Fabrication for Theatre and Entertainment: Plastic, Foam, and Alternative Materials is a reference covering the characteristics of a variety of polymer and hybrid materials that are relevant to the entertainment industry as well as a variety of other materials that may find unique use in entertainment. In addition, the text covers the tooling and machinery used to fabricate with those products. There is no current text that distills this information down in a way that is specific to the types of projects encountered in the entertainment field; this volume endeavors to fill that void and help entertainment fabricators ensure a repeatable accurate finished products. The goal of the book is to introduce as many options as possible to help the reader decide the best tools and techniques to use to tackle the challenges that their projects most often present, or when faced with a new challenge, to help decide which tool or technique might be the best solution.

The book is intended to be a reference for technical designers, technical directors, shop managers, and prop or scenic fabricators working in various parts of the entertainment industry such as film, television, theatre, themed entertainment, exhibits, and immersive installation art. It is also intended to cross over into the maker world since many of the tools and techniques used are similar or the same.

Fabrication for Theatre and Entertainment is the third volume in a series. The preceding volumes covered wood and fiber products and metal products while the succeeding volume will use the same methodology to address applying Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technologies, often referred to as Digital Fabrication, to the entertainment field.

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Michael O’Nele is the faculty technical director and an associate professor of theatre at the University of Memphis, Department of Theatre & Dance. He believes that the art of technical direction is to transform imagination into reality, and that technology should be embraced as an artistic tool that provides theatre with new means of expression.