's audio and visual systems design, essentials of the av industry, av best practices, AV installation hand book
  
  
  white papers/ online training from extron, JBL, Dalite, surgeX, bluejeanscable, and others. (out of the office and do not have the exact list and links with me
  
  
  
  
  

Here's a great resource. Available as an e-book and at many libraries as well: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Third/dp/0415812003

If you get Good Omens before a bomb goes off, you need a new fortune teller.

I translated this myself (or maybe I used Bing), but I am pretty sure Schoko-bons means "shocking bombs." You know what happens when a bomb goes off? Lots of stuff gets moved, and lives are changed, by creating an Empty Space in a manner most deadly, hole-y, rough, and immediate. The Intent to Live makes little difference in a Blood Crime of this magnitude. If the bomb is big enough, it turns a world into a ring of debris. And we all look something like this, our only Legacies a change jar scattered across the solar system.

This one was the one we used in college, and it was fairly in-depth. http://www.amazon.com/Stage-Management-Handbook-Daniel-Ionazzi/dp/1558702350/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409457455&sr=1-1&keywords=stage+management+handbook

Few books that helped me get started:
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Managers-Toolkit-Communication-Performance/dp/1138183776/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1542608132&sr=8-7&keywords=stage+manager

​

https://www.amazon.com/Back-Stage-Guide-Management-3rd/dp/0823098028/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0823098028&pd_rd_r=8bc387b0-ebc2-11e8-ae28-63a19228e702&pd_rd_w=z03gC&pd_rd_wg=p4c6y&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=BFK34PJ5BZQ4P1BDVYTQ&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=BFK34PJ5BZQ4P1BDVYTQ

​

https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Manager-Experience_Refreshed-Larry-Fazio/dp/1138195073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542608202&sr=1-1&keywords=The+professional+stage+manager

​

Read these books. They won't make you a rigger but you'll have a better appreciation of what you are dealing with.

The Arena Riggers' Handbook

Rigging Math Made Simple

Stage Rigging Handbook

Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century

The Theatre Riggers' Handbook

Structural Design for the Stage

The Physics of Theatre: Mechanics

Best IMO: http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Stage-Lighting-Edition/dp/0415812003

The Empty Space by Peter Brook

For finer points beyond our advice, I would strongly recommend reading Reginald Nelson's How To Start A Theater Company. There will be nuanced differences in following his advice since he's speaking from a US POV, and you're Canadian, but the overall step by step approach applies.

This has good reviews on Amazon! I would just look around there for books! You'll find some good things. Also knowing period makeup and what was popular for men and women in each decade is super helpful!

The Makeup Artist Handbook: Techniques for Film, Television, Photography, and Theatre https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240818946/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_YkEEwbMX719MH

I think you've got a lot of good points in here, but I'm going to nit-pick at one:

>You can also learn about rigging from taking a look at their nightmare rigging pictures on fb.


I don't think you can glean much useful information from a picture on the internet, especially if you don't have any background knowledge to know that what you're looking at is bad. Jay Glerum's book is a good place to start for fundamental stuff - though nothing is a substitute for real world experience. I feel like looking at pictures of bad rigging makes you a rigger like looking at kittens on the internet makes you veterinarian.

Books on rigging!

One Book,

Two Books,


Three Books!

Im not sure how good this book is but I have it in my wish list on Amazon

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/0415702747/?coliid=IPZNL7UTTFS0S&colid=CYNSYUKT0VH&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/024081553X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1370445799&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

It covers the basics, and some good practices while programming.

Hi, I would recommend the same book i recommended the digital compositing handbook, I'd also look into Z-Brush, if you like monsters and dive into Artstation.com & Behance.com for motivation and see what people are making.

Unless you are talking about physical VFX, then perhaps history in sculpture and makeup, this book is great https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240818946/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought that book for learning how to retouch photos better. The theory of lighting and shapes is very good.

I'm not sure what line of work you're in, but from an event work standpoint, and I suppose a film standpoint, more and more manufacturers are moving towards LED-source fixtures. So if you're actually looking to build a distro and are looking towards future use, 120v may be the direction to head it. It's hard, though, to pigeon-hole yourself into 120v or 208v exclusively. You're better off having a variety and having that flexibility. A good reference for understanding these concepts can be found here

30 Second Philosophies

Breaks down 50 of the most prolific philosophical concepts pretty swiftly, with added miniature biographies of some famous philsophers; from Aristotle to Wittgenstein. A brilliant primer into one of the most complex academic fields.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1848311621?pc_redir=1408680920&robot_redir=1
If you are more into print books, this is a great one I found. 50 philosophies in 30 seconds or less, plus glossaries. It's $10 at Barnes and Noble too
Its a really nice quality hard cover