About
Most performance spaces in K-12 schools were designed by architects who have never run a spotlight. The result is auditoriums that look good in renderings and frustrate everyone who actually uses them, the wrong rigging grid height, sound systems that fight the room, lighting positions that miss the stage, and control systems that nobody on staff can operate.
That gap between design intent and operational reality is where this work happens.
The combination of theatre technology, AV systems, and educational technology leadership credentials is rare in the K-12 space, and it's exactly what complex performance space projects require.
What Bill Larsen Does
His work sits at the intersection of three disciplines that rarely get coordinated on K-12 projects: theatrical production systems, audiovisual technology, and educational technology leadership. Most consultants cover one. He covers all three.
Performance Space Strategy
He helps districts define what their performance space needs to actually do before the architect starts drawing. That means programming the facility around the events calendar, student crew capacity, community use requirements, and long-term budget — not around what's standard or what the integrator has in stock. He serves as the district's advocate through design, specification, and construction, translating between the technical language of the design team and the operational reality of running a school.
AV Systems Planning and Review
He evaluates AV design documents and integrator proposals for school auditoriums, black box theatres, multi-purpose rooms, and large-format instructional spaces. Backstage Essentials LLC has no affiliation with any manufacturer, dealer, or integrator. Recommendations are independent — the system specified is the system actually needed, not the system that was easiest to sell.
Event Readiness Audits
Using the framework from Backstage Essentials, he conducts structured on-site assessments of existing performance spaces — evaluating safety systems, equipment condition, operational workflows, and staff and student crew readiness. The result is a written report the district can act on, use for bond planning, or share with the architect on a renovation project.
Student Crew Program Development
He helps districts build production programs that outlast any individual teacher or technician. That includes standard operating procedures, age-appropriate training progressions, CTE pathway alignment, and advisor onboarding materials. When the person running the program leaves, the program does not leave with them.
Background
Bill Larsen has spent more than 30 years working in educational technology and live event production — not as a theorist, but as a practitioner who has done the work.
At ISD 197, West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan, he serves as District AV Technology Coordinator, overseeing AV systems, performance spaces, and technology infrastructure across the district. Before that, he held leadership roles in professional production environments, including Director with P&L accountability, Program Director, and Site Surveyor for CAAHEP — the accrediting body for allied health education programs.
He is also the Education Coordinator for IATSE Local 490, where he connects professional stagehands with K-12 training opportunities and workforce development pathways. That role provides a direct line into the professional production community and a clear picture of the gap between what school programs teach and what the industry actually needs.
His book Backstage Essentials, published by Routledge, is a practical guide to production operations for educational environments. It is the framework used for audits and student crew program development, and it reflects the same philosophy that guides the consulting work: practical, grounded, and built for the people who actually have to run the show.
Professional Credentials and Memberships
The following credentials reflect a deliberate combination of theatre technology, AV systems, and educational technology leadership. In the K-12 performance space market, that combination is uncommon — and exactly what a project needs when the architect, the integrator, and the district are not speaking the same language.
CETL Candidate — Certified Educational Technology Leader, CoSN. The national credential for educational technology leadership, covering strategic planning, budget and financial management, privacy, and district-level technology governance. Demonstrates that the work is informed by the administrative and policy realities of school districts, not just technical specifications.
Member, AVIXA | CTS Certified | SME, CTS Exam Development — The global trade association for the audiovisual industry. Holds the Certified Technology Specialist credential and serves as a Subject Matter Expert for CTS exam item writing.
Member, USITT — United States Institute for Theatre Technology. The professional organization for theatre design, technology, and production. Connects the work to the broader community of theatre consultants, systems designers, and production technologists who set the standards for performance spaces in North America.
Member, CoSN — Consortium for School Networking. The national professional association for K-12 education technology leadership, providing access to policy research, peer networks, and the frameworks that drive technology decision-making at the district level.
Education Coordinator, IATSE Local 490 — The professional stagehands union serving the Twin Cities region. This role involves developing training programs for union members and building connections between professional production practice and K-12 education.
Author, Backstage Essentials — Published by Routledge. A practical guide to production operations for educational performance spaces, covering stagecraft fundamentals, crew management, safety protocols, and program sustainability.
Why Independent Consulting Matters
Theatre consultants and AV consultants who work for manufacturers, dealers, or integrators have a conflict of interest. Their recommendations are shaped, consciously or not, by what their employer sells or installs. That is not a criticism. It is a structural reality.
Independent consulting means the only obligation is to the client. No preferred vendor, no sales quota, no commission arrangement with any product or installation company. When a system or specification is recommended, it is because it fits the facility, the budget, and the program.
That independence is also a requirement for membership in the American Society of Theatre Consultants, the professional organization for independent theatre consultants in North America and the next credential milestone for Backstage Essentials LLC.
Work With Backstage Essentials LLC
If you are a school district planning a new auditorium or renovation, an architect seeking a theatre systems consultant, or an AV integrator seeking an independent reviewer for a K-12 bid, start with a conversation.
Engagements are structured as flat-fee projects with a clear scope, defined deliverables, and a written agreement.
bill@backstageessentials.com
ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0002-7157-8582
