DeLong Academy

DeLong Academy is a premier educational institution dedicated to advancing high-quality, affordable training in technical theatre and skills for the global entertainment industry.

The DeLong Academy is the flagship initiative of the DeLong Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality training for live event technicians serving the global entertainment industry.

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Our mission is to empower technicians and those who teach them with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

We’re building a community where education, entertainment, and safety go hand in hand.

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The DeLong Academy offers hands-on and online training, workshops, and masterclasses with materials for Students, Professors, K-12 Technical Theater teachers, and Industry Professionals. The Academy serves as a hub for safety, innovation, and professional development.

Complete list of upcoming classes

What Students Say

  • “This is the real thing”

    “The information I received in the DeLong Academy classes has been carefully researched, is based on good science and supports accepted industry practice; in short, this is the real thing. Better still, the classes are delivered by seasoned professional theater workers who have perfected a myriad of useful skills and worked in numerous theater and entertainment spaces. Now, working at the DeLong Academy, the singular goal of these professional theater workers is to help me achieve my best, safest skill set. Besides, they tell darn good war stories.”
    Anthony Nugent, Member, IATSE #22

  • “A masterclass in practical, real world rigging”

    “Loved the vibe and how Tyler interacted with the audience. It was more like a discussion on the loading dock than a classroom experience.”

  • “Hands-on experience with professional-grade rigging systems!”

    “The instructor demonstrated a strong depth of industry knowledge and experience throughout the training. His willingness to answer questions and attention to detail contributed greatly to the overall quality and effectiveness of the instruction. During the training class, we had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with professional-grade rigging systems at a Big Ten university touring road hall venue. This practical experience provided valuable real-world insight into the operation, inspection, and evaluation of complex theatrical rigging systems.”

  • “Nothing like learning about rigging standards from someone who helps write them!”

    “Tyler’s knowledge is so vast, he seems to have done it all – arena shows, theater shows, inspections – I know I can rely on Tyler to explain why it’s done a certain way and teach me to safely do what I need to do.”

  • “The class was excellent, and your approach to the math is brilliant”

    “First and foremost: Thank you! The class was excellent, and your approach to the math is brilliant. Instead of memorizing any formulas (other than Pythagorean theorem, which they burned into us in middle school) I was able to understand how the numbers related to each other. Knowledge of facts or figures can be slippery, but understanding tends to stick. Knowing how the numbers related, it’s just simple arithmetic (done any number of basic ways) after that to tease out the values. I may never use this information again, but I know if I had to in 4 years, I could, since there isn’t some complex formula to recall. In fact, because of the way it was taught, even though I may never use “Bridle math”, I have a much better understanding of the physical forces involved.”
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Tyler DeLong headshot, experienced certified rigging

A Note from Tyler

“I am one of the lucky ones, I learned to rig from my father. It rapidly became apparent to me in my early career that there were a lot of barriers to most individuals getting proper training in the tech side of entertainment. Your choices were move to a metropolitan area and go through an IATSE apprenticeship, go to a traditional college where they focus on design more than hands on practices, go to a for profit school, or start pushing boxes and roll the dice on whether or not the more senior techs would teach you how to do what you needed to do. Things are better now than they were back then, but there are still social/economic barriers, geographical barriers, and just the flat out scarcity of appropriate training out there. I can’t fix this on my own, but I can pivot my success with DeLong Rigging Solutions into starting a foundation dedicated to lowering barriers.

“The DeLong Foundation and its flagship initiative, DeLong Academy, will make our industry stronger, smarter, and safer through cost effective and subsidized training with industry experts across all crafts.”
Tyler DeLong

Managing Partner, DeLong Rigging Solutions

A Note from Kristi

“I started as a high school music teacher who directed extracurricular theater and quickly learned I had much to learn about the technical aspects. My IATSE stagehand apprenticeship and career have been helpful, and my Master’s studies made me an expert in safety and pedagogy, but those opportunities are not available to everyone. Recognizing the tremendous need for affordable, accessible training not only for rigging but also for other technical theater and entertainment industry skills, Tyler and I are thrilled to be able to share our knowledge and resources through the DeLong Academy and have some exciting things in the works both in-person and online!”
Kristi Ross-Clausen

Director of Education, DeLong Academy