BCA’s theater productions are beautiful and its assemblies run very smoothly, but there’s more to it than just the performers. Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a BCA production? What ensures that the lighting and sound effects go as planned? How everything on stage is moved as needed? Give it up for the BCA backstage tech crew!!

There’s a lot that needs to be done for a production to be successful, other than the readiness of performers. Last June, I was a stage manager for BCA’s One-Acts, which was an incredible experience. Not only did I have a lot of fun doing my job as a stage manager, I got to experience firsthand what it’s like working backstage alongside the tech crew to help the show run smoothly.

A lot of the time, tech crew and stage managing are confused with one another, but they are two different activities. One of the main differences between stage management and tech crew is that stage managers work directly with the directors and actors during rehearsals, tech week, and the productions, while tech crew works during tech week and then during official runs of the production. While the stage manager knows when specific technical effects are supposed to happen and can call them out, the tech crew are those who actually make said effects happen, such as lighting or sound effects. While stage managers are an essential part of a performance, the importance of the tech crew cannot be overemphasized. 

A few of the students on the tech crew interviewed to see what they had to say about their experience. Overall, the students have had a very positive experience with the tech crew and would highly recommend being a part of it to others. 

This group, which contains a fairly even distribution of academies, overall spoke very fondly of their experience. Interestingly, all of the members talked about different ways they found their way into tech crew. Some already knew about the program, while others found it accidentally, and others found out about it later in their BCA careers. 

There are a lot of interesting aspects of the tech crew, some of which the students reflected on when questioned on their favorite thing about tech crew. Connor Landzettel, a junior in AEDT said, “I like to do things involving the lights. Programming lights for One Acts was one of my favorite things to do thus far. I also like being in the booth during events, even if I’m not doing much up there.” 

Anna Montalti, a sophomore in AMST said, “The sense of community within the group, and the fact that you get to look really cool wearing a headset!” I agree with her. I’ve worn a headset for stage managing One-Acts, and it was a great experience overall. 

Aside from looking cool and performing cool tasks, the tech crew also offers a lot to learn. Yael Blaiberg, a junior in AAST said, “I have learned so much about how theatre works… I know basically all the ins and outs of productions!!” The students on the tech crew are very close and there is a strong sense of community within the group. 

“It has been one of my favorite extracurriculars I’ve stumbled across at BCA and the friends that I’ve made are now like my chosen family,” said Simeona Angeleska, an ABF sophomore. All in all, it’s a great opportunity for anyone who wants to assist in theater productions and BCA assemblies without performing.