Stage Rigging Handbook is written in an at-a-glance outline form, yet contains in-depth information available nowhere else.
This second edition includes two new parts: the first, an expanded discussion of the forces and loads on stage rigging components and the structure supporting them; the second, an examination of block and tackle rigging. The remaining four parts contain numerous revisions.
Explaining his purpose, Jay O. Glerum points out that four main principles constitute the core of this book: know the rigging system; know that it is in safe working order; know how to use it; keep your concentration. Glerum applies these principles to all the major types of stage rigging systems, including block and tackle, hemp, counterweight, and motorized. He describes each type of rigging and then thoroughly reviews the operating procedures and ways of inspecting existing systems.
To provide background, Glerum opens with the basic theory of applied physics as it relates to rigging. Step by step, he explains the calculations required to determine safe working loads for various components. Glerum’s many anecdotes help the reader translate theory into reality.
Glerum then turns to four separate and detailed treatments of the main types of theatrical rigging. His thorough descriptions include drawings that identify each separate component of the rigging. He points out the advantages of each system, detailing everything from the mechanical advantage and the effects of wear on rope to the best ways to tie off the pin rail and to store weights. Because stagecraft often has been handed down orally from one stagehand to the next, incorrect—as well as dangerous—assumptions exist in the trade. Glerum provides a ready reference for everything from how to tie a knot to how to effectively communicate a warning for a runaway set.
Glerum also discusses special problems such as cutting fiber rope, terminating wire rope, attaching drops and framed scenery, using trusses and bridles, dead hanging, tripping, guiding loads, and other topics. He also covers recordkeeping, with tips and pointers on how to establish an inspection log.
Jay O. Glerum regularly teaches classes on stage rigging throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He currently is chairman of the Rigging and Stage Machinery Standards Committee of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, a fellow of the Institute, and president of Jay O. Glerum & Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in consulting for the entertainment industry.
