This week marks the HHS Production of Anne of Green Gables! After weeks of hard work put in by both the cast and crew, the most important days are here. Show week (also known as Tech Week) is by far the most time-consuming and stressful week of the show. What happens behind the scenes in any production is a mystery to the general public, so, seeing as I am heavily involved in theater, I figured I would clue you all into the hard work that goes into a production.
I have been involved in theater for every show since I’ve been at HHS, and I have had many responsibilities within the crew. There are three job umbrellas: backstage, lights, and sound. Lights and sound are self-explanatory in terms of what they work on, but backstage is tricky because there are so many moving parts.
There are people moving parts of the set on stage, individuals switching microphones (managing any problems with the physical mics in general) fixing costume malfunctions, and making sure props are where they need to be. Backstage is essentially where all of the chaos is during a show. Simply put: between all of the moving parts during a show, the show cannot go on without the crew.
Getting into more specifics, there are managers within the crew. The name manager merely means more responsibility. The light’s manager oversees all queues during the show so everyone works in sync and light switches look as clean and seamless as possible. They also run the most complex part of the lights: the light’s board. That controls the overhead lights on stage.
The sound manager is the main person in charge of the mics and the soundboard. They also communicate with the people backstage to fix any problems with microphones to ensure everyone can be heard. All the managers backstage include the set and construction, costume, and stage (also known as backstage manager). Again, the set construction and costumes are quite self-explanatory. The stage manager, however, is essentially the person who manages everything within the backstage area. I have had some experience with this position, so I can fully speak on how much goes into this job.
As stage manager, you are essentially in charge of making sure that everything runs smoothly from a backstage perspective. The responsibilities include setting the stage and overseeing any set changes, making sure that props are in their correct places, and ensuring the actors are in their places. They also have to be able to think on the spot to solve any problems that may arise during a show. Finally, it is also the stage manager’s responsibility to communicate with the different managers throughout the show, especially when the curtain is closed, when the stage is set, and when actors are in their places so the show can continue.
That of course, is a quick crash course on what happens during a show. During rehearsals, the entire crew is working on getting the set together. Whether painting, finding props, or building new things, being on a crew sets up for labor-intensive work. Even though sometimes the work isn’t always super fun, we all enjoy what we do, and it all pays off in the end when we have a successful show.
In conclusion, being on the crew for a production of any scale is extremely important to the well-being of a show. There is something for everyone to do, and even if you aren’t a manager and have big responsibilities, you are still super important and have a role in how well a production goes. Crew is truly a team effort, and I love being a part of it. While being on stage is of course extremely important and holds its responsibilities, the crew is there to make life as easy as possible for the actors and actresses. As I previously stated, the crew truly makes a show work and goes as well as possible.