A Look Behind The Scenes of the Musical

One of the most valued and most traditional part of the many things that Weedsport High School has to offer every year is the High School Musical. The annual production here is known as one of the best around, and manages to combine skilled actors and musicians every year for the entertainment of the Weedsport community. However there is much more that goes into these productions than what can be seen on the stage. The crew that works behind the scenes has an important role in this production that allows the actors to act without worrying about the sets, lights or sound.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing senior Brandon Androsko, the Stage Manager for the musical for the past few years. I asked Androsko about his experience with the musical, and why it is an important job that can be both fun and fulfilling. Androsko first got into doing stage crew by signing on early because of influence from upperclassmen friends that have since graduated. After this he became the oldest member of stage crew at the time and was given the job of stage manager by Mr. Brian Franco, a music teacher at Weedsport and the current director of the high school musicals.

Often Androsko has found that few people are interested in signing up for stage crew. This is shown by the fact that all of this year’s current members are juniors and seniors. To those who may be on the edge about participating, he says: that stage crew is ideal for those who enjoy music and the theater, but may not want to participate directly in the performing. He warns however, that like most things that are worth doing, stage crew is an obligation to those who want to contribute. Stage crew has an important job that requires teamwork, listening and being able to follow instructions. Those who are participating for the first time will have to work under the stage manager, and listen to his instructions so that things can run smoothly.

The “job” that stage crew does is a bit different every year, but essentially involves, moving the sets to different positions throughout the performance in order to set the different scenes, moving the props and other smaller items the characters interact with on and off the sets, making sure all of the props are present and accounted for (as well as “taking care” of props that don’t get put away correctly) and opening and closing curtains. Last year for instance, one major prop was a huge puppet, the large plant in Little Shop of Horrors, that was assembled and operated by members of the stage crew.
This year’s musical, Mary Poppins, is a monster in terms of the number and scale of sets and props that need to be taken care of. This provides an excellent chance for new stage crew members to get involved and be part of a team that can operate in that shadows and make sure the magic of the musical keeps flowing at Weedsport.