I joined the tech crew in my freshman year for The Visit, the fall play, and I regard it as one of the best decisions that I have ever made. The friendships I have made and the sense of community that I have there have helped me get through the school year. Although I joined my freshman year for the play, you can join tech crew anytime. Gryffin Conigliaro (‘26) joined tech crew their freshman year for the musical and Ana Edstrom (‘24) joined her junior year for the musical. Tech crew is all the behind the scenes stuff for theater productions that you don’t often see. Whether building the set before the show or controlling the spotlights during the show, there are many opportunities to help out with the shows. “I did spotlight which was really fun because, ya know, big light and I also did stage managing which was fun because I got to interact with the actors more,” Conigliaro said. Personally, I started out being a runner for The Visit and then for Pippin and Mamma Mia, I was on the mic crew. I help put mics on the actors and help fix the mics if something goes wrong (note: a lot of things go wrong). You don’t need to just do one thing for tech crew too, Marlow Johnston (‘26) said, “I was a runner and then I was on spotlight and then I was an assistant stage manager and now I’m a stage manager. And I’ve done other random things too.” Tech crew has a strong sense of community because you spend so much time together and are working on projects together. I have met lots of new friends and became closer with people I was already friends with. Ayla Stuke (‘25) said her favorite thing about tech was “the people involved. It’s such a big community thing and sharing the experience with friends who feel like family is a huge part of it.” Along with the sense of community, tech crew provides you with opportunities to grow and learn. When I joined I had no idea how to use a drill but now I can (mostly) successfully use one although I usually prefer to help paint the set. There is also a lot of problem solving that needs to be done and there is a big sense of accomplishment when you finish with a show. Johnston said, “I like feeling like I’m in control. You get a lot of freedom to help with the show, you get a lot of opportunities to say ‘what if we did this?’” Joining tech has been one of the most rewarding experiences that I have ever had. I got to meet a lot of new people and learn a bunch of new skills. Stuke encourages students to consider joining: “Do it because there is no judgment. It is a learning space for everyone, including the one who knows the most. Everyone makes mistakes but they are part of it. The only bad mistake you would make is not joining tech.” I was very nervous to try a new thing and meet a lot of new people but everyone was very welcoming and it was a very fun experience. I’m very happy I joined tech and I hope more people decide to join this community.