ABSTRACT
Most theater designers have an ambivalent relationship with technology. People rely on it to communicate and record communication throughout the preproduction period, conducting meetings on Skype and sharing images and designs via e-mail and Dropbox, yet they sometimes struggle to work fluidly with others across all platforms. Before the director and designers begin to collaborate, they must first agree upon how they want to communicate: What types of technology will be involved, and to what extent will the creative team use them. The technical director (TD) plays an important role in managing the scale and scope of a theater company's productions, leading the ensemble's efforts to transform ephemeral ideas into tactile objects efficiently and safely. As productions are becoming more complex, with larger loads suspended overhead and more and more technology integrated into theaters, a good collaborative relationship with the technical director is a director's best insurance policy.
