Tech Week

The cast and crew dedicated an entire week to incorporating lights, sound and set changes into the show. They rehearsed with periodic stops to fix technical difficulties, and the tech crew smoothed out lighting and scene transitions. 

“[Coleman or the technical directors] call ‘hold,’ and you just have to hold in your place. Sometimes you’re just standing there for 30 minutes,” Wayman said. “But it’s just what you have to do because they’re making the show look really cool.”

As they stood on stage waiting for tech changes, many of the actors began to fidget. Some twirled prop torches in circles, and others reviewed the dances from last year’s musical, Pippin. Senior Sammy Strent, who plays Esmeralda’s love interest, the soldier Phoebus, conspicuously hummed songs from Pippin into his microphone. They weren’t allowed to talk, especially the leads, who were wearing microphones. 

“Tech week is worse than hell week,” Blanks said. “We sit onstage and we do…nothing. [But] it’s important. It’s very important.”