Table Of ContentThe Technical
Director’s Toolkit
Enjoy it, and bookmark its pages prodigiously.
— William J. Byrnes, Southern Utah University
In the world of theatre, the technical director (TD) is responsible for overseeing the safe and
efficient realization and implementation of scenery for the stage. The Technical Director’s
Toolkit is the first book to address every nut and bolt of this multifaceted job, guiding you
through the step-by-step processes of technical direction and the responsibilities of the TD
in the mounting of a theatrical production. Leadership, management, relationship building,
personal responsibility, and problem solving are addressed, showing you not only how to
become a more efficient and effective TD but also how to be a collaborative member of a
production team with whom artists will seek to work again and again. The book also addresses
scene shop design and facility repair and maintenance, and it finishes with a brief overview of
other areas of technical theatre that help round out the far-reaching skill set of a successful TD.
• A companion website includes customizable and downloadable forms as well as accompa-
nying instructional videos: www.routledge.com/cw/stribling
• Captures the scope of the profession, while maintaining the focus on the day-to-day duties
of an effective TD
• Discusses safety protocols and how to encourage a culture of safety within the workplace
Zachary Stribling received his BFA in Technical Theatre from the University of Evansville
and a Master of Fine Arts in Technical Production from Florida State University. Working pro-
fessionally in theatre for more than twenty-two years and teaching at the university level for
thirteen years, he has served as Technical Director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Faculty
Technical Director at the University of Central Florida, and Visiting Assistant Professor
of Technical Production at Florida State University. Zak is currently a Lecturer and
Faculty Technical Director at the University of Kentucky.
Richard Girtain holds a BA in Theatre with a minor in Religious Studies from the University
of Tennessee and a Master of Fine Arts in Technical Production from Florida State University.
He has served as Technical Director at several nationally and internationally recognized the-
atres throughout the country, including the Guthrie Theater, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and
FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Richard is currently the Technical Director for
the Juilliard School at Lincoln Center.
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The Technical
Director’s Toolkit
Process, Forms,
and Philosophies for
Successful Technical
Direction
Zachary Stribling
Richard Girtain
First published 2016
by Focal Press
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Taylor & Francis
The right of Zachary Stribling and Richard Girtain to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom
are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stribling, Zachary.
The technical director’s toolkit : process, forms, and philosophies for successful technical direction / Zachary Stribling,
Richard Girtain.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Theater—Production and direction. I. Girtain, Richard. II. Title.
PN2053.S78 2016
792.02'33—dc23
2015029007
ISBN: 978-1-138-12142-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-74729-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-79713-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman PS MT
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
To our muses, Judy and Diana, who support us no matter what our
foolish endeavor may be, and to our legacies, Valentina, Gloriana, Jack,
and baby girl Girtain to be, who are the other half of our everything
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by William J. Byrnes xi
Introduction: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How? xiii
Chapter 1: Communication, Collaboration, and Flexibility:
The Mores of Success 1
1.1 The Job: Never the Same Story Twice 3
1.2 Leadership Style: It’s the Relationship 9
1.3 Veritas: The Proof Is in the Pudding 14
1.4 Problem Solving: More Than One Way
to Skin a Flat 15
Chapter 2: Design, Estimation, and Preproduction Planning:
Paving the Road to Realization 19
2.1 Design 20
2.2 Estimation 26
2.3 Preproduction 66
Chapter 3: Production: It’s Showtime! 99
3.1 Construction 99
3.2 Load In: It’s Go Time, People! 120
3.3 Technical Rehearsals 127
3.4 The Run 133
3.5 Strike 135
3.6 Postproduction: The Afterglow 141
viii CONTENTS
Chapter 4: The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Facilities 145
4.1 Shop Design 146
4.2 Tools of the Trade 150
4.3 Maintenance and Repair 155
4.4 Morale Maintenance 156
4.5 Health and Safety 158
Chapter 5: Special Skills, Training, and Continuing Education 163
5.1 Leadership and Management Training 164
5.2 Structural Analysis 165
5.3 Rigging 167
5.4 Electricity and Electronics 170
5.5 Mechanical Engineering 171
5.6 Automation 174
5.7 Project Management 176
5.8 Drafting and Modeling 178
5.9 Understanding the Jobs of Others 181
Conclusion 191
Index 195
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thank-you to the following groups and individuals:
William Byrnes, for his excellent mentorship, teaching, and help editing this text.
The many teachers who helped lay our foundation and gave us the laboratories in which
to learn our craft, and all of the students who created and grew in those laboratories with us.
Grant Hilgenkamp, who believed in us and let us cut our teeth on the big stage.
Todd Pickett, Ralph Walker, Chuck Meacham, and Charles Leslie, who taught us how to
build scenery and take pride in our work.
Dan Culhane and Chris Brown, for their work on our estimation workbooks, and for Chris’s
excellent drafting used in this book and on the cover.
Meagan White, Stacey Walker, and Focal Press, for making this book a reality.
We additionally thank all of the colleagues, students, assistants, and artisans with whom
we have worked throughout our careers for the influence they have had on us as artists and
leaders.
