r/stagehands

Making this because it's difficult to find a comprehensive guide online.

This PDF is from "Backstage Handbook: An Illustrated Almanac of Technical Information" by Paul Douglas Carter

I pivoted into the industry recently and started working as a warehouse tech - prep/deprep, cleaning and organising stock. I saw a tech in the warehouse in front of a pre-rig and lighting console for my whole shift. I want to be in their position eventually and I understand that the labour tasks never end but how much experience till I can eventually get to play with a console as my work.

Tell me about your experience working your way up the ranks.

Not sure if this should be posted in her or r/stagehands. So I figured I would post it here first.

Let preface my story by telling you that I work in the live entertainment industry for a living. I’m a technician working in lighting, rigging, power, special effects (cryo), mobilestages,etc. . . For the sake of simplification let’s just say I’m a stagehand by trade.

With the crazy hours I work, you sleep when you can. And wake up when your body says you have slept enough. So this story begins a little before 4:00 am ona Thursday because I could not sleep any more, and I’m addicted to arc raiders.

After a couple of days off from work and Feeling kind of bored with the game (after having over 300 hours into it) I did what any Stagehand would do… I decided to build a show. So I gathered a couple guitars, a recorder, and a shaker for the band (back line ✔️) and stuck those in my safe pocket. I crafted 3 sets of fireworks , some light smoke grenades, along with 6 sets of glow sticks in every color. blue, green,yellow,and red for a total of 48 lights. (Lighting ✔️) Finally, I went on a hunt for the talent. It took some time and several raids and deaths ( because I wasn’t carrying a weapon) before I found a friendly Lobby and some willing raiders to headline my event. The Riventide map on top of the west beach extraction elevator Was the venue ( night raid of course)

We proceeded to make it to the extract point on the pier on the west side of the map where I handed out the instruments to the band. What happened next is nothing less than amazing. The arc raider gods must have wanted some entertainment because they shined upon us with a perfect lobby of raiders to set the show off. As the band began playing, and raiders slowly began making their way over to us to see what the commotion was all about, I set up the fireworks along the backside of the extraction point along the cliff ( this was for the grand finale) I completely expected things to fall apart right from the beginning, but the arc raider gods , again, were shining upon us that night.

Along with the accumulation of raiders also came arc of course. But as I began to set off the glow sticks that sent a Hugh of multiple colors across the cliff and shining on the band our audience made quick work of any threats coming our way. I quickly hit the extraction button that caused the yellow siren lights to begin to spin and setting off a siren that began to draw what seemed to me like the most raiders I’ve ever experienced in a single lobby to live music. I quickly dropped my smoke grenades to have a good haze going across the stage. I totally expected the bastion I heard in the distance to show up at any moment, figuring into our crowd. Killing raiders and sending everyone else running like a recreation of the Las Vegas shooting. But that didn’t happen. I was amazed of how quick a band of raiders united could make quick work of any threat. explosions were ringing out across the sky and ground!! Any one not killing arc was either dancing or just firing into the sky like New Year’s Eve in Pomona California ( that’s the ghetto where I live) asi ran around setting off more smoke grenades and glow sticks to keep the ambience going, One of the guitarist began freestyling lyrics to the music they were playing. I was absolutely shocked.

The whole lobby had showed up and if they weren’t shooting down arcs they were dancing or emoting their Raider lives away completely forgetting what they had come here to do. The extraction elevator cycled through 3 trips and each time the doors opened it felt like it was being raiders into the map the way our party grew It was AMAZING !!! until….

From out of nowhere a leader flew through the sky landing on top one of the guitarists and the recorder player. 🤦🏼 It was absolute chaos after that. but the band never stopped playing. As our audience of raiders do what that do best and fired their guns the band scattered still playing their tune and some even kept dancing, the elevator dropped for the last time as 20 + raiders piled out crawled into the elevator to go home.

As people laughed and cheered for the great time we all had, I sat back on my coach and couldn’t help but smile . “ another successful show ”, I thought to myself.

I have to say this is probably one of my greatest achievements not only in the game but as a Stagehand. This isn’t a job for allot of us in this industry This is a lifestyle. The drive to constantly help people make memories through music, lighting and effects. Nothing can even parallel that feeling.

It cost me a small fortune in game coins and inventory to make this happen, but the result is priceless. My only regret is that I didn’t record it, or even live stream it on Twitch. Oh well, I guess there is always next years show.

#arcraiderfest2026 #arcraiders #StagehandLife

Just looking for any kind of feedback from real folks (i know I could “look it up”)

In need of general stagehand resources on lighting/video/audio, can be online or textbook

Also in need of a resource that explains stagehand decorating for trade shows ie convention center gigs

Would love to know what u used to help urself with general knowledge in the field !! Thank u

i have a crew that’s fully composed of new guys this week and i’m looking for some helpful advice to give them that i haven’t given them already. they were quite capable today and all of them showed up with plenty of water, sober, with gloves and steel toes so in my book they’re basically professionals already.

they asked me for some advice and help while we were loading. so far i’ve told them

-don’t run off from your post
-hydrate
-don’t put your fingers in places where they could get pinched
-if anything is going wrong yell STOP, not wait or hold on
-hydrate
-i’ve shown them how to tip cases so that they won’t hurt themselves
-make as many friends and connections as they can
-hydrate

for festivals/longer gigs
-you never have enough socks/ shirts
-bring your own tp or wet wipes
-never let your own tools out of sight
-hydrate
-if you want to keep your clothes warm and dry for when you wake up put them in your sleeping bag
-HYDRATE

and lastly, if someone is being a dick just piss off and don’t get into fights. it’s not worth it

anything i may have forgotten?

i’ve heard it’s not required but i kinda WANT to go to college so is there anything helpful that i could major in?

Ik im joing this club here but for real I was V1 for CAVL and so was my friends and we are all owed a couple thousand from work over a few months ago and no one has seen or heard a thing from them. What can we do? We’ve been reaching out politely as of now but this is getting insane. What a terrible company. I’ve never had a company be so shitty about paying employees on time or ever in my 10 years.

hey, stagehand here it’s my first official summer as a stage hand and so far I’ve been a pusher I’ve been on Pyro I’ve also done lighting and I’m about to do dressing room for Noah Kahan. I was wondering if anybody knows what that entails so I’m prepared and ready. And I’m guessing it would still be very smart to bring my tools with me correct ?