Tech yeah! Let’s crew this! “Guys and Dolls” is coming together! Photo collage courtesy of junior Vyolet Burrus.
Most students at San Luis Obispo High School have attended one of the shows put on by the theater company, whether it be the yearly “24-Hour Musical” put on with little rehearsal time, or the shows that take months to produce. The spring musical, “Guys and Dolls,” will open this Friday, March 7, and students have been working hard to bring it to life.
While the cast puts in a lot of work and the leads are commended for their talent, the tech crew behind the scenes is often overlooked despite the effort they put in.
The biggest part of tech is arguably the build crew. Being a part of build crew allows students to explore different skills by using saws, drills, and paint in order to construct the show’s sets.
“Set building ranges from painting backdrops, to making tables, to constructing a two-story set from scratch. There is a lot of opportunity for hands-on creation with power tools as well as precision work when painting,” said senior Julian Johnson.
Not only are students involved in set building, but the actual set design is a very crucial part of tech crew. For each show, the assistant scenic designer is responsible for helping the director plan and create the sets the other students will build.
“For ‘Our Town’ and the ‘24 Hour [Musical]’ my role was assistant scenic designer where I’d come up with or add on to ideas for set pieces. Now I’m on a small team of folks working together to create ideas for the upcoming production of ‘Guys and Dolls,’” said sophomore Gianna Marchetti.
At the head of the show is the stage manager, who ensures that everything runs smoothly throughout the show. A good stage manager keeps track of all the cues and communicates effectively between the cast, crew, and director.
“I acted as the stage manager for a few shows, meaning that I called cues throughout the show, which has been an exciting experience where I’ve gotten to learn more about leadership, myself, and the community around me,” said junior Charly Elston.
Responsible for the sound, lighting, and other technical components of the show are the “boothies.” The booth is usually run by three students, one responsible for sound, one for lighting, and another in charge of the cast’s microphones.
“I have done sound design for the past few plays, which usually involves songs and smaller sound effects. Another major part of tech is lighting, which involves programming when all the lighting cues happen and operating the console during shows,” said junior Jack McGhee.
Being in the booth means keeping track of all the actors and knowing the script well in order to carry out the cues on time. All three people in the booth have to coordinate well, if one of them misses a cue it could mean a dark stage, a mute actor, or a silent scene.
“My favorite way to participate in tech is when I have done lighting design for the program…As lighting designer, I get to work with the director to convey the mood of a scene and bring the focus towards the subjects of each scene without unnecessary distractions. Lighting design typically comes into play closer to the shows, and before that I typically spend my time building sets,” said Johnson.
Tech crew is a great opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people. Whatever one is interested in, there is surely a place for them on crew.
“I joined tech crew because I like doing behind the scenes stuff and I enjoy building things. I also wanted to make some new friends and I knew the theatre kids were nice people,” said junior Nathan Vander Kam.
So, Tigers, if interested in meeting new people and joining this community, tech crew is a great way to get involved with theater without being a part of the spotlight!
