When watching a Lakeside Theatre Company production some things that come to mind are the singing, extravagant costumes, and the realism of the actors. But how does that come about? How do these actors have the props, set, costumes, sound, and light design to accurately portray these roles? The answer to this question is simple: the crew. What goes on behind the scenes is what makes the show go on. While the audience is unaware of the difficult things being done on the other side of the curtain while an actor is belting their solo, crew is crucial in the show making process.
An example would be costumes done by Bennett Tretsch, Lila Burrow, and Maddie Shumaker. The period pieces for shows like Anything Goes are important when wanting to provide an accurate depiction of the 1930s. Items like gloves, shoes, and hats are picked to perfection demonstrating class, period, and personality. Generally, if a character is meant to be wealthy they may be seen in gold as gold is a common color associated with wealth. Whereas if a character is lower class they may be seen in browns and duller colors.
Another example is Running crew. Running crew plays a vital role in the show, even without a glamorous name. They move set pieces on and off in short periods of time without being caught in the light. While that may not sound like a lot it plays a highly important role in theatre. They have to move set pieces twice their body mass efficiently enough to know where to place it and how to place it in a timely fashion.
Lastly, Build crew. The build crew is exactly what it sounds like. They build and design the set! Without the set there wouldn’t even be a show in the first place. Build crew has to make sure that the set not only looks good and period appropriate, but that it is safe to stand on, lean on, and move. This takes hours of hard work and pressure to get the measurements right, and pass safety codes.
Theatre has so many important roles that branch out beyond the cast. Whether you’re watching a production at Lakeside, your local community theatre, the Fox, or even Broadway, always keep in mind the hard work done behind the curtain.
