To the audience, things go unnoticed. Set pieces magically appear on the stage, actors emerge in new costumes within 30 seconds, and everything is ready to go flawlessly. The huge Patriot Theatre is not just made up of actors. Yes, the actors are a huge part of the productions, but there is an arguably another important group: the techies. Techies run everything behind the scenes such as lights, sound, costumes, props, set, and so much more. Without the techies, the productions wouldn’t look as amazing as they are.
Evelyn Vanek, the costume department head, works for hours on carefully designing costumes for the characters.
“I would say my role is pretty important,” Vanek said. “If I wasn’t there, the actors wouldn’t have costumes. It’s pretty hard to believe somebody is, for example, a Shakespearean lady if they’re wearing normal street clothes.”
Without students like Vanek, actors would go onstage without the costumes that show who the characters are. The costumes bring the characters alive.
“Without us you wouldn’t have costumes,” says Audrey Klug, another member of the costume department. “Like the characters would go onstage in every-day outfits in the middle of the 1800’s time period.”
Without costumes, a show becomes boring and the characters can’t be seen clearly without the appropriate attire.
Morgan Vincent runs the sound department and controls everything related to the music, mics, and sound cues.
“If we didn’t have the sound department, there would basically be no sound of mics,” Vincent says. “We couldn’t hear the actors and it would be simply boring going to a show with no sound.
The sound technicians need to be able to hear what’s happening on the stage and be able to understand the wording correctly, especially in musicals where sound is extremely necessary.
“The sound adds a vibe to the show and makes it more its own world rather than just an ordinary show,” Vincent said.
Running the show backstage are the stage managers. They stand in the wings with the rest of the run crew making sure everything runs smoothly. The stage managers help everyone else do their jobs by communicating and providing anything needed to everyone. If the directors are gone or need to step out, they keep the rehearsal going. They help facilitate scene changes and give any cues needed backstage.
“If we didn’t have stage managers, it would be a disaster and not much could get done,” says Charlotte Barry, one of the main stage managers.
Backstage can be chaotic during shows and it’s up to the managers to keep everything going and make sure any problems are dealt with. If there are mic changes, costume pieces, or any issues regarding the actors, it’s the job of the stage manager to solve the problems as best as they can.
“My job is super important because it helps keep the production on track and run smoothly and safely,” says Kyra Fowler, another stage manager.
Without tech, shows would not have the magic they usually do. There would be no costumes, props, lights, sound, or management. Most people only think about what happens on stage and focus on the performance made by the actors but the truth is there is so much more to the shows than meets the eye.
