The actors have memorized their lines and all their choreography, but the stage is not ready, there are no props, costumes, lights, or microphones, and no one has even heard that they are putting on a show. They need a tech crew. The ones who move in the dark and prep everything before opening night. The people who are, too often, overlooked because they are not seen on stage.  

The tech crew is everyone who is not on stage which makes a production possible. This includes the work in preparation for the show, such as costuming, marketing, and props. Costuming is the department that portrays the characters through their outfits. “You can tell a lot about a character and their story from the costumes they wear,” said freshman, Charlotte Mina. There is a lot of inspiration and character design that actors get through their costumes. Marketing is the department that creates the design for posters and sends out the show dates and times. Without this department, nobody would know that the show is happening. The props department acquires all props and parts of the set that actors use and interact with on stage. The actors would not be able to give a full performance and the audience would have a tough time understanding the show without props.  

Tech crew also includes everyone working during the show, such as lighting, sound, and stage crew. The lighting crew are the people who illuminate the stage and change the lighting throughout the show so the audience can see the actors. The sound crew are the people who control the microphones that the actors use and the sound effects, such as a doorbell ringing. Without the sound crew, the audience could not hear the actors and would lose context throughout the show. The stage crew prepares everything backstage and moves props on and off stage to indicate different scenes and settings in seconds. “It is super important to have visual details and, often foreshadowing, on stage, throughout the performance,” said freshman, Sophie Holland, a stagehand. Without the stage crew, there would be incredibly long blackouts, and often actors would not be prepared for their parts on stage.  

Be sure to come see everyone’s hard work come together in Little Shop of Horrors on April 28 and April 29 at 7:00 pm and April 30 at 2:00 pm!