Instructors

These are America’s most experienced entertainment rigging instructors.

Harry Donovan is both an engineer and one of the country's best known and most experienced riggers. He's organized arena rigging into a few simple engineering principles, practical rules of thumb, and safe working techniques that are immediately useful to all riggers and managers.  Harry's book,  Entertainment Rigging is the definitive work on the subject.  The book explains the methods he's used to rig over 200,000 points without failure.

Harry has toured with KISS, David Bowie, Elton John, The Eagles, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Paula Abdul, REO Speedwagon, and many others.  He has been a longtime member of IATSE, USITT, and ESTA. He helped create rigging certificates. Donovan Rigging, Inc, does rigging, contracting, consulting, and training.

For more details read:
Donovan's Rigging's Harry Donovan:
From stage rigger to author, lecturer, consultant and contractor
A feature article from Wire Rope News & Sling Technology
October 2004

Jay O. Glerum has worked in theatre and the entertainment industry for more than forty five years. During that time he has been a stagehand, designed scenery and lighting, taught technical theatre at several universities, consulted on numerous theatre and television studio projects, and worked as a systems designer for a major theatre equipment company. He is the well known author of the only book on the design, care, and use of stage rigging entitled STAGE RIGGING HANDBOOK. Glerum regularly teaches classes on stage rigging throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. He is president of Jay O. Glerum & Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in theatre consulting, rigging inspections, and accident investigation for the entertainment industry.

For more details read:
Making it Happen
Jay Glerum of Jay O. Glerum & Associates, Inc.
by Richard Cadena, PLSN 2003

Bill Sapsis has been installing stage rigging equipment for over 30 years. His rigging career has taken him from the neighborhood theatres to Times Square and a stint at the White House. Sapsis Rigging, Inc. the company he founded in 1981, is the leader in safety inspections in North America. Bill's training seminars have been well received across North America and as far away as Helsinki and Johannesburg. His dedication to furthering the safety of technicians is well documented. Currently he is the chairman of the Rigging Working Group for ESTA's Technical Standards Program. He is a member of the ETCP Council and co-chairman of the Rigging Certification Committee.