Harry Donovan is one of the world’s foremost rigging experts. He is both an engineer and one of the entertainment industry’s most experienced and respected riggers—a unique combination. He has devoted his career to studying the art and science of arena rigging.

Harry’s work in this field began during the early years of arena rigging, when he pioneered the development of modern techniques. He spent 22 years on the road perfecting his craft, rigging more than 4,000 rock-and-roll shows and 200,000 points without a single failure.

Harry worked on the biggest tours with the most difficult and technical rigging, searching for bigger challenges. He toured with Paula Abdul, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Jimmy Buffet, Johnny Cash, The Eagles, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, George Harrison, Don Henley, Rick James, Elton John, Tom Jones, Judas Priest, Kiss, Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, Barry Manilow, Boz Scaggs, REO Speedwagon, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Gino Vanelli, The Who, and Robert Wilson.

Harry has rigged almost every kind of venue, including theaters of all types, arenas, coliseums, auditoriums, convention centers, civic centers, hotels, high schools, colleges and universities, sound stages, amphitheatres, airplane hangars, outdoor venues, warehouses, gymnasiums, theme parks, hotels, armories, train stations, art galleries, museums, swimming pools, and stadiums.

Harry has also worked in many capacities in the entertainment industry—as rigger, stagehand, master electrician, lighting designer, stage manager, production manager, design engineer for equipment manufacturers, producer, consultant, contractor, instructor, and company owner. He worked on many types of shows: legitimate theatre, Broadway, musicals, opera, circus, ice, rock and roll, industrials, movies, corporate, conventions, dance and ballet, educational, athletic events, religious, festivals, country-western, etc. And he worked with many types of groups, including AA, Amway, Antioch College, CCI, Century-Strand Lighting, the Goodwill Games, Bill Graham Presents, Billy Graham, IATSE Local 15 (Seattle), IATSE Local 16 (San Francisco), Kingdome, Kliegl Brothers Electric Stage Lighting, McCarter Theatre, San Francisco Opera, Microsoft, Seattle Opera, Stage Rigging Inc., TFA, TPN, Talley Management, and Winterland.

Since 1988 Harry has been president of Donovan Rigging Inc. His company does rigging for shows and events, contracting of rigging equipment and services, design and consulting, expert witness work, fall protection design/build and training, and show production.

Harry’s other company, Rigging Seminars, provides training in entertainment industry rigging. Harry is the world leader in arena-rigging instruction, combining vast practical experience with his engineering background to create highly successful seminars for riggers, technical directors, architects, designers, production personnel, stagehands, students, and venue managers. Thousands of people have learned rigging at these seminars. Entertainment Rigging was created as a textbook for these seminars, and has evolved into the comprehensive book it is today from over ten years of interaction with the attendees.

Harry is a long-time member of the IATSE, the USITT, and ESTA. He is on the ESTA Rigging Standards Committee, establishing requirements for rigging certificates.

Harry lives in Seattle with his wife, Patty, and their boat Coast Home, whose rigging he is constantly tuning. Summers find him anywhere from Puget Sound to the Queen Charlotte Islands with Patty and friends, looking for good winds. Winters are spent tweaking the sails and rigging for the next summer.