4th Edition is Published!

Including new additions and a new chapter…

Welcome to the Fourth Edition of Stagecraft Fundamentals! I am particularly excited by my new and old collaborators for this edition. Check out the thank you list in the Acknowledgements for a mini Who’s Who list of technical theatre. These people gave their time and talents without reserve for education’s sake.

For the sake of this Blog, I am focusing on my new collaborators, as well as what’s new in the 4th edition. This edition features one new chapter, Costume Crafts, written by Denise Wallace-Spriggs. Denise has been the costume crafts artisan for the Tony® Award-Winning Huntington Theatre Company in Boston for thirty years. I couldn’t be more thrilled by her fantastic job of defining and illustrating the complex world of costume accessories in all their manifestations. The chapter begins with Millinery (hat making), and she discusses materials, tools, and techniques. She then approaches Shoes, Dyeing, Mask Making, Stage Armour, Body Modification Padding, Accessories/Jewelry, and Leatherwork. She comes at each additional topic with the same dedication to detail as she did with Millinery. Her many photos make it easy to visualize how each technique combines into a beautifully finished costume.

There are new additions to most of the existing chapters. The chapter on Props has been completely revamped with new photos and techniques, thanks to Lawrence Heyman. Lawrence is a freelance prop master and set dresser who has worked at the Huntington Theatre, Goodman Theatre, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and Touchstone Pictures, to name a few. The Rigging chapter has been completed and updated thanks to Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging. Justin Walsh, an Associate Professor and Technical Director at Murray State University, has worked professionally in theatre since 1994. Justin was instrumental in adding a Foley section in the Sound Chapter. Kristi Ross-Clausen, an IATSE stagehand/trainer, Actor’s Equity stage manager, and author of the Stage Hands Tool Kit, reviewed two chapters for me—Stage Management and Touring—and updated them to current standards. These theatrical professionals are just a sampling of my colleagues who helped me get this edition into its present shape.

I want this Blog to be an interactive forum, so please jump in and comment. Comment on the current discussion with your thoughts. Let me know what you’d like to hear about in the future. I plan to Blog monthly and also to offer periodic raffles.