When viewing a live performance, all the eyes are on the cast. The way they dance under the lights and hit each high note perfectly. Watching the Masuk production of Mean Girls was hypnotizing because of its seamlessness. But just how much effort goes into a show? How does it become perfected?
The answer is clear. Two words that make any person in the drama department shiver: Tech week.
“Tech week is the week leading up to the show where we work especially hard to make sure that the show is where it needs to be when we’re going to perform,” said senior Finneas Pinkney. “Essentially we just practice the show everyday.”
In retrospect, running a show over and over again sounds simple, but to Masuk drama students, it is the exact opposite.
Weeks before the show the actors practiced individual scenes and transitions. Tech week was the first time the entire show was run through in one go. It was also the first time that crew and drama interacted with each other. Putting the show together after only practicing fragments for weeks did not start with a coherent blend.
“The beginning of tech week was so stressful because it was the first time we were piecing everything together, the set, props, costume, and mics. Nobody knew what they were doing so we were kind of confused and we had to figure it out along the way,” said senior Guilia Celani.
Coordination is key in the performing arts, and tech week is the final time to delegate roles and responsibilities.
“The most difficult thing about coordinating a show, especially during tech week, is figuring out where everything needs to be, who’s going to do it and when, as well as figuring out how to work together so everyone has a part,” said Pinkney. “ A lot of us use the notes app to remember queues and share our notes so we knew when we had to do stuff and also what time to get ready during shows.”
Right stage manager and head costume manager, Layla Wasserman, had a plethora of tasks to complete before and during the show.
“Tech week is when there is the most pressure, because if you don’t get everything done by Friday then the show is going to be a disaster,” said senior Layla Wasserman.
“My job is to make everything organized, label clothes, organize racks, and make quick changes,” said Wasserman. “You have to be prepared for the worst and know how to improvise. [In the middle of a show] Muriel Bailey has this leather bodysuit costume and she got it up halfway and realized that it was backwards. So in ten seconds we had to take it all off and turn it around and put it back on.”
With dozens of props dedicated to the show, propmaster and left stage manager Pinkey had an overwhelming set of tasks. The MHS drama department provided the props for the entire show, but it was up to the crew to delegate their placement and timing according to the script.
“I had to make sure the prop table was set, had the right props where they needed to be and made sure everything was in place and in order,” said Pinkney.
“There is a lot more going on behind the scenes and a lot more to figure out then what you can see with your open eyes. For us, every second matters,” stated Pinkney.
It is important to remember how just much effort goes into the making and the performing of a show. The knots in the show are unraveled with mass amounts of effort that should always be acknowledged. Both the crew and the drama department did amazing work putting on Mean Girls. Make sure to swing by for another amazing performance in the spring!
Masuk Free Press 
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