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How To Become A Stage Hand: What It Is and Career Path

What is a stage hand and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A stagehand may not ever experience the blinding light of a spotlight or hear the applause of an adoring audience, but without them, a show would collapse. While the stars of the show take their bows, the stagehands do the less glamorous work that helps the show go on.

Stagehands do many things, from building sets to moving sets during a show to cleaning up after a show. They also assist specialists with installing lights, managing sound equipment, helping actors during costume changes, and more. While some positions require an associate's or bachelor's degree, experience in the fast-paced world of productions is more important.

A stagehand needs to be prepared to do a little bit of everything and to work long hours during rehearsals and a show's run. It is a hard, thankless job that requires a lot of physical endurance and hard work. But for many stagehands, the joy of seeing a show move an audience is worth all the work.

ScoreStage HandUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,686

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.4

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.33%

Asian 5.77%

Black or African American 13.48%

Hispanic or Latino 19.45%

Unknown 5.66%

White 54.31%

Gender

female 20.11%

male 79.89%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.7

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a stage hand

Explore stage hand education requirements

Most common stage hand degrees

Bachelor's

39.5 %

High School Diploma

26.2 %

Associate

22.4 %

Start to develop specific stage hand skills

Skills	Percentages
Venues	20.62%
Audio Systems	11.88%
Stage Equipment	9.72%
Audio Equipment	9.35%
Backline	5.71%

Complete relevant stage hand training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New stage hands learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a stage hand based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real stage hand resumes.

Research stage hand duties and responsibilities

Maintain and manage multiple stages: FOH mix, monitor mix, and video presentation editing mix.
Operate powered lift trucks, floor sweepers, pallet jacks and forklifts safely.
Operate powered li trucks, floor sweepers, pallet jacks and forkli s safely.
Fill gas in boats and run errands for customers while they are on the boat.

Prepare your stage hand resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your stage hand resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a stage hand resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable stage hand resume templates

Build a professional stage hand resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your stage hand resume.