By Patricia Ortiz-Corona

Andrew Youst fixes the sound for the Christmas concert. Photo by: Patricia Ortiz-Corona

he magic that goes on in the auditorium can be felt both on stage and behind the stage.  Stage Crew is the magic behind the scenes.  

Behind the hot stage lights are the people behind the magic it is a close set of people who become a family during the 12 weeks of the trimester.  Not only do they become a family but they also create the beautiful scenery that goes up on stage during a show. It just so happens that Stage Crew is not only in charge of building and painting scenery but crew is also in charge of lighting the auditorium and making sure the sound in the auditorium is good.   Stage Crew does a variety of things that most people do not realize.

Aside from changing scenes, building, and painting Stage Crew also does a variety of things depending on what role the person in Stage Crew has.  Junior  Shaylee Vice says she is “left wing manager and I put mics on people as well as make mic plots.”  She is not the only person that puts microphones on actors.  All the girls in the left wing are in charge of putting microphones on actors before a show or changing microphones during a show.  Senior Phillip Iwinkski is in the right wing and states that he, ” helps move set pieces on and off stage.” Obviously there are other jobs aside from moving set pieces.  One job includes being in charge of putting the spotlight on actors, lighting the stage, making sure the microphones are working on people, being in charge of sound effects, etc.  It takes a lot to run a show and the Crew is ready to do it.

Typical shows are hectic for everybody in Crew.  Senior Sarah Mann explains how a show for her is, ” doing mic changes and scene changes.”  Stress is high during shows as everything and anything could happen during a show.  Tensions are not just high at show time tension is also high before and after a show.  Mann explains what happens before the show, ” we just chill before a show and set up the first scene.”  Setting up the scenery can be difficult specially if the set pieces are heavy.  Once the show is done everybody has to take down the set pieces ,takes mics off actors, turn the auditorium lights and sound off, and put everything away.  Crew puts so much time into the plays both after and before a show.  Vice explains how many hours she has put into Crew, ” almost 200[hours in the years she’s been in crew].”  Some crew kids don’t have as many hours like Mann who says, ” I am around 174 give or take a few.”  All these hours are put in after school.  Some of these hours are not just for plays.  Some hours are for activities the Crew does in the auditorium for outside school programs.

Believe it or not Stage Crew does a variety of thing that do not deal with school plays at all.  Vice says, ” we run the choir concerts, and help with any activities that are being held in the auditorium.”  For the choir concerts Crew sets up the risers on stage and sets up mics.  Crew also is in charge of setting up the Varsity Gym when there is a convocation.  These “techies” put a lot of work into the production of plays and any other productions that go on in the auditorium.  

At times Stage Crew is not given the credit these kids deserve.  Most people do not realize all the hard work that they put in to make sure plays run smoothly.  Mann says, ” I just wish people would realize how much work we put into shows and maintaining the auditorium.” While some people don’t realize  how important the crew is people need to know how important the “techies” really are.  The hard work that these kids put into every trimester radiates when the grand drape goes up and the stage is illuminated with the wonderful creations they have made.  Good luck with every show you do and keep up the good work.