“One, two, three, ACTION!”

Every year, audiences flock to see Middle School productions, such as the Fall Play and the Spring Musical. The lights dim, the music fades, and the stage comes to life. But what happens behind the scenes?

Behind each production, the cast and crew work to create the work the audience sees onstage. Musical theater teacher and director Caroline Stewart of the Middle School’s fall plays says each production allows students to share their gifts while creating rewarding work. “It’s neat that we get to involve so many different students in different aspects,” she says. “Because everybody’s role is vastly different, it’s vital to [ensuring] that the show runs smoothly and is something students can be proud of creating. ”

The onstage magic comes from the actors in each production who play the roles that make each show come to life, rehearsing for weeks to create the final product the audience sees onstage.

Each actor brings their own perspective, making the rehearsal process even more rewarding for Stewart. “I have all sorts of ideas beforehand, but all the students bring in their unique take, which is the richest part because there’s so much room to add our unique twists. That’s probably my favorite part because we have a lot of laughter.”

To get involved on stage, students apply for roles by auditioning—they choose a role to audition for, read a monologue (and sing parts of a song for musicals), and wait for the cast list. Some of these students, those whom the director and producer think are fit for larger parts, get a “call back” for a second audition to help decide the starring roles.

The directors try to spread the onstage opportunities to as many students as possible so more people can be in each production. According to 8th grader Emma Liu, students usually get bigger roles in the musical if they have more minor roles in the play, which accepts fewer roles than the musical.

Along with the roles onstage, another large group of students work backstage to bring the hidden magic that helps each production come alive. According to drama teacher and producer Susan McMillan, this crew serves in a wide range of roles and opportunities behind the scenes—helping with makeup, costumes, sound effects, microphones, light board operation, props, moving set pieces, and stage management: 

• Sound Effects—plays all sound effects and music
• Sound Board Operators—control mic volumes and test mics
• Stage Crew—moving set pieces and helping transitions between scenes
• Costume Crew—Prepping costumes, help with quick changes
• Makeup Crew—Makeup/hair/wigs before the show
• Props Managers—collecting props, fixing props, creating props
• Special Effects—runs special effects like fog or projections
• Light Board Operators—follow-spots control spotlights, light board operator controls spotlights and lighting
• Assistant Stage Managers (2)—Works with props and stage crew, gives cues, runs rehearsals
• Head Stage Manager (1)—Works with all crew but mostly the light board, runs rehearsals, gives cues

According to Stewart, the number of people needed for each task varies based on the show’s needs. “[Students] get all sorts of different opportunities, and typically, it’s show dependent.” Students can apply for any role that helps the cast bring their roles to life. For the 2024-25 school year’s musical, Frozen, the crew will most likely have more opportunities for makeup crew and special effects. 

Whether onstage or behind the scenes, roles on the cast and crew are more likely to go to 8th graders, as it is their last show in the Middle School. “Because it’s the last show, I tend to prioritize the larger roles for 8th graders,” says Stewart, “I do make sure that I have students in every single grade, so the number of students involved [increases] per grade level.”

Having different grades of students in each production also gives students lots of social opportunities to hang out and get to know other people on the cast and crew. 8th graders Hailey Tepper and Oma Egbe and 7th grader Cassie Koplan say the best moments of working on the productions come from hanging out backstage with other cast and crewmates.

Most cast and crew members apply for their roles with prior experience, but no experience is necessary, as each role has different needs in each production. Time commitment is also an important factor to keep in mind. Actors generally rehearse for two months until 4:30 PM and stay back later as rehearsals continue; the crew joins about two weeks before the first audience, rehearsing until 6-6:30 PM.