Audiences who have seen ROHS Drama Club productions know that staging a quality performance involves a tremendous amount of hard work. But what really happens behind the scenes? We mainly know about what we see directly in front of us on the stage, but a successful production includes far more than the obvious. There are 72 members that make up the cast and crew of drama club, and they serve in different capacities. Some are cast members and others are crew heads, assistant crew heads, or stage managers. Still others are involved on crews for stage, props, sound and lights, costumes, hair and makeup, set, paint, and publicity. RATS concentrates on perfecting audiovisual elements, and the pit band provides musical accompaniment.
Senior Annie Findlay, who formerly served on props crew and is now working on publicity, explained that crew members are indispensable to a production.
“Crew members are vital to the success of a show,” she said. “Of course, you need the cast to put on a show, but the crew members are kind of what makes the show come alive.”
Crew members are responsible for most of the elements that make a production come together, including the smallest details that an audience might not necessarily notice at first glance. Drama club president Haley Berry has experience on both cast and crew, and described the backstage spirit that develops in preparation for a show.
“It’s very chaotic, but organized at the same time,” she said. “There’s a lot of moving parts to it that you don’t really see.”
A drama club production typically takes about two to three months to complete and perform. During that time, crew members dedicate their efforts to Super Saturdays, where they focus on preparing for the show and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. There are many different obstacles and challenges that unfold while working on a show, with communication and coordination ranking as among the most important.
“There are so many crews that are working together to build one product, so we really have to focus on making sure we’re on the same page with things,” said Berry.
Among the most formidable challenges facing drama club this fall was the absence of a director. ROHS English teacher and drama club sponsor Angela Lundy took on many of the responsibilities associated with overseeing the drama club until a director was hired.
“I usually do paperwork, budgeting, and coordinating during the school day, but I’ve recently stepped into the role of interim director, so now I have more responsibilities, such as leading rehearsals,” said Lundy.
While Lundy and drama club members prepared to stage the fall production – Freaky Friday- in mid November, the search for a director ended in mid-October with the hiring of Abbey Lilly-Lacca, an educator from Ypsilanti. Lilly-Lacca has experience in English, theater and film studies, and will officially assume her role as drama club director in January.
Drama club productions wouldn’t be the same without the investment of every crew member. During the hiring process, when things were uncertain, dedicated staff and students stepped up and took on responsibilities that were entirely new. Because Lilly-Lacca is unable to take over until January, the production of Freaky Friday has been officially rescheduled for March 1st-3rd, 2024.