Professor Tracy Nunnally received his MFA from The Florida State University and has worked in professional theatre since the 1980s. His contributions include all aspects of theatre automation, motion control, rigging, pyrotechnics, special effects, scenery construction, and technical design. His professional TD credits span the full spectrum of genres, continents, and spaces, and include the world tour and Broadway production of
Medea. Professor Nunnally is a tenured full professor, the Technical Director, the head of the Design and Technology Area, and the head of the graduate theatre technology program at the Northern Illinois University School of Theatre and Dance.
He is an active member of the
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE local 212), the
United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the
Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA), the
Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), and a lifetime member and the Professional Representative for the Board of Directors of the
Illinois Theatre Association (ITA). He is also a voting member of the ANSI accredited
ESTA Technical Standards Program’s Rigging Working Group, which is responsible for developing standards and recommended practices that facilitate the use of new and existing equipment and promote safe working conditions in the entertainment industry. He was one of the first forty-five professional riggers to be certified by the ESTA Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) in both theatrical and arena rigging and is an ETCP Subject Matter Expert. He also is an ETCP Recognized Trainer, OSHA MEWP trainer, OSHA Forklift trainer, and an ETCP Recognized Employer.
Nunnally is the owner, president, and system designer at Vertigo, a performer flying effects and specialty rigging company. Through Vertigo, Professor Nunnally provides flying effects for hundreds of productions per year, including numerous productions of
Mary Poppins,
Peter Pan,
Beauty and the Beast,
The Wizard of Oz,
Aladdin,
Little Mermaid,
Tarzan,
Billy Elliot,
Seussical, and
A Christmas Carol. His most notable professional credits include the Broadway tours of
Camelot,
Dr. Dolittle,
Tarzan, and
9 to 5, as well as the Broadway production of
Curtains. Vertigo also performs rigging inspections, training sessions, repairs, installations, and custom solutions for all manner of performance venues.
In addition to his professional work, Nunnally presents an annual series of master classes on performer rigging, known as the
TOP Flight Academy. He can also be found leading sessions and master classes on a wide variety of topics at national and international conferences such as LDI, USITT, SETC, FILO, and URTA, as well as numerous EdTA festivals and events across the country.
