Hey friend! Before I start, let me just say I know where you're coming from. When I SM'd in High School, it was very different from what an SM would do on a Regional or Broadway caliber show. The important thing is to realize that that is ok. Community and High School theatre SMs must have a 'the show must go on' mentality, and do a lot of what you described, that is, running the deck, supervising tech. I did a lot of this in High School when I would SM, and it's very different from the real world. However, I now go to college in NYC in an incredible SM program, where I study under Broadway SMs and have shadowed Broadway shows. And you can too, but you need to know how to use your High School's theatre to your advantage.

• Question 1: Like I said, absolutely. The major difference between HS and Broadway is scale. While a large venue may have a Master Electrician, Carpenter team, Shop supervisor and a Production Manager, HS will definitely not (if they did, I want to go!). So, you will find that a lot of this work will fall on you, the SM. While in the world of Equity Stage Management, it is actually against the rules for SMs to be doing the 'dirty work' like construction and stage hand jobs, keep in mind that you aren't there yet.
  
  A huge thing to realize here is that while it seems like a good idea to try to run your SM program like a Broadway show, or like how the text books say, it isn't. High School theatre is its own type of production. Just like Regional Theatre is extremely different from Broadway, HS theatre is different as well. The appropriate way to SM Broadway isn't exactly the same on a LORT show, and furthermore, not the same as HS theatre. What this means is, you need to calmly figure out exactly what functions a Stage Manager needs to fulfill to best serve your HS productions, not if your HS was Broadway.
  
  
• Question 2: There are so, so, so many resources out there for you! First and foremost, books! I got my hands on as many SM textbooks I could find when I was in HS, and they were a TREMENDOUS help to me. I recommend this, this, and this. The Backstage Handbook is a great resource too. There's also a great website called http://smnetwork.org/forum/ which is a forum for stage managers from students to the pros. It's not as active as it used to be, but the info archived on there is invaluable. This subreddit is a great place as well!
  
  
• Question 3: Ok, first the AP thing. Take the courses. It's really going to help to have those credits in college, and I took just as many in HS. If you are dedicated, and can budget your time well (as all SMs should be able to), it will be doable. Now, as for fixing your program:
  
  Ask yourself if going against the grain and uprooting an old system is necessary. It seems that what you have going on is similar to most High Schools, and those systems are usually built out of necessity, or rather, what the HS needs out of an SM. So would you be bettering you HS by making the SM program more like what a Broadway show would be like, or would it impede the production running smoothly. Also, would you be paving the way for future SMs in your school, or just shaping what you want from your school. There isn't a right answer, and it can't and shouldn't fall completely on you to fix everything.
  
  When I was in HS, I knew that I needed to work on skills that I wasn't using in HS, but would need in college. Instead of changing the entire production, I pretended. So while I never really needed a full contact sheet, rehearsal and performance reports, or scene tracking, or properly formatted schedules, I would make this paperwork anyway, and keep it for myself. I made full show bibles, even though I didn't need to, and just kept them for my portfolio. I never called a full show in high school, and I can call a pretty tight show nowadays. Calling is an important skill, but keep in mind that it's only like, 1/10th of what we do as SMs.
  
  The skills you are acquiring while working with the crew and construction will be invaluable to you later on as you do less of that kind of work, but still need to know about it. When it comes time for college, you need to understand the difference between 'real world' stage management and what you do now, and figure out if it's still the job you want (I guarantee, it is very different from what you'll be used to). Also, keep in mind, no one expects you to be able to Stage Manage an Off-Broadway show by now. Keep in mind that you're here to learn just as much as anyone else, and you're allowed to make mistakes.
  
  I hope that covered everything. I would be happy to answer other questions you may have. Best of Luck, and Break Legs!
  
  Edit: formatting

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

Scene Design and Stage Lighting is an often-used text-book from what I can tell. I have an old version myself, but can't attest to the current version. Design and Drawing for the Theatre is also an old standby (and denser), though it appears it's out of print.

If you want something lighter and less expensive, perhaps Fundamentals of Theatrical Design or An Introduction to Theatre Design, though they aren't limited to just scenery. I haven't read the former, but the I've taught from the latter in an intro to design course. It's rather light, but that can be good for a first book.

You can also go the more theoretical route, and pick up the classic Dramatic Imagination by Robert Edmund Jones. What is Scenography? and Scenographic Imagination are chock-full of great theoretical discussion for the long term, but not suited for your first dip into the pool. Might be worth bookmarking for down the road, though.

And sometimes it's good to just have a survey of other's work. American Set Design isn't a bad place to start for that. I recently picked up World Scenography, and while I haven't had the chance to sit down extensively with it, it's a gorgeous book.

This is of course just going from scene design, there's also options out there about the history of design, useful technical handbooks for the craft, or even more specific things like model-making.

If you're already generally familiar with theater and roughly understand the production process, maybe grab one of the two in the first paragraph. If you're coming in completely fresh, starting with one of the cheaper super-introductory books in the second paragraph might be better to ease in. If you have the funds, I'd suggest one from each paragraph. Perhaps others in this sub have more specific choices they feel are definitively superior than other options.

Also, I'm guessing your university may not have a design professor, but you might suggest an independent study in scene design as a course. Hope this helps!

Hi there,

I work as a Sound No. 1 (essentially British equivalent of an A1).

Build up all the skills you can. Volunteer for theatre stuff, but also try and run sound for friend's bands, it is all good experience in training your ears.

I went to university and studied Music Technology, but certainly not the only path. Getting in at the bottom at a theatre and working up still works. In the UK several drama schools do sound specfic degrees like Central and Rose Bruford so I assume similar courses must exist in the states (or if finances allow you could come and study over here).

There are tons of great books to read. This one is particularly good.

Finally, see a lot of theatre. And really listen to it. Talk to the A1 on it if you can, get their email etc, and ask every question about the how and why they operated the show the way they did.

Another bit of advice, pretty much no one starts as an A1. You start as an A2, running radio mics, fitting them to cast etc. Get good at the shit as that part of industry is easier to break into. Loads of good advice on mic stuff on the Masque Sound blog

Final bit of advice, don't worry if you suck at first, or don't really know what you are doing. Keep trying and making mistakes but learning from them and you'll become better and better at it all.

Feel free to shoot me any question on here.

See you on Broadway in ten years!

If you are looking to do sound I would definitely pick up a copy of Yamaha's Sound Reinforcement Handbook. It is a super helpful book for giving you a basic knowledge of systems, how they work and how to make them work for you. It is somewhat out of date but is still super useful. The Audio Dictionary is also a very helpful resource.

Also make sure to get a very good knowledge of power and electrical theory. I'm always amazed at how lost a lot of audio engineers/sound designers seem to be when it comes to power. It is an extremely important part of what we have to do.

Check out Shannon Slaton's book Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques. It's a great in-depth look at the nuts and bolts of theatrical sound. Obviously you're a long way off from doing this level of show, but this should give you a good idea of how much more there is to it besides just mixing the mics.

Otherwise, there's some good advice here already. Experience and networking is the name of the game in Broadway audio, even more so than other departments. Every sound person I know doing Broadway/First Nationals was plucked up by a designer early in their career, often at well-known summerstocks or major off-Broadway theatres, and when that designer needed new people to go on tour or go to Chicago for an out-of-town tryout or whatever, they got the call.

As for what to do - just start doing shows. If you have a local roadhouse near you, see if you can get on the overhire list for the IA and get paid to load in some tours. Volunteer to mix your friend's band, work on the school musical, work on other school's musicals, whatever you can get your hands on. If you're so inclined to go to college, pick a good one that specializes in what you want to do and has a solid alumni network who are working successfully in the field, but also hopefully one that won't leave you in debt for 20 years. Use those college connections to get solid summerstock work in college, then move to the regional/off-Broadway world when you graduate. Move up the ladder at a larger theatre, meet a well-known designer, start building some of his shows, maybe get sent out on a smaller tour, work your way up to heading, get called home to sub on one of his Broadway shows, finally get your own show, make sure it's a huge hit, mix it for 30 years, then retire and move to Florida. Any questions? :)

For engineering concepts, and a great general reference on sound systems and how they work, the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook

For sound system design, the best reference is Bob McCarthy's Sound Systems: Design and Optimization

For another great book that discusses both system design as well as artistic sound design, John Leondard's Theatre Sound is top notch.

Shannon Slaton's Mixing a Musical: Broadway Theatrical Sound Techniques is a great picture of how the "big shows" are run.

For a beginner's guide to sound, the [http://www.soundcraft.com/support/gtm_booklet.aspx](Soundcraft Guide to Mixing) is a good primer: not as technically dense as the Yamaha book.

There are others out there, these are my favorite.

I'm a sound guy, I can help:
-Six pack of plain black tee shirts
-Pack of black hair ties for his pony tail
-Gift card to Old Navy (so he can restock on cargo shorts)
-Nice beard trimmer for his goatee
All kidding aside, a simple but often appreciated gift would be something like a nice small flashlight. You can never have too many. I like this one.

Set wear hot hands are the best insulated work gloves I've ever used. You can hold something 400 degrees for a good 10-15 seconds before you start to feel the heat. It's a real leather too, which lasts longer.

If you're going to the UFT you might as well go for the full ratcheting version rather than ape ding that money twice. Personally I don't care for the UFT I use a Gator Grip socket on a short handled rachet with a swiveling head. Then I also carry a Mega Combo Wrench from The Light Source on my keyring.

Most screw drivers you find won't have a tether hole, I assume because you use them in a circular motion. For an all purpose carry look for a XX in 1, that has multiple bits all in one screwdriver. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015SBILG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_JsPOCbM5B9DK8 something like this.

Is also recommend looking at multi tools, I use a Gerber Center Drive because it has a bit driver to use real screw bits and I like it a lot.

Another good gift idea are flashlights. I'm always on the lookout for the next great flashlight.

EDC- Penlight, Pocket Screwdriver, 6" Scale Rule, Folding Utility Knife, Gerber Artifact, Sharpie, Pen, Lighter.

LX- 2@ 8" Crescent Wrench w/ safety lanyard, gloves, diagonal cutters, sharpies/paint pens, wire stripper, 5-n-1 screwdriver, non-contact voltage tester. In my gig bag, I have a meter, allen wrench set, c-7's, among other tools I don't really need to lug around on the subway, but then that 1% of the time they come in handy and I accept hauling them around the other 99% of the time.

CARP- Dewalt 12v Impact Driver/Drill set, 7/16"-1/2"-9/16" deep sockets each on an adapter for for use in the impact driver. Same sizes in speed wrench.

Just picked up one of these thumb drive ratchets it has been super useful for working on unistrut and holding bolts when putting together flats or platforms.

Edit: I forgot. Always have my chalk bag handy.

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.

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.

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.

Great! Then I'm gonna make two book recommendations to you. The first book is The Stock Scenery Construction Handbook by Bill Raoul and Mike Monsos. It'll be a great help to get some knowledge about how scenery goes together and is structured before you dive into a job where this'll be common practice. The second book is the Technical Theatre Bible, The Backstage Handbook by Paul Carter and George Chiang. Even if you don't ever end up in theatre, this is a brilliant reference from how to build stairs to creating and calculating large arcs. Every technician should have a copy of it.

1. The extra belt can help but I wear mine on my normal belt
   
2. Check that you have not put to much weight on the lineset and you have enough counter weight on the line
   
3. Spend some time with the fixture so you understand how it moves and the various functions it has. You will also need to work out how to "aim" it in the dark so you are ready for any quick pick up shoots in a blackout.
   
4. Gloves are important, radio not so much unless you are on a large call and the crew is using them. A mini maglite and multitool are a must. Comfortable shoes!
   
   Get a copy of he Backstage handbook by Paul Carter
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397/ref=sr_1_2?crid=22CR70DWJO96M&keywords=backstage+handbook&qid=1556880004&s=gateway&sprefix=backstage+%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-2

LOL.

It's all good =)

The ?tag=blahblah-20 thing is the affiliate part.

Here's the clean link: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008

Depends on what you're needing to use it for....

I keep a Fenix E11 in a pocket pretty much all the time - runs on a single AA, now discontinued in favor of the slightly-more-complicated Fenix E12 - and it's great for looking in road cases, under things, etc.

I've occasionally been looking for - but haven't found - a replacement for the LED Mini MagLite that would fit in the Nite-Ize Pock-Its, but haven't come across one yet that I like.

For a super-bright grid-inspecting light, this Fenix PD35's on my wishlist...

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)

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.

I love this streamlight stylus It lives with me on both my day job (IT), and my hobbies (theatre and cars/racing.)

Pros:

Small

Powerful light


Long battery life



Survived 2 washes

Cons:

Haven't found any yet.

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

I have never seen a stage manager or really any professional backstage that doesn't have a Backstage Handbook. It is incredibly resourceful and will probably be a required text for her in school anyway. I am primarily an actor but having worked in a few scene shops, it has been a great help many times.

I keep one of these in my kit, my friend has a picquic and it's nice however I find if I'm working on something that requires me to switch bits back and forth the Klein is better.
Klein Tools 32500 11-in-1 Screwdriver/Nut Driver with Cushion Grip https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015SBILG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_TSy5wbW1531PA

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.

I'm assuming you're using the cheap LED tape? For that I just buy 'em. Set the dips to the address and it's just plug and play from there. If it's just RGB tape then you only need 1x 3 channel per strip.

There's nicer models out there, most come with the transformer. City Theatrical makes some nice pro-quality ones if you're needing an excuse to spend a lot of money.

My Essentials for an Electrics call

Ultimate Focus Tool: http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/224936-StageJunk-7280-RT/

Adjustable C Wrench: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-8-in-Double-Speed-Adjustable-Wrench-96596/203467743

Screwdriver (multi bit) Similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015SBILG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3NM0LBGK3Q7YA&coliid=I3TJ4V0YRRN22T

Belt Tether: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H6DRGO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Leatherman Surge: http://www.leatherman.com/surge-3.html#start=2

Mini Mag Light: http://www.amazon.com/MAGLITE-M2A016-Mini-Flashlight-Black/dp/B00002N6SL%3Fpsc%3D1%26SubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-ffsb-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00002N6SL

Gloves Preferably leather for heat protection when focusing, good dexterity for tying knots and I generally like a Velcro latch on the wrist to give a snug fit

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.

For general knowledge you won’t beat the backstage handbook. However for budding lampies who want to know what the lighting world is all about, I’d recommend this book. https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Lighting-Design-Craft-Life/dp/0896762351

The memoirs in there pretty much shaped my post high school career.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Information/dp/0911747397

The Backstage Handbook has saved me several times.

EDIT:
Pocket Ref is good too...

http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Ref-Thomas-J-Glover/dp/1885071000

this is a textbook for lighting design I know a LD uses for his college courses. Are there any local theatres near you, you can contact and ask if they have apprenticeships or internships or that you can just go and observe how they operate? As for school, do you cue the show during tech? That's a great way to learn about design is to watch the designer cue the show and program the board.

The Fenix PD35 is a little pricier, but it's unbelievably bright. Get two rechargeable batteries and you can always have one on charge.

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

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!

This is a good one.
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Managers-Toolkit-Communication-Performance/dp/1138183776

I found this book has a good chapter on mixing scripts.

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Musical-Broadway-Theatrical-Techniques/dp/0240817591

As a sort of general book, I highly recommend "The Dramatic Imagination" by Robert Edmond Jones

Pick up this book, maybe it will help answer your question.

https://www.amazon.com/Structural-Design-Stage-Alys-Holden/dp/024080354X

This page has some interesting reading for theatre soecific audio. Also check out Mixing a musical.

My Leathermen wave for sure!
This flashlight: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DR9GWX0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And of course my stage junk ultimate ratcheting tool

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

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

I recommend "Lighting & The Design Idea"

Sound Reinforcement :
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008
One of the best reads, i would reccomend it just in general, i havnt read it cover to cover yet so im not sure how well it covers automation but you should have a go mate.

For the sort of advanced technician:

Sound Systems: Design and Optimization
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Systems-Optimization-Techniques-Alignment/dp/0240520203

and

Structural Design for the Stage

http://www.amazon.com/Structural-Design-Stage-Alys-Holden/dp/024080354X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334381849&sr=1-1

Everybody here fumbling with your fold out Leatherman tools. Clearly you haven't found the satisfying quick action of a Gerber multi-tool. I have two of these (blunt and needle nose) and have used them from focusing lights to fixing fence on my dads farm. When I come across someone with a Leatherman I just whip this out and they change their ways and don't look back.

Gerber MP600 Multi-Plier, Blunt Nose, Black [07520] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AC1C6I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5LDIxb0TPBFP2

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.

Our TD swears by this book

https://www.amazon.ca/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397

Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook - everything you need to know about live sound from the physics through implementation of large systems.

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

​

Beautiful manual on tech.

Go pick up the Backstage Handbook and read it cover to cover. That will give you enough basic understanding of terms and rough practices to survive overhire calls.

Also the LED strips can be put on DMX and used as a light during some of the songs. It is really simple and cheap to do http://www.amazon.com/TOMTOP-12V-24V-Channel-Decorder-Controller/dp/B00B42M3RG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405728815&sr=8-1&keywords=led+strip+dmx

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

at our HS, We give out the backstage handbook to senior techs, I even have a copy around myself, https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397

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.

The 2 big classroom standards are Steve Shelley's book already listed and J. Michael Gillette's Designing with Light.

There's a book on Vectorworks specifically for theater.

https://www.amazon.com/Vectorworks-Entertainment-Design-Document-Lighting/dp/0415726131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503902637&sr=1-1&keywords=vectorworks

"The Backstage Handbook"

https://www.amazon.com/Backstage-Handbook-Illustrated-Technical-Information/dp/0911747397

This is wired... but I've got a couple of these RGB LED DMX controllers I'm planning on playing with. Unfortunately I haven't done anything with them yet.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B42M3RG

If someone who wasn't involved in theater bought ME gaff tape for xmas, I would remember it for a long time to come. Remember, it's the thought that counts.

If you're looking for something that's not an awesome consumable, you could try an aluminum scale ruler, tactical flashlight (must be black!), or a Gerber.

https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-MP600-Multi-Plier-Blunt-07520/dp/B001AC1C6I

i owned a leatherman, it broke. this one didn´t.

> 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