Although models are the most visible participants in the Fashion Show, an unseen group makes the production possible for all: the tech crew.

Cordelia Larsen (8), Nicky Semenza (10), and Simon Orr (11), volunteered to help at the 9th annual Fashion Show, themed Celebrate!

Their roles include jobs such as stringing the power, taping guidelines on the floor, coordinating the models with other backstage people, and moving things on and off stage.

“[My favorite job was] having to tape down the walkways through the entire place where people could walk,” Cordelia said.

For Simon, acting as a backstage hand is a change from operating a sound or light board.

“This [show] gives you experience working in an environment where you are road-y,” he said. “I don’t really get the opportunity to do that behind the light board or sound board.”

Nicky commented on the differences between managing the fashion show in comparison to other events.

“Because we usually don’t have shows [at the San Jose Convention Center, and] all the other shows are held at Harker, this is a different space, and it’s much larger,” he said.

With so much to do, production manager Brian Larsen feels that time is the largest obstacle faced by the crew.

“In the logistical end of it, time is the tightest thing we fight, and then the logistics of coordinating everything to make sure the show works,” he said.

The Fashion Show provides a professional hands-on opportunity for tech crew members to practice backstage.