Technical Intern Program keeps live theater alive - Students learn the ropes of being stagehands

ESCONDIDO — Without the men and women who work backstage, behind the curtain and on catwalks high above the proscenium, plays and musicals, concerts and dance programs would have great difficulty existing. Certainly, the spectacular lighting, scenery changes and special effects that dramatically enhance live theater, and that audiences expect and love, would become minimal or, worse, disappear. But where do new generations of stagehands learn their craft?

The California Center for the Arts, Escondido has a Stage Technician Intern Program, a unique hands-on course developed by Donna J. Flor, th...