Also called: Flyman, Fly Operator, Stagehand
Raises and lowers scenery, curtains, and sometimes flying actors using ropes and counterweights.
A fly operator stands at a wall of ropes backstage and pulls a 1,000-pound painted wall into the sky on an exact cue, smooth and silent.
Approximate; Broadway stagehands can earn six figures.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Learned on the job; IATSE stagehand locals.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Theater Technology.
Growing about average. Automated flying systems are replacing some manual rails.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Automated rigging systems replace manual fly rails at some theaters; many stages still need trained operators.
Classes: Theater tech crew, Physics, Physical education, Shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-4099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.