Technical Design Solutions for Theatre

by Ben Sammler, Don Harvey (Editor)

The Technical Brief is a collection of single-focus articles on technical production solutions, published three times a year by the prestigious Yale School of Drama. The primary objective of the publication is to share creative solutions to technical problems so that fellow theatre technicians can avoid having to reinvent the wheel with each new challenge. The range of topics includes scenery, props, painting, electrics, sound, and costumes. The articles each describe an approach, device, or technique that has been tested on stage or in a shop by students and professionals. Some articles Growing Flowers on Stage; Break-Away Glass; Photo-Murals for the Stage; Quiet Wire-Rope Curtain Track; Free Standing Curved Stairs; A Measured Approach to Kerfing; A Low-Voltage Remote Controller for Special Effects; Toggle-Clamp Locks; Comparing Four Plastics as Scenery Glides; Low Pressure Air Casters; A Simple Lift Jack; Using a Piano to Create a Reverberation Effect; Horn-Hat Mics for Sound Reinforcement

Genres: Theatre

284 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent hodge-podge of short technical articles that present solutions to common theatrical problems. All are well written and easy to understand, though it is unlikely that any one person would utilize more than %25 of these solutions. Still, a fun read, and a good thought-starter.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like its predecessor, this book has fun mix of solutions to various problems: stage blood, cheap lighting instruments, "the world's brightest glowing thing," and so on. It's a good read, and I find myself using it with surprising frequency.