“Bravo! Bravo! Encore!”

It’s quite easy for audiences to become swept up in WHS’s exceptionally executed plays. But behind the incredible talent of actors is an extraordinary and creative team known as the stage crew.

The stage crew is brimming with passionate students with varying backgrounds and levels of expertise. There are students who traded theatrics for lights and even those who have not been part of any production in the past. Roles include costume design, hair and make-up, set design and lighting, among many, and all of these people unite to put on the show.

The stage crew puts in many hours of collaboration and preparation to turn bare wood into a majestic set, and rework old clothing to make intricate dresses, among myriad responsibilities. For example, the make-up crew works with the costume department to create a distinct look for the actors on stage.

According to Morgan Eng, a senior involved in the stage’s graphic design and set design departments, the set design group dedicates roughly six hours a week over the course of two months.

As the show approaches its opening date and dress rehearsals begin, all the departments work furiously to ensure that everything is running smoothly. In fact, some stay as late as 1 a.m. working on the set.

To your right and below are just  a handful of the talented people that help bring the show together. So sit down, relax, and appreciate the stage crew’s months of hard work.

Lauren Logozzo, costume designer, ‘19

Photo by Kayla Butera 

“The most challenging part of stage crew is that most people who see the show don’t think about all the time that goes into the behind the scenes. I often stay after the actors leave to fix costumes that need repair and to rehang any clothing that is left on the ground. I was once at the school until 12:30 a.m. when Kevin, the janitor, had to kick me out.The best part about stage crew, though, is that we all get to see a final product come together. Though it’s late nights, it’s worth it to create a great show…In this play, I am looking forward to all of the fun costumes. We are working with a cool time period and I’m really excited to pull it all together!”

Mark Johnson, stage manager, ‘19

Photo by Kayla Butera

“My planning for the show actually begins in the summer, and the introductory meeting for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was just one week after school started. Every day of the week, I will get home around 6:30-7 p.m. From then, I have about an hour of work to do for the show, like sending emails and creating rehearsal reports, and then I start my homework. It’s consuming, but it’s also completely worth every second, because all of the work we’ve done manifests in the final product.”

Josh Saxon, co-head of scenic design, ‘21

Photo by Kayla Butera

“Helen Chinn, my co-head, and I are in charge of constructing the set and helping others involved in our crew. The best part of stage crew is seeing the results of all your hard work and knowing that you can say, ‘I did that.’ The most challenging part of the crew is the time constraints. We have around 2 months to design, build, and paint the set. This show, I’m looking forward to seeing a set piece with a trick built-in in action.”