Behind the Scenes

By Lacey Goff

Lights, curtains, and the stage is set for another York College performance.
After enjoying the entertainment, the audience warmly applauds the talented
student actors and actresses. But what about the ones who work off the stage, out
of public eye? The crew, in comparison to the cast, is not so readily celebrated
because they stay out of the limelight for the most part, although their hard work
ensures that all goes smoothly in front of the curtain.
Despite being portrayed as something fun (which it is), theatre has had an
important role in the lives of many people. It serves as a place for making friends
based on similar interests and because of the amount of time that students work
together, the friendships are strong. I believe theatre plays an integral role in
college life as it allows students to connect with new people, both personally and
professionally said Bryan Curtin 17 (Hawthorne, NJ). For non-theatre majors, it
can be a way to de-stress from schoolwork and focus creative energy into
something else constructive. The collaborative and problem solving skills that come
from working in theatre are what benefits all students.

Theatre is more than memorizing lines. For actors, it takes a grasp of psychology to
get inside the mind of a character. For someone working the box office, it takes
skills in hospitality, and a technical director must know the engineering behind
building a set. These skills are marketable for a variety of jobs in the working world.
Students in theatre are exposed to these different skills early on. Absolutely, I think
theatre is integral to both academics and everyday life. For all aspects of theatre,
it's important to be well-rounded culturally and intellectually You have to be
educated to perform your tasks on and off-stage safely, efficiently, and with
confidence. To succeed academically it's important to look at things from multiple
perspectives, use critical thinking, and practice time-management - all of which can
be learned through experience in the theatre, said Christie Lenhoff 16 (York, PA).

For students like Christie Lenhoff, who is a Theatre major, theatre has been a part of
life since childhood. Lenhoff attended an arts school from 6 th to 12th grade, so her
love for it was inspired early. Others discovered theatre in high school. For Political
Science Major Curtin, and Theatre Major Devon Morgan 18 (Newcastle, DE), their
experiences began in high school. Other students, like Pre-Med Major Caroline Haller
20 (Moorestown, NJ), dont get to discover their love for theatre until college, but
their passion remains just as strong. The theatre program at York College is a
welcoming place for all students no matter their major and no matter what role they
play on stage or off.
Being a member of the crew is not restricted to only working behind the scenes.
Many students, like Morgan, Curtin, Lenhoff and Amanda Stagg 17 (Downingtown,
PA), have also been able to been on the stage as well. Stagg is a current crew
member for makeup and set creation on The Christmas Carol, but she was a cast
member in the opening production Story Theatre. The theatre can offer so many
opportunities that it isnt surprising that many students are actors and crew
members, however it isnt often that they pursue both at once. Since being a cast
member and a crew member requires time commitment, students choose one to
focus on depending on the production. Still, other students like Caroline Haller have
never been on stage as an actor. Not everyone has the desire to be in front of an
audience and that is okay. The backstage energy is high, as you might expect,
because of the excitement and challenges that come with a performance. Stagg
said, Everyone is moving a hundred miles a minute trying to get everything
together for each cue. The feeling is indescribable, a different world that the cast
and crew get lost in.
The crew members here at the College have the opportunity to explore different
backstage jobs. The theatre majors are encouraged to try as much as possible in
order to have a solid understanding of how a production is put together. Seth
Werner, Production Manager, said, Most of the theatre majors work both on stage
and off. This is due to their crewing assignments, personal preference and desires of
the theatre division to ensure that all students are prepared for theatre jobs after
graduation. This points them in the direction they want to go, whether it is as part
of the cast or crew. Morgan has been a light board operator, a painter, a builder,
part of the makeup crew and scene design and co-directed for Story Theater. She
tries out a little of everything when given the chance. Because the College has
different theatre programs like Story Theatre or the YCP Improv Troupe, the time put
into a production can vary. Some students say between 8-16 hours of work per
week, not counting the actual show time. Stagg says, Behind the scene workers
put in just as much work as actors, only they are not seen.
Without the hard work put in by these crew members, a play or musical would not
even be able to go on. For big productions, like YCPs The Drowsy Chaperone
coming spring 2017, the minimum number of crew members needed would be 20
and the maximum would be 60. Under the charge of the stage manager, they build
the sets and work out the lights and music and they direct the actors themselves. It
would be very difficult for the cast to work on learning lines and doing onstage jobs
to also work behind the scenes without any assistance. The crew relieves some
pressure from the cast and the director, and also spreads responsibility for the
production between multiple people. Behind the scenes is not only just work, but
also a great place for creativity. It encompasses art and music, which immerse the
audience and the actors in the production. The crew members help bring the
theatre to life. -LG

Word Count: 1009

Sources: Caroline Haller 20 (challer1@ycp.edu)
Devon Morgan 18 (dmorgan7@ycp.edu)
Bryan Curtin (bcurtin1@ycp.edu)
Christie Lenhoff 16 (clenhoff@ycp.edu)
Amanda Stagg 17 (astagg@ycp.edu)
Seth Werner (swerner@ycp.edu)