Lights flash, adjusting to the stage. Actors and actresses stand on the stage, frozen, awaiting their cues. Behind the wings, the people in black bustle around, moving props and making sure actors are in their correct spots. Up behind the crowd, the people in black check actors’ microphones, fixing them as they walk on and off the stage. The audience does not see the Crew, working like bees for the theater, but can tell they are there, silent, in the wings.
Weeks before the show, Crew starts preparing. Risking their fingertips with splinters, cracks of paint and broken nails, Crew gets together to build what will become the set of Pride and Prejudice. Anxious with the weight of the deadline and the actors’ nagging, Crew takes their time, perfecting any mistakes or errors in their work.
To set the stage, the build crew puts together props and set pieces to bring the scene to life. Building the set by hand, the Crew has not only the deadline but also the test of stability on their minds. Charlotte King, sophomore, is one of the members of run crew.
“The hardest part of run crew is adding in all the technology, props and set pieces into a show that the actors have been working on for months. The main set piece is a huge platform that stretches across most of the stage and has a step that goes all the way around it. Both the cast and crew work so hard to make the show happen and getting to be a part of that is a huge privilege,” King says.
As tech week rolls around, Crew has to go through long nights of work to help the show get to a performance-ready stage. Of many kids, Elizabeth or Lizzie Eckl, sophomore, is one of the leaders in Crew.
“It always depends on where we are in terms of finishing the set because there could be a lot left to do and that’s when things get stressful and we end up needing to either stay after the initial rehearsal and later in the night when everyone is exhausted or we come in a few extra days before tech week starts,” Eckl says, “The first few days of tech week are also always stressful because it’s the first time crew is introduced into the actual show so everyone is still figuring out what they need to do but by the show everyone usually understands what their job is.”
For everyone in theater, tech week is not a time for the weak. With hours of work after a full day of school and a stack of homework awaiting at home, theater and Crew kids bear the struggle together. Amid the hustle and bustle of prepping the set and actors for the week ahead of them, being in Crew allows for a found sort of family.
Madison Kramer, senior and spotlight director, has been in Crew since freshman year.
“Being a part of crew has allowed me to become more independent and confident in myself. It has also allowed me to connect with people that I otherwise would not have met. The theater is a diverse mixture of individuals, and it is nice to know that they will always be in your back pocket. Stage crew has given me a family,” Kramer explains.
As tech week rolls around, anticipation of the show that awaits in just days lays thick above the Crew’s head. Finishing things on time, finding props that have gone missing and perfecting cues, Crew’s journey to show day is like a race to the finish line.
“We are never ready for tech week. Most of the time crew stays after several nights a week in order to finish or fix pieces of the set. By the time the shows come around, the shows are more so high stakes tech rehearsals instead of perfected, finished product. We have learned to adapt to an always changing schedule and see the good in all the crazy. All of us are exhausted and in need of a nap, but at the end of the day we would not trade the experiences of tech week for anything,” Kramer says.