On stage, Dorothy waves and helps the scarecrow up. While behind the curtain, a frantic scurrying takes place to get the tinman ready for his entrance, house sets move, and playing of all the overture music takes place. 

     The world on stage is what actors dream of, but without the foundation of crews that work hard to keep the whole production together, it would be extremely difficult. Without technicians, pit orchestra musicians, or costume designers, what would famous musicals at West Albany High School be?

     Scared of the dark? Stage crew isn’t. Scared of loud noises? The pit isn’t. Scared of heights? The technicians up on the catwalk aren’t. Moving sets takes muscle and coordination, imagine moving a witch’s castle or a house in the dark! 

     The amazing crew hustles between blackouts to move pieces that bring the scene to life in as few minutes as possible. They are always ready to move pieces as one set is going, and they prepare for another as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

    “You help coordinate with the people in the cast to move [a set piece] so they don’t get hit,” freshman Drake Morvay said. Without sets or props, it’s more difficult to imagine where the scenes would be taking place, but thanks to the stage crew they are able to bring the settings created on stage to life.

     Wires crowd the sound booth as music director Stuart Welsh and event technician students control various volumes and the digital screen that projects anything they desire. Lighting, video, and every mic are controlled by West’s staff and students. 

     Every mic on actors and on pit musicians is adjusted perfectly to where the audience will be able to hear, students are also trained to place and take off the actor’s delicate microphones as quickly as possible before they are rushed on stage. If there is something wrong with lights, or a projection isn’t up the tech crew rushes to the rescue, trying to figure out how to fix the problem.

     Costume changes are hectic, getting from all tin to a normal person in the span of a few minutes is stressful, but helping put together and create over 50 costumes with repairs and adding or taking pieces away, along with making sure the actors are comfortable within the short time frame of getting ready for the musical is a feat of its own.

     And what would a musical be without the music? The Pit gets together months beforehand to practice as a group music that ranges in all instruments from brass and wind to string, and percussion. Getting together, students, volunteers, and the conductor provide the music from scene changes to when the audience is leaving.         One of the biggest roles in musicals in these crews only receives a little hand gesture from the cast at the end. 

     Though some of these students such as junior Lillianna Johnson says, “I would like more [recognition] from fellow crew members and cast.” Even though the audience can’t see them, they are an important foundation for building up musical productions and plays. Thanks to the crews and pit productions are able to be at the level they are with students, staff, and volunteers helping make them the best they can.