The York High School drama club is preparing for its final production of the school year, Grease. Set to premiere on April 10th, shows will run through April 12th. While this means intensive rehearsals for the performing cast, it will also require the hard work of the tech and stage crews behind the scenes. Here, one member of the tech crew, Mair Clarke, shares his insight into what exactly happens on the technical level before and during YHS theater productions to keep the show running as it should.
It’s important to narrow down specifically what “theater tech” means in the context of these productions. “Tech is, I think, pretty self-explanatory,” Clarke says. “I think it’s an umbrella term, and tech and stage crew can be used interchangeably.” Clarke explains that he personally works in the booth, and there he operates devices used by everyone on stage and behind the scenes. “I handle setting up the headsets so that the stage manager, the director, and everyone in the booth can communicate … I’ll help set up and give out mics to the actors,” he says. The tech crew helps members of the production on and offstage interact, which is vital to working out issues.
In addition to responsibilities to the cast and director, the tech crew also deals with aspects linked to the audience’s experience: “Depending on the show, I’ll either work the cues for the music and the projections, if there are any projections, or I’ll work on the lights,” Clarke explains. Something as simple as a shift in lighting or a delayed music cue can make or break audience immersion– that’s why the tech crew efficiently manages cues to highlight the atmosphere of the production and support the performances by actors onstage. Based on the play, they can have even more responsibilities for the visual happenings of the set, as stage crew are “sometimes tasked with building the set,” and are typically the ones who move around set pieces and prep them before the show, according to Clarke.
Since the tech and stage crews sometimes have to take on a sort of multitasking role in the show– Clarke included that they’re often sent to find people and assigned with similar random tasks– it can be assumed that these groups have to be adaptable and their work could be possibly quite difficult. When asked about this, Clarke said that it depended; notably, that the stage crew is “way more physical” than his work, and he thinks their roles are “more difficult than being in the booth.” He noted that the lights and music use “two separate softwares on two separate devices,” and that those softwares require some getting used to at first. He also mentioned that he had to “sub in for the stage manager” once, implying that tech might have to take on roles they aren’t entirely familiar with if the show calls for it. So, behind the scenes or not, “the show must go on” rings true– improvisation and flexibility are crucial for both actors and tech.
In terms of technical aspects specific to Grease, Clarke said that he “wasn’t sure that any of the cue set lists had been made yet,” but that he thinks “it’ll be close to how many cues that A Christmas Carol had,” said production being the annual play that the high school puts on in the winter. Since the performance dates are still months away, that isn’t out of the ordinary; but it’s no negation of the work that all members of the drama club are doing right now in practice and preparation. Rehearsals have been tight and well-managed, and there is nothing short of complete commitment to bringing York a solid show from the actors, actresses, directors, tech and stage crews working on the play right now. To support these efforts and ensure that drama at York High School can keep putting out the best work it can, be sure to see Grease this April from the 10th through the 12th.
