The afterschool program, Technical theater crew members’ training for the spring musical, Freaky Friday, started training this week. The crew heads have met with their crew members and are starting to plan for the musical which is only four short weeks away.
Technical Theater is a group of students who participate in the behind-the-scenes aspect of the musical. There are various tech groups, but the two overarching groups are Soft Tech and Hard Tech.
Soft Tech, which Mr. Hurley oversees, includes makeup, hair, and costume crew; Hard Tech, which Ms. Wryano oversees, includes set, lights, sound, props, paint, and house.
In all of these crews, many different roles are available to aquire. “I am the assistant crew head for the soundboard,” said Violet Jordan, sophomore. Jordan is a crew head for sound crew, this crew will ensure that everyone’s mics are working and produce sound effects.
Each of the roles requires different levels of commitment and responsibility. “I’m just a crew member, and I just have to show up. That’s about all the responsibility I have and follow directions too,” said Dylan Wilkerson, junior. Wilkerson a paint crew member, is responsible for painting backgrounds, set pieces, and decorative elements.
Other crews are in charge of specific things just like sound and paint. Lights create the light sequences that happen throughout the show. Set builds the set pieces that can range from stairs to a box that a character has to stand on. Props make and gather pieces that the actors need to reflect the script. House crew is only during the show, they will greet you at the door of the auditorium and hand you a playbill. Hair and makeup are in charge of hair and makeup looks for each actor. And costumes dresses and builds the attire for each character.
Tech is a great opportunity to explore your interests and dive deeper into the specifics of your crew. “I want to participate more with sound effects than I did last show. I think, last year, I was more on the board and not really doing the designing,” said Jordan.
Being on tech allows everyone to explore their creativity and expression, whether through painting, makeup, or sound effects. It is also an amazing place to grow closer to your peers and get to know them better. “[My goal] is probably to make more friends,” said Wilkerson.
Tech is a great after-school program that helps students develop many real-life skills.
Leave a Reply