Pay No Attention to the Men Behind the Curtains | Teen Ink

Pay No Attention to the Men Behind the Curtains

May 21, 2009
By Callie Still BRONZE, McDonough, Georgia
Callie Still BRONZE, McDonough, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Although there are those few people who carry a show onstage, the main support of an entire theater is the technical crew backstage. Each person has a specific job and must do that job to the best of their abilities. The people who run the show are the “Assistant Directors”. They call the lights, tell the people when to move props, and have to know the exact order of the script in order to keep the show running smoothly. Next to the assistant directors comes the “Stage Manager”. If one of the assistant directors cannot be backstage on the right or left wing, the stage manager will take over his or her seat and help run the show. If they are not needed as a stand in for the assistant directors, then they will lead the stage crew. The stage crews are the people who help move the set, and help the actors whenever it is needed. If an actor has an incredibly fast costume change in between scenes, they cannot do it alone. Therefore they will have an assigned person to help them change. Alongside the people behind the curtains, the people leading the lobby are also part of the crew. The “House Manager” controls the ticket sales, helps hand out programs, and assists audience members if they are in need of help. On top of the food chain of the backstage crew, there are the “Light and Sound Controllers”. They are considered the “top God” of the backstage crew. They are the sole purpose of the actors’ volumes and spotlights. Without the “techies”, as they are called in the theater world, a show could not go on. It is a shame the audience only sees the actors and actresses onstage because most of the credit for putting on a production should be given to the people behind the curtain, the people who’s faces are never shown in the spotlight, but instead providing it, willing to let their friends shine onstage in place for them.



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