Middletown High School’s drama department is putting on A Christmas Carol this holiday season. The show is coming on December 11, 12 and 13, so both cast and crew are cracking down and getting business done. The crew is excited for this year’s show and are working to get their part done.
“It’s a tradition to do A Christmas Carol every four years, so when we do it, it’s really special,” said MHS junior and the drama department’s light manager, Leah Koltz.
The idea is that by doing the play every four years, anyone who does theater throughout high school will have a chance to participate in it at least once.
The crew, who refer to themselves as “techies,” do the behind the scenes work. There are many different sections in tech: lights, sound, stage, costume/makeup, curtains, and props are the six sections here at MHS. Lights are managed by Leah Koltz, sound is managed by Nathan Fox, left stage is managed by Tommy James, right stage is managed by Damian Dye, costume/makeup is managed by Mary Lagnese, curtains are managed by John Pressly and props are managed by Andy Cregan.
“I’m new this year, but I learned really quickly that working together is extremely important. We never get things done as well as when we’re working together.” Said MHS sophomore and stage crew member Alyssa Lookingbill.
The crew worked to build the set in the time leading up to tech week, which is the week before the opening night of the show. During tech week, the crew rehearsed their job while the cast rehearsed the play.
Lights and sound had to find cues and make sure they had the correct lights going and the right people wearing mics, along with other jobs, to keep the show running smoothly.
Stage left and right decided who moved what sets, who was on book to keep track of where the were and who helped watch the elementary and middle school kids in the play.
Costume/makeup decided who wore what costumes, labeled them, planned costume changes and designed characters makeup.
Curtains worked on scheduling curtain times, making sure they opened and closed when they were supposed to.
Finally, props crew found what props were needed, brought them in, assigned them to characters and helped make sure they were distributed correctly throughout rehersals and the show.
“Tech focuses a lot on keeping things running smoothly, so no matter what is thrown at us we have to figure out how to work with it.” Says MHS sophomore and stage crew member Julie McNally.
As the show begins, the crew prepares themselves to do their jobs and help anytime something that might need addressing pops up.
“It’s nice to be a part of the techie family and watch what comes out of our hard work. Everything we do brings us closer and helps us put on a great show with the drama department.” Koltz said.
