Stage crew serves as the glue for theatre at HPHS: they construct the sets, help change the scenes, control lighting and sound–yet their work often goes unnoticed. Each day after school, in the auditorium, they work to prepare themselves for Tech Week, led by the technical director, Mr. Zishuk.
Students have opportunities for leadership positions in many different sectors, such as lighting, sound, props, run crew, and more. Because the stage crew has so many responsibilities, each show implements a detailed production process.
Lea Archambeau, a junior who usually serves as stage manager, said: “We always start with a build plan that Mr. Z or one of the student designers makes,” and then the following weeks are met with “construction of platforms and whatever else needs to get done, like props and lighting set up.”
This is just a snapshot into the hard work and dedication each member has to have, and how the crew serves as a well-oiled machine, with each person having a specific job and contribution to the construction of the show.
Additionally, Archambeau notes that it is a “fun yet safe environment “ and that it is great for those “with a lot on their schedule.” Though the crew requires many moving parts in order to make an adequately run show, their process makes it so work is equally distributed.
In addition to their undiscovered process, many of their processes are unknown to students uninvolved in the program. Near the back of the auditorium, a magnificent scene shop hides, dedicated to cutting and storing materials, constructing sets and props, and painting. There’s both a prop and costume room located up a winding staircase concealed in a far corner of the school, used to pull past materials used in other shows.
Tech week–the week before opening night, where all technical elements are integrated into rehearsal–is the week where the stage crew cultivates their crop as they finish preparing for the show. As actors memorize lines and learn blocking, the stage crew is busy perfecting their vision for the show in all aspects: sound, lighting, props, and more. Junior Elan Chesis, who works as sound head for the stage crew, explains that in preparation for Tech Week, they “split off into [their] respective departments to set up what [they] need to.”
The club functions through precision, community, and hard work, as they all work towards one goal: the show day. After the show, the crew celebrates their work and helps to deconstruct the set in a process called strike, where the cast and crew join forces to help the studio or auditorium have a clean slate for the next show.
Circling back to the wonderful environment created by the stage crew, many members have been faithful parts of the crew since their freshman year. A senior, Nitya Jain, is included in this group. She serves as prop head, a prop designer, and an occasional set designer. Her favorite set design, which she “didn’t design was Clue,” which featured a massive house split into 6 rooms, like a real-life board game. Her favorite part of crew is “working in props because [they] get to work with really cool materials and equipment like spray paint, spray foam, and hot tools.” She followed up by discussing the community, which she loves because they love “building things with people for hours on end [and] get to know everyone really well by working towards a common goal.”
Stage crew has a tight-knit community because of the fact that their work can be so demanding at times, with Jain mentioning that the “hardest part of crew is building everything by the opening show, considering [she has] cut it really close,” as she reveals a few props were finalized only “fifteen minutes before the first show’s house opened.” The most important note, Jain says, is that “it doesn’t take anything to join stage crew,” and those who want to get involved,”even for one afternoon,” should because of its great community and rewarding work.
Overall, the stage crew demonstrates utmost commitment when it comes to putting on a quality show. The behind-the-scenes dedication demonstrated by this tight-knit team truly brings each show to life and contributes to the wonder of HPHS theatre.
