Inspired Techie Needs Basics In Technical Theatre

[Inspiring Techie]

Hello! My name is Jay and I'm a 15 year old inspiring techie that loves technical theatre. I've always been fascinated with the behind the scenes of theatre. I've been in over 15 shows at my community theatre and for every show I look up behind the scenes of certain effects. (Ex. The enchanted rose in B&TB) I've watched tons of videos and read many articles on how to do certain effects. I've always loved the special effects. That's how I stumbled upon this site where I read ways to do different effects. At my theatre we do things simply since its a shoestring budget with no flys or advanced lights. So I've always had the mentality of not making things more difficult then they need to be. However, when people on the site talk all pro (Don't get me started on lighting) I get extremely confused. While I am very creative I lack some basic knowledge in theatre. I would really love to have my own theatre when I grow up and would like to start learning about the basics now. Is there a book or resources that would help an inspiring techie like myself know the basics of technical theatre? I look up to some of the people on here that know all this knowledge and do this for a living. Thank you so much for reading this and giving time to respond Any feedback is appreciated

 

[derekleffew]

About the best is Paul Carter's The Backstage Handbook, but it's more of a reference manual than a textbook. Every college has an Intro to Tech Theatre or Intro to Stagecraft course, and every one of them uses some sort of book, so check out your local library system.

Another good online resource is http://www.ia470.com/primer/intro.htm .

 

[rsmentele]

I agree with Derekleffew on this one. The Backstage Handbook is a must and will be required reading/reference once in college.

Also, never be afraid to ask questions! You'll find that most people in this industry are always willing to answer questions and offer help to an aspiring technician. And lets not forget that this site is what that is all about. If you ever have a question about terms or vernacular, look it up in the wiki, or just ask! It never hurts, you might learn something!

~Bob

 

[JohnD]

+2 on the Backstage Handbook
I also agree on getting 1 or more basic texts on stagecraft, but the latest editions are QUITE pricey, but earlier editions are reasonable, and perhaps more helpful, the latest version has all the latest and greatest, and not many theaters have the latest and greatest.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0495501905/?tag=controlbooth-20
versus
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0155016202/?tag=controlbooth-20
I am also a believer of learning by osmosis, keep reading this forum and other online sources and you will be amazed on what you will pick up.
Don't forget the great resource of your library, both the school and your community library, most city libraries can get almost any book through interlibrary loan. Great for your budget.

 

[Inspiring Techie]

Wasen't expecting so much feedback and so fast! Thanks so much. And yes, I will continue reading the special effects section to know the many ways and options to do effects

 

[JohnD]

Be sure to add books on Magic to your reading list.
EDIT:, I should have read your other post, you seem to have already done that. There are a number of shows in which it is not uncommon to have a stage illusionist on the production team.

 

[gafftaper]

First of all you have already found your best resource for learning tech theater. Stop by CB every day, read the archives, look things up in the wiki, don't be afraid to ask basic questions, and follow up questions in old threads for clarification are always welcome. Don't be shy, make friends, you'll be amazed at how awesome the people around here are. Your messages are read by college students, college professors, working pros all over the world, and people who work for manufacturers. Everyone's here to because they believe in sharing their knowledge and helping others.

Although I agree the Backstage Handbook is the ultimate reference every technician needs. It's not a book you can really sit down and read. It's a book that sits on your shelf and you will go back to it over and over to find reference information for the next 50 years. So, my favorite book to recommend for people starting out is "Technical Theater for Non-Technical People" by Drew Campbell. It's cheap... about $15. It has one chapter on everything (lighting, sound, props, stage management, etc...). It's easy to read, easy to understand, and the author has a sense of humor too. You won't be an expert when you finish, but you will have a good full tech theater vocabulary, a good picture in your mind of how most elements of theater work, and you will know enough to be able to ask intelligent questions on a wide variety of topics and understand the answers.

 

[soundofsparks]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0072562625/?tag=controlbooth-20

Theatrical Design and Production by J. Gillette. This is THE definative college level intro textbook to technical theatre. The link is to a slightly older edition which the Amazon Marketplace will sell you for under $10.

 

[gafftaper]

Start with "technical theater for non-technical people" first. Then read Gillette...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0072562625/?tag=controlbooth-20

Theatrical Design and Production by J. Gillette. This is THE definative college level intro textbook to technical theatre. The link is to a slightly older edition which the Amazon Marketplace will sell you for under $10.

 

[Inspiring Techie]

I'll check that out gafftaper. And yeah JohnD I know alot about illusions. One of my new favorite shows is Mary Poppins soley because the illusions. Making a 6 foot hat stand that can colapse to one foot or making the flowers appear from a painting is the kind of illusion special effect prop stuff that I cling too.

 

[Rosie]

I agree with the Gillette book. I used that in college, though that was several editions ago... lol. I use it in the technical theatre class I teach to supplement, but some sections are too advanced for my high schoolers, so my current text is Stagecraft Fundamentals by Rita Kogler Carver: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0240820517/?tag=controlbooth-20

Also, here are some other good books to check out...

For lighting: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0415812003/?tag=controlbooth-20

For sound: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0769290558/?tag=controlbooth-20
And when you're ready to graduate to something more technical: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1617805599/?tag=controlbooth-20

For stagecraft: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0240804937/?tag=controlbooth-20

 

[MikeJ]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0072562625/?tag=controlbooth-20

Theatrical Design and Production by J. Gillette. This is THE definative college level intro textbook to technical theatre. The link is to a slightly older edition which the Amazon Marketplace will sell you for under $10.

I'm almost positive that editions 3-5 are exactly the same. For a few editions, they just removed parts that dealt with outdated technology, and did not add in much else. I'm sure the only thing they changed from 4-5 was the cover and the whole book shifted page numbers by 1.
Just ignore the chapter on Audio tape, Compact Disk being the future, and the chapter on soft-covering flats. The rest of the basics have stayed the same.

 

[What Rigger?]

I'll check that out gafftaper. And yeah JohnD I know alot about illusions. One of my new favorite shows is Mary Poppins soley because the illusions. Making a 6 foot hat stand that can colapse to one foot or making the flowers appear from a painting is the kind of illusion special effect prop stuff that I cling too.

Hey, IT...welcome. Holler at me when you want to talk flying. And hey, whatever happened with that production of American Idiot near you that had super-lame ideas about how to fly people?