THE ECHO

By Luke Stafford // Reporter

What grade are you in?

11th.

How long have you been in theatre tech?

Since freshman year so this is my third.

What are some of the things that you do as a stage crew member?

I build and paint sets. I am also a stagehand, so when the show comes around, I move sets in-between scenes. Recently, I was costume lead, so I organize costumes and come up with costume ideas for costume designs.

How long do you typically spend preparing for a show?

We get about two or two and a half months. After school we usually do 3:10 p.m. to 5 p.m. and as the show gets closer, we do 3:10 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sometimes we do weekend practices which are usually from 7 a.m. to around 11 p.m. So it varies but as the show gets closer our practices for it do as well.

Do you ever feel like your work as stage crew member is overshadowed by the play itself?

Yes, I feel like people are coming to see their kids at the play and aren’t there to see the props that we’ve made for the play. It is very hard to balance tech and acting especially for the teachers so sometimes people can be ignorant to how much we really do.

What keeps you coming back?

Mostly the friends that I have made while doing stage tech. I love to paint and do artistic things also so the blend of those two things would probably be what makes me stay.

What is the ratio of making the props and practicing for scene switching?

It is about a 4:1 ratio. It takes a very long time to make the props, and we usually need all the time we get, so we are usually out of time by the time it comes to practicing scene switching. Before the show we have a week called “tech week” where we get to practice the show and all the things we do in it.

Would you ever trade your tech role for an acting role?

Realistically no, but if we did Grease or Harris Gray I would want to act. I know that we probably wouldn’t do it but I have always been intrigued by those two.