Lights! Camera! Action! For the cast and crew in NDP’s production of Secret Garden that is. When you see the amazing talent on stage, you don’t always see the work that goes on back stage. My crazy stage crew team and I work tirelessly to make scene changes, keep everyone quiet, and make magic happen on stage.
The stage crew are the ninjas of backstage, as we often call ourselves. Our major job is to make sure scene changes can happen and go smoothly but we also do much more than that. To begin the process, the design team gets together to design the set and, most importantly, the spectacular back wall. This is a long process that involves long weekend hours, but we make it fun by blasting music and just being together.
The next step is getting our stage crew together. About two weeks before the show, we plan out what needs to go on at what time and how we are going to move everything in only a few seconds. Then, we jump into things and start moving our sets during rehearsal. During our major scene change, we fit five huge platforms called trucks into the wings of the backstage in only 55 seconds. Then, after only a week or so of rehearsal… It’s show time!
The shows are so exciting and an accumulation of all we’ve worked for. We get to break out our black clothes, war paint, and show the audience our show. We begin every show with a show circle where we all pray and put our energy together before we give away our greatest gift to the audience, a great show. The show is a little nerve wracking at first, but the thrill makes all the work worth it. Nothing made me happier than when a song went perfectly because at that moment I was with all of my cast and crew that has now become my family.
But ultimately, I think my favorite part of shows is Sunday night because we do senior speeches. When people you have come so close to have to say good bye, it is always hard, but we know that this good bye isn’t final. Even though there was not a dry eye in the house (especially me), we knew that once our seniors moved on, they would go on to do amazing things with their mind blowing talent.
Now I can truly say that these people are my family, and I don’t know what I would do without them in my life. They are the most supporting and hardworking people that I have yet to come across. Together we are able to make magic happen on stage, and ultimately that is our greatest accomplishment.
