Zachary Stribling received his BFA in Technical Theatre from the University of Evansville and an MFA in Technical Production from Florida State University. Working in commercial, industrial, and educational theatre for over 25 years, he has served as Technical Director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Faculty Technical Director at the University of Central Florida, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Technical Production at the Florida State University. He is currently a Senior Lecturer, Production Manager, and Technical Director at the University of Kentucky. In 2015 he co-authored the first edition of The Technical Director's Toolkit along with his dear friend Richard Girtain.

John Holloway earned an MFA from the Dallas Theater Center in 1980, and is now Professor Emeritus from the University of Kentucky, where he served as Technical Director/Designer for 35 years. He was President of IATSE Local 346 for two terms, and toured with several different Broadway shows.

Preface Acknowledgments Section 1: People and Process 1. Working in the Theatre 2. The Production Process Section 2: The Theatre and its Equipment 3. Thrust Theatres 4. Black Box and Experimental Theatres 5. Proscenium Theatres 6. Curtains & Backdrops 7. Ropes & Knots 8. Theatre Rigging 9. Arena Rigging Section 3: The Scene Shop and its Equipment 10. Shop Safety & PPE 11. Hand Tools 12. Shop Equipment 13. Building Materials 14. Hardware and Other Essential Theatre Supplies Section 4: Building Scenery 15. Flats16. Platforms and Decking17. Stairs18. Metal Construction19. Construction Documents20. Digital Fabrication 21. Scenic Machinery and Automation Section 5: Stage Lighting 22. Electrical Theory 23. Power Distribution24. Lighting Control25. Photometrics and Instrumentation26. Hanging and Focusing Section 6: Audio & Video 27. Audio Theory28. Sound Reinforcement29. Digital Audio Files30. Video Projection for the Stage Appendix Index