Our Bookshelf

Welcome to our curated collection of essential books for mastering theatre technology and event safety. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, this collection aims to provide comprehensive resources to enhance your knowledge and skills.

Our selection includes books that cover foundational principles, advanced techniques, industry standards, and best practices. Whether you’re looking to dive into the intricacies of theatrical rigging, understand the nuances of lighting design, or ensure compliance with safety regulations, these books offer valuable insights and guidance.

Explore our list to find the right resources that suit your specific needs and interests. Whether you’re studying, working in the field, or preparing for certification exams, these books are designed to be practical, informative, and indispensable tools in your professional journey.

Table of Contents

Audio

BACKstage Audio Terminology. PDF with terms and definitions created as a study guide for the BACKstage Exam. eSET app also available for download on itunes

Practical Technical Theatre “Audio for Theatre”, 2nd Edition

Edition by David Eisenhauer, Robin Weatherall, and Robert Fowler ISBN-13 #: 978-1-934607-14-5 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

The Sound Reinforcement Handbook (2nd Edition)

by Gary Davis, Ralph Jones Publisher: Yamaha; 2nd Edition (January 1, 1988)

ISBN-10: 0881889008 ISBN-13: 978-0881889000

Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup (7th Edition)

by J. Michael Gillette

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 7th Edition (October 1, 2012) ISBN-10: 0073382221

ISBN-13: 978-0073382227

Basic Safety, Personnel and Venue Resources

NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC), 2014 Edition.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration: OSHA 10/General Entertainment Safety Training NFPA 101: Life Safety Code®

Power Tool Operation and Safety

BACKstage Safety Terminology
BACKstage Venue Terminology
PDF with terms and definitions created as a study guide for the BACKstage Exam. eSET app also available for download on itunes.

Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information / Edition 3 by Paul Charter  ISBN-13; 2900911747392 Publisher: Broadway Press Publication date: 11/01/1994

Careers in Theatre (2012) by Marti and Robert Fowler

ISBN 13 # 978-1-934607-11-4 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

Introduction to Technical Theatre (2006) by Marti and Robert Fowler
ISBN 13 #978-1-934607-08-4 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

Costume Design and Construction

BACKstage Costume & Wardrobe Terminology
BACKstage Parts of a Sewing Machine. PDF with terms and definitions created as a study guide for the BACKstage Exam. eSET app also available for download from iTunes.

Costume Designer’s Handbook: A Complete Guide for Amateur and Professional Costume Designers 2nd Revised ed. Edition by Rosemary Ingham, Liz Covey

Publisher: Heinemann Drama; 2nd Revised ed. edition (November 2, 1992) ISBN-10: 0435086073. ISBN-13: 978-0435086077

Costuming for the Theatre by Terry McGonigle

ISBN-13 #: 978-1-934607-12-1 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup 7th Edition by J. Michael Gillette

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 7th Edition (October 1, 2012) ISBN-10: 0073382221. ISBN-13: 978-0073382227

USITT Publications available for purchase/download at usitt.org

Projects for Teaching Costume Design Vol. 1  

Practical Projects for Teaching Costume Design Vol. 2

ETCP Electrician Exam

American Electrician’s Handbook, Fourteenth edition, Terrell Croft and Wilford I. Summers, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 2002.

Basic Electrical Theory, Michael Holt, Second edition, Mike Holt Enterprises, Tamarac, FL, 2004.

Canadian Electrical Code, 20th Edition, Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, ON 2009.

Lighting the Stage : Art and Practice, Third edition, Willard F. Bellman, Broadway Press, Louisville, KY 2001.

National Electrical Code Handbook, Eleventh edition, Mark W. Earley, Jeffrey S. Sargent, Joseph V. Sheehan, E. William Buss, National Fire Protection Assoc., Quincy, MA 2008.

NFPA 70E Handbook for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, Ray A. Jones, Kenneth G. Mastrullo and Jane G. Jones, National Fire Protection Assoc, Quincy, MA, 2004.

Recommended Practice for DMX512, Adam Bennette, Professional Lighting and Sound Association, Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK, 1994.

Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook: Film Lighting equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution, Third edition, Harry C. Box, Focal Press, Boston, MA 2003. (Kindle edition)

Understanding NEC Calculations, 3rd Edition, Mike Holt, Delmar Publishers, Albany, NY 1999.

Additional Electrical Resources Resources

Automated Lighting: The Art and Science of Moving Light in Theatre, Live Performance, and Entertainment, Richard Cadena, Focal Press, Boston, MA 2006. (Kindle edition)

Basic Electrical Safety Precautions for Motion Picture and Television Off Studio Lot Location Productions, Robert England, City of LA Dept. of Building and Safety, Los Angeles, CA. August 1 2002.

Basic Electricity, Research & Education Assoc., Piscataway, NJ 2002.

Basic Electricity, U.S. Navy, Dover Publications, New York, 1969. Original publication 1960 by the United States Printing Office.

Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art and Business, Second edition, James L. Moody, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York, NY 1997.

OSHA-The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), US Government, Washington DC. February 13, 1996.

Control Systems for Live Entertainment, Second edition, John Huntington, Focal Press, Boston, MA 2000. (Kindle edition)

OSHA-Definitions and Requirements for National Recognized Testing Laboratories, US Government, Washington, DC. July 31, 2002.

OSHA-Electrical– 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S, US Government, Washington, DC.

Electrician’s Pocket Manual, Rex Miller, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 2000. (Kindle edition)

Electricity for the Entertainment Electrician & Technician, Richard Cadena, Focal Press, Boston, MA 2009. (Kindle edition)

Electricity One (thru Seven), Third edition, Harry Mileaf, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ 1999.

General Information for Electrical Equipment Directory, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Northbrook, IL 2002.

“Hey Rube!” IAEI News, Xen George Anchales, September – October, 2004.

Lessons in Electric Circuits Volume II – AC, Tony R. Kuphaldt, 2007

Life On the Road: A Beginner’s Guide to the Stage Production Industry, Third edition., William R. Boswell, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY 1996.

Limited Journeyman Stage Electrician License, State of Oregon, Oregon Administrative Rules 918-282-0230, Oregon Dept. of Consumer and Business Services, Building Codes Div., Salem, OR. January 1, 2002.

NFPA 101 Life Safety Code Handbook, Ron Cote and Gregory E. Harrington, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 2006.

OSHA- Personnel Protective Equipment – 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I, US Government, Washington, DC.

Pocket Reference, Thomas J. Glover, Sequoia Publishing, Littleton, CO 1994.

NFPA 70B: Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, 2010 Edition, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 2010.

Recommended Practice for Ethernet Cabling Systems in Entertainment Lighting Applications, Entertainment Services and Technology Assoc., New York, NY, 1996.

Safety Bulletin #23 Guidelines for Working with Lighting Systems and Other Electrical Equipment – Contract Services Administration Trust Fund, Encino, CA 2000.

Set Lighting Technician’s Handbook: Film Lighting Equipment, Practice, and Electrical Distribution, Fourth Edition, Harry Box, Focal Press, Burlington, MA, 2010.

Soares Book on Grounding, Eighth edition, International Association of Electrical Inspectors, Richardson, TX, 2001.

Stallcup’s Generator and Transformer Book – James Stallcup Sr. and James Stallcup Jr., National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 2003.

Standard for Safety for Portable Power-Distribution Equipment, Second edition, Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Northbrook, IL, 2000.

Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, Fourteenth edition, Donald G. Fink and H. Wayne Beaty, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 2000. (Kindle edition)

Supplement to the Recommended Practice for Ethernet Cabling Systems in Entertainment Lighting Applications, Entertainment Services and Technology Assoc., New York, NY, 1999.

Temporary Electric Wiring for Carnivals, Conventions, Exhibitions, Fairs and Similar Uses – LA Dept. of Building and Safety, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA. November 11, 2000.

Ugly’s Electrical References, George V. Hart and Sammie Hart, Burleson Distributing Corp., Houston, TX, 2008.

Lighting Design

How Big How Bright BACKstage Lighting & Electrics Procedures.

BACKstage Lighting Terminology.

PDF with terms and definitions available with order. eSET app also available for download on itunes.

The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook 3rd Edition by Brad Schiller Publisher: Focal Press; 3rd edition (October 5, 2016)

ISBN-10: 1138926248 ISBN-13: 978-1138926240

Designing with Light: An Introduction to Stage Lighting (Film) 6th Edition By J. Michael Gillette, Michael McNamara

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 6th Edition (January 22, 2013) ISBN-10: 0073514233

ISBN-13: 978-0073514239

Lighting Design (2006) by Robert Fowler

ISBN # 978-1-934607-06-0 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC), 2014 Edition.

Scene Design and Stage Lighting 10th Edition by R. Craig Wolf, Dick Block

ISBN-13: 978-0495501909     ISBN-10: 0495501905     Wadsworth Publishing (March 26, 2013)

Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup 7th Edition by J. Michael Gillette Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 7th Edition (October 1, 2012) ISBN-10: 0073382221. ISBN-13: 978-0073382227

USITT RP-2, Recommended Practice for Theatrical Lighting Design Graphics (2006). 

USITT Publications available for purchase/download at usitt.org

Practical Projects for Teaching Lighting Design Vol.1 Practical Projects for Teaching Lighting Design Vol. 2

Counterweight Rigging and General Rigging

BACKstage Rigging Terminology.

BACKstage Counterweight Rigging Procedures.

PDF with terms and definitions created as a study guide for the BACKstage Exam. eSET app also available for download on itunes

Knots and other Terminations

Working Loads and Design Factors in Rigging – YouTube Video

E1.4 (2016) ANSI/ESTA E1.4-1: Entertainment Technology – Manual Counterweight Rigging Systems

JR Clancy Operations manuals for counterweight systems

JR Clancy Counterweight Rigging 101

Stage Rigging Handbook, Fourth Edition Fourth Edition by Jay O. Glerum (Author), Shane Kelly (Author), Mark Shanda (Foreword), Southern Illinois University Press. 2024

 

Scenic Construction

BACKstage Safety Terminology.

BACKstage Venue Terminology.

BACKstage Construction Terminology.

PDF with terms and definitions created as a study guide for the BACKstage Exam. eSET app also available for download on itunes.

Basic Set Construction and Theatre Safety by Robert Fowler

ISBN 13 # 978-1-934607-09-1 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

Power Tool Operation and Safety

Scene Design and Stage Lighting 10th Edition by R. Craig Wolf, Dick Block

ISBN-13: 978-0495501909     ISBN-10: 0495501905     Wadsworth Publishing (March 26, 2013)

Set Design by Robert Fowler (ISBN 13 # 978-1-934607-05-3)

(AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

Stock Scenery Construction Handbook Perfect Paperback – September 15, 2015 By Bill Raoul, Mike Monsos

Publisher: Broadway Press; Third edition (September 15, 2015) ISBN-10: 0911747435

ISBN-13: 978-0911747430

Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scene Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup 7th Edition by J. Michael Gillette Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education; 7th Edition (October 1, 2012) ISBN-10: 0073382221. ISBN-13: 978-0073382227

USITT Publications available for purchase/download at usitt.org

Practical Projects for Teaching Lighting Design Vol.1 Practical Projects for Teaching Lighting Design Vol. 2

USITT Scenic Design and Technical Production Graphic Standard – (1999)

Stage Management

The Back Stage Guide to Stage Management, 3rd Edition: Traditional and New Methods for Running a Show from First Rehearsal to Last Performance 3rd Revised, Expanded ed. Edition. (June 16, 2009) by Thomas A. Kelly

Publisher: Back Stage Books; 3rd Revised, Expanded ed. edition  ISBN-10: 0823098028  ISBN-13: 978-0823098026

Business and House Management (2004) by Lana Hagan, Marti Fowler, and Robert Fowler

ISBN 13 # 978-1-934607-07-7 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)

The Stage Manager’s Toolkit: Templates and Communication Techniques to Guide Your Theatre Production from First Meeting to Final Performance (The Focal Press Toolkit Series) 1st Edition By Laurie Kincman

Publisher: Focal Press; (April 13, 2013) ISBN-10: 0415663199   ISBN-13: 978-0415663199

Stage Management (2nd Edition) (2012) by Jason Daunter and Tom Martin

ISBN 13 # 978-1-934607-13-8 (AVAILABLE IN DVD/CD-ROM FORMAT, OR THROUGH YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION)