The lights dim, the curtain opens, the show starts. For the people in the audience, the main focus is the actors onstage. But what they miss is what happens backstage. For props heads Addy Taylor ‘20 and Emma Gibson ‘20, their whole theatre experience revolves around being backstage. “I just like being backstage,” Gibson said. “You’re a part of the show.” They are a quintessential part of making the show run and happen smoothly. “During the shows, if something goes wrong, you can’t fix that,” Taylor said. Along with being in theatre, they endure the stress that comes with it. “The most stressful thing for me is knowing that I’m in charge, and if something goes wrong it’s on me” says Gibson.

But even though being in charge of a crew can be challenging, they’re also part of a community. “I just really enjoy being part of something. I think if I wasn’t a part of theatre I wouldn’t be involved in anything” says Emma Gibson.

they aren’t the only ones who make the show happen, their crew also works extremely hard to run the show as well. Like Rachel Speck ‘24, who is doing tech with Theatre West for the first time. “It’s a different feeling to be a part of tech because you run the show and without us being there you wouldn’t have a play,” says Rachel “I think it’s just an awesome community, but you’re also really close with the actors and everyone so it’s not like you’re sectioned off. Everyone’s just close to each other.”