The lights go down, the music starts and the show has begun; there’s a dazzling performance from actors onstage, but what you don’t see are the numerous stagehands and techies making sure the show runs smoothly.
Stagecraft is a class that goes hand in hand with the Play Production classes at UPrep, supporting the show with props, a set and various other important roles. Working on the fall musical this year, “Spamalot,” this is Senior Jahya Hinkel’s third year taking the class.
“Something I really like about Sagecraft is the fact that one day I can be painting, one day I can be building, one day I can be working on costumes,” Hinkel said. “There’s just so many different pieces that go into it, but it allows you to dip your feet in everything and build a lot of different skills.”
At the beginning of the semester, the Stagecraft crew focuses on planning roles and getting to know the theater and upcoming production. Throughout this hard work, Hinkel finds a strong sense of community to be formed among the crew.
“It’s really fun to be able to work on one big group project and just be able to see it come together with a lot of other people,” Hinkel said.
As the show approaches, work ramps up for the crew as they work to hammer out anything and everything that needs to be done so that the show can go on without a hitch. Senior Karsten Stuyt has been working in the booth as the lightboard operator for the past two years.
“It can be easy to focus on the actors on stage, because that’s who you see the most doing shows,” Stuyt said. “Behind the scenes, there is so much more stuff going on that like one small slip up could lead to a potentially major problem with the actors on stage and be very well noticed by the audience. So it’s both a combination of, we’re unseen, but we’re also balancing a lot of things simultaneously to make sure everything works as well as possible.”
When showtime comes, the crew will be working hard making sure props are set, mics are checked and everything and everyone is in its place for the curtain call.
“I have high hopes that this show will go well, and hopefully the attendance of all three nights will show that,” Stuyt said. “I have confidence in myself and my fellow crew members to perform a well run show for the audience when the door opens.”
