As Green Level Theatre prepares for their upcoming production of Clue, the spotlight isn’t just on the actors, it’s also on the Tech Theatre crew working tirelessly behind the scenes. Tech Theatre is in charge of crafting intricate set designs, handling the lighting and sound, and even fashioning the costumes. Theatre truly would not be possible without such a dedicated team that brings the show to life. With opening night approaching, creativity and problem solving are proving important for Tech Theatre.
Technical Theatre Arts is a class that any student may enroll in and take during the school year. The class has four levels, starting with Beginning and finishing with Advanced Honors IV.
Within the class, there are many roles that students hold. The stage manager and assistant stage managers are the central coordinators and organizers for the production. They make sure all is running smoothly from the rehearsals to the performances. Next, the lighting designer and sound designer are greatly talented individuals that work to create the visual and auditory environment for the production, they set the mood and bring life to the show.
There is also a prop designer, costume designer, and their teams, that handle all the little details that make the play realistic. Finally, a new role that was implemented this year is the dramaturge. A dramaturge focuses on the literary side of things, making sure the facts are historically accurate and the scripts are high quality.
Many of these students have taken the class for years, therefore are very experienced. But a new addition to the team this year is the teacher, Mr. Turski.
It is Turski’s first year at Green Level, he previously taught at Cardinal Gibbons and Providence High. While the class is primarily student run, his role in leadership and oversight is crucial to the success of theatre.
While he’s just now starting at Green Level, he is loving every minute. He enjoys watching the students step out of their comfort zone and be creative.
“I’ve always said my favorite part is watching kids make mistakes, which sounds bad, but then they learn from those mistakes.” Said Turski, “I love watching those ‘aha’ moments and the creativity of the things they never thought they would use, like the staplers and the saws. They come in, they’re a little more timid about that but then they start to get more comfortable and they gain independence.”
Tech Theatre is certainly a class like none other, they have much more freedom to be innovative and use tools that aren’t available to other classes. The set of Clue is nothing short of complicated, there are numerous rooms and props that are used in both the board game and the movie. Turski explains the struggle to replicate such an intricate set with limited space.
“The biggest challenge of this show is that you have so many rooms that you want to bring to the show but you only have so much space to do it.” Said Turski.
Not to mention, a limited budget. Broadway shows, for example, have the ability to invest large amounts of money on high-tech equipment and features, resources unavailable to a high school.
Turski says, “We are a little bit more tied down to, what’s the main pieces? Where do we need them to go? What do we need to see, and what can we maybe allude to but not actually show?”
This type of problem solving is exactly what makes this job so complex. With all this hovering over their heads, the team is also battling a fierce deadline. With auditions occurring in early September, and rehearsals starting no more than 2-3 weeks ago, there is a tight schedule to keep.
“I think just all the elements coming together, and the time frame that we have to do it,” Said Turski, “Not only the challenge of putting it all together, actors and the tech, but also finding the time. Actors won’t be able to use everything on stage from the set until the week of the 13th. So a little less than 2 weeks they will have to actually rehearse with the set.”
With the talent of the Tech Theatre crew, this year’s play is shaping up to be a memorable production. The show will be performed Friday, October 23rd, at 7:00 PM, and Saturday, October 24th, at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Don’t miss the chance to see our students shine on stage and to see all the hard work that was put in behind the scenes.
