Stage Technician

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Work Tasks

• Install lights, props, sound equipment, and other things needed for musicals and theater shows
• Follow blueprints and layout drawings to decide where to place things
• Operate the light and sound equipment during the show
• Pull cables that raise and lower scenery and curtains
• Work for theater, stage, and summer stock companies, TV studios, acting, motion picture, and video production companies, dinner theaters, recording and sound mixing studios, and broadcasting stations
• Work with stage layout specifications, blueprints, scenery, props, lighting and sound equipment, rigging, cables, ropes, hand tools, and power tools

Salary, Size & Growth

• $46,500 average per year ($22.25 per hour)
• A medium occupation (29,300 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow slowly (0.4% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A high school diploma and experience in stagecraft
• Employers Prefer: A 4-year degree in theater arts or stagecraft
• Skills/Courses: College courses include stagecraft, carpentry, blueprint reading, electricity, electronics, and machine shop.
• Certification/Licensing: Union membership may be required.