The echo of gunshots filled the theater. Suddenly, the set began revolving around the wooden platform. Men in vibrant red and blue costumes scurried across the stage.
On April 15-17, members of the Upper School Performing Arts group participated in the annual Spring Musical, Les Misérables. However the performance could not have been the huge success it was without the help of one particular group: the technical crew.

Along with the countless hours of rehearsal that the performers endured, the technical crew sacrificed a significant amount of time and effort towards creating the performance.
The long list of tasks to complete included designing and making costumes, planning the lights, sound checks and effects, and building the set from scratch.

From freshman to faculty and beyond, several people played a role behind the scenes.

Junior Araby Martin, the stage manager for the production, was responsible for monitoring the cast.

“I’m like their baby-sitter. I make sure they’re here on time, they’re quiet, they make their cue, and they know their lines,” she said.

Weeks prior to the show, she attended rehearsals and her involvement with the musical only increased as the production drew closer. Spending the majority of her time alongside the cast, her main concern was the wellbeing of the performers.

Among the more technical aspects, Jacob Schwartz (12) is the sound-board operator for the show. Taking the sound that is inputted into the microphones and “mixing” it through a sound-board, he allows for the voices of the performers to be channeled through the main speakers, so that the audience can hear the voices of the characters.
While his specialty is sound, throughout the course of the musical he helped towards building the set and other aspects of the show.

“I’ve just been involved with this for four years, and I’ve picked it up along the way. This week when the actors don’t need to be hooked up to the microphones, I’ve been just helping around,” Jacob said.

Jacob’s efforts in constructing the set were aided by other students in a building workshop over this past break. Students of Paul Vallerga, teacher of Technical Theater at the Middle School, contributed to the construction of the set as well.

“The actual design of the show comes from the minds of our amazing designers. Mr. Paul Vallerga has been designing remarkable scenery for us for 10 years now,” Brian Larsen, Production Manager for K-12 Performing Arts, said.

With the changed stage, the new structure lighting was adopted as well. Natti Pierce-Thompson specializes in lighting design, and weeks prior to the show, she worked in collaboration with Director, Laura Lang-Ree to coordinate the cues and effects.

Along with the rest of the performers, Thompson was present rehearsals every day, including weekends, to plan and execute her designs for lighting.

Beginning in December, as soon as the cast list was revealed, Costume Designer Caela Fujii worked diligently to search for and create fitting attire for the performers.
“I look to see what I can buy, rent from various theatres and costume houses to what I could make and what I want to make,” Fujii said.

From watching Les Misérables performed by other groups and researching fashion styles during the era, Fujii is able to take away ideas that help her create the wardrobe for the cast. “I’m looking forward to seeing the costumes of all the actors at once, and how each actor uses their costume as a tool to create their character,” she said.

In expressing his gratitude for such a group, Larsen said, “very few schools are as lucky as we are to have such a diverse and knowledgeable production team.”