Eat. Sleep. Theater. Repeat. That’s how it goes in the never ending rhythm of tech week. All the world sees is an amazing performance, followed by the curtain closing. However behind these velvet drapes, a different story unfolds. Tech week is a beautiful, messy sleep deprived time that starts on the Sunday before the show– yes, we come to school during the weekend. We give our time on the stage from 2-6 on Sunday. After this comes what I can only describe as a perpetual marathon, staying everyday after school from 4 PM until whenever we’re done, which is typically after 9 PM. Sleep is no longer something we have– it’s something we dream of, when we must cope with an average of only 6 hours of it every night. Now you are going to find out what a day in the life of a cast member during this crazy week is like.
We leave school at a regular time, just like the rest of you. However, we have until 4 o’clock to be back at the school, hopefully with all our homework done and some rest. We are so grateful to have amazing parents in the theater community who donate their time, money, and cooking skills to feed us on these long nights. Things like pizza, pasta, salads, and a club favorite– dino nuggets, are ready for us when we arrive. This meal is wrapped up with a variety of desserts, such as cookies, cupcakes, and a cake generously donated by the central office.
As some of you may know, we have a live orchestra present for our musical productions. The members of this orchestra arrive at 6 o’clock on the dot and leave at exactly nine o’clock. This means we have from whenever we finish dinner till 6 to get ready for a full run through– about an hour and a half. This does seem like a long time, however in the girls dressing room with 20+ people and one mirror, it’s a struggle. The girls get ready in the chorus room, while the boys dress in the computer lab next to the art room. Both locations are constantly playing music to boost the tired mood. All hair, makeup, and costuming is done exactly like it will be in the show.
From 6-9, we run the show. All lighting, sound, stage crew, and cast cues are done as if it were the actual performance. We try our best to run through the whole show without stopping, yet occasionally we have to pause to fix something. Promptly at 9 when the orchestra has to leave, we all come out into the audience and listen to notes from the director, assistant director, music director, and choreographer. These typically last about thirty minutes, and then we are free to go– or so we think. First, everyone must scramble to get out of costume and hurriedly assemble their things before rushing home. There is school the next day so we have to clean up the rooms we were using and put all our belongings away in the costume closet. Finally, we arrive home, typically at 10 o’clock, depending on one’s speed. Hoping no homework is left, we sink into our beds until we have to wake up again in a few hours, and do it all over again.
Nobody outside the Drama Club truly understands how much work and effort goes into producing a musical. Everyone has to give so much time and effort from December to March every single day after school. And while it sounds like a burden, it’s also an amazing environment. When you hear the seniors giving their senior speeches, all they talk about are the amazing memories they had here and how much the Drama Club has changed them for the better. We all hold so many fun, lifelong memories, such as senior speeches, senior gifts given by the juniors, and bringing in our childhood stuffed animals to watch our first fill run through– a tradition started this year. The most memorable tradition is the recitation of the poem “All That is Good”. This is an unforgettable chant-poem that has been recited for years before every run through and performance. All of these traditions and hours of work pay off to produce a brilliant performance.To end this, I will leave you with a quote from the poem: “All that is good, and important in the world, takes work.”
