Behind the Scenes of IA’s Fall Musical
September 26, 2024 2024-09-26 14:04Behind the Scenes of IA’s Fall Musical
by: Ruhi Khanna
This year IA’s fall musical, Once on This Island, has begun production. However, a lot of people fail to realize that there is a lot more into play production than just acting and singing. Without all these various parts, IA’s musical could not make itself into as great of a production as it is.
Some of the most important parts in the play are the build, tech, and stage crew and management. The build crew’s main objective is to build the sets. They make most of the sets out of wood and carboard. Not only does the group make the sets, but they also design them as well. This means planning the outline, shape, color, design, etc. of many sets. Right now, the build crew is working on pillars and sand dunes. After that, they plan to start working on an old brick wall. Harper Tunis, a member of the build crew emphasizes, “It’s very stressful to do so many projects at once.”
Another main part of the fall musical is the tech crew. The tech crew handles all the technological parts of the play: the lighting, music, levels, and sound. They spend most of their time in a booth in the back of the auditorium, where they have a full view of the stage. Some of the hardest parts of this job is knowing when the cues must to be played, and getting everything set up for lights. Ben Rudolph, the lighting lead, includes, “I think the hardest part of being in tech…is dealing with the fact that we get no recognition from people. We do a lot of work and get very little for it…The real reward is seeing our work pay off.”
The stage management and crew also play a vital role. The groups guide people so they can properly design, build, set up, and acquire necessary materials. This incorporates practicing scene changes, taking blocking notes from the directors, coordinating with the directors about the day plans, and building the sets. The crew also collaborates with the tech crew to assist them with issues and cues. The stage management team is currently working on building their initial set as well as blocking and planning the stage crew’s movements. Ethan Webber, the stage manager, clarifies, “I think the hardest part…is the time commitment and stress level. Unlike crew, stage management is required to be at every rehearsal, and we are usually the first to arrive and last to leave. We have to be there, focused and ready, to do whatever tasks are needed by the directors.”
