Structural Design for the Stage

The follow-up to the 2000 Golden Pen Award-winning Structural Design for the Stage, this second edition provides the theater technician with a foundation in structural design, allowing an intuitive understanding of "why sets stand up." It introduces the basics of statics and the study of the strength of materials as they apply to typical scenery, emphasizing conservative approaches to real world examples. This is an invaluable reference for any serious theatre technician throughout their career, from the initial study of the fundamental concepts, to the day-to-day use of the techniques and reference materials.

Now in hardcover, with nearly 200 new pages of content, it has been completely revised and updated to reflect the latest recommended practices of the lumber and steel industries, while also including aluminum design for the first time.

Alys E. Holden is a professional production manager. She is currently the Director of Production for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and has previously worked for Center Theatre Group, the Kodak Theatre and Walt Disney Imagineering. She received her MFA from the Yale School of Drama and is the recipient of USITT Golden Pen Award for Structural Design for the Stage, 1st Edition, the USITT KM Fabrics Technical Production Award, and the Yale School of Drama Paul Carter Scholarship.

Bronislaw J. Sammler is Head of Production and Chair of Yale School of Drama’s Technical Design and Production Department. In 2007 he was named the Henry McCormick Professor (Adjunct) of Technical Design and Production. He is co-editor of Technical Brief and Technical Design Solutions for Theatre, Vols. I, II & III. He co-authored Structural Design for the Stage, 1st Edition, which won the USITT Golden Pen Award. He co-founded USITT’s National Theatre Technology Exhibit, an on-going biennial event and he has served as a commissioner and a director at-large and is a lifetime Fellow of USITT. He was honored as Educator of the Year in 2006 by the New England Theatre Conference and chosen to receive USITT's Distinguished Achievement Award in Technical Production in 2009. His production management techniques and his application of structural design to scenic technology are employed in both educational and professional theatres throughout the world.

Steven A. Schmidt is a professional Production Manager and Technical Director. He has worked as the Associate Head of Production for Yale School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre, where he guest lectured in Structural Design for the Stage, Digital Technologies, and Technical Writing. He has also worked for B Street Theatre, the Davis Joint Unified School District, and is a founding member of Barnyard Theatre. Steven received his MFA from the Yale School of Drama in Technical Design and Production, where he completed his thesis, Structural Steel Design for the Stage.

Bradley L. Powers is a faculty member at the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and specializes in Technical Design and Engineering for the entertainment industry. His Technical Design work at LA Propoint Inc includes projects for Universal Studios Hollywood and Singapore, Cirque du Soleil, the Hettama Group, and numerous rigging system and tension grid installations. Brad has previously served as Production Supervisor at Pook Diemont and Ohl Inc and Technical Director for La Jolla Playhouse / UCSD. He has an MFA from the Yale School of Drama and a BA in Theatre from The Ohio State University.