Phantom: From a Tech's Perspective

This spring the La Salle Players produced Phantom of the Opera to a sold out theatre. When experiencing live theatre, like Phantom, people of- ten marvel over the immense amount of talent found in the great actors, dancers, and singers all involved in the show. However, there are many people be- hind the scenes who spend countless hours to truly transform the theatre here at La Salle, the techies. A typical week in the life of a techie means one to two hours after school almost every day along with four hour Saturday sessions. During tech week these hours increase to five hours after school of hard work in the theatre to have a smooth run of the show where everyone is well prepared and can perform their tasks safely.

Phantom of the Opera is a giant show for a high school theatre to undertake, not only due to the large vocal ranges needed for the performance, but also the many technical feats required to put on the show. Tech is broken up into a multitude of crews: build, prop, paint, costumes, run, sound, lights, and box office along with a pairing of students chosen to be the stage manager of each show. Each person involved may participate in more than one crew, but it is important to have a dedicated group assigned to each. This show has been blessed with many who are dedicated to putting in the necessary work in order to make this a success. Whether it be building a nine and half foot tall cat walk, creating a fake organ, assisting in numerous costume quick changes during the show, or making sure to have sets brought on and off stage at the perfect moment, no task is too big for the tech crew. All of this great work is lead by technical producer and teacher here at La Salle, Mrs. Cerros, who puts in untold time and effort to make sure that the show runs smoothly, simply because she is passionate about theatre.

Theatre is something that requires dedication and immense effort from all sides. For months on end many people work together to put together the best show possible for all of those who watch. So, when you go to see any show, remember to appreciate all of the hard work that goes into a show.