By Hilda Rico Valdez

Musicals are considered one of the most memorable moments of the high school experience. Most of the time though, people only remember the actors’ performances. What about the students behind the scenes who brought the musical to life in the first place? Without Tech and Stage Crew, there wouldn’t be a musical in the first place. 

Tech Crew is a group of students who create props and sets needed for the production.
Stage Crew is a more select group of students, around 10-15, who handle the actual performance on the day of the production. The stage crew oversees props, lights, sound, and costuming, and guides the actors through their performances.

“Tech Crew is the more arts and crafts, creative aspect of the behind the scenes, stage crew worked on the production and was directly on stage during the musical,” Stage Manager and senior Ana Espinoza-Cruz said.

There were two Stage Managers and one Stage Designer. The two Stage Managers were Espinoza-Cruz and senior Kelsey Casamalhuapa. Senior Emely Aguilar was the Stage Designer. Both Espinoza-Cruz and Casamalhuapa assisted the musical director, Drama teacher Stuart Fingeret, in getting the actors where they needed to be for the musical. They called all the cues that went into making the production, such as the sound and props so that it ran smoothly on the days of the performance. They were both in charge of coordinating the sets, costumes, makeup, and people in Tech and Stage Crew.

“As Stage Manager, I oversaw all the logistical aspects of the musical or theater production,” Espinoza-Cruz said.

Aguilar’s role as Stage Designer was that she designed the designated sets for the actual musical. She was in charge of designing all the posters and the playbill for “Shrek the Musical.” With Fingeret’s guidance, she created these projects all by hand.

“I appreciated my role because I was able to think of ideas and actually see them come to life,” Aguilar said. “They were formed right in front of me and I was able to participate in a group activity that I enjoy.”

Everyone in the behind-the-scenes crew has the goal to make sure their creations allow for a spectacular and enjoyable musical production.

The whole process of creating a theater production is very time-consuming. Tech Crew members begin meeting every Wednesday after school around two months before the actual show. Each week, the Stage Managers assign the members certain props they need to work on. As the day of production gets closer, the stage crew prepares for tech week. During Tech Week, Stage Crew is put to work. They begin setting up the technical aspects of the show, such as the lighting, sound, and microphones. They help out with dress rehearsals, when they interact more with the actors until call time comes, the day of the show.

Though being a part of a stage crew can be stressful, it’s a great opportunity for students interested in joining the theater community without having to act, sing, or dance to be a part of it

“We were a close-knit group,” Casamalhuapa said. “It was very rewarding to see the end results of the show, especially since this is my last production for Granada. I have enjoyed my time in Tech Crew and being Stage Manager.”