Top 12 Stage Hand Skills to Put on Your Resume

Crafting a strong stage hand resume means showing a nimble mix of technical know-how, fast fixes under pressure, and unflinching teamwork. Put skills front and center so hiring managers see you can keep shows moving, gear safe, and cues tight. That’s how you level up in live events and theatre.

Stage Hand Skills

1. Rigging
2. Carpentry
3. Lighting Design
4. Sound Engineering
5. AutoCAD
6. QLab
7. SFX
8. Prop Management
9. Costume Maintenance
10. Stage Management
11. Fly System Operation
12. Electrical Wiring

1. Rigging

Rigging is the setup and operation of ropes, pulleys, motors, hardware, and control systems used to lift, lower, and suspend scenery, lighting, soft goods, and sometimes performers. Quiet precision, zero shortcuts.

Why It's Important

Rigging keeps people safe and scenery exactly where it should be. It enables bold designs, smooth transitions, and repeatable moves without drama or risk.

How to Improve Rigging Skills

Build fundamentals, then drill them until they’re reflex.

1. Learn the system types: hemp, counterweight, and motorized. Know the parts, failure points, and proper use.

2. Safety first: Follow recognized standards and venue policies. Lockout/tagout. Rated gear only. Never guess a load.

3. Rigging math: Load paths, vector forces, center of gravity, factor of safety. Practice calculations until they’re fast and accurate.

4. Hands-on under supervision: Shadow certified riggers. Practice at height, on the rail, and with temporary truss builds.

5. Inspection habits: Check hardware, lines, shackles, terminations, and hoists before every call. Document and tag out any suspect gear.

6. Keep current: New hardware, new standards, better methods. Read manuals, attend trainings, pursue certification where available.

7. Communication: Use clear calls and confirmations. No moves without a go. Everyone hears the plan.

Confidence comes from reps, not luck. Train, test, verify.

How to Display Rigging Skills on Your Resume

2. Carpentry

Carpentry for stage hands means building, modifying, and maintaining scenic units, platforms, flats, and props using wood, composites, and hardware. Fast builds that still hold up to touring and quick changeovers.

Why It's Important

Sturdy, square, and safe scenery makes shows run smooth. Good carpentry prevents squeaks, wobbles, and show-stopping failures.

How to Improve Carpentry Skills

1. Master the basics: Accurate measuring, layout, cutting, fastening, and safe tool operation. Jigs save time; use them.

2. Theatre-specific methods: Standard flat construction, stress-skin platforms, toggles, keystones, corner blocks, and fast rigging solutions.

3. Read drawings: From ground plans to exploded views. Translate to cut lists and build sequences.

4. Know materials: Ply grades, MDF vs. OSB, dimensional lumber, fasteners, adhesives, coatings. Choose for weight, durability, and budget.

5. Finish work: Sanding, filling, back-painting, edge protection, touch-up. Durable, clean builds look pro.

6. Learn from veterans: Mentorship on the shop floor beats guesswork. Ask, watch, repeat.

Consistency and clean craftsmanship speak loudly on show day.

How to Display Carpentry Skills on Your Resume

3. Lighting Design

Lighting design shapes mood, focus, and the visual arc of a production. It blends artistry with the practical: power, positions, optics, and timing.

Why It's Important

It directs attention, deepens storytelling, and keeps performers visible without washing out the scene’s intent.

How to Improve Lighting Design Skills

1. Start with the story: Script, beats, transitions. Design supports narrative, not the other way around.

2. Positions and angles: Front for clarity, side for shape, back for separation, down for texture. Mix with purpose.

3. Color and contrast: Build palettes that evoke time and emotion. Balance warm/cool, saturation, and intensity.

4. Texture and movement: Gobos, prisms, and shutters add depth. Use movement sparingly; make it mean something.

5. Console fluency: Patch cleanly, label rigorously, record with consistent palettes and groups. Busk or timecode—be ready for both.

6. Safety and workflow: Ladder and lift safety, cable paths, focus calls, and clear headsets. Fast hangs, tidy strikes.

Iterate in rehearsal, refine in notes, and keep your show file organized.

How to Display Lighting Design Skills on Your Resume

4. Sound Engineering

Sound engineering covers capture, routing, mixing, and reinforcement so every word and note lands clearly, without noise or feedback.

Why It's Important

Great audio keeps the audience immersed and the performers confident. Bad audio pulls everyone out of the moment.

How to Improve Sound Engineering Skills

1. Gain structure: From source to bus, keep signals healthy and noise low. Trim right, mix cleaner.

2. Mic technique: Pattern choice, placement, isolation. Teach performers good habits; save yourself grief.

3. EQ and dynamics: Cut mud, tame harshness, control peaks. Less is often more—fix problems at the source first.

4. RF coordination: Frequency planning, antenna placement, scanning, and intermod avoidance. Label everything.

5. Console mastery: Scenes, snapshots, DCAs, matrices. Analog or digital—know both.

6. Monitors: Ring out wedges, manage IEM mixes, watch gain before feedback like a hawk.

7. Redundancy: Backup playback, spare cables, power conditioning. When it fails, it fails fast—be faster.

Keep a logbook. Solve patterns, not one-offs.

How to Display Sound Engineering Skills on Your Resume

5. AutoCAD

AutoCAD helps translate ideas into precise 2D/3D drawings for sets, layouts, and rigging points. Clean drawings make builds smoother and safer.

Why It's Important

Accurate drafts reduce waste, speed fabrication, and keep every department reading the same map.

How to Improve AutoCAD Skills

1. Shortcuts and aliases: Map commands you use daily. Speed compounds.

2. Layers and standards: Consistent naming, colors, and lineweights. Freeze and lock with intent.

3. Blocks: Dynamic blocks, attributes, and libraries for repeated items—stairs, platforms, hardware.

4. Xrefs and sheet sets: Keep files modular. Update once, reflect everywhere. Publish cleanly.

5. Annotation scaling: Dimensions, text, and leaders that read well at any scale.

6. File hygiene: Purge, audit, and maintain units. Clear titles, clear revisions, no mystery geometry.

Practice with real show drawings. Iterate from ground plan to section to detail.

How to Display AutoCAD Skills on Your Resume

6. QLab

QLab is show control for audio, video, lighting triggers, and more—one timeline, many moving parts. Current workflows typically use QLab 5 features.

Why It's Important

Centralized cues mean tighter shows and fewer missed moments. One operator can run a lot—reliably.

How to Improve QLab Skills

1. Know the workspace: Build cue lists, carts, and groups. Label everything clearly.

2. Scripting and logic: Use OSC, timecode, and cue targets. Conditional logic trims chaos.

3. Audio and video polish: Crossfades, ducking, routing, screens control. Test in real output chains.

4. Network control: Coordinate with lighting and media servers. Solid IP plans, no guesswork.

5. Templates: Create reusable show files with standard routing and safety cues.

6. Fail-safes: Redundant playback, safe stops, operator prompts. Rehearse faults, not just cues.

Rehearse the show file like it’s a performer—notes, tweaks, polish.

How to Display QLab Skills on Your Resume

7. SFX

SFX (special effects) spans atmospherics, mechanical gags, practical illusions, projections, and—where licensed—pyrotechnics. Big impact, careful planning.

Why It's Important

Effects deepen immersion and sell the world on stage. When they land, the audience leans in.

How to Improve SFX Skills

1. Safety is law: Permits, qualified personnel, MSDS for fluids/chemicals, ventilation, fire watches, and emergency procedures.

2. Prototype first: Bench test with safe materials. Scale up slowly. Fail in the shop, not in front of a crowd.

3. Document everything: Diagrams, cue sheets, reset checklists, inspection logs. Repeatability wins.

4. Communicate: Coordinate with stage management, electrics, and wardrobe. Clear warnings and lockouts.

5. Respect pyro: Only licensed techs handle pyrotechnics. No exceptions.

6. Maintain gear: Clean machines, fresh fluids, replace wear items early. Keep spares.

Effectiveness without safety isn’t an option—ever.

How to Display SFX Skills on Your Resume

8. Prop Management

Prop management means sourcing, tracking, repairing, presetting, and handing off props so every scene hits its mark with the right item, right place, right time.

Why It's Important

Props drive story beats. If they’re late, broken, or missing, moments fall flat.

How to Improve Prop Management Skills

1. Inventory with photos: A simple database or spreadsheet with images, scene use, storage location, and condition.

2. Labels and homes: Clear labels, color codes, and dedicated bins. Shadow boards for smalls.

3. Run sheets and presets: Checklists for each act/scene. Two-person checks before house open.

4. Maintenance kit: Tape, glue, paint pens, specialty adhesives, sewing kit. Fix it now, not later.

5. Communication: Quick notes to stage management on changes or damage. Keep everyone synced.

6. Strike plan: Document returns, rentals, and storage. Nothing goes missing if nothing is guessed.

Smooth prop work feels invisible. That’s the goal.

How to Display Prop Management Skills on Your Resume

9. Costume Maintenance

Costume maintenance covers cleaning, repairs, alterations, labeling, and quick-change readiness. Wardrobe that survives the run, night after night.

Why It's Important

Good care preserves look and fit, prevents show delays, and protects the costume budget from avoidable replacements.

How to Improve Costume Maintenance Skills

1. Proper storage: Garment bags, shaped hangers, moisture control. Keep traffic paths clear.

2. Cleaning plans: Follow fabric instructions. Rotate duplicates when possible. Spot clean fast; deep clean on schedule.

3. Repairs ready: Basic and sturdy stitching, snaps, hooks, emergency hem fixes. A prepped kit at every quick-change.

4. Labeling: Actor, role, piece, and size. Reduces chaos when time is tight.

5. Quick-change maps: Layouts, helpers assigned, and backups staged. Practice until it’s muscle memory.

6. Logs: Track cleanings, repairs, and alterations. Problems spotted early are cheaper to fix.

Neat wardrobe areas run faster. Order beats panic.

How to Display Costume Maintenance Skills on Your Resume

10. Stage Management

Stage management coordinates people, time, and tech. Rehearsals, paperwork, cue calling, and the steady hand when things wobble.

Why It's Important

It ties the whole machine together so the show delivers the same quality every single performance.

How to Improve Stage Management Skills

1. Prompt book mastery: Blocking, cues, contact sheets, scene shifts, reports—structured and legible.

2. Communication: Clear calls, concise notes, and calm tone on comms. Decisions feel steady when voices are steady.

3. Scheduling: Efficient rehearsal plans, timeboxing, and realistic tech timelines.

4. Technical literacy: Know the basics of lights, sound, props, and automation so your calls sync with reality.

5. Contingencies: Alternate tracks, understudy plans, and emergency procedures. Run the drills.

Documentation today prevents confusion tomorrow.

How to Display Stage Management Skills on Your Resume

11. Fly System Operation

Fly system operation is the safe movement of linesets for scenery, soft goods, electrics, and sometimes people, using hemp, counterweight, or motorized systems.

Why It's Important

Scene changes snap into place, timing stays crisp, and crew stays safe. The margin for error is small; discipline makes it work.

How to Improve Fly System Operation Skills

1. Formal training: System components, loading rail procedures, brake operation, and emergency stops.

2. Inspections: Lines, blocks, arbors, guides, and locks. Log wear and schedule maintenance.

3. Standard calls: “Line set X flying in/out.” Visual confirmation. No guesswork, no surprises.

4. Weighting discipline: Balance arbors properly, secure deck when loading, and keep the rail clear.

5. Line set schedules: Document trim heights, loads, and cueing. Update when reality changes.

6. Housekeeping: Clear fly floors, tidy rope tails, and strict no-go zones under loads.

Respect the system and it will respect you back.

How to Display Fly System Operation Skills on Your Resume

12. Electrical Wiring

Electrical wiring for stage powers lights, audio, video, and automation with safe distribution and clean runs. It’s about code, load, and tidy cable paths.

Why It's Important

Reliable power keeps the show alive and reduces risk to people and gear. Sloppy power causes noise—or worse.

How to Improve Electrical Wiring Skills

1. Plan to code: Follow applicable electrical codes and venue policies. Calculate loads and balance phases.

2. Use the right gear: Proper cable types (e.g., SOOW), rated connectors, strain relief, and protected distro. No damaged insulation, ever.

3. Safe installation: Label both ends, dress cables along paths, protect crossings with ramps, and separate power from audio where possible.

4. Protection and testing: Breakers, GFCI/RCD where needed, continuity and polarity tests, regular inspection cycles.

5. Documentation: Power maps, circuit IDs, and one-line diagrams. Updates posted where crews can see them.

6. Qualified hands only: Training for anyone handling live power. Lockout/tagout during maintenance.

If you’re unsure, you stop. Then you check, and you fix.

How to Display Electrical Wiring Skills on Your Resume