The lights dim, the curtain opens and the show begins. Though the cast makes up much of the performance, they couldn’t do it without a lot of help.

Technical theater members or ‘tech crew’ is a group of students who work behind the scenes to bring North’s plays and musicals to life. Though often overlooked, their hard work is vital to the theater program.

Tech crew is in charge of all the parts of the behind-the-scenes production. This includes set construction, painting, sound, lights, costumes and makeup. 

“Almost all of the kids in tech gravitate towards what interests them more and are fantastic with working in groups, as everyone is working together towards the common goal of finishing a set,” senior Georgia Chlebek said.

Initial tech meetings begin around three months before each production. They focus on planning, building sets and making crew members comfortable with technical equipment.

“Typically, it is us getting together in the shop, planning out what needs to be done, assigning groups and getting started,” Chlebek said.

As the show date gets closer, the workload increases , but so does the excitement. Members really have to focus on teamwork, so that every part of the show can contribute to a successful, harmonious production.

“It gets really demanding in the last two weeks before the shows, at least for the costume and makeup team, but it is worth it,” senior Aliyah Mesich said.

Faculty tech staff member Aaron Mejorada witnesses how members prioritize collaboration and dedication.

“They are constantly collaborating, and their opinions are always taken into consideration,” Mejorada said. 

Problem solving is huge in tech, because they have to battle unexpected issues both before and during shows. Senior Sam Wylie knows firsthand how members learn to adapt to new situations.

“During both ‘SpongeBob’ and ‘Little Women’ we had things go wrong, but it’s up to the actors as much as the crew on how they turn out,” Wylie said. “During ‘Little Women’ we had an umbrella break and fly into the crowd, which we retrieved during intermission.”

Working so closely with tech crew for shows, cast member senior Libby Baumker values its contributions to the program.

“I appreciate the tech crew because they bring our shows to life,” Baumker said. “When I see tech crew, I know it means the set, sound, lights and all the other good stuff is there too.”

In past years, social studies teacher Sean Barber oversaw the crew. Without a tech director for the current production, though, tech crew focuses more on student communication and collaboration. Upperclassmen lead the crew through the creation and production process.

“The past years I think things went more smoothly because we had a tech director, but with Barber gone there has been a lot more for the tech kids to do,” Chlebek said.

North’s current production “Lucky Sparks” is a new, unique play written by theater director Kit Crawford. The heavy focus on improvisation makes for a change in technological needs compared to past shows.

“Crawford’s show is a lot of set dressing more than it is set building, and all of the tech kids really designed the set themselves rather than having a set in mind already and just us building or painting it,” Chlebek said.

If interested in joining tech crew, students can reach out to tech members or staff. No prior experience in anything technical is needed.

“I joined tech because it sounded fun, and I grew to enjoy the work and the people,” Wylie said. “I have found people who have made me feel at home and crazy at the same time. It has been one of the best parts of high school with some of the best people.”