Careers - Stage Management (Lighting & Sound)

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Careers Stage Managers and Technicians: Lighting and Sound

A career in stage electrics offers a wide variety of job opportunities in a wide variety of media: follow-spotting the big star in a West End musical; firing the pyrotechnics in a rock concert; operating the computerised lighting board for a piece of modern dance; rigging the lighting for a conference or ice-show; designing the lighting for A Midsummer Night’s Dream or a new TV sitcom; co-ordinating the equipment and technical crew for a multi-national trade launch; or running the sound desk for The Rocky Horror Show or Death Of A Salesman. The work is a challenging combination of technical knowledge and artistic creativity, offering great job satisfaction and the chance to make a very real contribution to theatre and television.

Drama school courses provide a training in the basics of stage electrics, lighting design and sound such as rigging a lantern to familiarising yourself with the latest in moving light technology. You will also learn about the process of lighting design and how to produce a cue synopsis and lighting plan for a show. Many schools now use computer-based sound equipment; the emphasis in both lighting and sound is clearly on digital formats.