The use of lighting and sound equipment will greatly depend on the type and venue of performance.
In smaller venues especially you may choose to bring your own equipment, or to borrow equipment from other sources. In most cases you will need to purchase extra insurance to cover these items. It is best to speak to Unity Insurance so that you budget for this extra cost. If you are using equipment provided by a venue or external hirage company ensure that they show you how to use the equipment, and how to troubleshoot if something goes wrong. This will not only inform your performance planning but also your risk assessment.
Some external links which may be helpful include:
http://www.slideshare.net/artlinks/lighting-design-for-amateur-theatrehttp://www.slideshare.net/KenCoker/ld-dirfocus?related=1
http://www.kats.org.uk/jkcm/kats/Home/Backstage/Sound.cms