Behind the Scenes

Where the Magic Happens

By Dillon Paul

Edwardsville, IL – Many people do not fully understand how much work goes on behind the scenes of a live theatrical production. Dressers, backstage crew members, light board operators, sound board operators, set builders, set designers, and lighting designers are often overlooked by audience members when they are enjoying a show. What the average theater goer does not know is that most of what they see on stage would not be possible without the many people who work behind the scenes.

“Backstage crew is basically the reason a show runs smoothly. We are not the face of the show, but we make sure the show runs smoothly,” said Erik Brown. Brown is a junior at SIUE and he has worked backstage for numerous theatrical productions. He most recently worked as a floor manager for Little Shop of Horrors. “My responsibilities as a floor manager are to make sure that all the props are in the right place, and to get actors in places backstage,” he said.

Props are another thing audience members take for granted. What the audience does not realize is that someone has to make the props they are seeing on stage. Jose Lopez, a sophomore at SIUE, knows first-hand just how much work goes into creating props for shows. He recently worked as a set designer for Little Shop of Horrors. “I had a hand in building everything. I worked with Jim, the head of the Theater & Dance department, designing the plants for the show. Jim designed what the plants were going to look like, and I designed how they were going to move,” said Lopez.

Moving props is a job designated to backstage crew members, and high school student Craig Whitaker knows just how important this job is. “Backstage crew is important so the actors don’t have to move everything themselves,” he said.

Without people working behind the scenes, theatrical productions would be rudimentary. There are many people involved in making sure that a show runs smoothly, and it is because of those people that the audience is able to enjoy the spectacle of a live theatrical production.