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BEFORE FEB. 18: THE CREW
![Preparing for the first runthrough in Meyer Hall, stage manager and theatre junior Devyn Humble adds notes to the script, outlining components to implement.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_0469/855931712.jpg)
![Sound designer Marty Mets guides sound crew co-heads and theatre juniors Amberly Rodriguez and Talia Pamatat through the process of altering the pitch and tone of an actor’s microphone. “For this position I came in knowing absolutely nothing. I started learning everything my freshman year and I’ve learned even more since then,” Rodriguez said.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_0489/1795256835.jpg)
![While they preset the stage for Act II as assistant stage managers, Peitz walks Gary through the layout of each prop and directs her on where to place each item.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_3059/3945335250.jpg)
![Theatre sophomores Jaden Casey and Gabriele Pettener work together to unveil the third Audrey II puppet in preparation for Act II. Throughout the show, they were responsible for helping theatre sophomore and puppeteer Lucas Lacey get in and out of the puppet and getting it ready for each scene.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_5292/2812741104.jpg)
![Surrounded by foam cutouts for the morph suits of the plant roots, theatre freshman Elizabeth Kronhaus cuts a piece of fabric as actors are fitted for their other costumes in the shop.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_6342/2953788745.jpg)
![Tuning their instruments before a rehearsal, the 12 musicians playing during the show sit in the pit, guided by music director Marcus Swan and assistant music director and piano senior Sara Abdo.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_0333/3741178842.jpg)
![Members of the paint crew finish the sign for the WSKID Radio Station in the workshop before adding it to the collection of props.](https://www.themuseatdreyfoos.com/wp-content/uploads/cache/2022/03/LEX_6356/3973856394.jpg)
Behind each costume or set-piece was a team of technical theatre students constructing the stage for performers to shine on. They each joined or led a variety of different crews, including paint, build, props, lighting, and sound.
“I’ve been doing lighting design since sophomore year and it’s always made me happy,” theatre senior and lighting crew head Sophia Tartakovskaya said. “When I heard we were doing ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ a well-known, upbeat musical, I was super excited to have such a big show in my hands that I could play with and try new things.”
After signing up for a crew in November, students accrued skills and items needed before opening. For the props crew, this meant sorting through the props room, thrifting for set pieces, and renting an Audrey II puppet weighing over 300 pounds.
“It (set design) involves a long process of first rendering, then drafting, then modeling. For me, it can take up to five weeks to complete all these steps,” Singh said. “We needed to work with directors and bring the set to life. The process is a bit longer (and) involves some back and forth and compromises, but eventually, a consensus is reached and you can see that product on stage.”
To ensure that everything, including props and actors, were in the right place at the right time, the assistant stage managers had spreadsheets detailing the availability of a prop, its entrance and exit, and any characters interacting with it. For theatre junior and sound crew head Amberly Rodriguez, knowing when and where each character entered or exited was crucial to coordinating sound effects or unmuting microphones.
“I have to make sure that my cues match the show perfectly. The audience depends on me to hear the actors perform, so ultimately it’s my job to foresee that it happens,” Rodriguez said.
Despite missing eyeshadow palettes in the hair and makeup department or teeth falling off the puppet for props, the crew nonetheless prepared for opening night.
“The feeling of a performance that took so much time, effort, and sweat to bring together something so amazing, to finally sit in the back of an audience by my soundboard to watch and hear the audience interact with the actors is just beautiful,” Rodriguez said.
Seeing my peers go up on stage and do what makes them happy as I make them heard from the back of the audience is truly heartwarming.
— Amberly Rodriguez