By Courtney Griffin
Executive features Editor
They will never be the stars of the show, standing center stage with the bright lights flooded over them. They will never be have a supporting role, or an even be an extra. From curtain rise to curtain fall, the audience will never see or hear them. And yet, somehow, they prefer it that way.
“No, we are never jealous of the actors!” said junior Hailey Featherstone. “We have a very symbiotic relationship. We have nothing to work with if they don’t perform, but at the same time there would be no show without the tech crew.” Featherstone is a proud member of Barrington’s very own tech crew. From the first practice until the final bow, they take care of every element of the show.
“Our job, simply, is to enhance what the stage has to offer,” said sophomore Caroline Kline. “We do the set, the sound, costumes, makeup…everything.” All together there are seven different crews that make up the entire “tech crew”, who work on everything from the lighting to the set design. “Crews are dependent on each other,” said junior Gabe Gilden. “Everyone has something different to contribute. We can’t work out the lights if we don’t know the set. “
The techie lifestyle is a true time commitment for the most dedicated members. “For the shows, we work about a month and a half up until the actual show. Most meet two days a week until 5:30, but some crews will meet every day,” explained Kline. Before large productions at the high school, it is not unusual for crew members to stay at school until 11 pm,
working out every last kink.
“We pretty much live here,” joked Gilden.
“We’re making it sound like it’s nothing but a huge time commitment, but everyone who does theatre is so generous with their skills,” said Featherstone, who has become the one of the crew’s lighting experts for every production. “We all want to be here,” she added.
Featherstone and several of her other tech-mates are proud members of Technical Service Crew, otherwise known as TSC, a group comprised of the best crew members who help out with productions of any size, all year long.
“TSC does lighting and other set work for Orchesis shows, Jazz band, Choir concerts…even those really long college nights,” said Featherstone. TSC also comes with the added bonus of being a paying position. “We get paid to do what we love,” said Kline. “It’s great!”
There is not only great responsibility that comes with being a “techie” (as they are affectionately called), but also an overwhelming stereotype. “We redefine the stereotypical techies,” explained junior Melissa McSweeney, who is the assistant production director for several of the school plays. “We don’t all wear black and live in dark corners. We are actually loud and outgoing!”
After spending so much time together, the group has formed quite a family dynamic, openly joking about all of their trials and tribulations together. “We are a really tight knit group. We spend so much time together that we have come together as a family,” said McSweeney. “We haven’t got sick of each other…yet.
