What is a better way to avoid boredom and complacency than to become immersed in the art of acting? The drama department has been in full swing still with their plays and all the things that they have upcoming and everything that they are preparing. Most students in the school might not know how much work goes into putting on and preparing the plays. It is easy to just go to a play and appreciate the acting and think the set is cool. And you’ll probably talk about it for a bit.
How much you liked the colorful costumes, who the actors were or some other aspect of the play but you don’t necessarily think about all the work that goes into the plays. You aren’t talking about how much money the set took to build and how long it took. You don’t talk about the students up on the catwalk, doing some lights. You don’t talk about the flurry of activity going on behind the curtains, the frantic rush of everyone that needs to be in a certain spot at a certain time and how they must rush to get there in time.
You don’t talk about the dangers that the crew and actors are facing as they are performing. You talk about the amazing stunts that are pulled and how grand the staircase was,but you don’t mention the effort and time and injures that went into building that staircase. You talk about the costumes and how pretty they are, but you don’t talk about the fitting issue, how this one piece wasn’t long enough or how the color was slightly off and the budget wasn’t enough to get new ones.
And this is for good reason, when the audience isn’t talking about the mishaps that probably happen at some point with plays, that means the crew is doing their job. Everyone behind the scenes is trying their very best to create an illusion so that you enjoy your time at the show and walk away, talking about the pretty costumes and the pretty stunts and the pretty scenery. They want that to be all your talking about.
As Christison says “Stage Crew doesn’t get a bow on stage the way the actors do. Their reward is in not being seen.”
Stage crew is a very rewarding and demanding class. You take it and you’re virtually signing your life away. (haha just kidding….but no really) A standard class with Cchristianson and stage crew goes like..
“We usually have a lot of different projects going on at once. We break up into smaller groups and work on several things. One group might be building set pieces while another is fixing lights and a third group is painting. We set up and run every event that happens in the auditorium from concerts and plays to club induction ceremonies and guest speakers. It’s really fun because everyone gets to try a little of everything: lights, sound, building, costumes, etc.”
Being in stage crew is a good way to become versatile in a little of everything to do with putting on plays. Like christison said, everyone gets to try a little of everything. On average there are about 15-20 students in stage crew, and before you can take stage crew, you must take intro to theatre tech. Chirtstion teaches that class and tells a bit about it.
“It’s a semester-long class where you learn the basics of the technical areas, get safety certifications, and learn how all the equipment in the auditorium works. We teach it every year in the fall.”
There are a lot of things that the stage crew participates in that are not directly involved with plays. As Christison says “Anything that happens in the auditorium involves Stage Crew. Assemblies take a lot of coordination and planning. We’re very lucky to work so closely with the SBO’s for that. Outside groups will rent the auditorium for events such as dance competitions. That’s always a big deal to set up and run because so many different groups come together with all of their individual technical needs. Figuring out the sound for a rental is a job in itself.”
“In addition to the auditorium duties, there’s now a technical portion to Region and State Theatre competitions. Under UHSAA (same people that run all the sports) we have competition every year. Our students design scenery and costumes for that competition as well as running the One-Act Play that competes. That usually involves traveling with the play to another school, setting it up, running it, and taking it all down in less than an hour. It gets pretty intense!”
“We also participate in the Utah Theatre Association Conference every January. We get to participate in workshops on any specialty the students are interested in theatre; acting and directing to creating sound effects and building props. It’s a great way to expand your interests. Seniors can apply for scholarships at colleges from Wyoming, Utah, Virginia, Arizona, Idaho, and other states while at this conference. Some students have come away with full tuition waivers from multiple schools through these events!”
“Any theater student can apply to be part of International Thespian Society, which is an international organization of theatre professionals, professors, teachers, and students. We have activities throughout the year and do service projects. We also earn honor cords for graduation and have Theatre Sterling Scholar. There’s a lot going on in the theatre department.” As you can see, there is a lot that happens that has to do with theatre.
