Behind all the paint, nails, wood, staples, and glue in Murray Hall is a team of hardworking individuals. Without this team, the sets for the school’s dramatic performances would be bare and empty. The idea of a dramatic production is that you suspend your belief for an hour or more, and envelop yourself with the story, but how can you do that without a set? You can’t — at least not believably. That’s where stage crew comes in — we build, paint, and decorate the sets for the actors to perform on and within

So, what goes into building such a set? Time, effort, and workforce. Over the course of several months and hundreds of hours, a spectacular “new world” is created. With the most recent example of stage crew’s work being the set for last year’s play Thirteen Past Midnight. 

Students taking part in stage crew use a variety of tools, ranging from power tools to handsaws. Construction begins with the planning out of the set, and then moves on to the building of the set. First, small props and parts of the set are built, prepared, and painted. Then, larger parts of the set, such as the stage itself, walls and decorations are built. production that the stage crew is currently working on is the classic Wizard of Oz. 

Working in stage crew is an incredibly rewarding experience. I highly recommend you take part in if you have not already. Over the course of weeks and months, you can learn a lot about building sets, and take away some valuable skills that could benefit you for years to come. Overall, stage crew is not only an educational experience, but it is also a wonderful way to bond and have fun with your fellow brothers, while learning a few things along the way.