Backstage Essentials
Skills for Stagehand Technicians in Live Event Production
Most people working live events learned by watching someone else. There was no textbook, no structured progression, no standard for what a stagehand technician should know before stepping onto a professional floor. Backstage Essentials changes that.
Written for students, new technicians, and the educators and crew chiefs who train them, this book takes a competency-based approach to live event production, covering the skills, knowledge, and professional habits that define a capable stagehand technician across audio, lighting, video, rigging, power, and stage management.
Each chapter is built around what you need to be able to do, not just what you need to know. The result is a practical guide that works in the classroom, the shop, and the venue.
Written for the people who actually have to run the show.
Coming 2026. Published by Routledge/Taylor and Francis.
Author: Bill Larsen, CTS — District AV Technology Coordinator, ISD 197 | Education Coordinator, IATSE Local 490
What's Inside
Chapter 1: Professionalism — The soft skills that keep you on the call — reliability, communication, and industry etiquette.
Chapter 2: Safety — Essential site safety, PPE, and identifying common hazards on a live event floor.
Chapter 3: The Stagehand Technician Toolkit — A breakdown of the essential physical tools every tech needs to carry to be effective on day one.
Chapter 4: Warehouse and Truck Operations — The logic of the shop, how to pack road cases, and the mechanics of a safe truck load/unload.
Chapter 5: Rigging Basics — An introduction to hardware, points, and the fundamental physics of suspending equipment over an audience.
Chapter 6: Portable Power Distribution — Electrical basics, feeder cables, and how to safely manage power from the source to the rack.
Chapter 7: Audio — Signal flow, microphone placement, and cable management for clear sound reinforcement.
Chapter 8: Lighting — Hanging and circuiting fixtures, basic DMX runs, and the fundamentals of light for the stage.
Chapter 9: Video and Projections — Screen assembly, projector placement, and the basics of signal routing for visual displays.
Chapter 10: General Assembly — How to build the bones of an event — from pipe and drape to staging and scenic elements.
Chapter 11: Breakout Rooms — The specific workflow for smaller corporate meeting rooms where a single tech manages all departments.
Chapter 12: Stage Management — An overview of calling the show and how technicians interface with the stage manager during a live production.
Stay Updated on the Book Launch
Sign up to receive updates on the publication date, pre-order availability, and launch news for Backstage Essentials: Skills for Stagehand Technicians in Live Event Production.