When the doors of the auditorium are opened, anyone who enters is immediately met with the sound of people building sets, testing out new equipment and trying to help out the best they can anywhere on the stage crew. Although each department of stage crew works separately, they come together with one clear goal in mind; to get their specific job done as efficiently as possible on opening night.
There are six departments in the stage crew- lights, sound, props, paint, set, tech and hair and makeup. Each department has its own designated room where they operate, and they work completely separately from each other until they do tech rehearsals, about two weeks before opening night. There are a few exceptions to this rule though, as tech directors and stage managers can help newer people learn the ropes of their departments. “I fill in wherever needed around the stage crew,” junior Alex Smith-Millan said.
While each department is wildly different, they all reuse leftover materials to create more for the production. There are props that are decades old, which are still reused today from previous productions including The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins and Music Man. Although items get donated or thrifted, costumes are also reused from decades prior. Sets are built for a production before being taken down and reused for the next one. There are also tremendous efforts from the stage crew to make the small details of each show perfect, from painting 200 mini clocks for the Radium Girls show, to doing complex hair and makeup looks with a small team for each member of the cast. The smallest group in production is the hair and makeup department, who work constantly during shows to “pull all of the wigs and most of the makeup looks,” junior Amelie Tessier said.
Departments generally have around five to 10 people, but there is so much done that it can seem like there are far more working on each project. Even though this extracurricular can be stressful in its own way, it can also distract from the troubles of everyday life and can help students cope with high school, as it can “take the load off schoolwork,” sophomore Kat Thepinorarat said.
While stage crew might not provide comfort in a traditional sense, it’s clear that members feel a sense of community when working to achieve something as large as a school-wide production, especially after multiple years working on each project. “I feel a huge sense of community with my stage crew friends, even after only being here for a year. I can’t wait to watch us progress over the next few years, and I feel lucky to be on this team,” sophomore Sol Berellez said.
Even with the stress that comes with putting together a show, the stage crew manages to work together to bring the best production they can to the school, making their hard work difficult to ignore during any performance.
