The time is 11 AM, as the cast and crew of Eastlake’s production The Hunchback of Notre Dame show up for the first day of opening week, otherwise known as Tech Week. While the show itself wouldn’t open until the Thursday of that week, the show’s full glory is finally tested on Monday. The crew consists of stage management, costume and prop teams, lighting, and sound. Lighting and sound are operated by boards that act on cues given to incorporate the various lighting and sounds put into the show. While the costume designers and prop designers did most of their work before tech week working just as hard as the cast, they still have more to do as they team up with the crew that supplies the costumes and props. Most of us though began our work this past week.
As theater manager Tait Thomas said (and I paraphrase), most theater crews usually take anywhere from weeks to months preparing stage tech. Techies did get to watch in the weeks prior to familiarize themselves with the show, but the real work is during Tech Week. Monday and Tuesday were the tech rehearsals, and Wednesday was the teacher preview. While two to three days doesn’t seem like much time, some techies were given training weeks before and some of us were shown the ropes that Monday with a little more help on Tuesday. But the techies learned quickly and helped bring this show to its most complete form just in time for opening.
One story I have of the work done in this show is the job I took on myself. I’m part of the main tech crew as the spotlight operator (also known as the follow spot). The spotlight is separated from the other lights, as most of the lights are in or close to the stage but is controlled by the light board that turns the lights on and off and adjusts the colors. The spotlight operator job involves rotating and tilting a spotlight to focus on a particular actor. While not as involved as the full lighting job, it’s still as integral as the other jobs on this production as it adds to the show’s unique identity.
There’s not much stress that comes with the jobs of most techies. While it may feel daunting on opening night, especially knowing you can’t make any mistakes that could disrupt the impact of the show, things get easier as you get used to your environment and get to know your co-workers. Considering many techies already know most of the cast and crew, it isn’t hard to quickly acclimate. The work techies do may not be what audiences focus in on, but it’s still just as integral to Eastlake’s theatrical productions as the cast is. And I can say for certain that we helped plenty in ensuring that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is another fantastic show to put in Eastlake’s lineup of productions.
If you want to see the techies in action, check out The Hunchback of Notre Dame‘s last four shows on Thursday (7PM-10), Friday (7PM-10), and Saturday (1PM-3, 7PM-10). Also, be sure to look out for updates from Eastlake Drama if you find yourself interested!
