Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2019 - 37

to be underrepresented, perhaps because it does not fall into traditional
theatre department structures or
curricula. Fortunately, the rise of the
network has also meant that once students understand these more abstract
networking concepts, they can get by
with less knowledge of previously necessary bit- and voltage-level details of
systems like DMX-512 and MIDI.
* Programming. Given the speed at
which we work in our industry, we
will likely always be doing high-level
system integration for shows, rather
than low-level custom development.
However, as systems grow in sophistication and integrate over the
network, the need for programming
skills will increase. Not everyone
needs to be a master coder, but basic
programming concepts are important to understand. In addition, show
control (connecting two or more entertainment control systems together) these days is mostly networking
with some programming thrown in,
and as networking has offered easy
connections, more and more systems

are being connected together.
* Math and Science. Most entertainment technology students do not need
calculus, although if they can handle
it, they should be encouraged to take
it; all entertainment technology students should get through at least one
college-level math class and also have
some background in science. Physics
is the most relevant. Math is critical
to understanding many of the subjects listed here and the world today.
Looking around at various curricula,
it seems that many theatre schools
are still de-emphasizing these subjects
in favor of multiple theatre or art history courses (important for designers) or acting even for their technical
students. One university curriculum
reviewed requires only one course of
"math or science."
* Electrical Power. This was critical in
2002 and is even more so today, when
almost every device on a stage needs
power. Some of the issues of the massive power systems we build on big
shows today are likely beyond the
realm of undergraduate students, but

today's students need a solid foundation in Ohm's law, the power law (here
is where the math comes in), basic
grounding, electrical safety, relevant
codes, and similar topics. They should
know how to solder and do basic wiring. Some schools are covering these
areas as part of their lighting curriculum, but it's really important for all
show technology students.
* Rigging. The 2002 advice still stands
today: "A large percentage of the shows
in the [commercial] world are done
with trusses and chain motors, not
counterweight rigging systems. All students should have at least an introduction to this kind of temporary rigging."
It is important for undergraduates to
have a basic understanding of rigging
techniques, ratings, the forces at play,
and their safety implications.
* Moving Light Operation, Configuration, and Programming. At just
about every level today, there are moving lights in all types of shows and the
technology has stabilized a lot. LEDs
are a mature technology now, both in
conventional and moving fixtures; they

SUMMER 2019

THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

| 37

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Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2019

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