A Spotlight on Theater Technicians

By Lauren Chang

This past winter break, I was a technician for StarStruck Theatre’s production of The Wizard of Oz, which played at Ohlone College’s Smith Center. This vlog delves into a few of the responsibilities technicians have. Because I was not able to speak much in the video itself, the following is some more information about what it’s like being a technician.

For this show, I was a member of the deck crew, also known as the run crew. Our primary job is to move scenic units, as well as set and strike props onstage. My role included a bit more, assisting with special effects used in the show, helping with flying when needed (not shown in the video), and overall keeping an eye on what was going on on stage left. We were managed by Nicolette, our deck manager, who was in charge of the deck crew and reported to Anthony, the production stage manager. Before most shows, the deck crew sweeps and mops the stage, and presets props and set pieces for the top (or beginning) of Act 1. During intermission, we swapped out set pieces only used in Act 1 for set pieces only used in Act 2, as well as cleaned up the snow that fell during the Act 1 finale. Finally, after the show, we usually would put set pieces into the shop or onstage, depending on what the Smith Center required. 

As you can tell, the crew is generally very busy from the moment we step into the theater until we leave. Being part of the backstage crew, however, was an extremely fulfilling experience. Every show I do teaches me more about the world of technical theatre. If you’re interested in theatre and are willing to dedicate some time to helping out local production companies backstage, I strongly encourage you to volunteer to be a member of the crew!

In the video:

Production photos by Rosaura Studios.

Much thanks to StarStruck Theatre.

Music from The Wizard of Oz.