When most people attend a theatrical production, they tend to focus on the cast. The people on stage take on a character outside of themselves, and act in an alternate reality. But, behind the stage are groups of people making the fantasy of the stage seemingly true, working tirelessly and silently. The production crew allows the script to come to life beyond the acting. And they do it all while going unseen. 

The crew for Noblesville High School’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” consists of members with
experience levels ranging from those who have only worked on one or two high school productions, to those who have helped with multiple stage events. Despite the difficulties that come with being on the crew for such a large production, these important workers come together and allow the script to come alive. 

The large backstage crew is actually composed of many smaller groups that work hard to bring the show together. As one of the stage managers for “Beauty and the Beast,” junior Ellie McIntyre has a multi-faceted role backstage.

“We run everything backstage, in terms of lighting, sound, all the tech with microphones, and we do the scene changes,” McIntyre said.

McIntyre is in charge of the team, and sophomore Clay Howard is one of the workers who make everything happen. Howard has the spotlight, but not in the way you may think. Howard will be operating the lights for the fall musical. 

“I control the lights, [turning] them on and off whenever needed,” Howard said.

As the lights go down, sophomore Grant Koven rushes on stage and without making a sound, changes the scene. Koven is the fly rail operator for the production. 

“I pull scenes in and out of where the audience would see,” Koven said.

The backstage crew doesn’t only deal with backdrops, lights and sound though. The actors on stage wouldn’t be able to fully deliver their lines if they didn’t have the right costume. Sophomore Abigail Crossman is a part of the costume crew for “Beauty and the Beast,” working hard to create, revamp, and reconstruct the intricate,
constantly changing costumes that are seen on stage.

Crossman says they are constantly “keeping track of costumes, and making sure everyone has the costume they need when they need it.”

One of the largest difficulties for the backstage crew members is trying to figure out what to do next. All members have their own individual responsibilities, and as the production’s first show grows closer and closer, the longer and longer their to-do lists become.
     Senior Brittany Beer, McIntyer’s co-stage manager, knows all about the stress of approaching opening night. 

“You feel like there’s nothing to do until a certain date, and you feel like there were 30 things you could’ve been doing when you didn’t even know about it,” Beer said.

     For “Beauty and the Beast,” this year’s crew members allow the cast to truly bring the story to life. 

     As McIntyre said, “Without the crew, you wouldn’t have a production.”