Even though the actors are only seen on stage, there are so many other aspects of theater that happen backstage, and it wouldn’t be possible without the different people who help out with the theater program. All these different features of theater work together to make a large production for everyone to see, and it all takes teamwork.
According to an article titled Theater – A Collaborative Art, about how it takes multiple groups of people to make a big theater production, “Unlike authoring a book or painting a great masterpiece, a piece of theater has not come from the mind of a single creator, but from a large group of people working toward a common goal.” Another article titled Why Productions Need Collaboration says, “Between the actors, stage management, technical crew, design teams, publicity team, and front-of-house staff, you’re going to need a veritable army of people to make your upcoming school show happen.” This shows that every single member of a theater program has to have good communication and collaboration to continue to put their best foot forward to get the production process moving along smoothly; one person can not put a big production together by themselves.
Many people dream of having a main role in a play or musical, however, there are so many other acting portions that one can have. If cast members don’t get cast as a main role, they typically go to the ensemble acting groups. As shown by Senior Ensemble actor, Madi Dunski, in Grant’s spring musical, Annie! “When I joined theater, it felt like I found a new community of people that I could be around and were people I could easily work with; now most of my closest friends are in the theater program,”
Madi explains that being an actor is one big piece of how the entire theater program requires teamwork and responsibility. Actor Sammy Hernandez says, “Being in theater is very fun and has a very connected community; I would highly recommend joining if you want to try something new; whether you join acting or the tech crew.” Sammy says you can join whatever you want and still have fun with the great community of people that there is. Stage Manager and Student Art Director Addi Damptz says, “Joining an after-school activity like theater can be very beneficial for students and you can have so much fun with other tech partners; it only takes an hour or so every day or every other day.” Addie states anyone can join the theater and have so much fun in whatever field anyone would want to go into.
Pit Orchestra member Abby Hauschild says, “Joining theater may sound daunting at first, but the people around you make it so much fun to work with and they make you feel welcome into the theater community.” This shows that
everyone is welcoming and makes everyone feel welcome and that they belong.
Without the actors, tech crew, stage management, pit orchestra, and design teams, productions like Annie would never be possible without all the hands that make it possible.
