Have you considered or thought about how everything is done for musicals and plays? Besides the wonderful and hardworking actors that bring the whole show together, there is a lot of what goes into the production scene. Many of these built objects need to be changed and corrected to be perfect for the show. The most important thing is the safety of the actors and Stage Crew. Things need to be improvised as the Building Crew works with multiple ideas and visions to help the actors and the show be complete.

PERSONAL PREFERENCE

It’s encouraging that people who don’t prefer to audition should consider what happens backstage. Many of us rather audition and be a part of musicals or plays. Whatever your decision may be, fun is going to be everywhere. 

To gain more insight into how helpful Crew can be, I got a chance to interview Isabella Angone, who joined Crew during Junior year, and she said, “It’s definitely perfect for someone who is not sure how musicals or plays work. It’s a good way to ease into it”.  

There are numerous responsibilities that come into play when deciding to join Crew. Now, there are two types of Crew, and that is Stage Crew, where specific roles are assigned to you and you are required to attend Tech Week where rehearsal sessions are absolutely vital to prepare you for the performance days, usually those assigned will be upperclassmen (Sophomore-Seniors), and their responsibilities are either to work backstage or working the booth that deals with lighting, spotlights, music, sounds, etc. Building Crew (sometimes just called Crew), refers to building structures using construction tools, measurements, painting, and involving an active imagination to help bring the play or musical to its full potential.

Juliana Isabel Bosch, a Sophomore that has only experienced Stage Crew so far but is extremely excited to attend Stage Crew, provides everybody who is interested with presenting, “Well, it’s super fun obviously. I would say maybe it’s more laid back than being “in” the cast because we’re sort of just chilling and goofing off building stuff! You learn a lot of helpful skills aside from academics (like hardware, building structures, painting, etc.) You can say it expands your artistic mind cause we’re always looking at ways to make the set appealing and compliment things. And in the end, it’s very rewarding because you get to see all the effort you put into the project and just admire the set! Again, super fun and you get to enjoy yourself a lot with others”. Although she has provided much information about Stage Crew, she still represented significant knowledge and experience to prepare others.

CAN I USE THIS IN THE FUTURE?

Yes, you can use your Stage Crew and Building Crew experience for setting up concert venues, working in Broadway productions, movie productions, sports events, carpentry, etc…. Hopefully, many of these options will interest you! 

So…

Overall, everything depends on your decision! This takes a huge commitment and if you’re ready for significant responsibilities, I’d suggest you give it a try. Everyone you work with is fun and lovable!